A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

(5/5 stars)

"When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!"
Can I give this book more than 5 stars? Because I totally would if I could. It is amazing, phenomenal, absolutely stunning. It is, without a doubt, the best Beauty and the Beast retelling I've ever read.

What I liked: My, my, my that Sarah J. Maas is a pro at world building. This world was so alive, it practically leapt off the pages. It was complex but simple enough to understand, especially since it stayed true to the retelling for the most part. For as similar as the plot was to Beauty and the Beast, everything else was unique. Feyra is practically the opposite of Belle. She's such a strong character who isn't afraid to love and hate. There's so much complication in her life and relationships, and she handles it all with fierce fight and grace. Tamlin has that dark mysterious thing down to a science, and the fact that he's High Fae just adds to it all. I also want to mention that the curse of the masks was a cool touch and it really helped solidify their relationship for me. Besides all that, whew, this book is sexayyy...

What I didn't like: That it eventually ended? I mean, I guess, If I'm being picky, I could have used a bit more development between Feyra and Tamlin. Like maybe we could have seen them fall in love more, but really, that's not even a complaint because I still liked it the way it was.

I highly anticipated this book and had a lot of expectations from it (as I do with all of Maas' books at this point) and I'm so please to say it didn't let me down. If anything, it created another obsession. I can't wait for the next installment!

-Annie