When One Recommendation Changes Everything
I’ll never forget the day I walked into a bookstore, craving fantasy. I was looking for something with fae, as a Tolkien fan, so I asked the bookseller what she’d recommend. With a sparkle in her eye and without hesitation, she pointed me to this series. And I’m grateful to her every single time I sink back into Sarah J. Maas’s worlds. I’ve read the series about five times now. Interestingly, the first book didn’t blow me away at first. It reminded me of “Beauty and the Beast,” so I started it a bit skeptical. But I quickly realized it was only a prologue to something much bigger: a gorgeous, jaw dropping fantasy where I found my bookish “found family.” This isn’t just any random fantasy. Beyond the fun, the brilliantly built world, and all the sarcasm and irony, it has real depth. And the second book is a work of art. I wholeheartedly recommend it. I read it during a very difficult time in my life, filled with painful emotions, disappointments, and suffering. The whole series became a truly important part of my life, and in a way, a kind of therapy.