Sarah J. Maas’A Court of Thorns and Roseshas become an extremely successful romantasy series, but it should have copied one element fromMaas' first series,Throne of Glass, to make it even more so. While there are several similarities between Maas' two series — including phenomenal female characters, epic battles, and a strong overall cast — they demonstrate one stark difference in terms of storytelling. UnlikeMaas' original fantasy books,A Court of Thorns and Rosesfocuses solely on its main protagonist’s perspective, whereasThrone of Glassinstead includes a multitude of POVs.
Throne of Glasshas a huge cast of characters — similar toACOTAR— and Maas' use of multiple POVs helps bridge the narrative acrossall sevenThrone of Glassbooks.WhileA Court of Thorns and Roseshas an equal number of important characters, Maas instead chose to revolve the story around a single protagonist,forgoing additional side character perspectives. This can be exciting for readers as it allows the story to provide a greater number of shocking plot twists. However, with so much happening off-page inACOTAR, the story is sometimes limited by Feyre’s centrality.
A Court Of Thorns & Roses Should Have Copied Throne Of Glass' Multi-POV Storytelling
Additional Character Perspectives Could Have Expanded ACOTAR’s World-Building
One of the best elements of theThrone of Glassseries is its multi-POV storytelling, with the narrative focusing on severalThrone of Glasscharactersand locations from one chapter to the next. This element makes the world depicted in the novels feel much more expansive, and, unfortunately, this is something theA Court of Thorns and Rosesseries is somewhat lacking.Maas' choice of writingA Court of Thorns and Rosesfrom a single POV with Feyre hinders the stories' world-buildingto a degree, as it cannot explore past the main protagonist’s world-view likeThrone of Glasscan.
I Wish A Court Of Thorns & Roses Followed 1 Refreshing Throne Of Glass Trend
A Court of Thorns & Roses and Throne of Glass are both great stories, but I wish that ACOTAR followed one refreshing trend from the earlier series.
The singular POV isn’t necessarily a bad choice for a fantasy series, but compared toThrone of Glass, it makes everything that happens off-page inACOTARall the more apparent. There are several scenarios throughout theACOTARseries that could have benefited from multiple POVs,including Lucien’s journey to the continent or Rhys' experiences during battle. The inner circle is full of characters with distinct specialties and different quests, and it would have been compelling to read their perspectives throughout theACOTARseries.
More Perspectives Would Have Solved Some Of ACOTAR’s Biggest Problems
Elements Of The Story Are Impeded Without Additional POV Context
While it’s likely Maas chose to restrictACOTAR’s storytelling to a single POV to create greater plot twists, additional character perspectives would have actually helped solve some of the series' bigger problems. While reading from the viewpoint of one character can be beneficial at times, it impedes the storyline in other circumstances. For instance, during the battle with Hybern in the third book, readers miss a lot of the action through only Feyre’s POV, and it’s only through the eyes of the cauldron that Maas explores the surrounding chaos.
With so much of the narrative happening off-page, A Court of Thorns and Roses' storytelling can feel somewhat stilted.
With much of the narrative happening off-page,ACOTAR’s storytelling can feel somewhat stilted, and the high stakes surrounding the war with Hybern (and several other book moments) felt inconsequential with so little of the battle actually portrayed.A Court of Silver Flameseventually broke the four-book trend, but if Maas had decided to include additional POVs in theA Court of Thorns and Roses' series sooner, the lack of exposition wouldn’t feel as apparent. And whileACOTARstill proves to be an incredible read,adding elements similar toThrone of Glass’multiple POVs would have only further contributed to its extreme success.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
2015
A Court of Mist and Fury
2016
A Court of Wings and Ruin
2017
A Court of Frost and Starlight(novella)
2018
2021
A Court of Thorns and Rosesbook #6
