The Skinny: 
 A Beauty and the Beast retelling has surprisingly little romance. 
 The Fat: 
 Rating A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) was a struggle. There were times when I wanted to give it four stars, times I wanted to give it three, and there were times I wanted to give it two, so I just decided to split it down the middle. Perhaps it's because I am a very indecisive person, but the book has its pros and cons. First of which was the world-building. It wasn't up to par with what I felt it should be. It was lacking and didn't make a bunch of sense. Readers never learn what occurs to the land to the right of the island (even though the map in the book shows a TON of land). 
 It left me with a bunch of questions like: Why would the faeries allow humans to get a small portion of Prythian when they could easily have just moved the humans to the land to the right and kept both islands for the faeries? The whole concept of the war and the truce that came from it was lost on me. It didn't make any rational sense (and I know, I know, it's a book with faeries in it so I shouldn't be on the rational train, but I can't help it). And the only faeries mentioned were the ones who were High Fae or their staff. Prythian is HUGE and the fae are immortal, so where are they? Where are the average fae? No mentions of them. So do they exist or is it only nobility and staff? Like, what? 
 But I will say, I absolutely love the twist Maas gave to the faeries. I've read a few books with faeries so the twist left me in absolute shock! I won't say what it is so you will get to experience the shock first hand, but it blew me away. So I loved the twist (one of the four star moments). Plus the festivals they had were also pretty neat to read about (and a bit steamy). 
 I will say that the first half of the novel makes much more sense when you read the end. For example, why the faeries are so keen on revealing so much about their lands to a human and why Tamlin and Lucien don't seem too upset over her murdering a dear friend. Fear not, because it will be explained. When (most) everything is revealed it's like one huge AHA! moment. 
 As far as the actual Beauty and the Beast retelling goes, it has been quite some time since I last saw the Disney film, so much of the tale was like reading it for the first time. I had forgotten about the curse placed on the Beast, so I wasn't expecting the curse that was place on Tamlin (stupid, I know). But even while sticking to the classic tale, Maas was able to put a fresh spin on her story. For example, how Feyre is illiterate. Which is a complete 180 from book loving Belle. I loved that twist so much. 
 However, when it came to Tamlin and Feyre's chemistry it was severely lacking. Honestly I felt more sparks between her Lucien or Rhysand. Between Feyre and Tamlin it was mostly just lust that I saw (and that only really started after the events of the Great Rite). The only time I really felt Feyre's love was during the trials and I felt Tamlin's only when the trials ceased. Other than that it came across more as lust and possession and obligation, but not love. 
 Feyre was strong to a fault. I couldn't even remotely relate or empathize with her until she broke down crying. My favorite scene in the book was when she cried during the trials. I loved it so much because she finally lost that hard exterior and became undeniably human. I'm not sure why authors are really into trials nowadays, but these kept me on my toes. My heart was racing trying to figure out how she was going to get out of each one. I won't spoil them, but the last trial Feyre participates in nearly broke my heart along with her. What she had to do was so horrible. 
 I can see this book helping to create the bridge between YA, NA, and adult fiction. There are a few sex scenes, but only one is semi-graphic (nowhere near as graphic as the typical NA book, but more graphic than most YA). So this book is the perfect bridge between those who feel too old for YA but not quite wanting NA or adult. I also loved how Feyre wasn't a virgin when she met Tamlin. Her relationship with Issac was sad, but it was another glimpse into her life where you see Feyre lose a bit of her hard exterior. 
 On a different note, there was some humor in the book. I will admit, for the most part it was rare (except for the banter occasional banter between Feyre/Lucien or Feyre/Rhysmand). One of the first times I busted out laughing was when I read this quote on page 60: 
 "You look ... better than before." 
 Was that a compliment? I could have sworn Lucien gave Tamlin an encouraging nod. 
 "And you hair is ... clean." 
 Tamlin's attempt at flattery had me laughing so hard. I was like, nice try bud, better luck next year. 
 And this hilarious quote from page 158: 
 "Ah. The Suriel told you nothing important, did it?" 
 That smile of his sparked something bold in my chest. "He also said that you liked being brushed, and if I'm a clever girl, I might train you with treats." 
 Feyre really improves her sarcasm as the book goes on. Trust me, both are much funnier when you read them in context. When Maas wants to be funny, she can be funny. Overall, it wasn't a bad book. 
 Reasons why I wanted to give it two stars: 
 Her world building was lacking and left some plot holes that really needed to be filled. I wish she had added in more descriptions. 
 The "love" between the two main characters felt incredibly forced. Feyre had more chemistry among side characters. 
 The first half of the book felt like a lot of build up for nothing. It wasn't until the second half that shit started to go down. 
 There were times when the book was undeniably boring. The book only really began to pick up about half way through. 
 Reasons why I wanted to give it three stars: 
 Maas' writing had the characters for the most part speaking proper English (not a lot of modern slag) which is something I commonly see in fantasy novels, but then Mass would have Feryre thinking "Shit. Shit. Shit." and the characters would say modern swear words likes prick and pissed. So it wasn't as consistent as I would have liked. 
 The trials were interesting to read, but they were too short. Only the first trial lasted a good amount. I just wanted them to last longer. Especially when trials are used so often in YA books now, I want to read something interesting. 
 The riddle part was annoying and predictable. 
 Reasons why I wanted to give it four stars: 
 I loved the twist Maas added to the typical faerie lore. I was so not expecting it. 
 I love how evil the villain of the story is. I also love how the villain isn't one-dimensional. and has reasons of why she wants revenge. 
 I love how you can't always tell who is good and who is bad. Every "good" character has done some sort of "evil" and some of the "evil" characters have done "good" (sometimes for personal gain) or if it is "evil" readers at least understand why (for the most part) they are doing it. 
 I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how the cover ties into the book. I was so confused by the cover but then once I understood it was so amazing. The level of detail put into the cover art is just wowza. 
 I love how Feyre interacts with Lucien and Rhysand. The relationships between the two are so, so interesting! 
 So as you can see, I was pretty torn over what I wanted to rate ACOTAR. There were aspects that I loved, aspects I simply enjoyed, and aspects that disappointed me. Goodreads says that this is book number one in a series, so if a second book comes out I will probably read it. The sequel would have the potential to go more in depth with Maas' take on faerie lore and I would love to find out more about Lucien, Rhysmand, and Alis' lives. I loved all of the secondary characters. I am hoping to learn more about the other faeries on the other island/kingdoms and I expect more drama to come. And the final interaction between Rhysand and Feryre makes me excited to read the sequel. Although I am only giving ACOTAR three stars, I did enjoy the book. 
 In summary: Not too shabby of a book, especially if this is the foundation for a series. If you like fairy tale retellings I would definitely recommend A Court of Thorns and Roses to you. 
 ***TRIGGER WARNINGS: death, torture, enslavement, Stockholm Syndrome, kidnapping, blackmail, coercion, drugged with faerie wine against will, mind control, spousal abuse, neglect, poverty