"I will not be afraid."
--Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass
--Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass
Publisher: Bloomsburty USA Children's, 404 pages
Publication Date: August 7th, 2012
Goodreads Description
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
My Thoughts
Ok. Here we go with one of those reviews I claim will totally suck because I can’t get my emotions in check or have the appropriate vocabulary to articulate how much I FEEL for this book. I have read Throne of Glass before so this was a gluttonous re-read because I…uh…got Crown of Midnight at BEA. Those who were there know the background to this story ;) SO. Let me tell you straight up people, this book is even better the second time around. While I found it fan-freakin’-tastic the first time, I loved it even more the second time.
Calaena. One of my favorite heroines. Hands down. She is up to the ranks of Rose and Katniss because this girl is Fierce with a capital F. Uh…assassin, anyone? How freakin’ cool is that?! This bitch is not one to be messed with because she will legit murder your ass. I love that a job that is usually solely associated with men is this young girl’s claim to fame. Don’t underestimate the power of the female…ever. And while the connotation with the title assassin comes with a lot, Calaena proves time and time again that she is more than just a hired hit man. She is smart…so incredibly smart. AND she likes to read! YES! She feels so much and has so much strength that I absolutely LOVED reading about her. I can’t say enough about it! I do her no justice!
The world that Sarah J. Maas builds is one of battles and dictatorships. The hopelessness of Calaena’s situation is felt from the very first page and has your heart breaking by the last. Her journey back to what she once was after a year in a death camp is one of absolute survival. I thought this brought so much to her character and really helped build the type of person she is. The mystery surrounding the competition keeps you on your toes and constantly guessing. I loved reading about the different tasks and the thought behind how to win each. The layer of magic involvement is excellent and I can’t wait to see where this goes in further books.
And how can we not talk about the boys?! Dorian is the Crown Prince and chooses Calaena as his champion. He is absolutely adorable and incredibly handsome. He definitely has some swoon-worthy moments but alas, my heart belongs to another…for her, of course…maybe...:) Chaol. Oh be still my heart. Chaol is Captain of the Guard and I LOVED him. He is definitely a quiet presence in the love category throughout the book but this is what makes me love him even more. I love the subtle moments. The quiet parts of his mind that speak up when he sees Calaena as something more than an assassin. The slow deterioration of the walls he has built up around her. I lived for it all! He needs to get his ass in gear though I want to see some sparks start flying!
The writing of this book transports you into the Adarlan Court Glass Castle
Should You Read This? If you love fantasy, TOTALLY! If you love a kickass female protagonist, YES! If you love a heart stopping boy, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
CHAOL FOREVER. That is all...
ReplyDeleteOkay, maybe not. I love this book! It's not perfect, mind you, but I love the world, the characters and the story a whole lot <3
Yeaaaaaaaaaaay. CHAOL! I love him <3 I have a huge crush on him and on Celaena too, haha. She is just so kick ass and oh, I fell in love with the writing-style and the world-building <3
ReplyDeleteI think I might be the only person to be all Team Dorian in the first book! lol. Although.. I have changed my mind since then :) Sometimes I think I need to re-read the first book to remember why I felt that way. But anyways, I completely agree with your review. Celaena is by far one of my favorite female protagonists and it has everything to do with how kick-ass she is. Plus smart, loves books, totally girly and can't forget her swagger! And of course, all the swoonworthy moments with her two guys. Le sigh. I could seriously gush on and on haha.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I can't wait for my re-read for this book because I sincerely believe I got caught up in the hype machine when I read it the first time. Also because the series is projected to be so long, I wasn't expecting for it to be quite so much set-up. I think that when I re-read (cause I got Crown too) I'll be reading from a different mindset and I REALLY WANT TO LOVE THIS ONE. I liked it, but I despise hype and too much buzz with a burning passion. So hopefully when I re-read this one (maybe audiobook? who knows?) I'll feel the same passion and love for it that you do. I cannot go into Crown without a re-read tho. And I haven't read the novellas, so perhaps I should do that too. Love your enthusiasm, though. It's kind of contagious, which is so much fun.
ReplyDeleteDammit! Everyone keeps talking about this one so now I guess I need to go buy it! I feel so out of the loop always. Mostly probs because I'm so new to fantasy. This sounds so totally up my alley though! Maybe that will be my next fantasy pick..I just finished Shadow and Bone and I'm really kind of in love with this genre now!
ReplyDeletei still have not read this yet and obvi didn't read your review yet.. haha BUT... this series will forever bring on some good memories because of youuuu! <3 <3 <3 is it bea 2014 yet???
ReplyDeleteI. LOVE. CHAOL. AND. CELAENA. I. NEED. CROWN. OF. MIDNIGHT. NOW. PLEASE.
ReplyDelete