When Feyre lets her ash arrow fly, she knows she might be killing a faerie. But she does not expect the beast that breaks into her home, demanding her life in return for that of the one she had taken. Her life, not her death. Thus begins Feyre’s time in the Spring Court of Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries. As Feyre starts to sort out her new life she learns that not all is well in the land of faerie- there is a curse upon the land, upon Tamlin and his court. Feyre also learns that not all faeries are dark and vicious as her fear and antagonism towards Tamlin starts to shift to something warmer.

A Court of Thorns and Roses builds the familiar tale of Beauty and the Beast with elements taken from other corners of folk lore and fairy tale. It is the best sort of love story, the slow and natural coming together of two very different people. Feyre and Tamlin fit- the romance is not forced, Maas pulls them together with deft hands. It is also a story of curses and dark magics, the things that go bump in the night and cause you to stop and glance behind you in the woods. It is a wonderful book and will keep you reading far longer than you might have intended, needing to see how it all turns out.