Throne of Glass

posted in: /blog, Uncategorized | 3
Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass

by: Sarah J. Maas
My Rating: five-stars



Published by: Bloomsbury USA Childrens on May 7th 2013
Genres: Fantasy & Fairy Tales, Mature Young Adult, Young Adult, Light Romance, Cliffhanger Free, Love Triangle

ISBN: 1619630346

ASIN: B008BJ3RP2
Pages: 404
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Also in this series: Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows
Also by this author: Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows



Synopsis

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.






AmazonB&NBook DepositoryIndieBoundBAM





So, I finally read Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been on a bit of a fantasy kick. Which is odd, because fantasy isn’t normally my favorite go-to-genre. But I quite enjoyed Throne of Glass.

 

Before I get into my review, I have to say something about the cover. I really like the original artwork on the cover. Credit for the illustration is given to Talexi. It’s very different than a lot of YA novels’ covers. Although, I do find that fantasy novels usually have the most creative cover art. But not only is the art really great, in my opinion, the actual cover of the paperback is awesome. The front and back flaps are thick; they don’t crease from reading. The words of the title are raised and have a metallic sheen to them, as does the author’s name.

 

So, Throne of Glass is about Celaena, a vicious assassin. Overall, I liked the main character. She was well-developed, definitely had flaws. We’re told that she’s a feared assassin. Were told this often. But we’re never really shown how fearsome she truly is. I would’ve liked to have seen, through flashbacks or through dialogue with another character, how great of an assassin she was before she was imprisoned. Even in the fight scenes (with the exception of the final duel), we don’t see how strong and fearsome she is. I think being shown this would have helped create a sense of urgency about what kinds of trouble her character would/could cause. But overall, she was likable, well-developed, and fairly relatable.

 

While the story is told mostly from Celaena’s point of view, there are a few scenes told from other characters’ points of view, mainly the Captain of the Guard, Chaol. I liked him. I wish the reader was given more information about him. It was obvious that there were some issues between him and the king. And he and Dorian, the Crown Prince, were close. I would’ve liked a little peek into his life away from Celaena. A few scenes were told from Dorian’s point of view, as well as two other supporting characters. Overall, I think the characters were developed well. I’m anxious to read the rest of the books in the series to see if I get the information about Dorian and Chaol that I craved.

 

I enjoyed the plot of Throne of Glass. I love that the young adult, female main character, Celaena, was a badass assassin feared by the entire country. I liked that she was strong and independent. She wasn’t a damsel in distress waiting for someone to rescue her. I thought the idea of a king’s champion was unique, and I liked the competition that the champions had to go through in order to win the title. I was afraid at first that the competition would be a little like Hunger Games, but Maas gives readers something totally different. And what’s a fantasy without a little magic? Cain, and his secret, were just the right blend of magic and evil to keep me turning the pages, asking: what happens next?

 

Speaking of magic, it was mentioned in the story that the king banned magic. It also touched on the fact that magic had “disappeared” because of something (the readers isn’t told what) other than the king’s law against it. But beyond that, not much was said about why it was banned, or why and how it disappeared. I’m hoping the subject will be explored in the remaining books of the series. It sounds like it could go somewhere really interesting.

 

The pacing of the story was good. Although, sometimes I felt it was a little rushed. But, to be fair, the book is already lengthy. The author couldn’t have slowed the timeframe down too much. It would have resulted in a tome!

 

Mechanics were spot on. The copy was free of errors, and the paperback was formatted well.

 

Bottom line: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas was an enjoyable read. Like a lot of fantasies, it was lengthy, but it still managed to keep my attention through the 400+ pages. If you’re a fantasy lover (or just a fantasy like-er, like me), you’ll enjoy the unique, action/adventure fantasy. And if you purchase the paperback (I don’t know if it’s included with e-books), you’ll get some neat extras, like a pronunciation guide (what is it with fantasies and weird names?) and an interview with the author.

 

I recommend Throne of Glass. I’ll definitely read the rest of the books in the series. In fact, I’m on my way to Amazon right now to purchase Crown of Midnight.

 

Happy Reading!

Michelle

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Sarah lives in Bucks County, PA, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much tea, and watches an ungodly amount of TV. When she’s not busy writing, she can be found exploring the historic and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with her husband and canine companion.

Michelle
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)
    Sharing is caring...
    Pin Share

      Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

      • TBR pile

      3 Responses

        • Michelle

          Thanks! Come by and let me know if you like the book. 🙂

          Michelle

      Leave a Reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      (Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.