A Court of Thorns and RosesA Court of Thorns and Roses
What it's about
Nineteen-year-old Feyre keeps her impoverished family alive by hunting in the forest near the wall that divides the human lands from the faerie realm of Prythian. When she kills a wolf that turns out to be a faerie, a beast arrives to demand payment: she must live in Prythian for the rest of her life. Taken to the lands of Tamlin, a High Fae lord under a mysterious curse, Feyre discovers that everything she was taught about the fae is wrong, and that a darkness is spreading over their world.
Why it's worth reading
It launched one of the biggest fantasy-romance series of the century, beginning as a Beauty and the Beast retelling and becoming something much bigger. Many fans say the series truly takes off with the second book.
You'll love it if you liked
Fourth Wing, Quicksilver or Six of Crows
Good to know
There are explicit romantic scenes and some violence. If you're on the fence after this one, most fans say read A Court of Mist and Fury, which is widely considered the best of the series.
By the numbers
- Readers69 out of 100 · counts 40%+32
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%+0
- Bestseller76 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+27
- Buzz96 out of 100 · counts 15%+16
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
69 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2024. 4.14★ from 4.7M Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #4 of the 108 romances we rank
- #8 of the 131 fantasy books we rank
- #24 of the 666 modern books we rank
- #50 of the 1,405 books we rank
Bestseller
- 69 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2024
Reads as
Epic
More by Sarah J. Maas
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Throne of Glass
