A Fairy Good Story

Dahlia Brue on "A Court of Thorns and Roses" and sweet escape

My favorite moments with friends are often post-meal. We’ve cooked together, or eaten somewhere, or we’ve languished after a long work day with wine and carbohydrates. We’re telling stories. One leads to the next. Remember-whens and this-one-times. Stories beget stories. We’re in a backyard, drawing in the last light of the day, or on a picnic blanket, or in someone’s dining room. Back when I was dreaming up book(ish), I knew I wanted to include guest contributors, and I immediately thought of my friend Dahlia Brue, who knows what it is to draw in the last light of the day, who is a great cook, who reads all the time (usually books that feel too smart for me), always asks what I’m reading, and has gifted me several books—people rarely gift me books, maybe because it’s intimidating to gift a writer a book? She once gave me Bavel, an elegant cookbook of Middle-Eastern cuisine I’ve relished for a few years (roasted chicken with toum, anyone?). As I say in the About section, book(ish) is a space for all kinds of readers and writers. Lean into what you love. Dahlia has always struck me as a person who leans in—to the people, things, and stories she loves—without reservation or self-consciousness. That’s a quality I think we can all aspire to. Without further ado, here’s Dahlia, my friend, and first guest contributor.

- Josh

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It was fall of 2021. Deep COVID. My three kids had been home for one school year of distance learning, and my husband had moved to working exclusively from home, taking a lot of Zoom calls in our basement. As a highly extroverted person, the mundanities and monotonies depleted me.

One day, my friend and fellow lover of speculative fiction, Lisa Hackwith, mentioned this book series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, saying I would love it: fairies, magical creatures, passionate romance. I bought the first book and, after finishing the last page, went right back to the first page and started all over again. Devour isn’t quite the right word—it was beyond.

I was immediately transported from my Saint Paul living room to the world of Prythian. Sarah J. Maas’s characters are relatable but otherworldly. They experience loss, jealousy, and embarrassment. They enjoy spending time with their family and having dinner with friends—and yet, they are fairies. Some can fly, conjure great elemental magic, and are not mortal. I found myself understanding these characters and what they were going through and wishing that I could shape shift or control water with my thoughts.

In book one of the series, we meet Feyre, a strong, independent woman of 19, who is sort of a family caretaker. Her family has no money, and her father is no longer able to work, so she teaches herself how to hunt. She finds herself in Prythian, a treacherous land of faeries and creatures, after killing a wolf to provide for her family. As retribution for taking its life, she is forced to live with Tamlin, a brooding fae, to whom she slowly softens and with whom she eventually falls in love. Feyre learns of a blight that has overtaken his land and threatens to move into the mortal lands. There is love, passion, and sacrifice.

I bring this series up at least once a week with someone. It was pivotal in my reading life, which may sound funny since it’s a “New-Adult” fantasy book about love and fairies, but it gave me escape when I needed it the most. Pure joy. I can’t gush enough.

While reading the book, I was listening to a lot of new-classical music. My favorite was Piano Versions by Jon Hopkins. It’s ominous and slow, the perfect soundtrack for the magical realm. When I listen to the songs now, I get whisked back to that emotional space. The music, the books—they’re like a comfort blanket. 

My favorite TV show is Outlander, a time-traveling historical drama about a nurse and a hunky Scottish warrior. I can’t get enough of Jamie Fraser and Claire and their whole relationship. A Court of Thorns and Roses resonates similarly. It is an epic escapist love story. The kind of love I’ve talked about with my friends many times: adoration, not obsession. Feyre, the female protagonist, isn’t a damsel in distress constantly needing saving. She is fierce and strong, as is her true love. He would lay down his life for her, and vice versa.

I’ve blushed a few times while reading these books in public, looking around to make sure no one is reading over my shoulder. The love scenes are sometimes steamy, erotic, borderline soft-core fairy porn. Fighting and loving and magic! But not cheap or flagrant. After I finished ACOTAR, I tried to read other romance/fantasy books, but they were too gratuitous with the intimacy and didn’t build the love between the characters enough, making them feel unrealistic. Though the world is fantastical, Maas seems to understand relationships, psychology, and the intricate beauties and challenges of love. The characters are so fully alive I often forget they are not real people.  

I read a lot of thought-provoking nonfiction like The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch and Coventry by Rachel Cusk, as well as literary fiction with my book club—all great, but sometimes boring—so it is rare for a book to bring me to a place of pure joy and complete entertainment. The writing in A Court of Thorns and Roses feels classic and effortless. The descriptions are vivid but not over-the-top, and the imagery makes it easy to fall into. Love, worlds colliding, legendary battles, magic, unlikely friendships, and heartbreaking sacrifices. The twists are surprising but not unbelievable. Even the despising characters weirdly kindle a feeling of gratitude. I had so much fun reading these books. They brought out a youthful, more playful, and romantic side of me, the perfect antidote to constant Zooms, distance learning, and my Saint Paul living room. 

I want everyone to experience what I experienced while reading the five books in this series. I have “fairy god-mothered” these books to almost 20 people—different ages, different interests. Some read a lot. Others, not at all. All become equally obsessed, though. I read this book and thought of all of my girlfriends, because they are passionate, fun, and deserve to be whisked away every once and a while to a court of dreams. 

Dahlia Brue lives in Saint Paul with her husband and three kids. She owns Idun, a women’s clothing store focusing on small, independent designers. 

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Have you read ACOTAR or something else that lit you up recently? Please comment below. We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you go in search of the book, please support your favorite local independent booksellers, or shop online at Bookshop, which allows you to support a bookstore of your choosing. Thanks, as always, for reading.