Throne of Glass - Book Review

Throne of Glass– Book Review

Sarah J Maas

YA Fantasy

Synopsis:

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 kings 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.

Review:

I absolutely, completely and totally loved this book! The story, the characters, the setting and even the romance, every part of it was wonderful!

As most of you guys already know, I’m a huge fan of fantasy fiction but I must admit, after hearing all the hype around the blogsphere about how amazing Throne of Glass is, I was a little bit sceptical of whether it would live up to expectation. However I can now say that my expectations were totally shattered! This book is everything I thought it would be plus much, much more. It definitely falls into my list of top five all time favourite YA fantasies!

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien was once Adarlan’s most feared Assassin, until a deadly betrayal led to her capture and lifelong imprisonment in the harsh slave mines of Endovier. For twelve months she has suffered and laboured there, surviving through impossible odds through her determination and sheer will to stay alive. But when the Crown Prince of Adarlan arrives with a proposition for her that could earn Celaena back her freedom, she jumps at the chance to leave despite the possible life threatening catch to the Prince’s offer.

To regain her freedom, Celaena must battle it out with 24 other mercenaries in a competition to win herself the title of Kings Champion and become the royal household’s official assassin.  But when some of the other competitors start turning up murdered, horribly mauled and disfigured by something unknown, Celaena begins her own investigation that leads her down a path full of magick, adventure and insidious plots. And along the way the young assassin is about to discover, there may be more to her destiny than she ever possibly imagined…

One of my favourite things about this book was its characters. Celaena particularly was just an amazing protagonist and she really made the story great for me. Sarcastic, witty and tough as nails, I also loved that she had a girly side and could be quite vain at times, especially with her weakness for fancy clothes and trinkets.

Prince Dorian was also delicious to read and I enjoyed watching how his courage developed as he grew more confident in standing up to his father. However it was the Captain of Guard, Chaol who I really loved. Handsome, thoughtful and kind, the relationship between him and Celaena was moving, sweet and so often entertaining.

Yet watching the love-triangle form between Dorian, Celaena and Chaol was simply nail biting. It’s clear to see that both men really grow to care for her even, each loving her in different ways for different reasons.  I really can’t wait to see where the romance goes in the next book although I confess, Dorian’s cute but I’m definitely team Chaol!

The secondary characters, from the other competitors to the evil Duke and manipulative King were also very well crafted. Each one having their own secrets and hidden agendas, all of which made for a very layered plot that certainly kept you guessing. I also enjoyed how the author, Sarah J Maas wove magick and fae lore into the story and combined with the constant trials of the competition, it kept the pacing of the book at a nice even level.

Also although it left many questions unanswered, as well as ending on a teasing promise of things to come, I did feel like the book ended where it should – on a happy and satisfying note.

So overall I just loved this story and can’t wait to get started on the e-novellas – The mini prequel stories of Celaena’s adventures before she was captured. Fantasy fans or anyone who particularly enjoys other authors such as Maria V Snyder, Tamora Pierce of Garth Nix, guys this book is so for you! Totally and utterly recommended! 5 Stars!