A Court of Thorns and Roses

I got this book on a flash sale for $1.99 and thought, "What the hell, I'll see what all the hype is about." Best $1.99 I've ever spent. I'll be honest—it took me a few tries to get into this book and stay focused at first. The beginning is slow, and if you're not feeling it right away, you're not alone. So many readers talk about struggling through the first half before things really take off, and that was absolutely my experience too. It definitely gave off Beauty and the Beast vibes, which is a fair comparison—Sarah J. Maas has even acknowledged that inspiration herself. But if you can push through that initial slowness, it's so worth it. Because by the end? I was hooked. Completely, utterly hooked. The way the story builds and shifts and reveals itself is masterful, and by the time you hit the final act, you're fully invested. Here's my advice: push through to book two. Book one is good; it sets the stage for everything that comes after. But book two is where this series really finds its footing. The payoff is well worth the initial slow burn. Book one is essentially the foundation—important, necessary, and enjoyable in its own right—but the series truly hits its stride once you're past it. This entire series reignited my love of reading again. After ACOTAR, I couldn't stop. I went from struggling to finish one book to devouring series after series, and it all started here, with a $1.99 flash sale and a "what the hell." If you're on the fence, just go for it. And if you start it and feel like it's slow—keep going. You're not wrong, but you're also not done. The best is yet to come.

When idols turn into rivals, the plot twist usually shifts toward mischief and mystery. I'm totally glued and locked in.

This was such a good book! Definitely one of my favorite books. I’m going on to read ACOMAF now, and can’t wait! I’m 100% rooting for Rhysand, and can’t wait to see where this story goes.

Everything past chapter 30, especially chapter 45 was great; it just took a bit to get to there

I avoided reading this series for years, tired of tired romance. I was so wrong about what this is. This is a Story; engaging plot, real characters, intriguing world. Maas is a gifted writer. Not only does she write beautifully and descriptively, you can feel and taste this world she has created. Her characters are complex, multi-faceted, imperfect and interesting. It feels like you're in their story rather than just observing it unfold. So, while this isn't exactly my preferred genre, I am well into book two, and will be reading the series through to the end. This is a great read and I want to know what happens.

Perfect intro book for beginner smut readers! Addicting from the first page, I could not put down!! SJM created a beautiful collection with acotar.

This is one of my favorite series I’ve ever read… amazing!!!!!

TikTok bought me here, and it felt like beauty n the beast re-imagined.

I’m not the target audience and don’t read romantasy so I was coming to this read fully prepared to not like some aspects, but I was hoping for at least an interesting and captivating story since it’s one of the NY Times Best Sellers and it’s so popular. Lesson learned, never again! I stopped in the middle of the book, I can’t force myself to continue in expectation that it’s somehow gets better. I was feeling second hand embarrassment for a good part of the book for so many things, to the point that I had to stop on every paragraph thinking about why I’m reading it. The writing style is too modern to sell the idea that the story is happening around 17-18 centuries (based on technology level described in the beginning) and some of the characters are supposed to be 500+ years old. It’s really noticeable in dialogues and it’s breaking the immersion. Characters motivation is weak and forced and only works if you don’t think about it much, which I’m not sure is possible from a reader perspective, there is a very limited quota for believing in suggested circumstances no matter what till it becomes unbelievable. Weak motivation breaks cause-and-effect relationship and creates insufferable and irritating characters because you don’t understand why they say what they say, why they do what they do. At the same time you can predict what is going to happen because of excessive usage of cliches, which by itself is not bad. It’s the question of how we’re getting from the beginning to the end of it, if everything in between is broken, but you still getting to the end, the cliche is no longer working and you left with questions why it’s written the way it is. On top of that you’re getting punished for having imagination and being attentive to what author is describing, finding main protagonist and her friends in a very goofy situations that are not acknowledged, so I’m not sure if this book was proofread enough to realize what is being pictured by a reader. The first watery bowels mention is followed by being rescued by the main love interest and them going to the sunset after being fully soaked in blood. Unless the main heroine has a second pair of trousers being changed somewhere in the process, the blood was not the only substance she was soaked in. And this is how I will remember this books. Thanks everyone and have a nice read if you dare.

It’s an amazing combination of mystery, fantasy, and imagination.