Publication: August, 2017
Genre: High Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 406 pages
If you're a fantasy lover and aren't familiar with Sarah J. Maas' works, then you need some orientation! After devouring the first four books of her ACOTAR series with only one more left, I decide to take a break. I don't want to suffer a sort of withdrawal before the release of her next book in the series. But I may change my mind at any time and just read the fifth book. You may read my reviews of this series linked below this post.
Next, I jumped on the Throne of Glass series, a high fantasy genre by this author. It's considered one of her best works and after reading the first book of the same name, I couldn't agree more.
Celaena Sardothien is eighteen years old, the greatest assassin in Adarlan, held in a slave camp. One day, the Captain of the royal guard, Chaol Westfall, escorts her in shackles and at sword-point to the glass palace to meet Dorian, the Crown Prince of Adarlan. Dorian makes her an offer—compete with other hardened criminals in a duel, win and become the king's champion in exchange for her freedom. She accepts.
As she prepares for the duel, bodies of these criminals are mysteriously found around the castle with some of their organs missing and strange bloody marks painted on the wall. That can only mean one thing—magic! The castle goes on high security alert and so does Celaena. Adarlan is a kingdom where magic practice is forbidden, so who is killing and mutilating these criminals? Is Celaena the next? What are the mysteries surrounding the king of Adarlan and how does this affect Celaena?
Review
I don't know how Sarah J. Maas does it but she has me hooked on this series already and that's because I enjoy strong female characters in a novel. Throne Of Glass is simply fantastic, adventurous and outstanding. The plot is brilliant, compelling and kind of complex, thanks to the worldbuilding. It's written in the third person perspective, giving readers an omniscient insight into this world.
Every chapter is full of action and there are fifty-five chapters in total. As the story unfolds, I realise there's a depth to each character and more will still be revealed in the other books.
The author regales us with duels (reminding me of the Hunger Games series), magic, mysteries, betrayals, romance and death. The main character, Celaena, reminds me of Yelena in Maria V. Snyder's Study series, of which I've read the three books and reviewed them on Hive. These female characters share a lot of similarities one of which is being the deadliest assassin in their kingdoms.
I love Celaena because she's feisty, smart but sometimes annoying. Despite her tough nature, she can be empathic when the occasion arises. She's also dangerous and perfect with her blades, beware! Dorian and Chaol are two contrasting but likeable characters who work alongside Celaena. Dorian is the fun-loving, flirtatious and handsome prince while Chaol is the brooding and tough captain of guards. The one thing they have in common is their crush on Celaena but one of them becomes her love interest.
One character that stands out for me in this book is Nehemia Ytger. She's an enigma, cunning and as the plot unfolds, this author cleverly wields this character to be of great help to Celaena rather than be her enemy. The bond between these two is touching, a form of sisterhood in enemy's land.
Her hand rose to Celaena’s forehead and she drew an invisible mark. “I name you Elentiya.” She kissed the assassin’s brow. “I give you this name to use with honor, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, ‘Spirit That Could Not Be Broken.’”
What sets a book apart in the fantasy genre is the worldbuilding. This author did great in this aspect. I was literally immersed in this story and sometimes had to reread some parts to be certain I was keeping up with the uncommon names and family lineages. Every chapter introduced new characters with hard to pronounce names and a history all tied to the kingdom of Adarlan.
Overall, Throne Of Glass, the first book in the series is compelling, action-packed and adventurous. You will love Celaena and the mysteries surrounding her. I can't wait to begin the second book. I'll rate this 4.5 stars out of 5.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Check out my previous reviews:
Intensely Gripping || Review Of A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas
Addictive And Compelling || Review Of A Court of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Action-Packed And Entertaining || Review Of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Thumbnail Image: Book cover is from my e-library and edited in Canva
Second image created by AI in Nightcafe Studio
Note: Quotes in this post are excerpts from the book