'Throne of Glass' Review

Summary

“Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas is the first book in a popular fantasy series. Celaena Sardothien, a young and skilled assassin, languishes in the salt mines of Endovier. Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard offers her a chance at freedom, but she must first compete in a deadly tournament to become the king’s champion. As Celaena faces off against other skilled competitors, she uncovers dark secrets within the castle and begins to question her loyalty. With magic, intrigue, and a growing love triangle, “Throne of Glass” is a thrilling tale of power, destiny, and survival in a world where conspiracies abound.

My introduction to Sarah J. Maas was through The Court of Thorns and Roses series. The first three books had me in a chokehold and my heart was invested in Feyre and Rhysand. This made me a little apprehensive to start a different series, but lots of people said they preferred Throne of Glass. So with a leap of faith I began the first book.

Characters

I’m starting to think I am just a simple minded girl who loves a strong female protagonist and a classic love triangle. This book delivered on just that. I have to say I loved Celaena. She was tough and strong, but also feminine. Although there were a couple things that I didn’t think fit with the whole assassin persona.

First of all, every time someone comes into her room at night or in the morning she stays deeply asleep. That seems a bit uncharacteristic of what you’d expect from such a feared assassin. Then, she wakes up one morning to a bag of candy on her bed with no note and immediately stuffs her face. There is a murderer on the loose in the castle. You’re telling me you aren’t even a little suspicious it could be poisoned?! Hmm…

Another character I really enjoyed was Chaol. As captain of the royal guard he is loyal, strong, and an expert swordsman. I loved that he became friends with Celaena even though he had such an internal struggle with it. Their back and forth banter made me smile and provided some necessary relief from the heavy atmosphere of the impending competition.

Plot

The story was quite suspenseful and I was excited to see how the competition would end, but it was a tad simple. There were times where important events were brought up with no real details given. Or when lore/mythology was discussed, but without much depth. I heard that these books focus more on world building than the Court of Thorns and Roses, but I felt like that was lacking. My hope is that these things will be explored in more depth in the sequels!

Final Thoughts

From the way this book ended, it seems like the next one will focus more on the assassin side of Celaena, and less on her wearing beautiful gowns and wanting to be invited to parties. At least that’s where I hope the story will go! Overall it is a quick and captivating read that leaves you wanting more. The characters are likable and I see lots of ways in which they can continue to develop. And of course, I’m interested to see how the love triangle plays out! On that note…on to Crown of Midnight!