Home At Last

"The rest of the world quieted into nothing. 
In that moment, after ten long years
...she was home."
--Sarah J. Maas, Crown of Midnight

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Bloomsburty USA Childrens, 432 pages

Publication Date: August 27th, 2013

Source: ARC received at BEA...yeah, that's all I'm saying about that...
Goodreads
Previous Books in Series: The Assassins Novellas & Throne of Glass

Goodreads Description

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

My Thoughts

Um…seriously?...SERIOUSLY?!?! I can’t…I just can’t. This is gonna be one of those reviews where I am unable to really put coherent thoughts down because this book…you guys, this book is phenomenal. I had ALL the feels. ALL the heart pounding excitement of not being able to turn the pages fast enough. ALL of the chest pain that accompanied my out of control emotions. GAH!! It was just so good!!

So as Alexa can attest to, I fell in love with this book. I re-read Throne of Glass and per Alexa’s suggestion, I read all the novellas for the first time prior to cracking open Crown of Midnight. WHAT A GREAT DECISION THAT WAS. Seriously. While you can definitely read both books without the novellas, it just made the whole story that much more grounded. You understand Calaena’s references and emotions better and where she came from. LOVED it. SPEAKING of emotions, oh my gosh. I was emotionally invested from the first page of seeing Calaena in her role. From there, I was catapulted into a story that brought out so many feelings. Calaena is one of my favorite females ever. She is insanely strong and courageous and follows her heart. She loves fiercely and feels deeply. Her growth as a character in this book is just beautiful. I am forever a fan of fighting against the man and bringing down the oppression so the underlying idea of rebellion is just so tantalizing to my plot palate. I love it. Where this book takes Calaena is not easy for her. She struggles. She makes impossible decisions. She is stubborn. She goes through things she doesn’t deserve but at the end of the day she is still standing. Her strength of character is incredible and I can’t wait to see where the rest of her journey takes her. I cannot say enough how much I adore her and how highly I think of her characterization. Not to mention she is like the ultimate badass.

So yeah, there’s some other characters lurking around too that don’t really matter…said no one ever. Chaol. CHAOL. EFFING. WESTFALL. I can’t…I just CAN’T. I don’t even know how many times I texted that exact sentence to Alexa because he is just TOO much to handle sometimes. I thought I loved him in Throne of Glass but holy hell if he didn’t have me fanning myself while reading Crown of Midnight. He is just so endearing and strong and protective and gods be damned so effing adorable!! For reals. Previous book boyfriends watch your back because Chaol is coming for you. His transformation in this book was probably my favorite. He evolves his ideals and becomes a man to be reckoned with. He is just perfect. Seriously. Well ok, nobody is perfect but I just LOVE LOVE LOVE him. I have not swooned so hard for a character in a while. It was just ridiculous. I could fangirl forever about him so I must stop now.

Him and Calaena together…Wow. The tension, the build-up, the AGONIZING ANTICIPATION. Sarah writes this storyline so ridiculously well that I was just waiting…waiting…hoping…IS SOMETHING GONNA HAPPEN?! It was killing me slowly but loving every second. And while I was just eagerly anticipating and hoping something would happen, those building moments were the best parts. The breaking down of the walls. The small touches and stolen glances. The little moments that you know aren’t so little. Are they?...Aren’t they?... Their moments together are just perfect. Their banter and friendship has to be one of my favorite in all the books I’ve read. This relationship reminded me why I love YA. It’s all about the innocence and vulnerability and anticipation of that moment. That moment when the world rights itself and everything outside of those two people doesn’t seem so bad anymore. They are just…*sigh*…

I should probably talk about a few other characters that make the book what it is, right? Dorian is another character who I loved in Throne of Glass and he became so much more in Crown of Midnight. He, too, starts to make choices and decisions that are starting to form what kind of King he will one day become. It was so amazing to see him start taking himself seriously. I also loved his thoughts on other topics but no spoilers here J

The story. Holy hell. SO much happens and I could NOT turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen. I almost finished the book in one sitting and had it not been for the fact it was 1:30 am and my eyes were burning like hell, I would have finished that night. Damn you physical body! You failed me! Anyways. The twists this story takes are just unbelievable. No, really…some stuff had my jaw legit hanging open waiting for the amazement to pass. I will not disclose any plot points except to those of you who haven’t read it yet you are in for the ultimate treat. The story is so ridiculously well-written and the plot is encased with so many hidden passages and layers that you have no idea the big picture until the very last page. I LOVE BOOKS LIKE THIS! I finished the book and I was all GAH!!! WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?! WHERE IS THE NEXT BOOK! THIS WAS SO FREAKING AMAZING! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH ALL MY FEELINGS?!?

Ok, well. I think that sums it up nicely…if not insanely and makes me look crazy. Whatever. You know you’re getting the crazy when you come to my corner of the internet. While magic may be extinct in Adarlan, this book was everything that has been missing in Adarlan the past decade. This second novel of the series was magical. It is a wonder my family didn’t report me missing because I felt absolutely transported to the world of Erilea and I loved every second of it. This book makes you feel…oh does it make you feel. My crying texts to Alexa can attest to that. It hurt…but it hurt in the best way. I rarely get book hangovers and this book definitely gave me one.

Should You Read This? Abso-freakin-lutely YES! Yes, yes, YES! What are you waiting for?!?