A Court of Thorns and Roses Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
The wolf, the Spring Court, the curse, Under the Mountain and the riddle
A Court of Thorns and Roses follows Feyre Archeron, a nineteen-year-old huntress who kills a wolf that turns out to be a faerie. To pay for it, she is taken across the wall to the magical land of Prythian by Tamlin, a High Lord whose court lies under a curse. She falls in love with him, and to save him she must survive three deadly trials set by the cruel queen Amarantha.
The book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and the old ballad of Tam Lin.
How does the story begin?
Feyre's family has fallen from wealth into poverty, and she alone keeps them alive by hunting in the frozen woods. One day she kills an enormous wolf to take its meat and skin. That night a huge beast bursts into their cottage and demands payment, because the wolf was a faerie and the treaty between humans and faeries demands a life for a life. Feyre chooses to go with him across the wall into Prythian.
↑ Back to the topWho's who
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Feyre Archeron | Narrator, a poor human huntress |
| Tamlin | High Lord of the Spring Court |
| Lucien | Tamlin's emissary and friend |
| Rhysand | High Lord of the Night Court |
| Amarantha | A faerie tyrant ruling Prythian Under the Mountain |
| Nesta and Elain | Feyre's older sisters |
| Alis | A servant at the Spring Court |
What is the Spring Court?
The beast is Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court, a land of endless spring where everyone wears a mask that cannot be removed. A blight is spreading through Prythian, and its magic is failing. Feyre slowly comes to care for Tamlin and his sharp-tongued friend Lucien, and she starts to paint again. She also meets the dark, mocking Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, at a dangerous festival.
↑ Back to the topWhat is the curse?
Feyre learns the truth: fifty years ago Amarantha, a powerful faerie, took control of Prythian and cursed Tamlin's court. The curse can only be broken if a human woman who once hated faeries comes to love Tamlin and says so before time runs out. Tamlin sends Feyre home to keep her safe, but when she realizes she loves him and learns that his time has run out, she returns, too late, to find his court empty.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens Under the Mountain?
Feyre follows Tamlin to Amarantha's court beneath a mountain, where he is held captive. Amarantha offers her a deal: complete three trials, or solve a riddle, and Tamlin will be free. Feyre is badly hurt in the first trial. Rhysand saves her in exchange for a bargain: she must spend one week each month with him at the Night Court, marked by a tattoo on her arm.
She survives a monstrous worm in a muddy labyrinth and a deadly puzzle, but the third trial asks her to kill three innocent faeries, and the riddle's answer has escaped her for months.
↑ Back to the topHow does the book end?
Feyre finally solves the riddle: its answer is love. Before she can claim her prize, Amarantha kills her. Tamlin, freed, destroys Amarantha, and the seven High Lords each give a spark of their power to bring Feyre back. She wakes immortal, one of the High Fae, with gifts from every court. She returns to the Spring Court with Tamlin, but she is no longer the same person, and Rhysand's bargain still waits on her arm.
↑ Back to the topMore about A Court of Thorns and Roses
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