A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
Published By: Bloomsbury Children's

Publication Date: May 5, 2015

Genre: Fantasy, New Adult

I love fairy tale re-tellings and when I heard this story was a Beauty and the Beast retelling with faeries I had to give it a try. As much as I hate to admit this, my first experience with Sarah J. Maas' work ended in a dnf. I heard so many good things about her writing and it upset me that I just wasn't able to get into her Throne of Glass series but once I started A Court of Thorns and Roses, I couldn't stop. I finished it in about two days. I am such a fan of her writing now that I  plan to go back to Throne of Glass and give it another try. 

Feyre lives with her father and two sisters in a run down cottage with barely enough money or food to survive so she hunts to feed her, often times, ungrateful family. When she kills a faerie in wolf form in the woods a terrifying beast appears and takes her to the fae world in exchange for the life she took.

I loved this version of Beauty and the Beast because it was similar enough to be recognizable but unique in so many different ways. The characters were fantastic. Feyre's sisters made me so angry that I couldn't wait for her to be taken from them. Let them fend for themselves and see how well they do without their sister doing everything for them! I loved where the story took their relationships. I didn't expect to be as moved as I was. Maas is truly a gifted writer. I don't know what I was thinking ever doubting her.

The beast, Tamlin, is fascinating and the romance is steamy but I gotta admit, I found several other characters to be just as fascinating, if not more so. Rhysand captured my attention from the moment he appeared on the scene and I am incredibly excited to see more of his intriguing character in the next book. 

There is just so much to love about this book. The beautiful and terrifying fae world, the vile and cruel villain, the wonderfully strong and selfless main characters. I'm definitely adding this one to my favorites list. 

Loved It!