Pages: 406
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Genre(s): Fantasy with Romantic Elements
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads Synopsis
“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 four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. 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.”
What Did I Think?
If I had to pick one word to describe my feelings about Throne of Glass, it would have to be WOW.
The overall concept of this book is darker and has more elements of mystery than I usually look for in the books I pick up, but let me tell ya: I am so glad I still decided to give Throne of Glass a read! I thoroughly enjoyed all the moving parts this book has to offer, from the competition that kicks off everything to the literal magic going on behind the scenes as one of many subplots. While the plot line was a little more intense than what I traditionally read, I enjoyed that the more serious moments of the book were balanced out by the funny wit and sarcasm of the characters. The overall concept of this book is very complex, and I loved the fact that I had to be an active reader (i.e constantly thinking about everything that was happening, just like the characters had to be) in order to fully enjoy and understand the world Maas created.
If I had a red carpet, I would literally roll the thing out just for Celaena Sardothian because she deserves it, baby! Not only is she physically strong, but she’s also got some serious mental toughness about her, too, given the baggage she has from her past experiences. This young woman has been on quite the journey before the reader even gets to meet her, and I had such a great time watching the stories of her past unfold little by little as the book went on, as sad as some (err, most) of them were. I still can’t believe how she has been able to retain such a compassionate side to her when so many people around her have betrayed her and done her wrong. It’s very rare that I read about characters who are constantly able to think on their feet and come up with creative solutions to problems, but Celaena doesn’t miss a beat when something unexpected is thrown her way. While I can’t say that she has drastic amounts of character development in this book, I don’t think Celaena really needs it at this stage of the game, as we learn a whole lot about who she was prior to going to Endovier and how various experiences in her life have made her who she is when the reader gets to meet her. It was almost like reverse character development, which I thought was a unique approach to establishing Caelena’s characterization and not something that typically doesn’t steals the show in other YA novels.
Moving right along to one of my favorite bromances out there: Dorian and Chaol! Being the Price of Adarlan and Captain of the Royal Guard, these two certainly have a whole of responsibility on their shoulders, and being so young, I can’t even imagine the pressures they must feel to perform their duties spotlessly. While I enjoyed their individual journeys, I fell in love with the little moments where these two would spend time together, responsibilities aside, as best friends– goofing off, picking on each other, and even having a little bit of fun! As a whole, I thought Dorian and Chaol were both very likable for totally different reasons: Dorian, because he has a subtle, admirable strength to him that hides underneath his charming exterior, and Chaol because his serious, get-down-to-business attitude cracks to show a softer side of him, especially when it comes to his interactions with Celaena. While I’d love to share my thoughts on who I ship with Celaena, I think I’m going to save those for a later review (you’ll thank me later, trust me), but I will say that I really enjoyed the romantic themes that were established in Throne of Glass thus far. No spoilers from me, dearies, so you’ll have to pick your ship pairing for yourselves!
Clearly I can’t help but rave about Throne of Glass! I thought it was very well paced, and I found myself completely engrossed in what was happening from beginning to end. I loved the characters and the intricately detailed world Maas created and established so clearly for us so we will be ready to go for the other books in the series and won’t need too much background moving forward. The characters were so much fun (I even liked the villains, as twisted as that sounds), and I am absolutely stoked to share my thoughts on Book #2, Crown of Midnight, with you all in the very near future!
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
*Due to mature content (i.e. violence, romance, and some language) I would only recommend this book to individuals who are 16/17+ years old!*
If you’ve read Maas’ ACOTAR series and/or House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) and thoroughly enjoyed the world-building and intriguingly mysterious and witty characters, I highly recommend you give Throne of Glass a shot!
I’d also recommend this book to fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, and Brigid Kemmemer.
And lastly, if you’re in the mood to read a more mature YA fantasy that requires a while lot of thought so you don’t miss any important details, Throne of Glass will definitely be the book that’ll keep you on your toes!
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