My thoughts on ACOTAR 1 – 3.1 by Sarah J. Maas

So from the 24th of July to the 12th of August, I read the whole ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas. Since I have been a bit behind on my blog (well that is an understatement Nicoline!) I have decided to make an overall review of the series instead of four separate ones.

I had wanted to read A Court Of Thorns And Roses for a long time. I actually shelved it on Goodreads in 2017! Finally, this summer I bought the book. This book and series completely swept me away. I fully understand all the hype it has gotten. And I believe it deserves it all. So here we go – my thoughts on all the books in the ACOTAR series so far.
(Please note some spoilers will be inevitable. Only read to where you have reached in the series.)

A Court Of Thorns And Roses #1

Rating ★★★★★

I must be honest. At the start of this book, I wasn’t swept away at all… I liked it alright but it wasn’t as wow and captivating as I had thought.  It had some weaknesses. Especially regarding the plot. I couldn’t fully understand why Feyre had to stay with Tamlin. It seemed without purpose and weak-plotted. At the same time, it annoyed me quite a lot that Feyre wanted to go back to her family that much. Like why would she want that?! They were so awful to her even Elane. While I read I thought of giving this book just two stars. I just didn’t feel the hype everyone was feeling and I was disappointed. However, I must say that my feelings towards this book were turned upside down!

Everything fell into place and the weak plot turned into stone. The last half of this book was just wow! So cruel, inhuman but so thrilling. It kept me up reading until the middle of the night even though I had to get up at 4 am to catch a plane! Who needs sleep? Sleep is for the weak!
I loved Tamlin and Feyre and what she did for him and the faerie world. Arg what she went through was so horrible! And what Rhysand did… I don’t even have words. I was so repulsed by him. Still, I sensed something about him something deeper. But what was his business? Even though he actually helped Feyre I still hated him and I swore to myself that I would never ship him with Feyre no matter what. (Hahahahh I am dying so sweet, dumb and wrong I was. And my word, useless, never say never Nicoline haha. )
The phenomenal last half of this book and the plot twist which made everything make sense is the reason I still gave this book 5 stars.

A Court Of Mist And Fury #2

Rating ★★★★★

I was mad after I finished A Court Of Thorns And Roses. I went straight from the airport with all my luggage to three different bookshops until I finally found A Court Of Mist And Fury and I could get my fix. I was excited to read this book but also a bit afraid that it would disappoint. Sequels are always a bit tricky and rarely better than the first book.

It pained me to read about Feyre and her trauma from what happened under the mountain. It changed both her and Tamlin more than they would admit. But the way she was treated by Tamlin and his court, was not cool! She was not a fragile human anymore nor a prize to lock away. I lost almost everything for Tamlin during ACOMAF. Luckily Rhysand stepped in and saved Feyre from her misery.

I loved reading about Feyre’ and Rhysand’s development from enemies to friends to lovers and lastly to mates. (Their banters were the best!) And that mating bond! It was quite a surprise when I found out. However, I knew before I learned about it in the book. Sometimes the internet is just filled with the most delicious and shockingly spoilers hehe! 😉 I loved the scene in the house of mist where Rhys visits Feyre after she knows of the mating bond and Rhys tells her everything. This was the point where I realized that the second book and its plot was as neatly crafted as the first. Everything just fell into place.
Another scene I enjoyed was when the court of dreams visits Feyre’s sisters in the mortal world. Such a tense encounter but I also found it quite fun. And her sisters grew on me. There were more to them than their indifference in book one.

This book was truly a joy to read (apart from the bit depressing beginning). I loved everything about it. Of course, as mentioned Feyre and Rhys were great and I shipped them almost right away. But it was also thrilling to know more about Prythian and all the courts. But the greatest joy was to meet the Court of Dreams. Mor, Cassain, Amren and Aziel were truly amazing characters! So in depth. I do not believe I have encountered characters so real and deep as them before. But why did Maas let us wait such a long time for us to meet them? Anyway, it was definitely worth the wait.

As I read it felt that this book hadn’t been as action-packed as the first one. But Sarah Mass knows how to make up for it. Yet again, what a finally! How people survived waiting for the third book to be published I have no idea. I was just glad that I had it ready by my side.

A Court Of Wings And Ruin #3

Rating ★★★★

I also really enjoyed reading this book. But it doesn’t stand out as strong as the previous two. A lot of things happened but I must admit I can only remember a few things in details. (Maybe I just read it too quickly. Well then there is an excuse for rereading it 😉 ) One thing that did bother me was why Feyre had to stay with Tamlin for so long. I get she wanted her revenge but it ended up hitting her back in her face.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was learning the amazing squat of dreams even better and also Feyre’s sisters. I mean Nesta is just fierce in her own way. I just love all the characters so much! And of course, I love Feyre and Rhys too! They are so great. I love how they are each other equals and the way they support each other and believe in each other’s strengths. They a truly a power couple.
One of my favourite scenes in this book is when all the courts meet to have a meeting concerning the inevitable war. This encounter was everything! There was so much tension, hate and other strong feelings involved. Especially in regards to Feyre. Dear god, the meeting between Feyre, Rhys and Tamlin was so awkward but at the same time, I found it quite entertaining and hilarious.
This was an entertaining book and there happened a lot of things. Especially in the battles of the war. However, the whole cauldron thing always seemed a bit silly and strange to me. And the logic of the cauldrons powers was not always so logical I believe. Anyway, after a hectic battle, all ended well if you ask me. What a relief! :))

A Court Of Frost And Starlight #4

Rating ★★★

So this book is “only” a novella and not counted as a fourth book. I loved reading this little thing though it was quickly done. This book being a sequel to the third book it affected the story and the plot a bit I think. At first, I was afraid that Maas was gonna leave me broken with a horrible cliffhanger but luckily for my heart she didn’t. Though I didn’t feel the book had a purpose with its plot if you can say that. I believe this was a book for the fans. A chance for the fans to meet their favourite characters again and not so much for the sake of a great plot.

As far as I have understood Sarah Maas will write more books for this series. (Three more books if I am correct??) This is something I am looking very much forward to! I think the fourth book is expected in 2020. In the meantime, I will have plenty of time to reread the whole series.

If I have to look at the series overall I believe this is an excellent series! The writing is good, the plots are incredibly thought out and the characters are truly amazing! I would definitely recommend this series. But maybe not to everyone. This is marked as a YA series but there are a lot of graphical sex scenes in these books. So now you know if you didn’t already. (I didn’t and it was kind of a surprise for me. I am 21 and didn’t mind but this being a YA book it might not be suitable for some readers.)

Anyway, thanks for reading until the end. Happy reading!

Have you read the ACOTAR series or just some of the books? What were your thoughts? Any other great series I should know about?