Hi there!
We've reached the end of Chapter 23 on our read-thru of Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses, and it's finally time to have our January Intermission. Our Intermissions will be a stopping point halfway through our current reads, and through the month, to take stock and discuss themes and trends in the writing, and also to theorize about future plot points!
18+ Readers Only: This bad boy is not for the little ones. Mature Adults only. We were both surprised to discover that this is no innocent novel. For our spicy readers, you will likely enjoy this one. In fact, this book is listed as adult fantasy, but comes off as a YA novel at first. It is NOT a YA novel AT ALL. Spice Rating for this one is a 2 out of 5 chili peppers for sexiness.
Trigger Warning: There is mention of sex, rape, and violence in this review and the book itself. Not for any reader under 18.
Overall:
~We're both excited to keep reading to finish it out, but we both acknowledge, that even halfway through, we haven't been so pulled into the novel that we can't put it down. As far as we've read - the stakes have not been especially high, and the drama is minimal. Often, typical fantasy novels have a significantly long rising action and a quick resolution - most books do, but this particular novel's rising action has become a little overbearing.
~Both of us agree that this book is far too vague starting off. We need more specifics and action to carry us through. Right now this seems more like a romance with little conflict. This book did a good job at showing and not telling in the beginning, and then somehow lost track, because all it does after our introduction to Prythian is give us vague information through questionable conversation, and only when things get spicy, do we become interested. Only then do we get significant description and plot advancement. It seems like the author was trying to show and not tell so hard that she didn't show or tell at all.
Feyre & The Human World:
~In this novel, we don't celebrate Holidays in the Human realm, no reasoning or justification given, other than they used to be slaves and were harmed by the Fae and are poor. They mention that the old gods have been forgotten, but this is the only time it is mentioned and it is never brought up again. The human world in this novel lacks any character. We don't give a shit that she leaves her human world because the human world was so incredibly bleak and empty and her home life was so tragically bad.
~Starting out, Feyre is pretty empty as a character- we didn't even notice anything about her beyond that she was hunting and had a troublesome family. Typical. And on top of that her family is used as a plot device to get her into Prythian. They don't seem too important at all, and are not seen again in this portion of the book.
~Another thing we both noticed is that, towards the beginning of the novel, Feyre mentions quite a few times her wants and desires for her and her family's future. We learn these things through Feyre's actions and reactions to her sisters and father. She shows and doesn't tell, which is nice. We thought this novel was set up for success. Then the train got off the tracks. We see similar phrases used over and over again, and the same excuses for the same things repeated a few times as well.
~Unfortunately, later on in the first half of this novel, Feyre becomes the audience for us, and doesn't have much of an opinion regarding anything. All of her dialogue is full of questions, used as a device to let Tamlin and Lucien tell us the story. And once all of her problems seem to be solved, regarding her family, there is no conflict, and we seem to just be reading the story of a very nice life of a young lady who lives with some very hot fae men.
~Feyre becomes very comfortable in her life with Tamlin and Lucien. She is so content with Prythian in its entirety, even relaxing enough to paint, now that her problems are solved. We don't even know how long it has been since she picked up her bow.
~At this point in the novel, we see Feyre as having high wisdom and low intelligence. Frequently, very concerning and questionable things are said to her and done in front of her, and her reactions or need to fight are seemingly minimal.
The Fae & Prythian
~In the first half of this novel, we've only met a few Fae, and they seem to be walking Red-Flags. What is it with fantasy novels and poor choices in cryptid men? The only redeemable Fae we've met seems to be Alis, who is straightforward enough to be real with Feyre from the start.
~The largest red flag that came up during our read was when it was revealed that "Of course we can lie - we are all liars." Feyre questions the fae's integrity more when she thinks they are honest, and then after she realizes they're a bunch of liars and tricksters, she doesn't question a damn thing. We're confused by this. It almost seems like Feyre is so numb to the Fae in their beauty and in her attraction to Tamlin, that she forgets how dangerous they are.
~For a moment, she worries about her family and their current state of being, but then it is not mentioned in earnest, seemingly because she has accepted that her problems are solved while being with Tamlin, who she thought couldn't lie. They lied about a lot of things and she's just decided to accept that her family is safe after Tamlin's intrusion into their lives? We don't really buy it. We feel that she should be more concerned.
~ Prythian seems to have a Caste System of Courts? Some kind of Hierarchy? This makes us wonder about who has the power here and if there is more than just racism towards humans. Is there racism between the fae and their courts? The Spring Court seems to be the bottom of the barrel, as it is the weakest and closest to the border on the human lands. Right? We need more clarification in the world-building here.
Tamlin
~ Tamlin seems to be our least favorite character. Beyond perhaps being noble and attracted to Feyre, there's not much going on with him. He seems to manipulate Feyre more than is necessary, especially regarding Fire Night. He saves her over and over again and is kind enough not to expect any thanks, but it seems repetitive and not very creative to have a Superman situation. We believed that Feyre was established as a badass, but now she's not. She relies on Tamlin for everything. For food, for leisure, and for Shelter. Could it be that Tamlin has broken the terms of the Treaty by keeping Feyre alive? All of the other Fae seem to be surprised by a human in Prythian. We are suspicious that the author wants us to like Tamlin. We think he might turn around and be a bad guy, or maybe just not be that important in the long run.
~We find it interesting that Feyre still has mistrust of Tamlin, but she stops questioning anything because the Suriel instructed her to not pry. She takes it as gospel. This seems to basically quiet her intuitive hunter's instincts to protect herself, and instead, makes her complacent and open for attack to some degree, which kind of happens when Tamlin comes back after Fire Night. He grooms her a little bit, sexually, and prepares her for his future intentions it seems.
~ The first time we really get any characterization of Tamlin is with the poems he writes to help Feyre learn to read; he used her trouble words in these raunchy limerick poems to help her pronounce them. We found this very cute and adorable, but Tamlin is so stoic that is came as a surprise. It doesn't seem like their dynamic. All of their dialogue is world-building, so this is unique - this is actually lovely character interaction and relationship building. This is sweet- but it came off as strange because their typical interactions don't usually involve humor or any emotion beyond serious life-saving needs. It was almost totally out of character for them.
~This relationship growth is disjointed and not gradual, it feels like there is no connection between the two of them. The way that this book is written does not include the passage of time very regularly. At first we thought these things were happening back to back, day after day, but then we realized they've been together for a few months. However, their relationship still felt "new" after living together in the Spring Court for all this time. There was far less fluff than we would expect for a growing relationship. Less courting, less romance, and less attention paid to each other. That's a big part of the reason why we, as the readers, are not in love with Tamlin - we don't actually know him. We don't also feel that we've been living with him for months like Feyre has. We don't understand why she has feelings for Tamlin, maybe she knows things we don't while she was living in time between pages. Things that could have been shared with the readers to endear Tamlin to us.
~Something we both noted, is that because of Covid, we kind of know what being locked up with a person is like, and it's not this. We know what it is to be stranded with a person for months at a time, and Tamlin's & Feyre's relationship does not capture it. We would have been more interested had Feyre given Tamlin and Lucien a harder time taking care of her or keeping an eye on her.
~Lastly, about Tamlin, what exactly is his position in the Court? We understand that he is a High Lord of the Spring Court, but we don't understand the process of lineage or hierarchy when it comes the Spring Court. It seems to be more regarding Survival of the Fittest of the Spring Court, but we need answers.
Lucien
~Lucien is a crowd favorite, it seems. Ceraya and Brieanna both preferred him to the other characters because he actually seems to have a personality. He's more real. And his backstory is more interesting (and actually revealed to us) than Tamlin's and Feyre's. We want a Lucien Spin-off book!
~We also craved his warmth and nearness and didn't realize that we wanted more until he was gone. He'll come back though, we're both sure of it. He's a wonderfully written side-character that deserves more screen time.
~We wonder if the author forgot about Lucien until Fire Night when he seemed necessary to save Feyre, because Tamlin was busy. It's not that he needs to be up Feyre's ass all the time, but he lives in the Spring Court too, and you wouldn't go a day without seeing him if you lived with him.
~We ship Lucien and us, full stop.
Fire Night
~This was by far the most interesting part of the first half of this novel. This Fire Night Great Rite Ritual, Calanmai, is sex-based magic. Does that mean this court runs solely on the power of sex magic? What about other courts? Let's be real about what this is: This is a fairy orgy in the woods, All the spilling seed invigorates the magic in this court. It's gross and messy, and makes it grosser when Tamlin comes to Feyre after getting all worked up.
~This is an archaic version of a fertility ritual about giving seed for good fortune. This feels like an excuse to make Tamlin seem more powerful and to give him a reason to come after Feyre. This ritual is not about sex, it's about one man's power to breed many women. Without this event- nobody would have made the first move based upon their relationship. They would have both been content to make eyes at each other forever and never act on it.
~Feyre loves to not do what she is told and this is the first time we see her wildin' out. We actually appreciate seeing this bold character choice in Feyre, as not only was it funny, but it moved the story along. Character-Driven Moments are what create a great novel. Seeing her drink the wine and going out to the ritual was a blast- and seeing her face consequences was important as well. Which she nearly does, until Lucien saves her. Frequently Feyre has no consequences for her actions.
~The only Fae that we've seen so far are the few humanoid characters that Feyre has encountered. This ritual is the first time she has seen anyone else. These Fae are of all different kind and are from all different Courts. It was interesting to us to see Feyre experience that.
~Meeting the male Fae from the Night Court was also a new interesting moment- seeing her find someone else attractive other than Tamlin was a big deal - especially because she rose to his verbal games with her. She talked to him with as much snark and confidence as she talks to Lucien with. We hope this guy comes back too!
~We were upset with the end of the night, when Tamlin comes after Feyre, and basically assaults her. Tamlin is using the Fire Night Ritual as an excuse to do what he wants. If Tamlin is willing enough to have a line of women's legs open for him, and then willing to come after Feyre and have sex with her as well, in what way is Tamlin showing Feyre she's the one? She just seems like the next woman in line in this situation. How is she different from the other women he just had sex with? On top of that, if Tamlin and Feyre are meant to be mated, why would he be so incredibly willing to complete this ritual with all of these Fae? He tries to tell her she is special by saying that he would be gentle with her, but this doesn't matter at all because he doesn't ask for consent, before or after biting her.
~Tamlin being tired after Fire Night - you would assume that the Fae would be super invigorated and powerful after a magic ritual, but now he's suddenly weak. We just need more information on the rules of magic in this world.
Where We Are Now
~Feyre has lost her self-sufficiency and is distracted by a pretty boy. We are concerned that this won't change, but with no climax to this story so far, we don't see how Feyre's character is going to dynamically grow. She is and has always been boring, with a lack of interesting backstory. That being said, it may just be that the first book in the series may not be a great book, but the next books in the series may be phenomenal.
~There is something to be said for anticipation and building excitement, but there is literally nothing we can infer is about to happen because everything in this novel is so seriously vague. We really can't guess what is going to happen until a character expressly says it. When things seem to be building, there is no payoff or consequence, so things are not interesting, nor do they carry weight.
~The other downfall of this book is that there is so much dialogue that is hard to connect with any one character, and there is almost no introspection on Feyre's part, only acceptance. Her lack of introspection gives us no opportunity to ponder what has or will happen. There is only instruction, no contemplation of the story.
Where We Think We Are Going (Theories and Predictions)
~Tamlin was connected to humans somehow.
~Feyre may have magic
~Two Shimmering Small Figures? Future plot point. - They must be Alis' Nephew's
~The only predictions that we can really make is that Feyre and Tamlin will have to face the SHE, whoever SHE is. This is our big villain, and we haven't met her halfway through he novel? Why? She seems dangerous, but that's all we really know!
~We are interested to find out more about Sex and Mating Bonds in this world, and the logic behind it. Why is this a thing among Fae but not humans? And What kind of magic is involved? We're interested to know this because it seems different in other books. It works in different ways in other series' we've read. So we want to know more detail!
~ The Fae seem to have some kind of religion or mysticism. They refer frequently to a "Cauldron" of something or belonging to some deity, We would love to know more. Is it some kind of Mysticism?
Thank you!
~ We appreciate you reading through our January 2022 Intermission, as we are walking into the second half of this book with an open and hopeful mind. See you at the end of the month!
Love,
Ceraya & Brieanna
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