Book Review #1: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series (Contains Spoilers)

So this is my current favorite fantasy series. I read the first two books in mid-March and then literally could not wait for A Court Of Wings And Ruin. I finally got my hands on it last week and devoured it in two days (even though I had exams but I mean whatever). Prior to that I had re-read A Court of Mist and Fury at least 3 times, I loved it that much. Now read on for my full review of all three books separately and then a review of the entire series.

(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)

1) A Court of Thorns and Roses:

Okay I have to admit, it took me some time to actually get into the book. I'm the kind of reader that needs to be sucked in from the first page or I will drag the first chapter for a week. The opening hunting scene was a little tedious for me but eventually I got through and then, boy, was I hooked! Okay, now for the Spring Court. The actual world wasn't explained very well until a later chapter (the library scene with the wall mural) so until then I was a bit confused but after that I could understand Prythian a lot better. Tamlin struck me as a, well how should I say this nicely-- an idiot (see also;"...and your hair looks clean") and also as a bit of a bully, seeing how he treated Lucien. Then Feyre and Tamlin fall in love and everything seems all right until Rhysand, my baby-bat, comes along and Calanmai happened. Calanmai is when my perspective of Tamlin changed a little bit, how he handled Feyre. That was the first sign that Tamlin's and Feyre's relationship might not exactly be healthy. Feyre's time Under the Mountain was extremely well-written in my opinion and revealed a lot about Feyre as a protagonist. It also revealed a lot about Tamlin when instead of helping Feyre escape, he wants to kiss her, even with the limited time left. That just made me really angry. Amarantha, as a villain was so well-written that I couldn't help but hate her with all of my heart. Rhysand and Feyre's story starts coming along (woot woot) and the book comes to a dynamic end with Feyre dying. This scene also tell us about Tamlin and Feyre's relationship. Rhys attacks Amarantha before Tamlin not even caring about what she could do to him.

Overall I liked this book enough to make me grab the next one immediately so I give it 4/5 stars.

2) A Court of Mist and Fury:

Okay this book simultaneously gave me life and ripped away my soul. In the beginning, I was torn between feeling incredibly sad and incredibly angry. Feyre's condition ripped my heart and out and Tamlin didn't care at all. Then he locks her up. At this point I threw the book across the room. Lucien's character took a turn for the worse and Tamlin's true colours are shown. I feel that SJM wrote both their characters perfectly. They start as the heroes and turn into the villains. Also can we talk about how much I hate Ianthe, she's despicable. I loved the depiction of the Night Court and everything that it represented, the place that the entire world considers a place of Nightmares but the court itself is the Court of Dreams. The Inner Circle was well-written and I instantly fell in love with all the characters. The comparison to the Spring Court was subtly implied and gave the entire situation a new light. The lack of diversity put me off a bit but it was comparatively more diverse than ACOTAR. The way SJM handled the very complex relationship of Rhys and Feyre is amazing, she managed to make a relationship that started with hate flow into one of infinite love, very smoothly indeed. The Inner Circle's stories are handled well and their easiness with each other is heart-warming. SJM weaves familial love and friendship with romantic love perfectly. The Summer Court scene broke my heart because Tarquin honestly deserved so much better. The Suriel is honestly one of my favorite characters and quite obviously the biggest shipper of FeyRhys. The final trip to Hybern had quite a lot of plot twists which I appreciated because twist-wise, there weren't many in the actual book, except the wedding. I disliked Nesta throughout the book until this scene when I started understanding her a little better. 

I re-read this 3 times so quite obviously I love it. I give this 5/5 stars.

3) A Court of Wings and Ruin:

I have to say, for all the hype around this book, it sure wasn't the next Dickens. I mean it was till pretty awesome and there were times I was clutching it to my chest and weeping but still, for all intents and purposes, it was over-hyped. For me, it came out mid-exam week and I read in the stolen moments of revision, so I might have to re-read it for it all to sink in. I liked how Lucien's character was developed and his friendship with Feyre is redeemed. The incorporation of the new courts added much needed excitement to the book. I've heard some people saying that the first half of the book was very slow and "there was too much action crammed into the second half". Well, the second half was the war so there couldn't very well be any less action! I loved how well-written the action was, I could literally feel the tang of blood in the air. Rhys's death actually brought tears to my eyes, it was so heart-wrenching. Tamlin's redemption arc was well portrayed all though a bit sudden. Nesta's stony facade was finally cracked, I still dislike her but a little less than the first two books maybe? Mainly because she saved Cassian's life. Hybern wasn't as well-written as Amarantha and didn't really live up to his "oh the most evil person to walk the Earth" portayal and it seemed kind of out-of-character for him to not notice both Jurian and Tamlin two-timing him. It just didn't make sense. Even though I'm extremely sad to see Feyre and Rhysand's story end, I think that their story has been tied perfectly and dragging it out farther would be a grave injustice to them. I think they finally deserve some peace.

I'm sad to see it end but deemed it greater than my exams so, I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

Overall:

This is definitely one of the best fantasy series I have read. It wasn't stereotypical enough for me to bang my head against a wall. The plot was nicely thought out. Although some of the characters were well written, others definitely didn't live up to their potential. It also lacked diversity. I think SJM could have developed some aspects of her world a bit better, (for example; writing more about the other courts, rather than just their appearance.) She ended it well and I am intrigued and excited to see what she's going to do in her next books.

All in all, I give this series 4.5/5 stars.


Okay so that's it for this one guys! I hope you liked my review and if there is anything you disagree with, be sure to let me know in the comments below. I always appreciate constructive criticism so hit me up.

Peace
Yashal (y-'uh'-sh-l)