Sarah J. Maas’A Court of Thorns and Roseshas consistently been named the best place to start for new readers diving into the romantasy genre. One reason for this is that Maas’Sarah J. Maas' fantasy book seriesis incredibly immersive and rather straightforward in its world-building—and Maas has often received high praise for her easy-to-follow plot and lovable characters. As this is not always the case withclassic fantasy books, Maas' decision to simplify the book’s magic systems and political dynamics helps make the genre more inviting to new readers.
However, while the series remains incredibly popular, there has been some criticism that theA Court of Thorns and Rosesbookslack high stakes and significant consequences. While this is true to an extent,this complaint is actually what makes theA Court of Thorns and Rosesnovels so successful among newer readers of the genre. And with over 13 million copies sold worldwide, it comes as no surprise that Maas’ACOTARseries is well-loved and enjoyed by many.
A Court Of Thorns & Roses Is Often Accused Of Having Low Stakes
Characters Are Never In Real Danger Of Dying
WhileACOTARis full of fast-paced action, some readers have criticized that the plot doesn’t have enough at stake—especially in the originalA Court of Thorns and Rosestrilogy.This common complaint is mainly supported by the series' inability to kill off its characters. There have been several instances throughout the books where a character is almost certainly going to die but is miraculously cured or resurrected in some manner instead. For instance,Rhysand’s death inA Court of Wings and Ruinhad little emotional impact on the plot, as he was quickly revived a page or so later.
While it would be disappointing to see any belovedA Court of Thorns and Rosescharacter die, Maas' decision to keep them all alive reducesACOTAR’s stakes drastically.
This dynamic has played out in the series on multiple occasions with other characters—including Feyre, Cassian, and Amren. While it would be disappointing to see any belovedA Court of Thorns and Rosescharacter die, Maas' decision to keep them all alive reducesACOTAR’s stakes drastically. For most fantasy books, the emotional depth that is accompanied by a character’s death can have a great impact on the series. But thankfully,ACOTARdoes not fall short in this capacity—as the series' relationship dynamics create emotional attachments while avoiding character deaths.
This Common ACOTAR Complaint Is Actually Why The Books Work So Well
Maas' Dynamic Character Relationships Are What Readers Love
While there areseveral romantasy book seriesthat work well with high stakes,A Court of Thorns and Roses’promise of a happy ending is what has readers gravitating to this series again and again. Regardless of the stakes being low or its character “deaths” being predictable, Maas’ACOTARseries is successful because it chooses to focus on its compelling relationship dynamics instead. Given theA Court of Thorns and Rosesseries is in fact categorized as romantasy over fantasy, the narrative’s romantic plot and character relationships have equal value to the story as its high-fantasy elements.
A Court Of Thorns & Roses Still Needs To Explain This 9-Year-Old Line About Feyre’s Mother
This theory suggests there is one line from the first A Court of Thorns and Roses book that may hold clues to the Archeron sisters' lineage.
Romantasy as a genre heavily encourages emotional relationship dynamics throughout a narrative, andjust because Maas weaves fantastical elements into her story, she is not obligated to kill off characters. This is important to remember when reading Maas' series, as the large cast ofA Court of Thorns and Rosescharactershold equal importance to the story and overall plot. And readers' emotional attachment toA Court of Thorns and Roses' many beloved characters is what makes Maas' fantasy book series so successful.
