Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)
By Sarah J. Maas

Hardcover, 404 pages

Published August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children’s

Average Rating: 4.22

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass–and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

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Holy Mother of God. This book, this series, is my OBSESSION. Calling this one of my favourite books is an understatement. I have researched fan art and fanfiction, (mostly fan art ’cause they are phenomenal) it’s just–I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

With that intro, you guys know this is going to be one hell of a review, from the eyes of a dedicated fangirl. It’s gonna be messier and probably biased but have you seen the rating on this book??

It’s no surprise this book has so many fans and what can anyone expect other than a positive review? Let’s get started!

First, Celaena, Chaol and Dorian are the trifecta of badassness, hotness/beauty and friendship. Without one of these characters I would not have liked this book as much as I do now. Their names are unique to the YA world, making them one-of-a-kind. (Their pronunciation was something I had to learn thanks to the odd spelling, but this trusty pronunciation guide provided by the author herself was a lifesaver! There’s also a map of Celaena’s world.)

     

Their personalities are different but compatible. They all know how to fight, and all have an aura of power. Together, they are going to save the world.

AANNNND now I sound like a cereal commercial…

In all seriousness, Celaena, Chaol and Dorian (and Nehemia,and Philippa) are amazing, relatable characters who you will fall in love with once you meet them. I know I did.

Celaena Sardothien has been in Endovier, a death camp for slaves, for a year. She is summoned by Dorian, the Crown Price of Adarlan and Chaol, the Captain of the Guard of Adarlan to compete in a competition to be the King’s Champion or in other words, His Majesty’s personal assassin. Celaena is the most famous and deadliest assassin of Erilea and was condemned to Endovier because of this. She wants freedom and the only way to get that is to participate in this competition. She accepts and that’s only the beginning.

Note: CELAENA LOVES TO READ BOOKS SO I LOVE HER THAT MUCH MORE!! ❤

Dorian was the one to find Celaena at Endovier, making him one of the sponsors of the competition. There are 23 other royal and/or of high rank members who also have a representative in this competition. He is known to be a lady’s man and doesn’t take his title seriously. His character develops as what Celaena experienced at Endovier causes him to mature and realize what he could do as King. Dorian develops feelings for Celaena despite the protests of his best friend and Captain of the Royal Guard, Chaol.

Chaol doesn’t trust Celaena. His morals and loyalty lie in the law and to the King. Celaena turns his world upside down when everything he thinks she is, as a criminal and an assassin, is contradicted by something she does or says. This frustration was a joy to read! The tension between Chaol and Celaena also had some snarky comebacks and sarcastic conversations, which I love a lot. Not only was it a comic relief but it made me ship these two so freaking hard. ❤

The story-line was fast-paced and original. Part of the novel consisted of Celaena trying to determine the reason behind the murder of the competitors and Maas strung me along like a pro. I had my suspicions for some plot twists but others completely took me off guard. I never saw them coming and that’s exactly how a YA book should be written.

The action was phenomenal! The fighting, the competition, everything was action-packed and fun! Maas kept the scenes clear and to the point. I was never confused about what was going on through the fighting and she never let me down with some butt-kicking Celaena moments!

Maas is a master story-teller with extensive knowledge of YA novels and her fans. She pulls on our heart strings and never fails with kickass fighting scenes.

I recommend this book to fans of the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and to fans of action, romance and amazing characters.

Keep calm and read on!