History YMMV / ACourtOfThornsAndRoses

** In ''A Court of Frost and Starlight'' it's mentioned that [[spoiler:Rhysand and Feyre]] had sex [[MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces in the sky while flying over Velaris]]. And that they were so passionate they nearly crashed into someone's roof. The whole situation conjures up some hilarious imagery, especially considering it's such a wildly impractical location to get it on and the likelihood several civilians would have spotted them.

* HypeBacklash: ''A Court of Thrones and Roses'' became one of the most popular and bestselling young adult fantasy book series in the mid-to-late 2010s, continuing into the 2020s (alongside Creator/SarahJMaas' other fantasy series ''Series/ThroneOfGlass''), in particular being praised for its feminist themes and strong female protagonist. However, backlash started to kick in round about when the novella was published in 2018 and intensified after the release of ''A Court of Silver Flames'' in 2021, with readers becoming a lot more critical of the series due to these installments highlighting already-existing flaws. While the books definitely do have a large fanbase still, increasingly readers have been finding the series a sub-standard example of a {{feminist fantasy}} due to issues such as questionable prose, problematic depictions of romantic relationships, and hypocritical messages around abuse and trauma. 

** Tamlin as the series goes on. The series never had an issue with calling Tamlin out on his worst character aspects and for his actions in ''A Court of Mist and Fury''. However as time goes on [[spoiler:''Rhysand's'']] flaws are becoming far more apparent, even to the point where he makes similar actions... but Feyre/the narration/Maas will jump through hoops to excuse [[spoiler:Rhys]] despite being guilty of the same thing ''and worse''. Instead of making Tamlin out as merely an abusive {{jerkass}}, he's starting to come across as more and more as a highly traumatized tragic figure given absolutely no chance to properly cope. Even readers who don't much like Tamlin felt some pity for him in ''Frost and Starlight'', as he appears to be deeply depressed and possibly ''suicidal'', and thought Rhysand was out of order for mocking and ranting at him.

** Feyre is not without her detractors. There are those who think her jaded personality from the start was a ClicheStorm, those who like her as a human but think she became less interesting after she became a High Fae, and those who appreciate her character arc in its entirety. Her actions in ''A Court of Wings and Ruin'' have been particularly divisive amongst readers, especially considering she [[KarmaHoudini never really experiences any repercussions for this]]. Her role in ''A Court of Silver Flames'' has created further divisions. Some have equated Feyre forcing Nesta to live at the House of the Wind with Tamlin's actions toward her in ''[[DoubleStandard A Court of Mist and Fury]]'' and find that she's unempathetic to her sister's trauma, while others have defended her as giving Nesta ToughLove treatment out of frustration.

** Tamlin ''is'' overly-protective and controlling towards Feyre in ''A Court of Mist and Fury'', but his reaction when he learns she's at the Night Court for the long-term doesn't seem as irrational or malicious as the narrative tries to present it. As far as ''he'' knows, the woman he loves (and saw tortured and [[BackFromTheDead killed]] in front of him) has been taken to the Night Court against her will by a man who presents himself as cruel and violent, has a personal grudge against Tamlin, can control minds, and had Feyre drugged, dressed like a stripper and performing lap dances for him, coerced her into making a bargain with him to save her life, and forced a kiss on her. Feyre's eventual letter informing Tamlin she went of her own free will doesn't help, because as far as Tamlin knows she can't write fluently so it could be a forgery (and she could still theoretically have been forced or mind-controlled into writing it). Tamlin's reaction is extreme, yet it doesn't seem implausible that from his perspective he was [[WellIntentionedExtremist genuinely trying to save Feyre]]. Rhysand himself points out that from a lot of people's perspective, he's the bad guy who stole Feyre away from everything she loved.

** Nesta in ''A Court of Silver Flames''. While she can be a rude, standoffish jerk to the Inner Circle and needs to find better coping mechanisms for her trauma, the way everyone acts like she's the worst person ever for this comes off as disproportionate.[[note]]Especially coming from people who've done things like torture, murder, and starting civil wars for petty reasons[[/note]] Nesta's behavior is a largely self-destructive response to PTSD, yet the Inner Circle treat her with utter contempt and debate exiling her into hostile territory [[note]]either the human lands where she'd never fit in, or the Court of Nightmares[[/note]], just because they personally dislike her and find her "embarassing", also taking the time to mock and slut-shame her when she's at her lowest. They're also aware Nesta has powers she can't fully control, yet seriously consider abandoning her in a place she could endanger both herself and others. Feyre's solution is to lock Nesta up in the House of Wind and force her to train in [[HeManWomanHater Illyrian]] [[NoWomansLand war camps]] against her will. [[note]]Nesta's told it's a choice but it's really not; she can't leave unless she's willing to walk down 10,000 steps, it's made clear she wouldn't be welcome back in the safety of Velaris, and Feyre at one point says she'll have Nesta physically dragged there.[[/note]] She's also forced to be around Cassian, which she's made clear upsets her. Considering that one of the things Nesta ''does'' value is her ability to choose for herself, it's hard not to pity her now that this has also been taken away, and how little everyone around her seems to care for her. It doesn't help that she was completely right to tell Feyre [[spoiler:her pregnancy was extremely high risk]] when everyone else hid the truth, for which Rhysand threatens to ''kill her''.

* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Few readers really believed that Maas would actually permanently kill off [[spoiler:Rhysand]] in the climax of ''Wings and Ruin'', given he's now the secondary protagonist and main romantic lead, he's likely one of Maas' favorite characters and it's not the first time a deceased main character has been brought {{back from the dead}}. Sure enough, he's resurrected by the other High Lords soon after the same way they resurrected Feyre in ''Thorns and Roses''. This actually annoyed some readers, because it was so obvious that Maas wouldn't go through with it that they felt it came off as a cheap attempt at drama.

** Morrigan (Mor). Some like her for being a cheerful and unashamed {{hard drinking party girl}} who overcame a past of abuse and trauma, and provides a positive example of female friendship via her bond with Feyre. Others find her to be one of the most boring members of Inner Circle who rarely displays any of the exceptional power she's claimed to have, or do anything of significance at all. Some also found Mor to be insensitive for the way she handled Azriel's unrequited crush on her, arguing she had centuries to let him know she wasn't interested and that her using Cassian as a buffer is immature for someone who's five centuries old; others would argue that was on Azriel for not taking a hint. Her treatment of Nesta in ''A Court of Silver Flames'' especially landed in her in hot water with several readers, who felt Mor came off as disproportionately hostile and downright cruel to her. Finally, Mor's bisexuality has resulted in ''many'' debates among fans over how well it's handled (see BrokenBase for details).

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The series has been criticized for the lack of diversity (the majority of the main cast are white and straight), which is what presumably prompted Maas to make Mor bisexual with a preference for women (in a rather problematic way) and Lucien more dark-skinned [[spoiler:as Helion's son]], [[RetCon even though the latter had been described in previous books as pale-skinned]].

** Feyre is not without her detractors. There are those who think her jaded personality from the start was a ClicheStorm, those who like her as a human but think she became less interesting after she became a High Fae, and those who appreciate her character arc in its entirety. Her actions in ''A Court of Wings and Ruin'' have been particularly divisive amongst readers, especially considering she [[KarmaHoudini never really experiences any repercussions for this]]. Her role in ''A Court of Silver Flames'' has created further divisions. Some have equated Feyre forcing to the House of the Wind with Tamlin's actions toward her in ''[[DoubleStandard A Court of Mist and Fury]]'' and find that she's unempathetic to her sister's trauma, while others have defended her as giving Nesta ToughLove treatment out of frustration.

** Mor, especially after ''A Court of Silver Flames''. Some like her for being an unashamed {{hard drinking party girl}} who overcame a past of abuse and trauma, and provides a positive example of female friendship via her bond with Feyre. Others find her to be one of the most boring members of Inner Circle who rarely displays any of the exceptional power she's claimed to have, or do anything of significance at all. Some also found Mor to be insensitive for the way she handled Azriel's unrequited crush on her, arguing she had centuries to let him know she wasn't interested; others would argue that was on Azriel for not taking a hint. Her treatment of Nesta in ACOSF especially landed in her in hot water with several readers, who felt Mor came off as disproportionately hostile and downright cruel to her. Finally, Mor's bisexuality has resulted in ''many'' debates among fans over how well it's handled (see BrokenBase for details).

** Rhysand. Critics accuse him of being just as bad as Tamlin, if not worse, for his villainous treatment of Feyre Under The Mountain and tendency to manipulate and/or lie to everyone, even those close to him. Fans point out that unlike Tamlin, his treatment of Feyre was ''while he was a villain'', whereas Tamlin was her fiance, and like him for [[TookALevelInKindness growing kinder and trying to help Feyre overcome her PTSD]]. There are also readers who find Rhysand to be overly-idealized after the first book and having little characterization or depth outside of being the 'perfect boyfriend' [[spoiler:for Feyre]], while others like him for this reason.
** Feyre is not without her detractors. There are those who think her jaded personality from the start was a ClicheStorm, those who like her as a human but think she became less interesting after she became a High Fae, and those who appreciate her character arc in its entirety. Her actions in ''A Court of Wings and Ruin'' have been particularly divisive amongst readers, especially considering she [[KarmaHoudini never really experiences any repercussions for this]].
** Both Feyre and Rhysand create a larger divide with the release of ''A Court of Silver Flames'' with many equating Feyre forcing Nesta to the House of the Wind with Tamlin's actions in ''[[DoubleStandard A Court of Mist and Fury]]''. And then there's Rhysand, [[spoiler:purposefully withholding information about the potential dangers of Feyre's pregnancy '''from Feyre''' because of how telling her would affect ''[[ItsAllAboutMe him]]''. Then he threatened to kill Nesta for telling Feyre, something she has ''every right'' knowing]].

** After ''A Court of Silver Flames'', many readers are starting to jump ship with [[spoiler: Rhysand/Feyre, as Rhysand increasingly shows characteristics of a groomer and abusive partner. In 'Silver Flames'' Rhysand's actions are scarily similar to Tamlin's in ''A Court of Mist and Fury'', such as locking Feyre up without her consent, withholding info from her because he thinks she's not strong enough to handle it (even when said info is about keeping her alive) and making decisions regarding her well-being without consulting with her. He also flaunts Feyre before his male peers and makes disgusting comments about their sex life but grows irrationally angry if she dares to speak to another man. Some readers have noted that although Rhysand acts like she's on equal footing with him politically to keep her placated, he appears to be the one calling the shots]]. The author goes through leaps trying to prove they're the superior ship but for some it's getting harder not to see their relationship as destructive and toxic. Many readers that went through abusive relationships feel that [[spoiler:Rhysand]] is better at gaslighting and controlling his lover than [[spoiler:Tamlin]] ever was.

** After ''A Court of Silver Flames'', many readers are starting to jump ship with [[spoiler: Rhysand/Feyre. Rhysand's actions are scarily similar to Tamlin's in ''A Court of Mist and Fury'' (locking Feyre up without her consent and making decisions regarding her well-being without consulting with her). Rhysand has shown numerous times he has characteristics of a groomer and abusive boyfriend. He flaunts Feyre before his male peers and makes disgusting comments about their sex life but grows irrationally angry if she dares to speak to another man, he pretends she's on equal footing with him politically to keep her placated yet he's the one calling the shots, he withholds info from her because he thinks she's not strong enough to handle the truth when said info is about keeping her alive, and locks her up because he thinks it's for her best interest.]] The author goes through leaps trying to prove they're the superior ship but for some it's getting harder not to see their relationship as destructive and toxic. Many readers that went through abusive relationships feel that [[spoiler:Rhysand]] is better at gaslighting and controlling his lover than [[spoiler:Tamlin]] ever was.

** Is Feyre and [[spoiler:Rhysand]]'s relationship an ideal romance between equals, or is it just as unhealthy as Feyre and Tamlin's relationship, albeit in a different way? While [[spoiler:Rhysand]] isn't ''blatantly'' controlling and emotionally abusive the way Tamlin is, he can arguably be controlling and manipulative towards Feyre in more subtle ways, and he's not above hiding important things from her and violating her boundaries if he thinks it's 'for her own good' or it serves his own purposes. He coerces her into [[spoiler:spending one week every month with him]] in exchange for saving her life, so their romance starts out as an abduction much like her romance with Tamlin. Although he insists she gets to make her own choices, she notably never makes any major choices he doesn't already agree with. And though he makes Feyre High Lady of his court, many point out that it's really a hollow gesture because Feyre has shown little political know how and no power. Confounded in the novella and ''Silver Flames'' where, despite Feyre supposedly being his equal [[spoiler:Rhysand]] is ''very much'' the one in charge. Their romance is depicted as helping them heal from trauma, though one could argue they're actually [[LivingEmotionalCrutch co-dependent]], [[note]]when they get together they've both ''just'' come out of abusive relationships and Feyre goes so far as crediting [[spoiler:Rhysand]] with her recovery from PTSD, referring to him as "My lover who had healed my broken and weary soul"[[/note]]. They even make what is essentially a magical suicide pact as they can't bear to live without each other. Readers have noted that despite Feyre's aversion to being a consort whose only contribution to the Court is producing heirs, this is exactly what ends up happening in later books, the only difference being [[spoiler:it's with Rhysand instead of Tamlin]]. The age-gap and power dynamics between the pair have also raised some eyebrows; during their initial courtship [[spoiler:Rhysand]] is over 500 years old and an experienced [[spoiler:High Lord]], while Feyre is barely out of her teens, has lived in Prythian barely a year and is extremely vulnerable.

** For some, the Inner Court's utter horror over how much Nesta spent at a bar ("500 gold marks") can become this considering that in the same chapter, it's stated that Feyre and [[spoiler:Rhysand]] have ''five'' houses ''and'' just finished renovating a gargantuan riverside mansion.

* OlderThanTheyThink: The Illyrians bear striking similarities to the Eyriens from Anne Bishop's ''Literature/BlackJewels'' series, which began publication in 1998. Even their names sound slightly similar. The Eyriens are a LongLived ProudWarriorRace of {{Winged Humanoid}}s who live in a mountainous region; men are raised as soldiers in war camps while women are forbidden from becoming warriors and from even touching weapons. Physically, they tend to have tanned skin and dark hair, and their wings are black and bat-like. Sound familiar?
** On the other hand, the Illyrians were also an ancient ethnic group from the Balkans. Much like the fictional Illyrians, these peoples were famed for their warfare and weapronry, and were described as strong and always ready for a fight but not particularly smart.

* UnfortunateImplications: The mating bond is presented by Feyre and [[spoiler:Rhysand]] as something beautiful, but it has some rather [[FridgeHorror horrific implications]] when you take off the rose-colored glasses. When the bond is set, the man becomes obsessed and possessive with their mated woman, even if ''she doesn't want it''. And it is briefly acknowledged in-universe as something can can be messy. But that doesn't change the fact that it turns a man into a StalkerWithACrush, nor the fact that the woman accepts it by [[StayInTheKitchen presenting the man with food]]. There's also the fact that the books never delve into the possibility that the pairs may be asexual or gay, or what's supposed to happen if IncompatibleOrientation. This ends up coming across as accepted stalking at best, abuse at worse, and extremely heteronormative.

** Is Feyre and [[spoiler:Rhysand]]'s relationship an ideal romance between equals, or is it just as unhealthy as Feyre and Tamlin's relationship, albeit in a different way? While [[spoiler:Rhysand]] isn't ''blatantly'' controlling and emotionally abusive the way Tamlin is, he can arguably be controlling and manipulative towards Feyre in more subtle ways, and he's not above hiding important things from her and violating her boundaries if he thinks it's 'for her own good' or it serves his own purposes. He coerces her into [[spoiler:spending one week every month with him]] in exchange for saving her life, so their romance starts out as an abduction much like her romance with Tamlin. Although he insists she gets to make her own choices, she notably never makes any major choices he doesn't already agree with. Their romance is depicted as helping them heal from trauma, though one could argue they're actually [[LivingEmotionalCrutch co-dependent]], [[note]]when they get together they've both ''just'' come out of abusive relationships and Feyre goes so far as crediting [[spoiler:Rhysand]] with her recovery from PTSD, referring to him as "My lover who had healed my broken and weary soul"[[/note]]. They even make what is essentially a magical suicide pact as they can't bear to live without each other. Readers have noted that despite Feyre's aversion to being a consort whose only contribution to the Court is producing heirs, this is exactly what ends up happening in later books, the only difference being [[spoiler:it's with Rhysand instead of Tamlin]]. The age-gap and power dynamics between the pair have also raised some eyebrows; during their initial courtship [[spoiler:Rhysand]] is over 500 years old and an experienced [[spoiler:High Lord]], while Feyre is barely out of her teens, has lived in Prythian barely a year and is extremely vulnerable.

** The mating bond. A good thing for the right people or a [[FridgeHorror horrifying concept]] riddle with UnfortunateImplications as the man becomes obsessed and possessive with their mated woman, even if ''she doesn't want it''? It doesn't help that there's been nothing about mated pairs being asexual or gay (or if IncompatibleOrientation is involved) and that the woman accepts by [[StayInTheKitchen presenting the man with food]]. So does that mean the bond is strictly heteronormative?

* OlderThanTheyThink: The Illyrians bear striking similarities to the Eyriens from Anne Bishop's ''Literature/TheBlackJewels'' series, which began publication in 1998. Even their names sound slightly similar. The Eyriens are a LongLived ProudWarriorRace of {{Winged Humanoid}}s who live in a mountainous region; men are raised as soldiers in war camps while women are forbidden from becoming warriors and from even touching weapons. Physically, they tend to have tanned skin and dark hair, and their wings are black and bat-like. Sound familiar?

** ** Is Feyre and [[spoiler:Rhysand]]'s relationship an ideal romance between equals, or is it just as unhealthy as Feyre and Tamlin's relationship, albeit in a different way? While [[spoiler:Rhysand]] isn't ''blatantly'' controlling and emotionally abusive the way Tamlin is, he can arguably be controlling and manipulative towards Feyre in more subtle ways, and he's not above hiding important things from her and violating her boundaries if he thinks it's 'for her own good' or it serves his own purposes. He coerces her into [[spoiler:spending one week every month with him]] in exchange for saving her life, so their romance starts out as an abduction much like her romance with Tamlin. Although he insists she gets to make her own choices, she notably never makes any major choices he doesn't already agree with. Their romance is depicted as helping them heal from trauma, though one could argue they're actually [[LivingEmotionalCrutch co-dependent]], [[note]]when they get together they've both ''just'' come out of abusive relationships and Feyre goes so far as crediting [[spoiler:Rhysand]] with her recovery from PTSD, referring to him as "My lover who had healed my broken and weary soul"[[/note]]. They even make what is essentially a magical suicide pact as they can't bear to live without each other. Readers have noted that despite Feyre's aversion to being a consort whose only contribution to the Court is producing heirs, this is exactly what ends up happening in later books, the only difference being [[spoiler:it's with Rhysand instead of Tamlin]]. The age-gap and power dynamics between the pair have also raised some eyebrows; during their initial courtship [[spoiler:Rhysand]] is over 500 years old and an experienced [[spoiler:High Lord]], while Feyre is barely out of her teens, has lived in Prythian barely a year and is extremely vulnerable.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Tamlin as the series goes on. The series never had an issue with calling Tamlin out on his worst character aspects and for his actions in ''A Court of Mist and Fury''. However as time goes on [[spoiler:''Rhysand's'']] flaws are becoming far more apparent, even to the point where he makes similar actions... but Feyre/the narration/Maas will jump through hoops to excuse [[spoiler:Rhys]] despite being guilty of the same thing ''and worse''. Instead of making Tamlin out as merely an abusive {{jerkass}}, he's starting to come across as more and more as a highly traumatized tragic figure given absolutely no chance to properly cope. Even readers who don't much like Tamlin felt some pity for him in ''Frost and Starlight'', as he appears to be deeply depressed and possibly ''suicidal'', and thought Rhysand was out of order for mocking and ranting at him.