Category: Elly in Nairobi ramblings

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses – Review

Published on by Elly in Nairobi3 Comments

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator, and killing something so precious comes at a price …

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Book Review

ACOTAR has a surprisingly slow start. I judge this by how quickly I sink into a story when I start reading. It took me a few tries to get into Feyre’s world. When I did, she was in trouble and discovering Tamlin’s world. I loved Lucian more, got to know more about him than Tamlin, which had me worried. Tamlin and Feyre are end game in ACOTAR. I found that I’m not quite in love with this pairing. Lucian and Rhysand really stand out for me. I feel their characters are so well developed, it was hard not to enjoy reading their moments and experiences. I hope the next book will have a stronger story for Tamlin.

ACOTAR is so popular, I wanted to jump into this world and discover what it’s about. So, I did. I rate it a 3.5 because this book had a very slow start. I suppose it can all be summed up as the surviving day-to-day, then pulled into a new world where it is all roses and thorns, then a fight for what matters. I enjoyed the fight part. Feyre’s determination here shines and she is admirable.
Maybe because I know this is a series, the entertainment Rhys serves up so late in the book doesn’t annoy me so much as it would if this were not a series. I’m on to book two, and I hope Rhys features more.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
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Gratitude – I am so grateful for… this December 2021

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I want to pause and think of the good happenings in terms of this blog and my writing this year. So, this is my 2021 gratitude post.

It is two weeks until the New Year 2022.  I haven’t posted much on the blog this 2021, but I have met incredibly amazing people this year because of this blog.  I am truly grateful for the experiences that have come to me because of these amazing people. 

From amazing books to read and review, to a publishing adventure I am incredibly excited to be a part of, and although I cannot talk about it, I am grateful for the inspiration I am gaining from the process.

This year I had the privilege to virtually meet Bako Pierre Aymard, a translator / Interpreter [English-Spanish-French], from La Salle University, Philadelphia, USA.  He created a Spanish Translation of my book, I Dream of You.  It was so exciting to receive the completed file, all my words in Spanish.  I am incredibly grateful to him for the work he has done, and for choosing to translate my book. I will definitely work to put it out by the end of this year.

I got to virtually meet Nomaqhawe Ndlovu (Noma), who writes for Verve Romance.  She wrote a very inspiring and informative article on Romance Novels and their role in African relationship expectations.  I’m grateful she included me in her project, and that she featured my short contribution in the article. You can follow Noma on Twitter here.

ververomance.com

I would also like to thank Firdaus H. Salim for featuring me in the Mt Kenya Times earlier in the year.  She published my interview and featured Save My Heart on the ePaper.  I was grateful for the opportunity to talk about my writing ideas and hopes and I thank her for featuring my book.  Find the article below.  Follow Mt Kenya Times on Instagram here.

Thank you, to all who find inspiration to create their own work, and to publish, after reading my blog. I am happy to know the information here is of use to you, and I hope to continue creating more useful content. 

Most of all, I am grateful to all of you who read my blog.

Here is to looking forward to even more incredible happenings in the year 2022!