I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world.

Maas has done it again. A Court of Thorns and Roses was brilliant. A Beauty and the Beast retelling that is much darker and a great deal sexier.

Feyre, who has been the care taker of her father and sisters for years, is taken to the Spring Court in the Fae realm of Prythian by Tamlin.  There she must live in a world that she has been warned about her entire life, while trying to find a cure for the mysterious blight that is plaguing Prythian.  Tamlin and his court suffer from a curse and are unable to provide Feyre with the answers she is looking for.  She has to figure out her place in the Spring Court while simultaneously figuring out her feelings for the kind, fierce Tamlin.

The first half of the novel was a bit slower because it works at setting up Feyre’s presence in the Spring Court and establishing her relationship with Tamlin, the second half is packed with action. While I felt a bit of distance from Tamlin, I still have to admit that I adore him. And Lucien.

I won’t go into details because of spoilers, but ACOTAR was lovely. I have to admit that I’m nervous as to how Feyre’s choices are going to come back in the rest of the series, and what Rhysand’s presence will mean. ACOTAR is one of my favorite fairytale retellings that I’ve read, but I’m excited to see how the rest of the series advances now that the Beauty and the Beast storyline is over.