Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)
We did not go into A Court of Thorns and Roses expecting to have strong opinions. We thought we were just picking up a popular fantasy romance, enjoying the world-building, and moving on.
That is not what happened.
ACOTAR is one of those books where you feel yourself reading faster and slower at the same time. Faster because you want to know what happens. Slower because certain moments make you pause and think, wait… hold on.
That pause is usually a sign a book is doing something interesting, even if it is not always doing it cleanly.
“She’s like 17 or 18 in these books and Rhysand’s like 1900 years old or something, it's insane.” — Sara
The age gap is hard to ignore
The age gap is one of the first things that jumps out, and once you notice it, it is hard to unsee. This is not about missing the point of fantasy or taking things too literally. It is about power.
When one character has centuries of experience and the other is barely an adult, it changes how moments of protection, guidance, and romance land. Sometimes it feels tender. Sometimes it feels uncomfortable. Sometimes it feels like both at once.
That tension is a big reason people argue about this series so much.
Why we still understand the hype
Even with the critiques, we get why ACOTAR has such a strong hold on readers.
There is something deeply appealing about a story where:
- someone ordinary is chosen
- pain eventually turns into power
- survival leads to agency
- a woman is given space to become more than she was
Those themes hit especially hard if you are reading while tired, burned out, or feeling boxed in elsewhere in your life.
Fantasy gives people permission to want more without having to explain why.
The parts that made us stop and think
What stayed with us were not just the romantic moments, but the questions the book raises, sometimes without meaning to.
Who has power here?
Who gets to define what safety looks like?
When does protection become control?
Those questions do not stay on the page. They tend to follow you into real life.
“Your value is so tied to what you’re able to produce.”— Noelle
That idea kept circling for us while reading, because so much of ACOTAR revolves around worth, usefulness, and who gets protected versus who is expected to endure.
Our very honest take
We are not here to declare ACOTAR perfect or to write it off entirely.
We are here to say this:
- it is messy
- it is compelling
- it sparks conversation
- and it gives readers a lot to react to
Sometimes a book’s value is not in how neatly it resolves everything, but in how clearly it shows us what we are paying attention to.
