Thursday, August 29, 2013

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Pages: 404
Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, Young Adult
Rating: 4.5/5

After slaving in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, young assassin Celaena Sardothien is offered an opportunity she can’t resist. She will have to fight as the Crown Prince’s champion in a competition to determine who will be the King’s assassin, the person who will handle all of the King’s dirty work. If she wins the competition, and serves as assassin for 4 years, she will be free. If she fails, she will be sent to Endovier – with no hope of living through another year.

She will be competing against thieves, murderers, assassins and warriors from across the country – 24 in all, and only one can win. As she assumes a new identity – a lady in the King’s court – she is practically in a new dimension. But things are not what they seem when a competitor is found dead, his innards ripped from his body. And then another competitor followed days later. Celaena will have to figure out who this murderer is, before she is the next one to go.

Celaena is a very fun character to read about. She is fun, witty, and brave, not to mention extremely talented. Facing a situation she would never have thought possible, she is very entertaining and funny. And this heroine is definitely not too ladylike to engage in activities other women would find improper, like sword-fighting and archery. As the story progresses, Celaena is described as a good friend and companion as well as a witty and interesting competitor. This character definitely shows that all men and women should be put at the same level – no matter what they look like.

I loved the idea of this story. First of all, the whole ‘King & Queen’ is a cool medieval look at things – brilliant, and isn’t being used that often nowadays. Now, the competition? Loved it!! The importance this competition had to Celaena’s life – to live or to die, is a common plot but was expressed in a way that it didn’t seem too clichĂ©.

But my favorite part would be that the author didn’t stick with what would have been a predictable plot line – sticking with the competition. Instead, the author went above and beyond and introduced a whole other problem: a murder mystery!!! I really enjoyed that. Now, there were two things to look forward to – the competition and information about the murders.

The part I would have to say was my least favorite would be the love triangle. It just wasn’t portrayed clearly and just flopped. Also, to me it seemed as if it dictated some of the character’s decisions and they acted a bit odd.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and wholeheartedly recommend it to lovers of young adult magical books. This book is simply amazing. The second book of this series, Crown of Midnight just recently published, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!


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