I just know it, you are ready for an A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobook! But if you want to dive into Sarah J. Maas’ breathtakingly intense Fantasy world, you have to make a decision first: Which ACOTAR audiobook version do you want to listen to?
I love audiobooks, and I love the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. So, let me give you a few pointers on which audiobook I think you should pick up (and where to get it)…
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A Court of Thorns and Roses dramatized vs original
Let me quickly tell you a bit about different types of audiobook productions. The most important ones I need you to know when we want to talk about the A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobook are full cast and single narrator.
I believe both have their pros and cons, so it really depends on the preferences of each listener which one is “better”.
Related article: How to listen to Audiobooks
Full-cast audiobooks offer a very immersive experience. I want you to imagine this as having your TV running while folding laundry, for example.
We listen, and we recognize all the different characters. There are also sound effects, and it’s often easy to get what is happening, even without looking.
In a dramatized full-cast audiobook, we get all this, but better since it was meant to only be listened to! We won’t miss a single lingering glance.
The Graphic Audio A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobook has multiple voice actors, sound effects, and music, making it feel like a true audio play.
GraphicAudio is a company that specializes in dramatized audiobooks. I love the engaging and exciting listening experiences they offer!
Many people who are new to audiobooks find it easier to follow these productions since all the main characters have truly different voices. That means you will never get confused about who is talking, and the audiobook is so engaging that you are unlikely to lose focus.
However, some listeners find sound effects annoying and distracting or generally don’t like the more lively narration styles in audio plays.
The original A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobook narrator was Jennifer Ikeda. The advantage of having a single narrator is that the story can stand more on its own.
More is left to our imagination as readers, and you could say that the experience is closer to reading the book with your eyes.
However, in my experience, single-narrator audiobooks can sometimes be a bit more difficult to follow, especially during dialog scenes.
Personally, I enjoyed Jennifer Ikeda’s narration very much and had a fantastic time with it. She’s an outstanding voice actor and made it very easy to distinguish between characters and follow the storyline.
But I also love GraphicAudio productions and find them wonderful, especially when I’m up for a re-listen of a book I already know. The full cast adds a new dimension to the familiar story.
So, I don’t want to tell you which one is the best ACOTAR audiobook. I think both the original and the dramatized versions are really well done and super entertaining.
I recommend that you listen to a sample of each production and see which one resonates more with you.
I would also like you to be aware that the Jennifer Ikeda audiobooks are unabridged, which means that she reads the text to us exactly as the author has published it in print and ebooks. We get to experience the story word for word like every other reader of these books, exactly as SJM wrote them.
GraphicAudio adapts the books, which, in this case, means they make small adjustments to the script so the text flows better in the format in which they give it back (e.g., they might leave out a “he said” since, due to the different voice actors, the listener will know who is talking).
While many audio plays are heavily abridged, and big parts of the text might be left out, Graphic Audio makes only light changes, so you can still confidently say that you have “read the book” after listening to the full-cast A Court of Thorns and Roses, because your experience of the text itself doesn’t differ in any meaningful way from that of someone who has read the print book.
But for completeness’s sake, I want you to be aware that only the original A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobook is exactly word for word the same as the print and ebook version.
Where to listen to an A Court of Thorns and Roses Audiobook
I have three recommendations for you for audiobook services that offer ACOTAR audio. And they are all very, very different!
If you are an avid Audible user and have all your audiobooks in one Audible account, I understand that you want to stay there, and that’s just fine. If you already own the Kindle ebooks, you can simply add the Jennifer Ikeda narration** for a steal through Amazon Whispersync!
Amazon Whispersync lets you pick up audiobooks for a significantly reduced price when you already own the ebook and you can save your Audible credit.
The dramatized ACOTAR audiobook, however, is split into two audiobooks per volume, so that gets costly if you buy it all for Audible credits.
If you aren’t super keen on using Audible, then there are two much better places for you to get the Graphic Audio A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobook.
If you aren’t particularly bothered with owning your audiobooks, you can borrow them all – the entire series in both the dramatized adaption** and single narrator version** – on Everand (previously Scribd).
Everand works a bit like Netflix or your local library, and you can just binge-listen to the series, either for free during a trial month, or for a flat monthly fee of $11.99 USD (plus taxes) afterward.
I find this to be the perfect place to listen to the GraphicAudio A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobook because you don’t have to buy each book individually. You can just binge the series!
Related article: What is Everand?
If you do like owning your audiobooks, I would like you to consider getting them on Libro.fm. An audiobook credit there costs as much as on Audible, but you support indie bookstores with your money, and you can download your audiobooks as MP3!
This is a very big deal because it means you properly, truly own your audiobooks forever and ever, and you can play them in any app and on any device you like.
Related article: Libro.fm vs Audible
Libro.fm offers the Graphic Audio full cast version** and the single narrator audiobook**. But please keep in mind that the Graphic Audio adaption is split, so you will have to buy twice as many audiobooks as there are books in the series!
Whichever version and platform you choose, if you’re looking for a new audiobook to listen to, I highly recommend A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass. It’s sure to keep you entertained from start to finish!
Audiobooks are such a great way to multitask. You can get work done, clean your house, or do just about anything while listening and traveling to Prythian. Audiobooks make everything more fun. Especially with a great story like A Court of Thorns and Roses!
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About the Series
Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times bestselling author of the A Court of Thorns and Roses books. Her other works include the Throne of Glass series and the Crescent City series.
All three series are Fantasy Romance and are generally considered to be part of the Young Adult Fantasy genre. Considering how explicit ACOTAR is, I can’t say I agree. It’s probably better to think of this as New Adult, which is a higher age bracket and more appropriate for all the sexy things Feyre is up to 😉
A Court of Thorns and Roses was first published in 2015. Feyre’s story is covered in a trilogy, including the second book A Court of Mist and Fury, and the third book A Court of Wings and Ruin.
The series was continued in 2021 with a fourth book, A Court of Silver Flames. The main character here is Feyre’s sister Nesta.
The events between the original trilogy and Nesta’s book are covered in a novella, A Court of Frost and Starlight, which is also available on audio.
A fifth full-length novel is currently in the editing stages, but so far, we know neither the title nor the release date.
Publisher’s Summary
The sexy, action-packed first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series from Sarah J. Maas.
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.
From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 audiobooks per year has become the new normal and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.