How can something I consciously know is fake create a longing that feels more visceral than my response to reality? Over three years ago, I read A Court of Thorns and Roses for the first time and decided I could never read it again. I hadn’t touched a romantasy series since high school and was not prepared for how it would affect me.
“...my own life suddenly seemed more black and white than the words printed on the page.”
I have read many books across genres, loved many characters and have become invested in many plots. Nothing altered my brain chemistry quite like ACOTAR did. This is not to say that I think it contains the best writing, themes or characters I have ever read. It is also not to say that it doesn’t.