Filthy Casual for Life

I live under a rock.

Apparently, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is a big deal. I honestly never heard of it. A new co-worker asked me if I ever read “ACOTAR.” I looked at her like she was speaking in tongues. WTH is “ACOTAR?” The fact that this book has an acronym piqued my interest. The fact that she called it “fantasy smut” got me on board. I ended up texting her the next day and asking for the full title of the book. I fired up my Kindle and began my travels through the world of ACOTAR.

If you don’t want spoilers, don’t read past this point.

SYNOPSIS. Feyre lives in a world where magical beings known as faeries exist. We’re not talking Tinkerbell, folks. Faeries are of all shapes and sizes. In a great war, the world was separated into faerie lands to the north and human lands to the south. Humans believe faeries to be cruel, murderous creatures that kill indiscriminately.

Fueled by starvation, Feyre kills a wolf who happened to be a faerie. This sets the world in motion. She is found by Tamlin, the High Lord of The Spring Court. Per the treaty between both worlds, there is a penalty of a life for a life. He takes her to The Spring Court where she learns not all fae are monsters.

Feyre learns about Prythian, the world she now belongs to. Slowly, she learns that there is a blight upon the lands that can threaten the human realm. However, it seems Tamlin and his Court are doing their best to keep her in the dark.

Slowly, Tamlin and Feyre fall in love. We meet Rhysand, the mysterious High Lord of the Night Court.

In a turn of fates, Tamlin sends Feyre back home to keep her safe from impending doom. Feyre, realizing her love for Tamlin, finds her way back to the Prythian only to find The Spring Court in shambles.

Feyre makes a bargain with Amarantha, the blightbringer. If she wins three trials, Amarantha will free the now captive Tamlin. We see the return of Rhysand who forges a bargain with Feyre to heal her from one of her trials. She makes a bargain to stay a week of every month with Rhysand. Feyre ends up winning all three trials, but Amaranta does not keep her part of the bargain literally beating Feyre to death. The High Lords of Prythian grant Feyre light bringing her back to life as a high fae.

Tamlin and Feyre seem to have their happily ever after as they return the Spring Court to rebuild.

What disappointed you?

I was told there would be smut LOL. Okay, there was a small bit, but I was hoping for just a little more. I have read manga with more smut.

What brought you joy?

Rhysand. If you’ve read any of my anime content, you know. I have a thing for the bad boy. I am drawn to morally gray characters and Rhysand fits the bill.

What do you predict?

I predict that Feyre ends up with Rhysand due to their bargain. Rhysand is definitely hiding something.

My honest opinion?

It’s a combination of The Hunger Games and Twilight. I immediately drew parallels. Our main protagonist, Feyre, is an almost exact duplication of The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen. Both are poor, starving, and struggling to make ends meet. They also both hunt with a bow and arrow. They are both the breadwinners of the family. Without their ability to hunt and supply food for the family, their family would perish. Then there is the family dynamic. Feyre’s father and Katniss’ mother are both despondent in a spiral of their own shame and depression to the point that they offer no support, emotionally or physically to their children.

ACOTAR also mirrors Twilight. Our protagonist is a socially awkward, emotionally stunted introvert similar to Bella of Twilight. The parallels in the supernatural world were also hard to ignore. We have magical “fae” versus the vampires and werewolves of Twilight. And similarly, Feyre and Bella both fit into their supernatural worlds better than the human realm.

That being said, there is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with that! In fact, if you’ve read my anime content, you know I have no problems with formulaic writing. It’s like a security blanket. Nice and warm. Just because there are parallels doesn’t automatically make the content lesser.

I actually really liked the first book. I will continue the series.