The Heroine
More than anything, the heroine of this tale will change you. She will inspire you and make you wish you had a revolution to join. She is complex and flawed, as are we all. She makes brilliant moves and questionable decisions but that's what makes me love her so much more. None of us are perfect and the growth that Celeana goes through and the growing pains she endures are painful but necessary. We all go through difficult times and I think Celeana represents the strength and pain and growth each of us have inside. She's brilliant. I mean, an absolutely brilliant young woman. She loves to read and every person that is reading the book can relate to. And this bitch is fierce. Like, I want to be Celeana Sardothien when I grow up. She is hands down, the baddest bitch I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. She has a perfect juxtaposition of strength and vulnerability. She is fiercely loyal to those she loves but if you cross her...ooooh, you better watch your back because she will unleash her rage with a vengeance. It's something I can personally relate to, these polarizing traits and, again, it makes me love her that much more.
The Story
This story is...something special. I've said it in previous reviews that these books are so much more than one singular element. They are about doing the right thing, growing up, making tough choices, fighting for freedom, falling in love, grief, magic, mystery, intrigue, and figuring out what you stand for. What do you stand up and fight for? There are actually no words that I can use to be able to accurately convey the beauty and inspiration that are between the pages of these novels. This world is dark and the leader is evil and the struggle is real. The struggle to survive in this world where magic has been obliterated, slave camps are real, and every surrounding nation has been wiped out by one king is desperate. Nobody is safe and trying to fight back is usually hopeless. While the story is not complete yet I can tell you that where it goes is all things epic and beautiful.
The Characters
While I flailed above about our main girl Celaena, all the other characters are just as amazing but in different ways. They are all complex, unique, and deeply layered. There are few series I can name where I love every single character of a series with my whole heart and this is one of them. I am seriously invested in every single character that Maas introduces us to in her epic fantasy. There is a lot of buzz surrounding the multiple--yes, I said multiple--hot men in this book and where Celaena's heart truly lies and while this is an important aspect of anybody's life, I have no team except Team Celaena. Why? Because this story is so well-written and these characters are such beautiful people that I am just excited to see what happens next. I can see Celeana ending up with any one of these worthy males and I know who she ends up with is who she is supposed to be with. This is an epic adventure with characters so incredible that I'm just content to see where the story goes and what our characters do next...no matter what happens.
The Romance
By Queen of Shadows, there are several different speculations about the man who will win Celaena's heart. While these books' themes range from oppression and slavery to rebellions and freedom fighting, I'm not gonna lie and tell you that your heart will not swoon because...oh, my gods it will SWOON! Many times. Many, many times. Maas has an amazing balance of swooning and inspiring moments. She perfects the art of making you want to stand up and fight for something bigger than yourself and at another moment be fully invested and thinking only of sexytimes. The men of Throne of Glass are all incredibly different. From beautiful princes to immortal warriors to gruff Captain of the Guards to arrogant generals, your heart will sing for one, some or all of them. I personally root for all of them at different times, in different moments, in their moments. I love them all and stay tuned for my fantasy cast of the men...you won't want to miss it.
The Inspiration
As I said above, this story is inspiring. The fight to take down a brutal and evil dictator who is unleashing Hell on Erilea makes me want to join the rebel forces. I cannot begin to be able to eloquently convey my soul deep love for these books and its story because it is on another level. My reading experience with these books is something truly special. My emotional range includes ugly crying, legitimate whopping and fist pumping, seething with rage, silent tears, grinning like an idiot, and sighing with the swoon. There are moments of agony and pain but there are also moments of light and hope. The hope is threaded through so many characters who have come from desolate situations and you root for them. You root for them to overcome their past struggles and pains and failures to rise up from the ashes and live in a world without brutality or fear. There is hope for a better world in these books...and the journey is everything you can imagine and more.
Have I convinced you to read?!
Are you excited to start?!
Check out my previous reviews of the series for further pushing!
Yes times a million to your thoughts on the Throne of Glass series! I just love these books so damn much, and every time I read them again, I'm always amazed by the new nuances and details I catch. SO thrilled to see you are going to be Book Pushing them!!!
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