Sarah J Maas continues to get better and better! In this new novel we are given yet another incredible world and set of characters for me to fall head over heels in love with.
Loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, A Court of Thorns and Roses tells the tale of Feyre: a young girl who doesn't quite know what she has done when she shoots a wolf to feed her starving, ungrateful family. One day, a snarling faerie beast appears at her doorway, demanding revenge for the death of his friend, who Feyre unknowingly killed.
We already know from the Throne of Glass series that Maas can write fantastically strong heroines, and that is carried over to A Court of Thorns and Roses. Thankfully, though similarities can be drawn between Feyre and Celaena of Throne of Glass, Feyre is most definitely a character in her own right and completely different from Celaena in many ways. The story is told from the perspective of Feyre therefore you see things through her eyes. I loved the artist side to Feyre and the way she, so in turn you, appreciates the colours, shapes and shadows within everything.
However in this book not only is there a spirited heroine, we have a brilliantly wicked toe-curling villain, a necessity for every fairy tale. Aramantha is the perfect wicked witch, enough to send children hiding under the covers (and so they should). What makes her truly terrifying and sadistic is the human eye belonging to one of her victims which she wears on a ring, keeping him constantly alive to watch every horrific act she commits.
And true to form, Maas delivers several gorgeous and individual fae males for us to gape over. An interesting element to this is that two of these fae are cursed to wear masquearade masks over half of their faces, so we only have Feyre's imagination for what they must look like beneath the mask.
Overall I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, as I am sure you can tell! I would rate it 10/10 and recommend it to teenage girls and young adults. My only criticism is how long I have to wait for the next installment!
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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