A Court of Thorns and Roses
By Sarah J. Maas
Bloomsbury, 2015. 419 pages. Fantasy
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 over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it…or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
This action-packed fantasy is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in a world of humans, magical creatures, and High Fae. The characters are well-developed, rich, and realistic with believable strengths and weaknesses. The story moves quickly and will keep you up reading at night. You will only partially regret staying up the next day because this book is worth the hype and the read. It has unforeseen twists (especially in the sequel), court intrigue, and a steamy romance that keeps you fully invested.
Be advised that this is an adult book and does contain explicit sexual content and may not be appropriate for younger readers.
If you like A Court of Thorns and Roses, you might also like:
Wicked Lovely
By Melissa Marr
HarperTeen, 2007. 328 pages. Fantasy
Seventeen-year-old Aislinn, who has the rare ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and the Winter Queen and the survival of her life, her love, and summer all hang in the balance.
Hunted
By Meagan Spooner
HarperTeen, 2017. 374 pages. Fantasy
Follows the experiences of an aristocrat's daughter, Yeva, who tracks a mysterious woodland creature her father has become obsessed with and that stands at the center of his failing sanity.
These Hollow Vows
By Lexi Ryan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. 442 pages. Fantasy
Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court. Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm. Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.
Bloomsbury, 2015. 419 pages. Fantasy
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 over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it…or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
This action-packed fantasy is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in a world of humans, magical creatures, and High Fae. The characters are well-developed, rich, and realistic with believable strengths and weaknesses. The story moves quickly and will keep you up reading at night. You will only partially regret staying up the next day because this book is worth the hype and the read. It has unforeseen twists (especially in the sequel), court intrigue, and a steamy romance that keeps you fully invested.
Be advised that this is an adult book and does contain explicit sexual content and may not be appropriate for younger readers.
If you like A Court of Thorns and Roses, you might also like:
Wicked Lovely
By Melissa Marr
HarperTeen, 2007. 328 pages. Fantasy
Seventeen-year-old Aislinn, who has the rare ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and the Winter Queen and the survival of her life, her love, and summer all hang in the balance.
Hunted
By Meagan Spooner
HarperTeen, 2017. 374 pages. Fantasy
Follows the experiences of an aristocrat's daughter, Yeva, who tracks a mysterious woodland creature her father has become obsessed with and that stands at the center of his failing sanity.
These Hollow Vows
By Lexi Ryan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. 442 pages. Fantasy
Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court. Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm. Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.
