I am 100% late to the party on this one. This series has been on my radar for YEARS. I would have to be living under a rock not to have heard of it or seen it’s massive cult following all over the internet and book world platforms! I have had the books on my shelves for years with the intention of reading them ‘next book’ but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to read them. My number one fear was I would just want to binge the series and I just wasn’t ready to dive into another series to binge after binge reading a number of other series lately.
I kept putting it off over and over and over, until turbulence made me read this one. I was on my flight back from Ohio with a lengthy layover and a couple of plane changes. I had a book I had planned on reading on the plane but as soon as we took off from Ohio, we had a lot of bad weather and I just couldn’t read anything. So I went to my Audible library and threw on the first thing I could find to distract me which just so happened to be this book! It was the ONLY book that was downloaded on my Audible app and since I was in airplane mode, it would just have to do.
Naturally I am now currently on the fourth book and binge reading just as I suspected. This book series so far has been both familiar and much like I suspected but also not what I was expecting. That’s what I think makes this series so good. This first book really gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes but as the series has gone on that theme has faded in favor of becoming more of a Game of Thrones for YA readers! What can I say about this book and the series that hasn’t already been said, likely not anything but I am going to do my best!
Summary
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.
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
As I mentioned this book had strong Beauty and the Beast retelling vibes which I enjoyed more than I thought I would but I think that is due to the fact that this series took some of the court drama and political issues that Game of Thrones is known for and paired it down to be more approachable to new fantasy or younger readers. It was a really good mix and I loved how the story unfolded. This particular book though was more about the romance between Tamlin and Feyre and understanding some of the different courts and the alliances that are in place. Right off the bat I loved Feyre. She came across as strong and capable albeit young. Readers and younger audiences will see Feyre as relatable and vulnerable in the way that younger heroines can be but will also see the potential for substantial growth within her character which made this really exciting.
Tamlin was a great initial love interest for Feyre. I think this book really takes the concept of your first love and all those emotions that go along with that—-and the blinders to flaws with said love interest that comes with young love. For me as an older reader, there were some red flags when it came to Tamlin but I was still here for their romance. I thought they worked well together as a pair and I am eager to see where things go in future books—I can say now that I am on book four, my opinion on this has changed slightly but in terms of this particular book, I liked Tamlin in this book and felt his romance with Feyre was solid and well done. This series has come under scrutiny as being a bit too explicit for teens. There is some graphic sex and lude references. The target audience for this series is YA so 16 is to early 20s. Does it have some explicit content—-yes. Do I feel like it’s pornographic and obscene? No. I think this age range are beginning to explore their sexuality and I think it’s unrealistic to write a romance that doesn’t include a more realistic representation of things readers might be feeling or exploring themselves. It felt more accurate and relatable in a way that just a chaste kiss or cuddling that is often referenced in other books. I think readers will find the romance more relatable than others in the same genre.
This book gave us a great intro to other characters and the magic within the book and courts. It made me really excited to read other books in the series to see how the characters develop in upcoming books as there is a lot of room for growth and world building based on this introductory book in the series. I loved the premise and characters as well as Feyre as a heroine, the romance was well written and I think this series will continue to grow and evolve. The only thing that I struggled a bit with in this book (as well as others in the series) was an overuse of some descriptions. I was a little tired of things being ‘ripped to ribbons’—-‘my dress was ripped to ribbons, their bodies were ripped to ribbons, my mind she ripped to ribbons’. It was a lot of over use of a phrase that I could have done without by the end. Other things like ‘mate’ and ‘bond’ were over emphasized to the point of eye rolling but for the most part, I thought the story and series binge worthy with a lot to love and enjoy.
Book Info and Rating
Format 419 pages, Paperback
Published June 2, 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 9781635575569 (ISBN10: 1635575567)
Review copy provided by personal collection, all opinions are my own and in no way influenced
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: YA, fantasy
The Lit Bitch 