Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: Book Review

THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas Book Review
Series: Throne of Glass, #1
Publication Date: August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Rating: – Outstanding

Book Summary: 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.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Book Review Overview:

• A heroine – or more accurately, assassin – that will blow you away
• A gripping adventure
• A captivating love triangle

So, once upon a time Cialina handed me an ARC of Sarah J. Maas’ THRONE OF GLASS. I scoffed at the summary on the back cover, which states: “Perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin and Suzanne Collins, this explosive debut is not to be missed.” Suzanne Collins? Come on. Little did I know what an amazing adventure this ARC contained. Sarah J. Maas, I will never doubt you again!

THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas tells the story of Celaena Sardothien, who is Adarlan’s most famous assassin. Although she’s quite conceited about her notoriety, it is more than well-deserved. She has, after all, been training for this position since she was eight years old. She possesses all of the key qualities that a good assassin needs in this kingdom: intelligence, strength, stamina, cleverness, and swiftness. Thus, she is Prince Dorian’s ideal candidate for the King’s competition. If she wins this deadly competition against twenty-three fellow criminals, then she will serve the King of Adarlan as his Champion for four years. But that’s not some honor that Celaena desires, nope, it’s all about the freedom that comes after the job is done.

Celaena’s a badass. There is no better word to describe such a character. Within the first chapter, we already see how intelligent Celaena is: she can easily plot an attack to escape, no matter how hard her captors try to deceive her:

…Nor had she missed when they zigzagged between levels, even though the building was a standard grid of hallways and stairwells. As if she’d lose her bearings that easily. She might have been insulted, if he wasn’t trying so hard. (Chapter 1)

But her impressive occupation as an assassin isn’t the only thing that makes her a badass. It’s her amazing character strength and room for growth. She befriends Princess Nehemiah despite her reservations against forming a friendship (because an assassin shouldn’t have friends) and also many others such as the Crown Prince Dorian and Chaol Westfall AKA Captain of the Guard.

I wish there was a better word for adventure because THRONE OF GLASS  by Sarah J. Maas is so much more than a simple adventure. Maas’ wonderfully detailed descriptions of the death camp in Endovier, the glass castle, and magic and fight scenes are too good to be true. I wasn’t sure if I was watching an action movie or stuck in the middle of one. THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas will blur the lines between imagination and reality. No, scratch that, Maas will suck readers into Celaena’s world  until they realize that fantasy is reality. Seriously, Maas’ writing skills are awesome. 

I hate love triangles. I’ve never been caught in the middle of one until now. Maas does a wonderful job of convincing her readers that both guys are perfect for her. Also, both men grow thanks to their friendships with Celaena. This triangle made my soul ache. Maas, seriously, you’ve killed me. Here are some lines from one of my favorite passages:

…stared up at the young woman’s balcony, watching as she waltzed alone, lost in her dreams. But he knew that her thoughts weren’t of him. She stopped and stared upward. Even from a distance, he could see the blush upon her cheeks. She seemed young – no, new. It made his chest ache. Still, he watched, watched until she sighed and went inside. She never bothered to look below.

Okay, I can’t really say much more without giving anything away, but let me wrap this review up by posting my IMs to Cialina about THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas:

me:  yay! haha omg my review is going to consist of one sentence: “BUY MULTIPLE COPIES BECAUSE YOU WILL DAMAGE THE PAGES WITH TEARS AND BLOOD.”

me: oh thank god it’s #1 in a series
OH GOD SHE’S GOING TO TEAR MY SOUL APART SOME MORE

I recommend THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maasto everyone. And if this review hasn’t convinced you, then let the novel do it. This magnificent story caught me off guard and I hope it does the same with you

Other Book Reviews:
Alexa Loves Books
Bunbury in the Stacks
In the Best Worlds

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