I’m Disappointed by ACOTAR & ACOMAF – This is Why

Among book-clubbers and BookTokers, ACOTAR is as common of an abbreviation as lol. A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) is the first in the series, followed by A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAF), 3 more books, and a 6th rumored to be released in 2025. The author, Sarah J Maas, rose to extreme popularity over the last few years largely due to BookTok. Her Crescent City, Throne of Glass, and ACOTAR series sold 4.83 million print books between 2024 and June 8th. Now, I can be a basic bitch. With fall around the corner, I’m looking forward to listening to Red (Taylor’s Version) while sipping on a pumpkin chai. So after recommendations from several of my close friends, I read ACOTAR and I was disappointed.

TLDR; Twilight, but make them slutty Faeries, was boring and the characters were confusing.

⚠️ Spoilers Below ⚠️

Pacing and Predictability

After trudging through most of the first book, I hadn’t connected with any characters or the setting. It was predictable and slow. When it was time for Feyre to save everyone and take on Amarantha, it went exactly as you would expect a human strolling right into the subterranean lair of an evil Fae. The only way I enjoyed reading ACOTAR was on my trip to Colorado iykyk. But whatever, everyone told me, just hang on for book #2 – it gets so much better. Some say book #2 is the best in the series!

With that in mind, I jumped into ACOMAF. But after the first 200 pages, I already knew it was more of the same for me. Reading it became a chore and even when I got to the climax, around page 400-500, I still was not hooked.

Only a few strong scenes from the combined 1104 pages stuck with me from these books. From ACOTAR, I liked the scene where Feyre caught the Suriel. From ACOMAF: The witch’s cabin, War with Hybern/ Feyre becoming the defender of the Rainbow, and stealing the book from the underwater ruins. These scenes have two things in common: high stakes and Feyre is a badass. If Feyre was like this all the time, I think I would have loved the books but between Feyre constantly throwing up/ having “watery bowels”/ acting weak, and way too much transition between the plot-moving scenes, I lost interest.

But the Romance!

Romance with non-humans might not be for me – and I’ll give you that. But Feyre’s courtship with Tamlin was weird. I kept forgetting he had a mask permanently glued to his face not to mention all his growling that was supposed to be hot (barf). I cannot imagine how claws could be sexy although they were mentioned in that context several times? This is another accidental parallel with Twilight where wolf-boy doesn’t get the girl. I feel like half of BookTok is pining after Tamlin or Rhysand and the other half is making fun of Sarah J. Maas’s descriptions.

@amberbayleyauthor Why is she so obsessed with their bowls?! #sjm #sarahjmaas #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosf #acofas #acourtofthornsandroses #acourtofsilverflames #acourtofmistandfury #acourtofwingsandruin #acourtoffrostandstarlight #bookishhumour #amberbayleyauthor #booktok #books #book #bookclub #bookish #booklovers #booklover #booklove #booktoker #📚 #romancebooks #bookstan #read #reading #reader #readersoftiktok #booktokcommunity #booktokuk ♬ Originalton – Toeval_sudfa

Rhysand was a little more palatable after Feyre became a Faerie. I think the power dynamic between Tamlin and Feyre is ultimately what turned me off to their relationship. Like I said, Feyre is best when she’s allowed to be a badass. Rhysand understood that and being a Dark Lord with wings was just a plus. The mate thing that took over the last half of ACOMAF was a bit much. It was just too similar to Twilight’s “you imprinted on my daughter?!” I was getting a bit of Edward vs Jacob vibes. Both Tamlin and Rhysand trying to stop the mating bond from happening and both wanting “what is best” for Feyre without asking what she wanted doesn’t work for me.

On another note, Rhysand reminded me a lot of the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. Fang was definitely my first book crush. Dark, brooding, with wings, sound familiar? I hope I’m not the only person who misses that series and Max’s human-avian hybrid squad.

You’re Supposed to Like Feyre But She Sucks

For the first 75% of ACOTAR, Feyre is given pretty good advice by everyone she meets and then immediately does the opposite. She seemingly has a death wish which made me annoyed and frustrated with her character for most of the book. I did not understand how she thought she could save Tamlin from Amarantha. Somehow Amarantha allows her the chance with the trials but I was shocked she didn’t end up pinned to the wall like Clare.

In ACOMAF, I understand that Feyre would be traumatized by what happened to her and what she had to do under the mountain. The nightmares and vomiting made sense but did we have to rehash it over and over again? She is a high Fae! She’s immortal and possibly the strongest faerie ever but she’s hunched over the toilet every other night.

@lucyblee Feyre is the vomit queen of Prythian #acotar #acomaf #feyre #feyrearcheron #acourtofthornsandroses #acourtofmistandfury #rhysand #sarahjmaas ♬ original sound – lucy

It makes me think about Katniss or any strong female lead. Even in their moments of weakness, they know how to cope and overcome. Even at their lowest lows, the heroine knows why she is there and what is important. That’s what makes it compelling fiction. It makes me want to have their certainty, strength, and convictions.

Lastly, I want to dissect Feyre’s illiteracy which almost got everyone killed during her trials from Amarantha.

“So,” he said wearily, “here we are, with the fate of our immortal world in the hands of an illiterate human.” His laugh was unpleasant as he hung his head, cupping his forehead in a hand, and closed his eyes. “What a mess.”

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

I think Feyre was smart (sometimes) without having to be book-smart. Her illiteracy was a product of her upbringing and she learned pretty fast considering by book #2 she was reading for fun.

It had filled my time – given me quiet, steadfast company with those characters, who did not exist and never would, but somehow made me feel less … alone.

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

I guess falling in love with reading was a redeeming quality of Feyre which is why it stuck with me. This was probably the only scene where I felt Feyre was relatable and authentic.

The Verdict

I wanted to fall in love with these books! It has been so long since I had the security of a 5/6 book series. I wanted to get pulled into the romance, the fantasy, and the perils but it didn’t work for me. There was too much wishy-washy Feyre and weird power dynamics with Tamlin and Rhysand. It made me question if I like fantasy at all! I’m still giving fantasy a shot. I am currently reading Babel by R. F. Kuang, a historical Oxford fantasy, complete with linguistic magic.

All that being said, I’ve seen a few memes of the ACOTAR books with different covers like A Court of Smut and Wingspan or A Court of Pain and Feels. I thought in the spirit of the brat generator, I would make an ACOTAR Cover generator. Enjoy 😉

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