Crown of Midnight
– Book Review
Sara J Maas
YA Fantasy
Throne of Glass
series Book #2
Synopsis:
From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as
black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his
champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret
vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when
Celaena realises she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to
untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest
relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances –
not the crown Prince Dorian, not Chaol, the captain of the guard, not even her
best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to
an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to give
up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her
true loyalties lie… and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.
Review:
I
absolutely adored this book! The second instalment of Sarah J Maas epic, Throne of Glass series, this was a story
I found virtually impossible to put down. With just as much romance, magick and
mystery as the first, Crown of Midnight
was a tremendous read.
Beginning a few weeks after the end of the last book, the
story picks up with Celaena in full assassin mode, reluctantly fulfilling her
duties as the king’s champion. Yet even though she resents her new ‘boss’ she
is determined to win back her freedom, but even he can’t snuff out her
rebellious spark and I like how she continues to work on her own terms.
However when Celaena becomes aware of a new darkness lurking
in the castle, try as she might to remain uninvolved, her curiosity inevitably
gets the better of her. Yet as new secrets are revealed, Celaena chooses to
flee rather than face her own past. But when tragedy strikes, she must make the
choice, sacrifice those she loves, or reveal the truths she has kept hidden so
long.
But with a new evil rising, and the king’s armies growing,
Celaena must act quickly, and figure out just which side of the board she is
on. But knowing everyone is looking to use her for their own agendas, she must
work out who to trust, and who to love, before it’s too late.
A truly spectacular sequel, this book had it all. Action,
drama, and plenty of suspense! Yet while I felt many of the new revelations had
been foreshadowed, although I admit expertly so, there was still plenty of
unexpected plot twists that completely threw me out of orbit.
Also while the pace never stopped, I felt it did lull in
places – but more in a ‘catch your breath’ kind of way rather than a ‘put the
book down and do something else’ way. But those things aside, my enjoyment of
the story never once lagged.
As with the first book I found the characters completely
riveting. Celaena for her feisty, kick ass girl attitude – but this time around
I was also eager to see the undertones of her past finally brought to light.
However I felt we also grew closer to the secondary
characters. Both the King and Duke up the stakes in their nefarious plans,
Princess Nehemiah is always more than what she seems. But Even Chaol and Dorian
branch out the story with woes and troubles of their own. And the new
characters such as the Iron toothed witch, and Mort, the talking door knob,
were certainly delightful additions to what is already a diverse and exemplary
cast of characters.
So all in all, Crown
of Midnight was a book I soon devoured – and one I will most certainly
recommend to all. If you haven’t already picked up the first Throne of Glass Book, it’s a story I
would urge all Fantasy lovers to read. You won’t be disappointed!
Overall a fantastic sequel! 5 Stars!
