by Sarah J. Maas · 2015 · 419 pages · Romantasy · ACOTAR book 1
A Court of Thorns and Roses is ACOTAR book 1 at 3/5 Moderate: most of the heat lives in the middle third. Seduction, then horror. If you came for ACOMAF-level heat, wait for book 2.
Book 1 is the haunted first act. The series changes on a dime in book 2 — but ACOTAR is where the horror was planted, and you only see it if you look back.
Book 1 is the haunted first act. The series changes on a dime in book 2 — but ACOTAR is where the horror was planted, and you only see it if you look back.
3/5 Beauty-and-Beast first act · 419 pages, middle-third heat, wait for ACOMAFKindle before this tab coolsAudible trial often $0
Book 1 is the haunted first act. The series changes on a dime in book 2 — but ACOTAR is where the horror was planted, and you only see it if you look back.
Feels like: Book 1 is the haunted first act. The series changes on a dime in book 2 — but ACOTAR is where the horror was planted, and you only see it if you look back.
TL;DR: 3/5 Moderate — most of the heat lives in the middle third. Seduction, then horror. ACOMAF-level content waits for book 2.
Mood
Gothic slow-burn
Spice
🌶️ 3/5 Moderate
Pacing
Slow then urgent
Length
419 pages
Ending
Pyrrhic win
Lane
Romantasy
Series
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses bibliographic record
Title
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Series / position
ACOTAR book 1
Author
Sarah J. Maas
Publisher
Bloomsbury
First published
2015-05-05
ISBN-13
9781635575569
ISBN-10 / ASIN
1635575567
Pages
419 (this edition)
Language
English
Genre
Romantasy
Spice (SBC)
3/5 Moderate · open-door
How A Court of Thorns and Roses actually reads
Book 1 is the haunted first act. The series changes on a dime in book 2 — but ACOTAR is where the horror was planted, and you only see it if you look back.
Feels like walking into a mansion that smells like roses and blood and being told the rose is the host.
3/5 Moderate — most of the heat lives in the middle third. If you're here for ACOMAF-level content, wait for book 2.
Who should read A Court of Thorns and Roses tonight
Swipe right if…
You love gothic atmosphere and slow-build dread
Beauty and the Beast retellings with teeth sound good
You're willing to commit to a series — book 1 is setup
Feyre and Tamlin circle each other for almost half the book before anything ignites. The tension is gothic, not erotic — more "what is he" than "what if."
40–55%
Fire Night
The scene readers cite when defending ACOTAR's spice rating. Masked faerie ritual, suspended rules, a near-miss that recalibrates the romance entirely.
55–70%
The declaration
The on-page scene between Feyre and Tamlin lands here. It's emotional, full-body, and the high point of their bond before everything collapses.
70–100%
Trials, not spice
Under the Mountain cuts the romance off entirely. The last third is survival, horror, and sacrifice. No heat — just dread.
A Court of Thorns and Roses series order
Start here. Later titles appear only when they already have a profile.
A Court of Thorns and Roses · this book3/5 Moderate
Captivity and coercion, torture (Under the Mountain), sexual coercion, graphic violence, explicit sexual content, animal harm, poverty and starvation, emotional manipulation.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is 3/5 Moderate — 3/5 Moderate — most of the heat lives in the middle third. Seduction, then horror. ACOMAF-level content waits for book 2..
A Court of Thorns and Roses questions
How spicy is A Court of Thorns and Roses?
3/5 Moderate. Most of the heat lives in the middle third. Book 2 is the 4/5 jump. Full spice guide →
Is A Court of Thorns and Roses a series?
Yes. ACOTAR book 1. Later-book spice is shown on those titles when rated.
Is there an audiobook of A Court of Thorns and Roses?
Yes. 419-page ACOTAR first act, 3/5. Search Audible for A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. 419-page; ACOTAR book 1; Fae; 3/5 Moderate; Book 1 is the haunted first act. The series changes on a dime in book 2 — but ACOTAR is where the horror was planted, and you only see it if you look back..
Does A Court of Thorns and Roses have a happy ending?
A pyrrhic win. A Court of Thorns and Roses is ACOTAR book 1 book, 419 pages, 3/5 Moderate — the arc closes here.
Last chance to stop scrolling
A Court of Thorns and Roses is ready when you are.
🌶️ 3/5 Moderate
Tap the cover. Start tonight. →