Book Addict

For Book Addicts BY a Book Addict

Book Addict

For Book Addicts BY a Book Addict

Fantasy

A Court of Thorns and Roses: When BookTok Can’t Decide If You’re Garbage or Gold

The Cocktail Correspondent

I tracked down what the internet has been saying about Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, and holy hell, this book has created one of the most spectacularly divided fandoms I’ve seen. With 1.9 billion TikTok views and over 316,000 Goodreads reviews, this isn’t just popular—it’s a cultural phenomenon that half the internet worships and the other half wants to burn.

Here’s what I found digging through the discourse.

The Intel

What I Found

I surveyed the landscape of ACOTAR opinions across Goodreads, Reddit, and BookTok communities. What emerged wasn’t just reader reactions—it was a full-blown cultural war.

The First Half Problem

Here’s the pattern that shows up everywhere: readers almost DNF this book, then can’t put it down. One Goodreads reviewer put it bluntly: “The first half sucks but keep reading…From page 1 to about 200, Feyre is annoying and obstinate. I nearly put this book down half a dozen times.” Then the flip: “Midway through the book, things turned around magnificently. It was like a whole new book.”

This shows up in probably 40% of the reviews I tracked down. The book drags for 200+ pages, makes no sense, then explodes into addictive chaos. Reddit discussions confirm this pattern: people who pushed through worship it, people who didn’t call it garbage.

The Beast Isn’t Actually a Beast

A 2.5-star review nails the core problem with this Beauty and the Beast retelling: “Tamlin is not a beast. ‘Even as he bit out the words, I couldn’t ignore the sheer male beauty of that strong jaw, the richness of his golden-tan skin.’ Oh my, how could a poor young woman ever love a pretty-faced, golden-haired, completely not evil Fae prince?”

The traditional B&B tension—learning to love someone despite their exterior—doesn’t exist here. Tamlin wears a mask but he’s still described as gorgeous. The barrier to their romance is…vague treaty nonsense and secrets nobody explains for 300 pages.

The Ship Wars Are BRUTAL

Here’s where things get messy. The endgame romance isn’t with the guy on the cover of book one. Readers who love Tamlin feel betrayed: “I cannot believe Feysand is the endgame ship. I’m suing. This is ridiculous.” Meanwhile, Rhysand fans (the actual love interest of the series) argue he’s complex and misunderstood.

The ACOTAR subreddit is a battlefield over this. One thread asked if the fandom loves or hates the series. Top answer: “The series is very much loved. What confuses some is that you can love a story and dislike the main characters and their choices.” Translation: everyone’s fighting about who Feyre should be with.

The Problematic Romance Debate

This is the heaviest critique I found: multiple reviewers flag consent issues. A detailed 1-star review breaks down a scene where Tamlin, under the influence of “lust magic,” sexually advances on Feyre after she says “Let go.” The review argues: “The attempted assault of Feyre by Tamlin was brushed off as no more than a mere romantic, steamy encounter.”

Rhysand’s behavior also gets scrutinized: he drugs Feyre and forces her to dance for him in revealing clothing. Whether these scenes are “dark fantasy romance” or “romanticized abuse” depends entirely on who you ask. Reddit threads about SJM controversy go in circles on this exact debate.

BookTok Made This Unstoppable

The TikTok phenomenon around ACOTAR is wild: 1.9 billion views. But here’s the twist—some readers actively resent the hype. One person quoted in an article said: “BookTok and everyone saying it’s so good, I think you’re just over-inflating it way too much.”

The hype creates a backlash cycle. People read it because of TikTok, get disappointed, then post anti-hype takes, which generates more discourse, which keeps the book trending. It’s a perpetual motion machine of controversy.

My Analysis

This book weaponizes slow burns. The first half deliberately withholds information, making readers frustrated until the big reveal. It’s a gamble: half the audience quits, the other half becomes obsessed. Based on the 316k reviews, enough people stick around to make it work.

The romance is the entire point. Critics who expect intricate worldbuilding or political intrigue are looking in the wrong place. One reviewer called it “softcore erotica” with fantasy trimmings. The supernatural stuff exists to create romantic angst, not the other way around.

Ship wars keep this series alive. The Tamlin vs. Rhysand debate ensures fans constantly re-litigate the books. New readers pick sides, post about it, and the algorithm feeds. Controversy = visibility.

The problematic elements aren’t bugs. SJM writes “dark romance” where boundaries blur and consent gets murky. For some readers, that’s thrilling fantasy. For others, it’s unconscionable. This divide guarantees the book stays in discourse—both sides need to convince the other they’re right.

It’s designed for binge-readers. The slow first half works if you can immediately jump to book two. That’s the audiobook advantage—listeners commit to the series upfront, not just one book. Multiple reviews mention bingeing the entire series after hating the beginning.

The Question Nobody’s Asking

Why does a Beauty and the Beast retelling where the Beast isn’t ugly work at all? Traditional retellings hinge on seeing past appearances. This one skips that and goes straight to trauma-bonding over a magical curse. The appeal isn’t “love despite flaws”—it’s “love because we’re both broken.” That’s a fundamentally different (and arguably more modern) romance trope.

The Verdict

Read if: You want addictive fantasy romance with messy relationships, don’t mind slow starts, and you’re ready to commit to a 5-book series with intense ship wars.

Skip if: You expect intricate worldbuilding, hate inconsistent characters, or problematic romance elements make you uncomfortable. Also skip if you can’t handle books where nothing makes sense until the last 25%.

Start with the audiobook if: You’re prone to DNF-ing slow starts. The narration carries you through the drag and you’ll be committed by the time it gets good.

Fair warning: This is book ONE of five. If you fall in love with this world, you’re signing up for years of waiting for the next release and brutal online debates about who deserves to end up with whom.

The Cocktail

For this one, I’m borrowing the Enchanted Forest cocktail from Boxes and Booze—it fits the fae magic vibe perfectly. The recipe combines gin, Lillet, absinthe, lemon, Italicus, and honey for something “decadent, mysterious and enchanting.” Just like the Fae courts themselves, it’s beautiful, slightly dangerous, and you might lose your way if you’re not careful.

The site describes it as inspired by the “Green Fairy” (absinthe’s nickname), which feels perfectly appropriate for a book where ancient faeries make questionable decisions and everyone’s boundaries are fuzzy.

The Bottom Line

ACOTAR is BookTok’s most divisive darling: 1.9 billion views, 316k reviews, and zero consensus. You’ll either worship it or wonder what everyone’s smoking. The only way to know which camp you’re in is to survive the first 200 pages.

Got intel on a book the internet can’t shut up about? Drop it in the comments. I’m a sucker for controversy, bonus points if there are ship wars involved.

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