Summary: If the length of an episode is anything to go by, Holly and Devin are *the most* excited to talk about ACOTAR, the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas in our second LoveFest episode! This series is the perfect meld of the hearts and daggers that Holly and Devin love most; the seamiest, sexiest love scenes mixed with the creepiest, most anxiety-inducing action. Please note that this episode contains spoilers starting around 11 minutes in!
Topics Discussed:
Book 1 - A Court of Thorns and Roses (5:50):
Framed as a Beauty & the Beast retelling, the book opens with a human woman, Feyre, as she hunts and kills an unusually large wolf to keep her family from starvation. Unfortunately for her, the beast was actually Fae, and she is taken by the High Fae leader into his court as punishment for her crime.
Once over the wall that separates the human and Fae worlds in Prythian, Feyre is met with new monsters, new friends, and new feelings for her captor, Tamlin, that she must learn to navigate to save her life and the lives of those she loves.
As her world expands, Feyre is confronted with challenges ranging from lower fae creatures who’d love to eat her, to the Queen Under the Mountain, Amarantha, and her conniving lap dog, Rhysand.
Key Themes - *Spoilers Begin* (10:45):
The cast of characters surrounding Feyre as we dive more deeply into the series are a stand-out aspect of Maas’ work; even seemingly side characters are rich, deep, and well-rounded - you cannot help but love them all.
Maas’ series is notably feminist; both male and female characters seek empowerment for themselves and each other in an almost anti-patriarchal way. The men show emotion, support each other, ask for help, and honor and respect the women in their lives. The women lift each other up, are taken seriously, and ultimately find their own authentic paths.
Trauma, PTSD, and deep psychological motivations drive many of the characters in the series; Maas’ representation of trauma and healing are grounded in an authenticity generally avoided in fantasy and war novels, but which serves to deepen our connection to every character as they wage war against real enemies and internal demons.
The world building in this series is excellent for a high fantasy approach. The realization of Prythian, the various courts, as well as how cohesively everything is rendered ensures that Sarah J. Maas stands out as a superstar in the genre.
The Daggers (35:36):
No fantasy series would be complete without a host of creepy characters, and ACOTAR does it better than most! Holly loved the creativity put into the darker side of the fae world, all our lore and nightmares made real.
While BookTok leans heavily on the sexier side of these novels, they are very plot forward and full of actual daggers, battles, and outright war and all that implies.
The Hearts (38:20):
To say ACOTAR is sexy is like saying summer in Phoenix gets “warm.” This series features incredibly steamy, explicit sex scenes that will knock your socks off.
To Devin, the romance in the novels is augmented by the exploration into the “mating bond” for Fae folks; you can be in love, get married, have babies, and not be with your mate. You can find your mate and hate them, or find your mate and have stars collide.
Maas is a master in balance - the timing, execution, and details of the romance in the book serve to augment the larger plot; everything feels authentic, organic, and very, very hot.
Hot On the Shelf (49:53):
Devin: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
Holly: Fairy Tale by Stephen King
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (53:40):
Devin: The Season of Autumn
Holly: House of the Dragon on HBO
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Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com
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