Crown of Midnight - Book Review

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!