A COURT OF THORNS ROSES

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Date released: 2015
Category: Fantasy

Synopsis: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

The UnReel Take:

Story: 7.5
Writing: 7.0
Characters: 7.8
Setting: 8.0

UnReel AR: 7.6

Bottom Line: This book serves as the launching point of a 5 book (and counting) series. Just something to keep in mind before you get into it, as it will likely prompt you to immediately pick up the next in the series. This book reading experience will run you through a variety of emotions, including annoyance at the main characters. But hang in there…the world building is fantastic, and as the book (and series) progresses, more interesting characters come into focus. Before even realizing, you will be sucked in to the Fae world, culture, politics, etc…For me, this first book was a little tough to get through at times, but you will discover it sets up some necessary story/plot lines to make sense of actions down the road.

Ideal Reading Location: I read this one in bed, before bedtime. I think it works well because it allows your body to give you a natural stopping point. When the story starts to lag or you get annoyed at a character, your body will tell you its time for bed. Then you can attack it with fresh eyes the next day.

Drink Pairing: A glass of red wine, but nothing too heavy. Go with something like a Pinot Noir. It works on multiple levels, not just tying in to the book and setting, but also as a natural sleep aid to help you put the book down at the right times.

Maybe your experience will be different!