OK, let me start off by saying that I love to read. I’m an English major, so it’s kind of a priority for me to at least like it. But no, I love it. I love turning each page and taking in the deep smell of adventure that rises from those pages. That being said, I have not loved a book this much since I first read the Harry Potter series, and I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. So, Sarah J. Maas has enchanted me beyond words because my book hangover from reading "A Court of Mist and Fury," the second book in the series, is still happening! And I read that book the day it came out in May, so it’s pretty serious. I might have to go to the doctor soon if it’s not cured.
But anyway, I’ve never had a book teach me so much about the values of women before. That’s why I think every person should read it, not just women, but men need to read this book, too, because the values that Maas teaches us are some of the most important lessons you can learn in life. It deals with abuse, PTSD, sexism, love, loving yourself, loyalty, etc.
It also has a magical setting so what’s not to love? The story takes place in Prythian, a Faerie kingdom that looks eerily similar to the British Isles. The land is split into seven courts, four for the seasons and three for the solar cycles (dawn, day and night). The courts have been taken over by Amarantha, a faerie who seeks revenge for her sister’s death. It is up to Feyre to break the curse that binds the faeries of the land to her. And along the way we meet some pretty awesome people (Lucien and Rhys being some of my favs from the first book).
The first book is a reimagined version of "Beauty and the Beast" and, not to be too spoiler-y, the roles of that fairy tale shift the deeper you are enthralled within the story. Each and every character has an astounding amount of depth that is peeled away layer by layer as you turn the page. I can’t comprehend how refreshing it is for our female characters to have such depth. When I read fantasy novels or even just regular books I always find that our male characters have so much depth whereas the females are lacking, but Sarah J. Maas does not disappoint. You can honestly tell that Maas has put her heart, soul and blood into creating the work of art that is ACOTAR.
Maas has done what I can only hope to achieve within my writing; create a realistic fantasy setting, character depth, interweave lessons within the tale as well as bind the reader to the story. She has achieved all of this and if you grab a copy of this series I promise you that you won’t stop reading it until you're done and then you’ll just troll through Tumblr looking at all of the amazing fan art there is.
Sarah J. Maas has bound my soul to her book; I might as well have a cool Illyrian tattoo to match, because I will be rereading and recommending this book until my last breath.
