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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

As of last week, I finished reading my first ever fantasy book. Let me tell you every chapter was a page turner so much that I purchased the second book in the series while I was only halfway through the first book.  I finished reading “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Mass. Yes, a very popular “booktok” read but also the best book I could have read to help me expand my choice of reading genre. 

Nobody talks about how scary it is to venture away from a typical reading genre. I always read romance or realistic fiction books, and I have always been intimidated by fantasy, thriller, or mystery books. To be transparent, I think this comes from poor reading comprehension. Throughout all of elementary and middle school I struggled with reading comprehension and would often have to read things over multiple times to understand.

I used to get so outraged with myself because I loved to read but I could not understand why I could not remember or comprehend what I was reading. This made me hate reading for many years of my life. When the pandemic hit, I got out of the biggest reading slump of my life. I had nothing else to do so I read and read and read until I fell in love with reading again. With a book in my hand and a comfort water bottle by my side, I was able to escape into a world that was not our own. I felt like me again.  

Yes, there were still times I struggled and even today I struggle to remember and understand what I am reading. But I can not let that stop me from doing something I find so much enjoyment in doing. 

Prior to reading “A Court of Thorns and Roses” I strayed away from fantasy because I knew those kinds of books take a lot of focus and comprehensive abilities. But I heard so many good things about the series that I wanted to read it for myself. 

Despite some of the words being hard to pronounce or read, this book moved at the perfect pace that I was able to understand. The pacing of the book was not too fast that I was getting lost with the plot and all the characters and not too slow that I was getting bored. This book being a romantic fantasy helped as well because I am able to notice and find comfort in those romance traits within this fantasy. What can I say? I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope.  It also helped that my best friend read the series, so I am able to talk to her about what is happening and how I’m feeling about the book. (Shout out Belle!)

Getting out of my head and being open to trying a different genre despite my fears changed what literally feels like my brain chemistry and it only heightened my love and need to read. I now have so many more books I can read because I am no longer intimidated by long fantasy stories.

So, literally go purchase and read “A Court of Thorns and Roses” right now so we can chat.

Rebecca is a senior communication, social justice & advocacy major at SBU. This is her second year writing for Her Campus. This year, Rebecca is looking forward getting to know all the new members. She is excited to write about pop culture, books, trends and just her life overall. Besides Her Campus, Rebecca is the senior leader for the Campus Conservationists club and the social media manager for Jandoli Women in Communications club. She has had the opportunity to have an on-campus internship in the department of university advancement and write for TAP into Greater Olean, an online news source for the St. Bonaventure area. During her free time, Rebecca enjoys reading, going to the gym and being outside. Rebecca also loves music and will always engage in a conversation about Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams or Noah Kahan.