Returning to Prythian Still Feels Like Coming Home

There are books you read once, love, and remember fondly. And then there are books you return to again and again, knowing exactly where the story will take you, yet somehow still finding something new between the pages. A Court of Thorns and Roses, the first installment in Sarah J. Maas’ epic fantasy series of the same name, firmly belongs to the second category for me.

I honestly couldn’t tell you anymore how many times I have read this book, in English and German. And yet, every single time I step across the border into Prythian alongside Feyre, it feels a little bit like coming home.

The tantalising start to a seductive fantasy series from global #1 bestselling author Sarah J. Maas.

Feyre is a huntress. And when she sees a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she kills the predator and takes its prey to feed herself and her family.

But the wolf was not what it seemed, and Feyre cannot predict the high price she will have to pay for its death...

Dragged away from her family for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding even more than his piercing green eyes suggest.

As Feyre's feelings for Tamlin turn from hostility to passion, she learns that the faerie lands are a far more dangerous place than she realized. And Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

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Opinion

Beauty and the Beast? I’m Still Looking for It

One thing that hasn’t changed despite my many rereads is my opinion about the frequently mentioned Beauty and the Beast retelling. I’m still searching for it.
Yes, I can see the elements people use to make the comparison. Feyre could technically fill the role of Beauty, while Tamlin is the Beast. There is a curse, a young woman taken away from her home, and feelings eventually develop between her and the powerful male figure holding her there.

But beyond those very broad similarities? I simply don’t see A Court of Thorns and Roses as an actual retelling.
Tamlin does not have to hide some terrible true appearance beneath his Fae form. His beast form is simply another part of what he is. His curse also works very differently from the one we know from the classic fairy tale, and Feyre’s journey quickly grows into something far larger and darker than falling in love with a cursed beast and breaking his enchantment.

There might be inspiration and a few recognizable fairy-tale ingredients sprinkled throughout the story, but calling the entire novel a Beauty and the Beast retelling has never quite worked for me. And after reading it for the x-th time, I’m apparently still waiting for someone to point at the Beast and yell, “There! That’s the retelling!” 😄

Returning to Prythian

What absolutely does work for me, however, is Prythian itself.
There is something incredibly comforting about returning to this world and its different Fae courts. Even though the first book only allows us to glimpse a fraction of what Sarah J. Maas will eventually reveal about Prythian, there is already this feeling that an enormous world exists beyond Feyre’s immediate surroundings.

And Feyre is still such an interesting character to follow at this point in her journey.
When we first meet her, she is a survivor above everything else. Her life revolves around keeping herself and her family alive, even when that responsibility should never have rested solely on her shoulders. She hunts because somebody has to put food on the table. She keeps moving because stopping simply isn’t an option.
Then one decision in the woods changes everything. Suddenly, survival means something entirely different.
Instead of hunger, poverty, and the dangers of the forest, Feyre has to navigate a land inhabited by creatures she has been taught to fear her entire life. Prythian is beautiful, magical, dangerous, and filled with secrets. And knowing what lies ahead for Feyre throughout the series makes returning to these early chapters even more fascinating.

The Tiny Details That Change Everything

You would think that after reading a book multiple times, there would be absolutely nothing left to surprise you. Apparently, A Court of Thorns and Roses disagrees.
Of course, I remembered all the major events. I knew the important revelations, the twists, the dangers waiting around the corner, and where Feyre’s choices would eventually lead her. There was no genuine mystery left surrounding the big moments. And somehow Sarah J. Maas still managed to catch me off guard. Not necessarily with the enormous twists, but with the tiny details.

There are little comments, seemingly insignificant encounters, carefully chosen words, and pieces of information woven throughout the story that are incredibly easy to overlook the first time around. Or the second. Apparently even the third.
Knowing the later installments makes some of these moments stand out much more clearly. Suddenly, a small detail carries another meaning. A character’s behavior can be interpreted differently. Something that once seemed unimportant becomes a tiny thread leading toward events hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pages away.

That is one of my favorite things about rereading a long fantasy series. You are no longer only following the story. You are looking behind the curtain.
And A Court of Thorns and Roses rewards that attention beautifully.

A Story I Could Read Again and Again

There is also something wonderfully strange about experiencing Feyre’s first encounters with certain characters while already knowing exactly what they will eventually mean to her and to the entire series.

You know things Feyre doesn’t.
You recognize pieces of the puzzle she cannot possibly understand yet. You notice warning signs, hints, secrets, and connections while she is still trying to understand the basic rules of the world into which she has been thrown.
That knowledge could easily make a reread boring. Instead, for me, it adds another layer to the story.

And despite knowing what was coming, I was once again completely immersed in Feyre’s fight to survive impossible odds. Especially once the story becomes darker and the true extent of the danger surrounding Prythian begins to emerge, I found myself flying through the pages. Again.
I simply love this book. Every word, every sentence, every page.

Of course, nostalgia probably plays its part after spending so much time with this series. But nostalgia alone wouldn’t make me want to return repeatedly. It is the world, the characters, the secrets hidden beneath seemingly harmless moments, and the knowledge that this first installment is merely opening the door to something much bigger.

Conclusion

Reading A Court of Thorns and Roses again reminded me exactly why I fell in love with the story in the first place. So yes, after the x-th reread, I am still giving it 5 out of 5 stars.
And no, I still don’t consider it a Beauty and the Beast retelling. But ask me whether I would happily cross the wall and wander through Prythian’s courts one more time?
Absolutely. I already know the way. 😎

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and have been published in 38 languages. She lives with her family in New York City.

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