is a young adult high fantasy series by . The saga begins when Feyre Archeron, a 19-year-old huntress, is kidnapped and brought to the faerie lands of Prythian after she kills a faerie wolf. Her kidnapper is Tamlin, a High Fae and one of the seven High Lords of Prythian. The series follows Feyre and Tamlin's story as Feyre spends time in the world of the fae and discovers that everything she thought she knew about faeries is absolutely wrong.
Sarah J. Maas started writing her first draft of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the novel that launched the series, in 2009. She initially imagined the story as a retelling of the fairy tale with elements of the Norwegian folktale and the Scottish legend of Tam Lin. The novel eventually went in a different direction but still draws inspiration from these stories. Subsequent novels in the series draw inspiration from other fairy tales and myths, including and "Hades and Persephone," as well as the .
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
What happens in A Court of Thorn and Roses?
The story begins with Feyre Archeron hunting in the forest in harsh winter weather. She relies on her hunts for food to survive. So, when she sees a wolf in the forest chasing after the deer she had targeted, she kills it—even though she suspects the wolf might be a faerie. Her suspicions prove correct, and killing the wolf ends up coming at a high price. Feyre is kidnapped and dragged into the faerie realm of Prythian to pay for her crime. Prythian is divided into seven courts, each ruled by a High Lord. When she arrives in Prythian, her captor transforms from his beast form to reveal himself as Tamlin, a High Fae and the High Lord of the Spring Court. Feyre does not trust Tamlin at first. But as they get to know each other, she begins to warm to him.
Eventually, Feyre is given an opportunity to return to the mortal world to see her family again. Before she leaves the Spring Court, Tamlin tells her he loves her. Upon returning home, Feyre is happy to see her family has been cared for in her absence. Still, she can't stop thinking about Tamlin and how she didn't tell him she loved him too. When she tries to return to Prythian to see him, she learns that Tamlin has been imprisoned. To free him, she is forced to face three trials. Although Feyre completes the trials, she sacrifices her life, freeing Tamlin with her last breath. Later, she is resurrected as a High Fae.
Feyre and Tamlin are engaged to be married, but that doesn't mean everything is happily ever after. While Feyre now has all of the powers of a High Fae, her heart remains human—and the human side of her cannot forget the horrible acts she performed to save Tamlin and his people. Furthermore, Feyre has made a bargain with Rhysand that means she must go with him to the much-feared Night Court. When she becomes a part of the Night Court, she realizes it's not as frightening as she imagined. Rhysand teaches her how to read and guides her in using her new powers.
