The Person Behind the Pages

Sarah J Maas is one of the most popular authors in Fantasy / YA / Adult fiction right now. She's written three very popular series: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), Throne of Glass (ToG), and Crescent City (CC). Of these series, ToG is the only one that is completed. Calling it now, ACOTAR is the Harry Potter of our generation. The raving popularity, the cosplayers, the Fae balls, it's all giving Harry Potter fandom level intensity. There's also rumored to be an ACOTAR show, produced through Hulu, coming out in the next few years. If it’s produced, the show will skyrocket the book sales and jump to the top of most watched shows.

Let’s Get Into It (ToG Version)

After being influenced by BookTok and so many of my friends who have read ACOTAR and loved it, I figured that it was time for me to try it too. You'll see that I have a lot of mixed feelings about ACOTAR, but it did inspire me to read ToG. I fell in love with the characters and their stories in that series. Strong female characters, average female characters, insane character growth, representation of different types of people, this series has it all. Also the insanely clever, overly-attractive Fae men and the Prince of Adarlan are there too...

There's so much controversy about the right way to read Throne of Glass. If we keep comparing this fictional universe to pop fiction, then the debate about the correct order to read this series is about the same as the correct order to watch Star Wars in. Some people read Assassin's Blade first and then move on to start the series in published order. Others prefer reading from Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight (Books 1 and 2) before reading Assassin’s Blade as Book 3. There's also some people who suggest doing a tandem read involving reading different chapters from multiple books to get the most detailed picture in chronological order.

Before reading this series, the idea of a tandem read like that was very intimidating. Instead, I read Assassin’s Blade and then began the rest of the series. I liked reading Assassin’s Blade first because it gave me context for so much of Celaena’s background and who she is as a person - when I reread, I'll try the tandem read and review that too. 

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!

When it comes to favorite characters in ToG... there's two that stand out. Aelin (of course, right!) and Manon. These two have so much in common - heirs to a kingdom, trained to fight and to kill, and taught that to love is to be weak.

Aelin is the exact traditional bad-ass that you would expect from a fantasy series. She’s strong, smart, has a love for the arts (don’t get me started on the parallels between Feyre from ACOTAR and Aelin!), somehow always one step ahead of everyone else, and generally feared by all. But what makes her different, right?

Anyone who has ever had their heart broken, or anyone who’s the type of person that can fall in and out of love like it doesn’t hurt at all, will understand this. With each person that you love, there’s always something unique, one special memory about that person that will never leave you. Aelin portrays this so beautifully throughout her entire character development. She doesn’t forget her past, doesn’t regret it, and instead lets it encourage and inspire her. We get to fall in love with her through her relationships. We get our hearts broken with her. When she thinks of that one phrase that Sam always said, or smells lavender soap, or sees the scars on Chaol’s face, we feel that with her. To me, this makes Aelin different from so many other fantasy female characters. Her connection to her emotions is so stunning and captures the reader.

So that’s Aelin, but what about Manon?

Manon starts out as essentially this random POV where the reader is left wondering why we even care about her. If you read Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan and remember how you felt when you first read about some random blonde guy named Jason… this is exactly how the reader feels about Manon. You journey from wondering why we care about her story, to rooting against her, an insane few chapters of dueling POVs from Aelin and Manon, and then finally, finally, you can root for Manon.

For the people out there who identify with the saying “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” Manon is your girl. #foundfamily #friendfamily #chosenfamily #cryingmyeyesout

Manon’s character resonated with me on so many levels. Born shouldering expectations to be perfect and the best? Check. Forced to kill or be killed? Check (in a much less extreme, more 21st century type of way). Values loyalty, strength, and truth above all? Check. Realizes the strength in an underdog and blows everyone’s mind? Check. Underestimated by men because of her looks? Check. The list goes on and on and on.

The only time that I cried while reading this series is about Manon and her Thirteen. I won’t spoil it.. but the power of love and friendship and sacrifice had me ugly crying. I had been a Manon fan for a long time, but that one chapter sealed it for me. IFYTYK.

Let’s Get Into It (ACOTAR Version)

I won’t lie and say that I would describe ACOTAR as a 10/10 reading experience. Part of the charm of the series is the emotional journey that you’re taken on with Feyre, our MC. However… when Feyre stumbles into the land of the Fae, we find that she is somehow fulfilling weirdly specific, highly improbable prophecies. Through these oddly specific events that somehow just happen to fit an ancient prophecy, Feyre the Cursebreaker is brought to life.

Don’t let that opinion fool you - I do love Feyre and think she’s an amazing character. The more that you read into the series (looking at you, book two ACOMAF), the more you come to love Feyre and realize that is the definition of self-sacrificing love. Her story isn’t one of just power or magic, it’s one of sisterhood, courage, and resilience. The reader comes to love how Feyre is an advocate and a protector for those that she loves, even if it’s hard to understand.

There are so many different scenes where I can say that I loved Feyre, but there’s one that stands out so much more than any other. My healthcare girlies already know where this one is going. Early on in the series, when Feyre is still scared of the Fae and doesn’t understand the threat that Prythian is under, a critically injured Fae stumbles into the scene. This Fae had their wings traumatically removed and is actively dying. Feyre comforts them, holding them and talking to them as they pass away. This is an event that cements the evils of Prythian into Feyre’s mind and truly shows the character and intention of our main character.

The characters in ACOTAR are more addicting and fun than the ToG characters. I love love love Nesta (Feyre’s sister) and Rhy’s two best buds, Cassian and Azriel. I’m very sure that I’ll be writing more about these three later.

Spoilers Ahead!!

That being said.. to love ACOTAR, you have to be okay with some predictable plots. Feyre is the only one that can break the curse? Feyre’s mate is the most powerful Fae male in the land? Feyre’s sisters have mates that are already inextricably intertwined with the story? The big bad villain is actually not the biggest and baddest villain? Of course, the series isn’t finished yet, so who knows what the unreleased book(s) will reveal?

If you’re okay with these things, then you will looooooove ACOTAR. It has everything you want, and so many tropes involved that I couldn’t hope to name them all. Once you come to accept this, the series is so good because instead of being boring and predictable, it’s all of our favorite plot lines written beautifully into a fictional world we love.

ACOTAR is also an easier read than ToG. Yes, there are fewer books for now, but the ACOTAR books read with more flow throughout the entire series than ToG. ACOTAR is next on my list to re-read so that I can annotate and catch all the tiny little foreshadowing details that I missed the first time around.

Rating the Romance

When I entered the Sarah J Maas universe, I was expecting Wattpad level romance. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the romance was genuine and relationship based. There is definitely a build up of romantic tension throughout the series with different couples. Lots of slow-burn, enemies to lovers, love to hate you, literally all the tropes. Most of the relationships tend to be a painfully slow, angsty romance.

If you’re looking for aggressive romance, you’ll find it in A Court of Silver Flames, featuring Nesta.

Stay Tuned..

I’m in the process of reading Crescent City, the third series that Sarah J Maas is publishing in her Fae universe. Unfortunately, the first book has been painful to get through and is taking a very long time. It’s honestly almost a DNF (did not finish), but I’m trying to push through because I know it’ll get so much better. I’ll update on my progress!

Final Thoughts

One thing that Sarah J Maas did an amazing job with is creating a multi-dimensional fictional universe. All three of her series occur in the same universe. Think Marvel Cinematic Universe or Harry Potter but with books and no movies. It’s a thrilling read and one that any bookworm should try.

I love both series so much and recommend both. ACOTAR is perfect for a more casual, interesting read. ToG is perfect to smash your heart into pieces and to invest a bit of time into. But don’t worry-both series will have you laughing, crying, and wishing you could leap into the world with Feyre and Aelin.

Talk soon,

Mary