I have had this book on my shelf ever since it was first released and I finally got round to reading it! I am a huge fan of the 'Throne of Glass' series so expected quite a bit from 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'. As usual, Sarah J Maas did not disappoint.

'A Court of Thorns and Roses' is the first book in a new series by Sarah J Maas which follows the peasant girl, Feyre. When Feyre kills a wolf in order to feed her family she is thrust into the dangerous world of faeries and is held captive by Tamlin, the mysterious fae whom she begins to develop feelings for. Feyre is a strong-willed, witty huntress and I loved following her journey into this world. She fights endlessly for those she cares about which was really enjoyable to read. Tamlin - the secretive but charming fae - reminded me a lot of Dorian Havilliard from Maas' 'Throne of Glass' series which probably explains why I loved his character so much. The relationship between these two characters was wonderfully written and I genuinely cared about their progress throughout the book.

Plot wise, I wouldn't say that this book had as good a story line as 'Throne of Glass' and I wasn't particularly drawn in by the synopsis. Despite this, Maas' writing style in 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' has definitely improved since her first novel. She created a beautiful world with her eloquent descriptions and dialogue. I had a perfect vision of the scenery and each character's appearance. The final plot twist proved Maas had really considered each detail that went into the dialogue as I most certainly wasn't expecting what was revealed towards the end. Honestly, it was the final reveal which pushed this book from four stars to five and had my heart beating faster than I had expected it to! I loved the retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast', and it was really lovely to be able to make the odd connection to the original fairy tale,

I would say that the final section of the book could have been stretched out for a lot longer, Perhaps she could even have added a few bits here and there to this book and developed the final section into a book of its own. Of course I have no idea what she has planned for the next book in the series, but structurally the new setting and characters confused me slightly. Secondly, I didn't particularly enjoy being left with no cliffhanger at the end of the book. Although there is no doubt in my mind that I will be reading the second installment as soon as it is released, I don't feel any particular urge to find out what exactly happens next.

Despite the odd criticism, I did really enjoy this book and was not at all disappointed by Sarah J Maas. To anyone who loved 'Throne of Glass' or just young adult fantasy in general, don't hesitate to pick this up!

5/5 stars