In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world. Sumary from Amazon Today's review is of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Published by Bloomsbury in 2012, this stunning debut novel is the first in a series of six. Although I've already read Throne of Glass a few times (and the others that are currently out in the series), I thought that I'd do a review on this fantastic book. Clearly, I love this book. I find it fascinating (and while there are a few lulls, it's not enough to bring one to boredom at all) and I absolutely adore the plot. I'm a sucker for books that include royalty, but once you throw in assassins I'm gone for sure. It's been a trend for the past few years, but badass female main characters have really become the spotlight feature of novels. In this novel, we meet Celaena Sardothien, the most renowned assassin in the land--and she's managed to land herself in a competition to become the King's Champion. Celaena, while she is a little full of herself, does go through changes and has very human responses that are easy to relate to and understand. Through the novel, we slowly start to see the girl behind the cold assassin front--and she's just as badass, if not more, than her assassin facade. The other main characters, are all just as memorable. There's Dorian Havilliard, the Crown Prince, who although comes off arrogant at first, really starts to show his caring and compassionate side, proving that not all princes are jerks (and he's hot, but that was a given, right?). For me, his character was super lovable and I couldn't wait to see more of him and his interactions with Celaena (they are so cute come on). We are also introduced to Chaol Westfall, Captain of the King's Guard, and a fascinating character as well. Although we don't get to see him as much as we see Dorian, there's a clear shift from his harsh act to Celaena in the beginning of the book and after he gets to know her. It's also quite great how Chaol (with his limited page time) does manage to start going through some character development--and it's deep. To incorporate that into the first book of a series, well, bravo to Sarah. :) Those are the big three for now, but there are plenty more characters who play a large role in the plot and each of them are just as intriguing as the last. Being an avid reader, especially of YA books, I was pleasantly surprised to say that I was unable to predict a lot of happenings in this novel. Of course, there were things that were easily predictable, but it didn't take away from the plot at all. The fact that the plot revolves around an assassin working for royalty and fighting in a competition--to me it just spells it out clearly that this plot has places to go and it's going to go there. I really enjoyed the air of mystery that surrounds this novel--it really keeps one on their toes and it's very enjoyable to read this book. Being a first book in a series, I have to admit that the world building was phenomenal. I had a clear picture of things and as I read, the world just kept on expanding. I was utterly engrossed in it and I love that this series has such a strong base to build off of. Overall, I highly, highly, highly, recommend this novel. There are few books that I think can compare to it and it's definitely at the top of it's game. Pick it up and try it out--I swear you won't be disappointed. That's it for the non-spoilery review, but keep on reading if you've already finished Throne of Glass and want to hear my opinions on the book and/or if you want to discuss! -Talia Spoilers below!!! Can I just say that I adore Celaena more than I probably should? I just love her character and I really enjoy how I was hooked into reading the next book by the subtle mysteries that should up throughout the novel. And come on, Dorian? I absolutely love him--I mean, how could I not? Although to be quite honest, I was upset after Celaena broke things off with Dorian. And yes, I'm a Celorian shipper--got a problem? No? Perfect, then. And don't get me wrong, I like Chaol--just not with Celaena. Though in the end, I just come down to being on Team Celaena and I'll just have to see where it goes from here. The love triangle that's slowly taking place is actually something that is quite interesting and I loved how it didn't weigh down the novel at all. On a second note, I absolutely love the stars motif. It reoccurs throughout the entire novel and my favorite quote even involves the stars. And can we please just talk about how sketchy and scary the king is? Because daaaaaang take a chill pill yo and stop being so... secretive. And those rings though... and what they were doing to Kaltain (interesting name, but I keep thinking its Kaitlin)--something smells fishy. And then we have Nehemia!!! I love her character so much and she's such a badass as well (Sarah and her badass female leads--thank the stars for them). It's wonderful to see her stand up for her country and be willing to put herself in danger to protect those she loves, but the best part would be how she goes about it in such a smart way. Her friendship really helps develop Celaena's character and it's interesting to note that Celaena never had a close friend, once again lending to the mystery of who Celaena really is. And the Wyrdmarks--man those things are weird, but at the same time they're quite intriguing and I really hope we go more in depth about them. BUT THAT BATTLE THOUGH oh stars, I was freaking out during that battle. When Celaena was going through and feeling dizzy and theN SHE STARTED TO SEE THOSE CREEPY DEMON THINGS AROUND CAIN man that really made me worry. Those hallucinations were hecka weird. And that part about her parents, what was that? It really rattled (hehe rattle the stars (sorry)) Celaena and I bet it would have shocked her even if she hadn't been drugged. And I still think that plan with the King and Perrington and Kaltain was actually really weird. And what was that one part that Cain had been going on about, that everyone had been brought there for a reason? But anyway, thank goodness Celaena won. And I was surprised that Cain was Chaol's first kill--I would have expected him to have at least one kill, considering he's Captain, but apparently not. He is young, I guess and it does lead into his character development. Favorite Quote: "'You could rattle the stars,' she whispered. 'You could do anything, if only you dared.'" Thoughts and comments on Throne of Glass? Will you be reading the next one in the series? Tell me your favorite quote and what part you liked best from the book!
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