Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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Source: Won from Razorbill
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Hardcover, 404 pages
Release Date: August 7, 2012

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 king's 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.

5 Reasons Why You Should Read Throne of Glass

1. Celaena Sardothien is basically made of skill and awesome.

I found Celaena to be such a refreshing character. Along with the title of assassin (female assassin to boot) come a lot of stereotypes and restrictions that could have made this story a heck of a lot less interesting. Sarah J. Maas doesn't bind Celaena by these standards and instead allows her to be this arrogant, funny, strategic, wonderful woman that, yes, enjoys looking at pretty things and going to parties from time to time. Basically: Celaena is a pretty cool girl, go meet her!

2. The plot is involving, intriguing and exciting.

This story sucked me right in and was brimmed to the top with action! Between the contest to become the royal assassin and the murder mystery that has everyone on edge, there was plenty to become invested in. Maas juggles the threads of the plot well and it was super fun to slowly unravel the mystery. This is a well thought-out plot and it shows. 

3. The excellent pacing lets you fully enjoy the story.

There's a nice balance of Celaena's character progression, the relationships she has with others and the external action in the court. I sometimes find this a disadvantage in fantasy novels especially where there is just so much to get through but it wasn't a problem for me in this book. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!

4. The emotions and relationships are well-developed.

I loved watching the development of Celaena's character through the story. She has this spark throughout, this determination to survive and be able to control her own life. She's a complex mix of things, from innocent at times to lethal at most (easily explained by her age, life and experience) and so seeing her emotions and thought process was pretty fascinating to me. She formed friendships and attachments with relative ease and watching the extremely varied ways that people reacted to her was exciting.   

5. Fantastic world-building! What more do you want in your fantasy?

A castle built of glass, a forest cloaked with magic and a world bursting with fascinating stories still uncovered. Maas does an excellent job with the world-building in this novel, from the dark and decidedly dangerous king to the hints of Fae magic that are introduced. I feel like there is still a lot more to see and I'm stoked to get to it!

Cover Comments: This is an okay cover for me. The colours work and I like the dagger strapped to her arm but other than that... nothing great about it.