Would it benefit, yes. Should it be expected? I don't think so, unless this subgenre gets some entries with wide reach that are also more literary in style. This series is one of the standard bearers of the subgenre and it suffers from the issues highlighted by OP. I am sure there are better works out there in the romantasy space that do these elements with better plotting, but they are not the ones currently on every bookstore's shelves. So, the population at large has chosen this and a handful of other flagship series in the subgenre, so you get what you get if you read it. Hopefully people support works that are better plotted and bring those to the top of the pack! Otherwise this'll continue to be what gets emulated and what sells will sell, etc etc
The word “mate” used to describe a partner in a story actually makes me want to peel my skin off. I don’t know what it is, something about it just revolts my to my very core. I cannot imagine a less sexy way to refer to somebody.
I listened to these with my fiance on audiobook when we're on long drives and she wound up yelling at me because I'd make gagging noises every time the mate-ness started up.
There are sooooo many plot holes and convenient fixes in these books, especially as the series goes on. Two is definitely the best, and most tightly plotted, imo, but it gets ridiculous. There’s something in 4 that makes me NUTS. But I enjoy them anyway. They’re mental chewing gum, total escapist guilty pleasure reading, so I just shrug it off and read it for what it is.
I really enjoy hate-listening to them but I can only take so much. It's very....teenagery idea of what adulthood is like and it exhausts me after a while.
Absolutely. Also makes me want to growl and flick an imaginary piece of lint from my jacket before I slide my hands in my pockets which I feel in my bones, if I'm being honest... 😭.
Hopefully no spoilers but just in case: >!Book 4 felt like a bunch of fan fiction one-shots or leftover ideas that were just stuck together (like, quick we need another book!).!<
I thought writing-wise, it was fine, definitely more mature than the original trilogy, maybe just because it’s officially “adult fantasy” and writing in 3rd instead of 1st. But the plot holes around the climax sequence made me nuts. It was just lazy storytelling.
I agree with that. She’s always been bad with plot holes, conveniences and deux ex machines. I think the writing and plotting was still stronger then Book 2 and nesta wasn’t as annoying as Feyre, which is why it worked better
Late to the party, but I just started this series and found your comment and thought I should share that I've been describing it as cotton candy for your brain. You know it's not good for you, you know that if you eat too much that you'll feel bad, and it's completely insubstantial. But damn does it taste good.
That's really the only reason I plan on finishing the series. It's just a guilty pleasure read. It doesn't offer much, but the fact that it lowers my standards makes good writing seem god-tier lol
The way I went in to these books is like watching a Teen Drama type of show. Things are going to be inconsistent and there are going to be plot holes. Just enjoy the ride and don’t think too much about a lot of the decisions around it.
With that mindset I’ve enjoyed the series. Also about half way through the 3rd book!
I will never be a fan of stories where a seemingly strong female protagonist keeps thinking about how much she wants to fuck the guy that destroyed her life and family.
Because Feyre is special. She's like the fairy equivalent of Bella Swan.
But book 5 redeemed the series for me so if you can make it through book 4 (or even skip it) might be worth finishing.
This! She's seen as the "cursebreaker" like it is her calling, but she wouldn't have even gotten through the trials without the help of Rhys and whoever else helped her. Mentally alone she would have snapped.
I think you have to just look past stuff like this to enjoy acotar. I personally couldn't which is why I DNFed after book 3. (I did really like the second one though)
So many people typed so many words here, but nobody took the tiny bit of time to spell out the title. Making me Google shit. A Court of Thorns and Roses.
I feel like naming the thing you're posting about is a fairly elementary practice. I don't even feel like I'm nitpicking on this one. It just seems pretty basic.
My wife and I love hate listening to them. Our issue is that as the series goes on the books get SO DAMN LONG. Like they’re a ton of casual fun for like 10-15h of listening. I have NO clue how the later books end up being 25h
I'm 80ish% done according to Kindle and I'm almost at 600 pages. There's no way these books can get longer...
They'd probably be shorter if there weren't an obscene amount of em dashes taking up so much space
After I had the same issue and my partner and her sister didn’t, I realized I just wasn’t the target audience. I literally broke it down to her how I see it from a framework of Vegeta’s scouter from Dragonball Z. You just gotta take ACOTAR as is.
Also, book three is p good.
1.A Court of Thorns and Roses
2.A Court of Mist and Fury
3.A Court of Wings and Ruin
3.5 A Court of Frost and Starlight
4. A Court of Silver Flames
There you go.
The books are soo bad! It was so hard to finish this Fairy Smut s*it lol
If you are interested: There is a booktuber called "With Cindy" and she has (I think) two reviews to the first two books of the ACOTAR series. They are hilarious to watch.
The three sisters are all special for reasons why don't know yet and neither does SJM probably. There are theories there's some kind of bloodline plot point coming up in future books. All of SJM's protagonists are super powerful, it's just her style. She got a "drop" of power from the other high lords but it was also love that brought her back to life. Kind of like Harry Potter and his mother. So she would have been somewhat powerful even without their powers. Just my theory. SJM really did a disservice to Feryes character by not showing any training or her learning about Fae culture and powers. But then again I think Feyre is SJM's least favorite female protagonist out of her series lol.
I think the smut is only like 10% of the content. I honestly wish the series would just embrace being faerie smut and let all the grand plot schemes fade to the background in favor of honest erotica, but no, it has to keep pushing the idea that these are mainly fantasy novels.
It's wish fulfillment fairy smut. You may be setting your standards of narrative consistency a bit high.
Any story would benefit from better writing, even wish-fulfillment fairy smut.
Would it benefit, yes. Should it be expected? I don't think so, unless this subgenre gets some entries with wide reach that are also more literary in style. This series is one of the standard bearers of the subgenre and it suffers from the issues highlighted by OP. I am sure there are better works out there in the romantasy space that do these elements with better plotting, but they are not the ones currently on every bookstore's shelves. So, the population at large has chosen this and a handful of other flagship series in the subgenre, so you get what you get if you read it. Hopefully people support works that are better plotted and bring those to the top of the pack! Otherwise this'll continue to be what gets emulated and what sells will sell, etc etc
I might tell my wife this. Will wither go well and she'll laugh and agree... or it won't go so well. Wish me luck.
Does she dislike it already? If not, why bring it up?
sounds like just to shit on something she enjoys
there are so many things about this series that bothers me, this included
Mate, my mate, I looked at my mate, the female and her mate… want me to go on? SJM certainly does lol
The word “mate” used to describe a partner in a story actually makes me want to peel my skin off. I don’t know what it is, something about it just revolts my to my very core. I cannot imagine a less sexy way to refer to somebody.
I listened to these with my fiance on audiobook when we're on long drives and she wound up yelling at me because I'd make gagging noises every time the mate-ness started up.
There are sooooo many plot holes and convenient fixes in these books, especially as the series goes on. Two is definitely the best, and most tightly plotted, imo, but it gets ridiculous. There’s something in 4 that makes me NUTS. But I enjoy them anyway. They’re mental chewing gum, total escapist guilty pleasure reading, so I just shrug it off and read it for what it is.
I really enjoy hate-listening to them but I can only take so much. It's very....teenagery idea of what adulthood is like and it exhausts me after a while.
Agreed. And the repetitive writing and phrasing is really bothersome also.
Does it make you want to show, if you will, a vulgar gesture?! 😂
Absolutely. Also makes me want to growl and flick an imaginary piece of lint from my jacket before I slide my hands in my pockets which I feel in my bones, if I'm being honest... 😭.
♥️♥️
IDK why but the word 'crooned' makes me physically uncomfortable.
Hopefully no spoilers but just in case: >!Book 4 felt like a bunch of fan fiction one-shots or leftover ideas that were just stuck together (like, quick we need another book!).!<
I actually thought that book was miles ahead of Book 2
I thought writing-wise, it was fine, definitely more mature than the original trilogy, maybe just because it’s officially “adult fantasy” and writing in 3rd instead of 1st. But the plot holes around the climax sequence made me nuts. It was just lazy storytelling.
I agree with that. She’s always been bad with plot holes, conveniences and deux ex machines. I think the writing and plotting was still stronger then Book 2 and nesta wasn’t as annoying as Feyre, which is why it worked better
See and I like Nesta better after 4, but she’s still one of my least favorite characters haha, so that’s probably why I like it less.
Late to the party, but I just started this series and found your comment and thought I should share that I've been describing it as cotton candy for your brain. You know it's not good for you, you know that if you eat too much that you'll feel bad, and it's completely insubstantial. But damn does it taste good.
That's really the only reason I plan on finishing the series. It's just a guilty pleasure read. It doesn't offer much, but the fact that it lowers my standards makes good writing seem god-tier lol
Sometimes junk food just hits the spot haha.
The way I went in to these books is like watching a Teen Drama type of show. Things are going to be inconsistent and there are going to be plot holes. Just enjoy the ride and don’t think too much about a lot of the decisions around it. With that mindset I’ve enjoyed the series. Also about half way through the 3rd book!
I will never be a fan of stories where a seemingly strong female protagonist keeps thinking about how much she wants to fuck the guy that destroyed her life and family.
Yeah, each relationship was really Stockholm syndrome at its finest
Because Feyre is special. She's like the fairy equivalent of Bella Swan. But book 5 redeemed the series for me so if you can make it through book 4 (or even skip it) might be worth finishing.
At least Bella Swan didn't think of herself as a tactical genius.
This! She's seen as the "cursebreaker" like it is her calling, but she wouldn't have even gotten through the trials without the help of Rhys and whoever else helped her. Mentally alone she would have snapped.
I barely finished the first book because it was so fucking awful. I couldn't read the rest
I think you have to just look past stuff like this to enjoy acotar. I personally couldn't which is why I DNFed after book 3. (I did really like the second one though)
So many people typed so many words here, but nobody took the tiny bit of time to spell out the title. Making me Google shit. A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Fucking thank you bud
That's because even the tilted are insanely long lol
I feel like naming the thing you're posting about is a fairly elementary practice. I don't even feel like I'm nitpicking on this one. It just seems pretty basic.
Dude, absolutely. I'll read through your 103-word post, but 109 words is where I draw the line.
You haven't even reached the worst thing about that series yet. ACOSF pretty much ruined any fun I had in the entire genre.
I just pretend this one doesn't exist.
Absolutely, I hated it so much. When I say I like ACOTR, I really just mean 1&2 personally
Since you never actually name the series, I'm going to assume you're talking about A Chowder of Turnips and Rhubarb.
may i direct you to r/RomanceBooks ?
My wife and I love hate listening to them. Our issue is that as the series goes on the books get SO DAMN LONG. Like they’re a ton of casual fun for like 10-15h of listening. I have NO clue how the later books end up being 25h
I'm 80ish% done according to Kindle and I'm almost at 600 pages. There's no way these books can get longer... They'd probably be shorter if there weren't an obscene amount of em dashes taking up so much space
I'm confused as to why people keep reading this.
After I had the same issue and my partner and her sister didn’t, I realized I just wasn’t the target audience. I literally broke it down to her how I see it from a framework of Vegeta’s scouter from Dragonball Z. You just gotta take ACOTAR as is. Also, book three is p good.
1.A Court of Thorns and Roses 2.A Court of Mist and Fury 3.A Court of Wings and Ruin 3.5 A Court of Frost and Starlight 4. A Court of Silver Flames There you go.
I was like, "what the heck is ACOTAR? A... Ceries Of unforTARnate-events?"
😂
The books are soo bad! It was so hard to finish this Fairy Smut s*it lol If you are interested: There is a booktuber called "With Cindy" and she has (I think) two reviews to the first two books of the ACOTAR series. They are hilarious to watch.
withcindy is a gem. I think I had more fun listening to her rant about the books than I had actually reading them. 😂
I had to stop at the second book. This series is just not well written.
The three sisters are all special for reasons why don't know yet and neither does SJM probably. There are theories there's some kind of bloodline plot point coming up in future books. All of SJM's protagonists are super powerful, it's just her style. She got a "drop" of power from the other high lords but it was also love that brought her back to life. Kind of like Harry Potter and his mother. So she would have been somewhat powerful even without their powers. Just my theory. SJM really did a disservice to Feryes character by not showing any training or her learning about Fae culture and powers. But then again I think Feyre is SJM's least favorite female protagonist out of her series lol.
Why can't people at least put the full series name in the bloody title? I see more and more randomly created acronyms all over Reddit, good grief.
The acronym is everywhere, not just reddit. I definitely did not create it lol
I think this series had potential, but now it's all faerie smut.
I think the smut is only like 10% of the content. I honestly wish the series would just embrace being faerie smut and let all the grand plot schemes fade to the background in favor of honest erotica, but no, it has to keep pushing the idea that these are mainly fantasy novels.
There's hardly any smut in the first four books. I had to go to fanfic to get my ACOTAR smut desires fulfilled.