'Crown of Midnight' Review
She was a whirlwind of steel and blood. As he watched her cut through the men like they were stalks of wheat in a field, he understood how she had gotten so close to touching Endovier’s wall that day. And at last—after all these months—he saw the lethal predator he’d expected to find in the mines. There was nothing human in her eyes, nothing remotely merciful. It froze his heart.
Finally! Crown of Midnight was such an exciting read! The things that annoyed me about Throne of Glass were fixed in this sequel. Celaena is a freaking boss. We FINALLY get to see her as the famous assassin she is known as. She is still the feminine, sarcastic girl that we love, but we are introduced to her lethal side. And boy is she lethal! When she is in danger or when someone messes with someone she cares for, Celaena goes off! I absolutely adore her!
Characters
The characters are more dynamic and developed in this book. We learn about Celaena’s past, Chaol gives in to his feelings for her and their relationship starts, and we get a glimpse at what Nehemia’s is really up to.
Nehemia: I really liked her character. She is selfless and would give up anything for her people to have peace. She gives her life in order to push Celaena over the edge and get things rolling. I was devastated when she was found dead.
Dorian: Although his name doesn’t give the impression that he is a hot stud, he is! Oh, and he likes to read! Sorry Chaol, you’re great and all, but I’m team prince! He emerges as a strong character on his own. It’s obvious he has a big part to play in whatever plan is now in motion and I’m excited to see him start to master his control of magic.
Mort: We are introduced to this new character and he might be my favorite! Why? Well because he is a magical talking door knocker. Very random, yet very funny!
Archer: The sexy, charming courtesan. I don’t know why Maas makes every male character so drop dead gorgeous. But I appreciate it! He has a backstory that makes you feel sorry for him, but when his true colors come out, you hate the bastard.
Baba Yellowlegs: Creepy, creepy witch lady. Her favorite thing to eat is young girls. I have a feeling that her death will have some consequences later for Celaena.
Plot
Action, action, action! Seriously, there are so many storylines starting to unfold! Celaena and Chaol start to get spicy, but it doesn’t take long for a secret to shatter that. She continues to track and eliminate (but not really) the people the king assigns to her, and she discovers some scary secrets about the king. Speaking of secrets, our girl is keeping a couple of her own. I suspected one of them that ended up being revealed…but the other one made my jaw drop! That big revelation at the end made me actually gasp!
Final Thoughts
Absolutely fantastic read! Romance without the in-depth spice (which I prefer), action, betrayal, secrets, and magic! This had a darker atmosphere than Throne of Glass and was more complex and captivating.
Upon finishing this book we are left with Chaol who is ready to give up what he wants and finally face his father, Dorian who is developing a backbone and showing what kind of king he will be, and our boss babe Celaena who is not running away from her past and embracing the challenge of stopping the King! Needless to say, I couldn’t start Heir of Fire quick enough!