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.
Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (the fourth book will release globally on September 1st, 2015) and the A Court of Thorns and Rosesseries (out May 5th, 2015). She currently resides with her husband and loyal canine companion in Pennsylvania. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing, and a minor in Religious Studies. Sarah is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency.
The Writing…
No surprise here, the writing in Throne of Glass
The Story…
Celaena Sardothein is a female heroine you hate and love at the same time–in a good way. It wasn’t until I read this book that the cover made sense. The front depicts a hard core assassin chick ready to kick some serious booty. But the back shows a girl in a ball gown–a normal girl who wants to fall in love and be loved in return. Celaena is both characters equally. I loved the subtle similarities to Cinderella, but Throne of Glass is a new fairy tale all its own.
The character arcs in Throne of Glass are paced nicely. I really fell in love with both Dorian, the prince, and Chaol, the Capatin of the Guard. For someone who is usually solely on one team or the other when it comes to love triangles, I was surprised when I found myself rooting for both guys. The love triangle in Throne of Glass is very subtle, and not at all forced like in a lot of YA books. Most of the time I hate one guy and adore the other, but Sarah J, Maas has written her male leads in a way that makes me think I’d be happy with whomever Celaena ended up with. I will admit I love Chaol more than Dorian, but I want them both to have their happy endings.
And then there’s Nehemia. I absolutely loved that Sarah J. Maas gave Celaena a good female best friend. A lot of the time girl friends end up as villains, and the heroine has a guy best friend. Nothing wrong with that, but it was refreshing to see a good BFF relationship between Celaena and Nehemia. Girl power!
The Ending…
I was satisfied with the ending and felt the story rounded out nicely. I liked the subtle hints at what lies ahead in book two romantically for Celaena. The ending of Throne of Glass gave me hope for Celaena’s future, and made me want to pick up book two right away. Which I did. Literally. Follow my progress through Crown of Midnight on Goodreads.
Recommendation…
Ages: 17 and older
For fans of:
Content: Contains violence, including graphic blood and gore. Some kissing scenes. Mild curse words.
I give Throne of Glass 5 out of 5 hearts for a “killer” plot, deep character and world building, and a female heroine I couldn’t help but root for.
Have you read Throne of Glass? Let’s chat about it! Leave a comment below or tweet to me @SaraEllaWrites. I love hearing from you! Until then, happy reading!
Totally sounds beasty!