So, I finally read the first book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. The first book is titled the same as the series itself. If you just look at the title of this post you are probably thinking that I didn't really like the series, but that would not be the case. Read my previous post about Cancel Culture for my thoughts on the importance of context. I think that Maas is an excellent writer. She creates amazing and fantastical worlds; with magic, faeries, and she creates these worlds in such a way that you can visualize them in your mind. I give this books as a whole a 7/10, and since I've only read the first one I can't speak for the series as a whole. That being said it's definitely worth a read. Especially, if you like fantasy.
***Spoilers Ahead***A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass***
The Problem
Than what is it I had a problem with? As the title itself says, it was with the romantic relationship between our two main characters, Feyre and Tamlin. The author has made mention that their relationship is supposed to be reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, with Faerie Tamlin as the Beast. While I haven't read the rest of the series yet, I do know who Feyre ends up with and it's not the relationship from the first book. Which makes me feel a little bit better going into this, because I have too many objections to their relationship to ship the two of them together. It's also one of the reason I don't like a certain main ship from Throne of Glass which I will speak on later.
So, at the beginning of the novel Feyre is hunting a deer to feed her family. The deer is being chased by a wolf, and in an attempt to get the deer for herself she kills the wolf. Now Feyre does contemplate whether or not the wolf is actually one of the Fae, but ultimately she has no one of knowing and she kills the wolf. She is even told later when selling the wolf's pelt that it was just a regular wolf. That of course isn't actually the case, and it turns out that she did kill one of the Fae. Which leads our Beast, Tamlin to show up at the door of her family's hovel. Being completely clueless of this fact, she is made aware that the price for a human killing one of the Fae is death.
Essentially, Tamlin bursts into her family's home looking for his friend's killer. When she willingly chooses to go to her fate to protect her father and two older sisters, Tamlin offers her a choice. She can either live for the rest of her life in Faerie with him, never to see her family again, or to be eviscerated on her front steps (his words not mine). No, no issue there at all. This dude literally breaks into her home telling her that she is going to be killed, unless she comes to live with him. Riiiiiiight, I'd totally fall in love with that guy. Is that really what we find to be attractive in a guy these days?
And that's not even taking into account the the supposed "Life for a Life" Rule wasn't even true. It was a lie crafted by Tamlin to get Feyre to Faerie because she may be the only one who can break the curse befalling his entire Court. Just the fact that he sent his friend out into those woods in the literal attempt that he will be killed by a mortal girl. There's also nothing wrong with that either, right?
Can't Hate Him
Having said all of that above, I also can't hate Tamlin as a character. In this first book Tamlin's character is very complex. There are a lot of layers to him, ultimately leading him to the love and responsibility he has for the members of his Court, and then for Feyre as he begins to fall in love with her. While he does some pretty messed up things in an attempt to free his people from the curse (including setting up the death of a friend, and abducting and manipulating a mortal girl) in the end he does them for the right reasons. He comes to love Feyre so much that he is willing to give her up, and sacrifice his people, to protect her. Despite that I'm aware that in coming books he does some very selfish things in regards to Feyre, and it is ultimately why she chooses someone else. But I don't want to spoil the fun too much for myself with the plot so I won't read into it further unil I get to those books.
I still think he is a great character, and despite some majorly stupid decisions I think he deserves to find that someone who is going to love him. That someone who he is going to be able to love in a purely unselfish way, and we all know that that person is clearly not Feyre. Usually, I am always on the Team of the first love, but in this case I'm so glad that she does end up with someone else. This is the case of my feelings with Throne of Glass. I loved Chaol and Celaena together, and while in the latter books I can see why her and Rowan work together as a couple I don't approve of their beginnings like with Feyre and Tamlin.
Throne of Glass
A lot of the issues I had with the beginning of Feyre and Tamlin's relationship are very much the same as why I do not like Aelin and Rowan as a couple. Even though I do love Yrene, I still secretly wish that Celaena and Chaol had ended up together. Why don't I ship Aelin(Celaena) and Rowan? Because of the way he treated her when they first met.
So, real quick what was it that I didn't like about Rowan when Aelin first met him? First, the first book in the series is one of my favorites. The series as a whole I give a solid 8/10, and the book I give a 9.5/10. Now back to Rowan. The way that he treats Aelin when they first meet, and he is training her, is actually pretty disgusting. He both mentally and physically abuses her because he thinks she is some useless pampered would be Queen that he wants to have nothing to do with. He only feels bad about the way he's treated her, and apologizes, after he sees the scars on her back from her time in prison. So, if she hadn't of gone through what she did in the prison would he have ever taken any sort of interest in her? I guess we will never know.
Thanks for taking the time to read all of my thoughts on these two ships, but mostly Feyre and Tamlin. Alright,
Till Next Time,
Words by ali
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