Upon Further Review - A Court of Thorns and Roses

Upon Further Review is an original feature here at Somewhere Only We Know. I have always loved re-reading my favorite books, and I wanted a way to incorporate re-reading into my blog. Thus From the Ashes and Upon Further Review were born. From the Ashes is where I re-read a book that I have never reviewed before and finally review it. Upon Further Review is where I re-read a book that I've already reviewed and see if my original rating stands or not. This is also the time for me to discuss any new revelations that my latest re-read has brought to my attention.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 1)

By: Sarah J Maas

Published: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

421 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fae, Faeries

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

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Goodreads description--Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

So I've actually read A Court of Thorns and Roses before (here's my original review). I used to love to re-read but I haven't felt like I've had time to re-read over the last couple of years. I originally borrowed the series from Holly. So when I saw A Court of Thorns and Roses available for review, I jumped on it.

My biggest excitement about doing a re-read of this series was the big reveal that comes in book 2. And I knew that so much of book 1 is set up for that one moment, so I was excited to go back and see how much foreshadowing I might have missed and just see the setup coming. And honestly, I have to say it was just as good the second time as it was the first.

I remember my friend Lacy warning me that A Court of Thorns and Roses had a slow start, and I remember not being as put off by that the first time as I expected given her warning, but this time it was even more noticeable for me because I knew exactly how far I needed to read before the action started picking up and given what I know this time that I didn't know before had me uninvested in aspects of the story that I originally devoured. I can't say too much because I don't want to spoil the story for new readers. Fans who have already read this one will know exactly what I'm talking about.

One thing I complained about in my original review is that Sarah J Maas has a tendency to over-describe. I don't need to know what every meal consists of, what each character is wearing, or what each place looks like to the point of not needing to imagine or fill in the blanks myself. I can't tell you how many times I skimmed during this read-through because the description was just too much. This was especially difficult for me when the action picked up the last 30% or so of the book. In those intense moments of action, I need to move along quickly. And given the length of her novels, I personally think it would be beneficial to trim some of the excess descriptions.

I really hadn't thought much about how I would feel like I needed to continue reading the remaining books of the series after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I mean duh! A Court of Mist and Fury might be one of my all-time favorite build-ups and reveals ever. So, of course, I need to read that!

Favorite quotes:

-It took me a long while to realize that [...], whether he knew it or not, had effectively kept me from shattering completely.

-“Everything I love has always had a tendency to be taken from me.”

-“Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.”

I think my original rating of 4 Stars stands for me. I am tempted to give it 4.5 because I know just how much of this book builds to that pivotal moment in the next. But truthfully I still agree with all of my original reasons for rating it 4 Stars. Too much description is my biggest negative. Upon Further Review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the final verdict is 4 Stars. Have you read A Court of Thorns and Roses? What did you think? Let me know!