I never intended to read ACOTAR. It had always been that cringy tiktok book that was focused on smut and had pretty fae men, and I never really meant to read it. I picked it up partially on a joke, and partially thinking that some shitty writing would get me out of a writing slump. 

And you know what? I‘m so glad I did. 

Right from the start, I enjoyed it. Feyre wasn‘t a pick-me girl, her motivations were reasonable, and the way we were introduced to Tamlin and the court made sense.

The only part that seemed a bit loose-ended to me was that the treaty really didn‘t seem to be well known, nor did it seem to be fleshed out. Of course, now I know why.

I enjoyed watching her grow and getting attached to the characters. Despite knowing a few things about the book (it‘s pretty popular, and I‘m not that good at avoiding spoilers), I was still surprised, pleasantly so, by all of the characters, by Tamlin, and by Feyre. The plot and world fell into place. 

I struggled with the reveal of

the „prophecy“. The fake treaty that was never really a thing, that was SO CLEARLY a beauty and the beast retelling.

That part felt lazily tossed together and rushed, and could have been fixed so easily with just a few sentences at the beginning about what the humans knew and didn‘t know about killing a Fae. 

Regardless, I was okay with it. I wanted to like it, and I did, because I fell in love with the characters and the story. It was gripping, and I just kept reading. 
And then we met

Rhysand.

Make no mistake. I called his role the moment Feyre set eyes on him. I knew, just from his description, the arc that is being set up for everyone involved. It doesn‘t make me like it any more. 

Her being marked with his tattoo, a permanent mental connection, one week a month… How much more Persephone can you turn this poor woman? Toss in a little love triangle, and it feels forced. I haven‘t read the second book, but I do plan to. I know for a fact that I will hate whatever they do to Tamlin to make Feyre gravitate towards Rhys. I know for a fact that I will hate whatever builds between her and Rhys. Do not mistake this for me disliking Rhys: he is one of, if not my favourite character in the book. He is not the man for Feyre. And it bugs me that he will be painted to be. It feels as though SJM attempted to set up the classic „Team Edward/Jacob“ divide, and I don‘t agree with it. Feyre risked her everything for Tamlin. I don‘t think either of them can ever forget that. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. SJM has a way of writing that just agrees with me, and I loved her care and attention to the world and to the characters. No one felt left behind because they were a side character. Everyone was fleshed out, and made decisions for themselves, not for the plot. Their development was fantastic, and SJM really captured so many different fantastical ideas while putting her own spin on them. 
I looked past the small plotholes and the annoyance I held at small issues, and I‘m glad I did, because for a book that I didn‘t expect much of, it surprised me. 

I‘m looking forward to read the second book, despite the fact that I know there will be characters and arcs that I don‘t love, because I want to experience it all the same.