Began reading: 1.10.2015
Completed reading: 13.10.2015
Overall rating: 4 stars
Celaena Sardothien has spent a year in the salt mines of Endovier, serving a life sentence for being caught in an assassination attempt. Captain Chaol Westfall and Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard have journeyed to Endovier to offer Celaena an opportunity for freedom — to represent Dorian in a competition, where she must endure harsh tests to become the king’s Champion and serve four years as his “right-hand”. After the four years of service, Celaena will be free to begin a new life as a whole new person. But first, she must remain true to herself and refine her abilities in order to survive court life and the cruelty of the king. In doing so, she will make strong friendships with Prince Dorian, Princess Nehemia and Captain Westfall.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a fictional young adult novel that incorporates a mixture of fantasy, romance, adventure and mystery to create a great follow-on from The Assassin’s Blade. I loved this novel, as it provided a new perspective on Celaena post-sentence. By the way, have you heard that there are plans to create a television adaptation of the Throne of Glass series?! I CANNOT WAIT!
The book was incredibly well-written, and was a great follow-on from the previous novel, as I mentioned above. There were so many good quotes that just had to take note of. These include:
Some of the men sniggered, and she clenched her teeth. They’d stop their laughing if they knew her true name, if they knew that this ‘jewel thief’ could skin them alive without a knife (p. 88).
She adjusted the thick leather belt slung low across her hips. It was the kind of belt intended to bear the weight of multiple weapons. Its lightness now only reminded her of what she’d lost — and what she had to gain (pp. 114-115).
We each survive in our own way (p. 122).
While she might be used to the darkness, she wasn’t foolish enough to trust it (p. 173).
Find the evil in the castle… But the only thing truly evil thing in this world is the man ruling it (p. 219).
‘I would sooner cut out my own heart than love a Havilliard…’ (p. 246).
Following the emotional rollercoaster that was The Assassin’s Blade, I was expecting another emotionally-charged plot but there weren’t any real sad moments, which was a good thing — I don’t think my heart could’ve handled more anguish!
Speaking of emotion, I was expecting Celaena to bring Sam up a lot more than she did. I don’t know if it was a sign of her moving forward but Sam was only brought up a couple of times which surprised me. For someone she felt so strongly about, it was as though Celaena had almost forgotten him.
In comparison to The Assassin’s Blade, there was a lot less action in this novel, which I felt was a bit of a let-down. Apart from the tests, an attack and the final duel, there was next to zero action. The plot mainly focused on Celaena’s relationships with those around her, as well as how she presented herself to the court — in other words, dresses! I thought it contrasted well with The Assassin’s Blade plot, but I still expected more action.
*WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* I liked how some of the main characters were made to appear suspicious to the attacks in the castle, but turned out to be innocent. It made you doubt the actions of the characters, only to feel guilty when they turned out to be innocent. Similarly, I felt wary about the friendships that Celaena made, especially after Ansel in the previous novel.
Celaena continues to be my favourite and most relatable character in this series. This novel revealed more about Celaena, especially her love for reading and her hatred for fish, and made her feel a lot more relatable as I love reading and hate fish. She can still be a bit arrogant and badass, but she remains to be strong, caring and compassionate.
I liked the fight between Celaena and Verin, another competitor, as it showed how strong she is with a bit of humour.
‘Mock me again,’ she spat at Verin, ‘and I’ll do that with my sword the next time.’ She turned from him, and found Brullo’s face slack. ‘Here’s a lesson for you, Weapons Master,’ she said, stalking past him. ‘Give me real men to fight. Then maybe I’ll bother trying’ (p. 218).
I loved the banter between Celaena and Chaol — they were so cute! Here are some examples of their interactions:
Celaena: ‘Yes, well, hopefully you’ll read something of quality before I see you again.’
He sniffed the air as he walked out of her room. ‘Hopefully you’ll take a bath before I see you again’ (p. 93).
She didn’t pause her exercising as she smiled at him, panting through her clenched teeth. To her surprise, he smiled back (p. 94).
Speaking of banter, I also thought her banter with Dorian was cute! I won’t include the quotes here but you can find an example on pages 256 to 258.
Finally, the love triangle between these three was just so tense! It made so indecisive between who would best match Celaena. Although she doesn’t really pick anyone, based on all the fan art I have found online, I’m sure she will in the next book. I’m so excited! But yeah, I was so indecisive throughout the novel about who best suited Celaena. This love triangle got me like:
Recommendation time! If you like Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Countdown by Michelle Rowen, Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr, The Hunger Games series by Suzanna Collins and The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
You can find my review for The Assassin's Blade by clicking here.
I will also be reviewing the rest of the Throne of Glass series: Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. Keep an eye out for those!
Happy reading!
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