Intrigued, because Sarah J. Maas’ books continue to be in high demand, I started reading «A Court of Thorns and Roses». Maas’ YA fantasy takes us to Prythian, land of the Fae. Though the story actually starts south of it, in the Mortal Lands, where Feyre has wrestled for several years to keep her empoverished family alive. When she kills a Fae in wolf form, however, she is forcibly taken to the Spring Court. There, it appears, she can finally let down her guards. If only all were as it seemed.
I enjoyed Maas’ worldbuilding very much, as well as the details of other well known works in it. It is an easy to read book. It just too long to get interesting, in my opinion. We spend at least half the book at the Spring Court, which mainly consists of only three people and very little plot. In the second half, we finally start to learn more about the challenges that the Fae face, we are introduced to their history and a few more characters, and Feyre has to prove herself. Her love story, on the other hand, wasn’t quite convincing to me (too many animalistic references and her love interest was a bit bland). I thought Rhysand, for instance, was a much more interesting, complex character. Which is why, after all, I contemplate reading the second book. We’ll see.
