A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A combination of Beauty and The Beast and The Hunger Games. Feyre (human) is kidnapped by Tamlin (elf) after she kills and skins one of his men who was in wolf form at the time. But Tamlin is playing a dangerous game Feyre must fall in love with him and break the curse before Amarantha's deadline or he and his people are doomed. But when the Attor visits the Spring Court and discovers Feyre Tamlin sends her back home to protect her.

Once Feyre is back home she realizes that Tamlin provided a life of ease and luxury for her family whose memories were altered to think Feyre was visiting a wealthy Aunt who was sick. But her eldest sister Nesta knew the truth and even tried to follow Feyre over the wall to rescue her. Feyre confides everything to Nesta and advises her to take the family and run at the first sign of trouble before she goes back over the wall to break the curse.

When she arrives at the Spring Court she finds it abandoned except for Alis ( a servant who waited on Feyre) who tells Feyre as much as she can and agrees to take Feyre to Amarantha's Court Under the Moutain where all the Fairy Courts are assembled. Feyre is captured by the Attor and drug before Amarantha who asks her a riddle she can't answer and who offers a trade of 3 trials for Feyre's life in the full expectation that she will die during the trials.

But Feyre receives unexpected help from Rhysand who marks her as his to enrage Tamlin, and to provide Feyre a modicum of protection from her jailors. Having successfully completed the three trials everyone expects the curse to be lifted but Amarantha reneges as she didn't specify when the curse would be lifted and the prisoners freed Feyre just assumed that it would be immediately as specified if she could answer the riddle. As Feyre is dying the answer to the riddle comes to her and once she speaks the word "Love" Tamlin is freed and kills Amarantha. The High Lord's of every court give Feyre a spark bringing her back as a Fairy.

Everyone returns to their court and Amarantha's Court Under the Mountain is sealed.

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