The time has come; I have joined the ACOTAR community! I went into this book with a bunch of nerves. I know how loved this series is, and I was concerned that I would be let down by it. I have a habit of staying away from some of these overly hyped books/series, but this one made me feel like I was missing out on something.

I will start off by saying this book was truly a tale of two halves. I purposefully purchase my books to encourage me to not waste money, finishing every book that I buy. Honestly, it was that reason as well as the love of this book that pushed me to get to the midpoint of the book. The first portion just gave me Beauty and the Beast feels, and was honestly just kind of slow. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and struggled turning each page.

Then Feyre returns from the mortal realm! I must have read the second half in 2x, if not more, faster than the first. This was the action and tension that I wanted from the whole thing! I understand the need for setting up the scene, characters, and world, so I am not too mad at it. I just would have liked a little more action thrown in there. The wandering around day in and day out got a little repetitive for me.

Boy o boy though, when she went under the mountain!!! (wide eye face!) I could not find out what happened fast enough. Side note though... that riddle was not hard to figure out. I was a little disappointed that I knew the answer when I first read the riddle.

I have a love-hate feeling on how the book ended. Do I still have a few questions that I would like answered, sure. Do I want to know if Feyre got the ending that she deserves, yup. But could I have just as easily finished this book and moved on? Also yes. I think the biggest pull for me to continue on with the series is how much everyone says the next one is even better. (I hope so). Most importantly though, I want to know what happened to make everyone flip on who they like and who they despise. Booktok has me thinking one thing, but the first book has me liking someone completely different. My curiosity has me continuing.

Overall, not a bad book! I enjoyed it, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I liked it enough to give the second one a go, and am interested to see what happens next. ( )

It took me forever to finally start this series. To be honest, YA isn't my thing, but a friend of mine who happens to be an English teacher, kept recommending this series, and I'm glad she did. This book was certainly better than any YA I could have expected. To be clear, I'd probably list it under "new adult," to be on the safe side, but in the library I work for, we have it in our teen section.

The story is about Feyre Archeron and one decision she makes hunting in the woods one day that will ultimately save her family from starvation, but will see her kidnapped and taken into the Fae realm, where humans are despised and a curse is all around. It's a very interesting take on the whole "Beauty & the Beast" (my favorite) story. However, the characters are well written and certainly have a lot of depth to them, and the world building is incredible. Not once while reading this book did I feel it was too "young" or "childish" for me. In fact, I couldn't wait to read the rest of the series after I finished. I think what I also appreciated about this book was the dialogue. Too often, I come across books where the dialogue is absolutely ridiculous, and by that, I mean the characters (usually the main female characters) sound like they're reality TV stars. They sound completely uneducated and immature. This series was different, the female characters were strong and well spoken, and even though they found love, a male was not required for them to break free from their chains. I think this series is great for young women, espeically those who value strong female characters. ( )

Love love loved this book so much! I can't wait to read the next ones!! I love how the banter isn't corny it's like an actual relationship developing. I love how SJM keeps you on your toes too. I hated how it ended though because now I need to start the next one. ( )

I would've made this a 4 if I hadn't known how the rest of the series went because I was really rooting for Feyre and Tamlin haha. The moment I finished this book I found out quickly Tamlin was, in fact, the worst guy ever.

Therefore this got pushed down to a 3 because, don't get me wrong, this is a great retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" with the interesting combination of the Scottish ballad of "Tam Lin" (wherein Tam Lin is captured by the Queen of the Fairies, and his true love comes and rescues him). But I felt Feyre lacked a lot of things in this book - plus, all that effort to save a man not worth saving! ( )

While I love this series overall, A Court of Thorns and Roses was a miss for me. I did not feel attached to Feyre or Tamlin until late into the book, but ultimately this makes sense after reading the second book in the series. This was my first romantasy book every and I think it is the perfect introduction to the genre for anyone interested! ( )