Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas

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 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.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – Book Review

Yes, I am late to the party! I read the book on the train when I left for my spring break.

The book is so hyped, everyone around me told me to read the book, and I now understand why.

First, the world. IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The way Sarah J Maas describes everything is so detailed that it was easy for me to visualise Endovier, Rifthold, and all the places they went to. The plot itself is great as well. It has a perfect balance of action scenes and emotional scenes.

The characters! Oh my god, the characters! One thing that I like about the characters is how relatable they are. None of them are flawless. Each of them has their own good and bad qualities. Caelena is a great main character! She is tough, ruthless assassin, and one hell of a fighter. BUT! She’s just like any other teenage girls. She likes makeup, clothes, shopping, she loves books, she flirts with guys, and she still see the positive in life even after everything she went through.

“We all bear scars,… Mine just happen to be more visible than most.”

Now, the guys. I have to admit that I have a hard time deciding which one I like more. (I still don’t know until now). I knew that there would be some sort of love story in the book (I mean, YA book without love in it? pretty impossible) but I really have no clue which one of them really likes Caelena or is the right one for her because both are pretty great guys.

First, we have Prince Dorian. Being the crown prince, he would be king one day but he doesn’t want to be a king like his father, who is controlling and ruthless. He wanted to be a man. He’s courageous, sassy, sarcastic, and he cares about others. He is charming and also quite a ladies’ man. BUUTTTT He loves Caelena and is willing to do anything for her.

“He was done with politics and intrigue. He loved her and no empire, no king, and no earthly fear would keep him from her. No. If they tried to take her from him, he’d rip the world apart with his bare hands. And for some reason, that didn’t terrify him”

Second, we have Chaol Westfall. Captain of the Guard and Dorian’s best friend. He wasn’t very pleasant at the beginning but it was because he didn’t trust Caelena. Once he trusts her completely though, SWOON. I think I might like Chaol a little more than I like Dorian, just a little.

“With each day he felt the barriers melting. He let them melt. Because of her genuine laugh, because he caught her one afternoon sleeping with her face in the middle of a book, because he knew that she would win.”

The love story doesn’t take front line in this book. It was slow-paced which I really really liked. Both guys are great as I have mentioned so I was fine with anyone of them being with our badass assassin.

I was so invested while reading the book. It is definitely one of the most jaw-dropping, heart-stopping book I read. There were so many moments where I was so scared that something really really bad would happen to either one of them. Now I understand why so many people recommend the book and I would do the same. If you are looking for a new young adult dystopian book, this is the one you should definitely read!

After I finished the book, all I wanted to do was to continue reading the second book. Which I have already done so review for that one is coming!