Feyre's family is not doing well. Raised in wealth, her family's money was lost when her father's ships were wrecked in a storm. She, her father and her two sisters have moved from their comfortable home to a hovel near the forest and Feyre must hunt for food for them to survive. One day while hunting for a deer or rabbit, she is surprised by a wolf and kills it.
But this was no ordinary wolf. It was a fae shapeshifter and now she has committed a crime against the fae world. She is taken from her home to their kingdom by one of the High Lords, Tamlin. He tells her that she won't be harmed but she can never return home due to an agreement reached years ago between the fae and the humans at the end of a war that divided the world. Tamlin has a beautiful mansion and Feyre is left to her own devices to amuse herself. The only contact she has is her maid, Tamlin and his best friend, Lucian.
Over time, Feyre starts to like the men who surround her and soon, she falls in love with Tamlin. But all is not well in the fae kingdom either. An evil fae witch has taken control and she is cruel; her only desire to have Tamlin as her mate. She surrounds herself with monstrous creatures and lives only to think of new tortures. Her ultimate plan is to break the treaty that ended the war between fae and human and take over the universe.
When Feyre is taken to her underground kingdom, she is taunted for her love of Tamliin and his for her. But she is not killed right away. The witch states that she will release Fayre and Tamlin if Fayre can either solve a riddle or survive three tasks. Can Fayre save them all?
This is the first book in a five book series. I've been interested in reading Sarah Maas for a while now as she is known in the fantasy world for her intricate series. This was a great opening novel and I plan to read the rest of the series. There are steamy scenes as Tamlin and Feyre discover their love and the book is suspenseful as Feyre goes through the series of tasks that may kill her. This book is recommended for fantasy readers.