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brubag's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ewck's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
roeckitcody's review against another edition
5.0
Consensus: Celaena's badass nature is back, and better than ever in this thrilling sequel to the beloved Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. Maas weaves complex Fae lore into a kingdom in complete disarray reminiscent of a dictatorship. The love "triangle" is actually well written and the boys are someone you legitimately care about in the end. Maas wrote a sequel that improves upon the world building set forth in the first. Maas is the arising queen of YA fantasy, and is definitely one to watch.
AS THIS IS BOOK TWO I WILL WARN OF SPOILERS!!!!!!! Plus, It's hard to talk about this one without spoiling something.......
I have heard that Sarah J Maas' books get better as they go, so I'm expecting more for this than I did for Throne of Glass. Which I really really enjoyed. I'm excited to see how Celaena will fare with being the King's Champion.
This book begins after Celaena has begun her bidding for the King as his Champion. She must basically murder anyone he asks her too. Little does he know, she is not actually killing them. She is setting them free, allowing them that choice, be killed or change your name and be free. She learns as much information about each of them so she can use this to trick the king and learn more about plans to overthrow/rebel against the king.
Celaena returns in this book with more heart, already, I can see her love for Chaol and respect of his friendship growing. I admire her friendship with Nehemia who is incredibly intelligent and a great chat partner for Celaena. Chaol is as strong-witted and protective as ever. Dorian continues to overthink things and become jealous of Chaol as he gets closer to Celaena. Kaltain is in this (in the beginning as I'm writing this) story, which means she still has a role to be played. I'm predicting that she is being used, still, as the king's puppet.
I like the mystery of what Wyrdmarks mean, however, they freak me out every single time they are mentioned. I just feel icky when they are around because I sense great power from them and feel as if they can destroy everyone and everything.
Something I am questioning: Will Sarah J Maas always incorporate Fae lore into her stories? I'm intrigued to see if this will be a theme of all her novels or not. Time shall tell. So far, Throne of Glass series plus ACOTAR series. Two of them, both have Fae, but one has more. (Not that I don't like Fae but with such a great author, I would love to see her branch out. I would even love a contemporary for her, because I think it would be interesting.)
Crown of Midnight is fantastic at this point, and as the backstories form cohesively, I am enjoying it more and more.
The more I read the more I love this book and half way through, I AM SO ANGRY AND SAD AND FILLED WITH SO MANY EMOTIONS. WHY SARAH J MAAS WHY.
She (Being Sarah J Maas) killed someone, and I am angry, but I see why it had to happen. My emotions are going haywire with this one.
The book is getting continuously more intense, and my enjoyment is growing. The Wyrdmarks, Wyrdgates and everything related to the Wyrd both intrigue and frighten me, because they hold immense power.
The introduction of the Iron Witches was very well done and I appreciate the thought put into it.
The fighting between certain characters pain me, and I want it to stop.
By the end of this story, I loved it. Almost every minute of it.
I cannot wait until I can buy Heir of Fire, because I don't ever want to stop living in this world.
AS THIS IS BOOK TWO I WILL WARN OF SPOILERS!!!!!!! Plus, It's hard to talk about this one without spoiling something.......
I have heard that Sarah J Maas' books get better as they go, so I'm expecting more for this than I did for Throne of Glass. Which I really really enjoyed. I'm excited to see how Celaena will fare with being the King's Champion.
This book begins after Celaena has begun her bidding for the King as his Champion. She must basically murder anyone he asks her too. Little does he know, she is not actually killing them. She is setting them free, allowing them that choice, be killed or change your name and be free. She learns as much information about each of them so she can use this to trick the king and learn more about plans to overthrow/rebel against the king.
Celaena returns in this book with more heart, already, I can see her love for Chaol and respect of his friendship growing. I admire her friendship with Nehemia who is incredibly intelligent and a great chat partner for Celaena. Chaol is as strong-witted and protective as ever. Dorian continues to overthink things and become jealous of Chaol as he gets closer to Celaena. Kaltain is in this (in the beginning as I'm writing this) story, which means she still has a role to be played. I'm predicting that she is being used, still, as the king's puppet.
I like the mystery of what Wyrdmarks mean, however, they freak me out every single time they are mentioned. I just feel icky when they are around because I sense great power from them and feel as if they can destroy everyone and everything.
Something I am questioning: Will Sarah J Maas always incorporate Fae lore into her stories? I'm intrigued to see if this will be a theme of all her novels or not. Time shall tell. So far, Throne of Glass series plus ACOTAR series. Two of them, both have Fae, but one has more. (Not that I don't like Fae but with such a great author, I would love to see her branch out. I would even love a contemporary for her, because I think it would be interesting.)
Crown of Midnight is fantastic at this point, and as the backstories form cohesively, I am enjoying it more and more.
The more I read the more I love this book and half way through, I AM SO ANGRY AND SAD AND FILLED WITH SO MANY EMOTIONS. WHY SARAH J MAAS WHY.
She (Being Sarah J Maas) killed someone, and I am angry, but I see why it had to happen. My emotions are going haywire with this one.
The book is getting continuously more intense, and my enjoyment is growing. The Wyrdmarks, Wyrdgates and everything related to the Wyrd both intrigue and frighten me, because they hold immense power.
The introduction of the Iron Witches was very well done and I appreciate the thought put into it.
The fighting between certain characters pain me, and I want it to stop.
By the end of this story, I loved it. Almost every minute of it.
I cannot wait until I can buy Heir of Fire, because I don't ever want to stop living in this world.
thespicypages's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
jullayye's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
amortetia's review against another edition
3.0
Huge improvement from the first book!! Things are finally getting interesting. I ADORE Chaol and Celaena and Dorian is extremely lovable as well but i cannot help feeling that there was something more to Celaena and Nehemia. you could not convince me something wasn’t going on between them!
THEY HAD MORE CHEMISTRY THAN CELAENA HAD WITH EITHER MEN COMBINED !
Celaena was willing to kill Chaol, her ‘lover’ with NO HESITANCY to avenge Nehemia! she immediately shut down the love she had for him to kill him in cold blood, all for Nehemia. THEY WERE GIRLFRIENDS. THEY WERE THE LOVE WE LOST THIS BOOK, NOT CELAENA AND CHAOL!!
Anyways, RIP Nehemia, I was so distraught when she died I couldn’t believe SJM had actually killed off a major character, seeing as she didn’t dare touch anyone in ACOTAR.
Alas! I am still rooting for Chaol and Celaena. Yes… I loved her with Nehemia, but clearly that’s out of the picture now! I can tell Chaol truly loves her so much, and I’m rooting for him!
MY ONLY CRITIQUE IS THAT SJM WAS TOO PUSSY TO MAKE CELAENA AND NEHEMIA LESBIAN LOVERS !!!
THEY HAD MORE CHEMISTRY THAN CELAENA HAD WITH EITHER MEN COMBINED !
Celaena was willing to kill Chaol, her ‘lover’ with NO HESITANCY to avenge Nehemia! she immediately shut down the love she had for him to kill him in cold blood, all for Nehemia. THEY WERE GIRLFRIENDS. THEY WERE THE LOVE WE LOST THIS BOOK, NOT CELAENA AND CHAOL!!
Anyways, RIP Nehemia, I was so distraught when she died I couldn’t believe SJM had actually killed off a major character, seeing as she didn’t dare touch anyone in ACOTAR.
Alas! I am still rooting for Chaol and Celaena. Yes… I loved her with Nehemia, but clearly that’s out of the picture now! I can tell Chaol truly loves her so much, and I’m rooting for him!
MY ONLY CRITIQUE IS THAT SJM WAS TOO PUSSY TO MAKE CELAENA AND NEHEMIA LESBIAN LOVERS !!!
sddavis13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
stitchkid's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally published on:
http://wordsofwonders.com/2015/06/12/throne-of-glass-series-review-and-giveaway-winner-reveal/
The epic story continues with Celaena uncovering the true depths to the King of Adarlan’s evil intentions with the help of Nehemia, Chaol and Dorian. But things are not what they seem inside the castle or out…
Celaena continues to be a bad-ass despite her internal conflicting emotions. She won the competition, she is The King’s Champion, she has been killing his targets for the past few months…except she hasn’t been.
Conflicted between right and wrong, Celaena outright disobeys direct orders from the King and her hesitation only mounts as a name she recognizes all too well appears on the King’s kill list – Archer Finn. Former friend, crush and courtesan, Celaena plans to uncover the truth behind the King’s sudden interest in having him killed before going through her usual routine of faking deaths and shipping targets out the country. Archer Finn is a well known figure in Rifthold and his disappearance(or lack thereof) will not be easily dismissed so she has to be extra careful(as if her life wasn’t already on the line).
To make matters worse, Elena – the long dead Half-Fae Queen has requested that Celaena seeks out the source of the King’s power – naturally, without giving her any pointers.
With so much going on, it’s no surprise that we finally see Celaena’s deadly side(if you haven’t dabbled into the totally awesome prequel series The Assassin’s Blade) in a fantastic rescue mission which swiftly goes rogue for all the wrong reasons… When the people she loves are in danger by the Wyrd you better not get in her way. She is ruthless, unforgiving and when revenge is on the cards, lethal. It is exceptionally refreshing for us to finally see this of her as she came off somewhat tame in Throne of Glass when compared to her pre-incarceration days.
The pace was significantly higher than that of the first book which I presume is due to the world and story not having to be expanded upon much following on from Throne of Glass. This was not only a huge improvement but it also meant that plot twists could unfold all over the place, some hitting you smack between the eyes before you even saw them coming. Because of this, Crown of Midnight turned out to be a brilliant page-turner which packed a punch and then some.
That being said, what is expanded on in the world building is so simple yet phenomenal! We get a much better idea about the rest of Erilea and the history of Ardalan as well as how much reign the King truly has both across Erilea and much farther ashore. We also delve deeper into the ins and outs of Wyrd marks and Fae Magic though the majority is still as confusing and headache-inducing as in the first book for both us and Celaena! Seeing the true reach of the King and his dark intentions gave the book a whole different atmosphere to Throne of Glass which ultimately I think made it better and more intriguing!
Chaol comes out of his shell a bit more, becoming a lot more protective and warrior like for someone so sweet, caring and ultimately a big softie. He and Celaena get on ridiculously well, right down to their insulting banter and I craved every scene with the both of them. A lot happens between the characters in this book and one particular scene will leave you reeling!
Dorian and Celaena’s relationship however becomes slightly strained and awkward but Dorian is no less passionate though the relationship dynamic has changed. He is a noble, loyal and intelligent man and he is destined to be a fantastic King – the one that Ardalan deserves.
Nehemia continues to be a fantastic contribution to the Nehemia/Celaena duo team even if she does have her own agenda which has Celaena doubting possibly her bestest friend. Nehemia being infinitely more righteous and selfless than Celaena could possibly hope to be, takes her dedication to the next level and in doing so, seals not only her own fate, but the fate of Celaena’s future which will no doubt propel her to greatness – for better or worse.
Crown of Midnight focuses a lot more on the dastardly plans of the man everyone loves to hate – The King of Ardalan. He exploits anyone and everything around him to his advantage and has the entire country hoodwinked by his lies. Lies that are slowly seeping through the woodwork with the help of Celaena’s sin seeking hands. Lies that are world destroying and the odds are quickly stacked against Celaena’s efforts.
As with every continuation, the book has its fair share of new characters and with them more plot tangents and conflict! The first and possibly the best new character is Mort. Seriously, why was this guy NOT in the first book? For a magical talking door knocker he is sassy as and hilarious, adding that much needed humor injection into an otherwise dark and strained tale.
Archer Finn, Celaena’s more curious of all her targets is noticeably handsome and suave which instantly set me on edge. People are usually over confident because they’re exceptionally shy(Dorian style) or because they’ve got lots to hide, I had Archer penned as the latter. In the beginning, his complete ease to let Celaena back into his life after knowing not only their history but her reputation and the dangers that came with that as well, conflicted with his overwhelming desire to smile constantly and perfectly timed cowering. As the story progressed, he became notoriously difficult to read as his actions didn’t correlate with what I had envisioned.
But my most favorite of all which I LOVE purely because she gave us a railroad to another bad-ass character in Heir of Fire has to be Baba Yellowlegs. Old, creepy and witchy, she had her her fair share of pulling the strings in Crown of Midnight, not only teasing the Prince about his own predicament but also to tango with our favorite assassin. She was suitably creepy, with a young girl eating back story to boot(ew.) and she was a truly great character that proved that the Tardis isn’t the only thing that’s ‘bigger on the inside’.
I cannot fault Sarah’s character development in the slightest. All her characters are fantastic right down to their bones. There is a clear arc of growth from the first book into Crown of Midnight. Celaena is no longing running from her past, though she is still struggling with the truth, Dorian is gathering himself, finally growing into a man that is willing to stand against his father rather than shrink into his shadow and Chaol is prepared to sacrifice himself for her rather than his country which he so proudly proclaimed to be loyal too in the beginning. It’s clear that they’ll only continue to grow through Heir of Fire too.
I think the main winning point for me in Crown of Midnight had to be the absolutely jaw dropping revelation in the skin tingling climax! Not only are the characters swimming in plot twists, betrayal, victories and romance, they’re also to our surprise, swimming in their own secrets which Sarah J Maas did an absolutely fantastic job of keeping off the radar!
Crown of Midnight is possibly my most favorite of the three due to the amount of action, eerie atmosphere and more plot twists than I can shake a stick at. It was thrilling and completely captivating and I’m hoping that Queen of Shadows will not only match Crown of Midnight on a lot of levels but also surpass it too.
http://wordsofwonders.com/2015/06/12/throne-of-glass-series-review-and-giveaway-winner-reveal/
The epic story continues with Celaena uncovering the true depths to the King of Adarlan’s evil intentions with the help of Nehemia, Chaol and Dorian. But things are not what they seem inside the castle or out…
Celaena continues to be a bad-ass despite her internal conflicting emotions. She won the competition, she is The King’s Champion, she has been killing his targets for the past few months…except she hasn’t been.
Conflicted between right and wrong, Celaena outright disobeys direct orders from the King and her hesitation only mounts as a name she recognizes all too well appears on the King’s kill list – Archer Finn. Former friend, crush and courtesan, Celaena plans to uncover the truth behind the King’s sudden interest in having him killed before going through her usual routine of faking deaths and shipping targets out the country. Archer Finn is a well known figure in Rifthold and his disappearance(or lack thereof) will not be easily dismissed so she has to be extra careful(as if her life wasn’t already on the line).
To make matters worse, Elena – the long dead Half-Fae Queen has requested that Celaena seeks out the source of the King’s power – naturally, without giving her any pointers.
With so much going on, it’s no surprise that we finally see Celaena’s deadly side(if you haven’t dabbled into the totally awesome prequel series The Assassin’s Blade) in a fantastic rescue mission which swiftly goes rogue for all the wrong reasons… When the people she loves are in danger by the Wyrd you better not get in her way. She is ruthless, unforgiving and when revenge is on the cards, lethal. It is exceptionally refreshing for us to finally see this of her as she came off somewhat tame in Throne of Glass when compared to her pre-incarceration days.
The pace was significantly higher than that of the first book which I presume is due to the world and story not having to be expanded upon much following on from Throne of Glass. This was not only a huge improvement but it also meant that plot twists could unfold all over the place, some hitting you smack between the eyes before you even saw them coming. Because of this, Crown of Midnight turned out to be a brilliant page-turner which packed a punch and then some.
That being said, what is expanded on in the world building is so simple yet phenomenal! We get a much better idea about the rest of Erilea and the history of Ardalan as well as how much reign the King truly has both across Erilea and much farther ashore. We also delve deeper into the ins and outs of Wyrd marks and Fae Magic though the majority is still as confusing and headache-inducing as in the first book for both us and Celaena! Seeing the true reach of the King and his dark intentions gave the book a whole different atmosphere to Throne of Glass which ultimately I think made it better and more intriguing!
Chaol comes out of his shell a bit more, becoming a lot more protective and warrior like for someone so sweet, caring and ultimately a big softie. He and Celaena get on ridiculously well, right down to their insulting banter and I craved every scene with the both of them. A lot happens between the characters in this book and one particular scene will leave you reeling!
Dorian and Celaena’s relationship however becomes slightly strained and awkward but Dorian is no less passionate though the relationship dynamic has changed. He is a noble, loyal and intelligent man and he is destined to be a fantastic King – the one that Ardalan deserves.
Nehemia continues to be a fantastic contribution to the Nehemia/Celaena duo team even if she does have her own agenda which has Celaena doubting possibly her bestest friend. Nehemia being infinitely more righteous and selfless than Celaena could possibly hope to be, takes her dedication to the next level and in doing so, seals not only her own fate, but the fate of Celaena’s future which will no doubt propel her to greatness – for better or worse.
Crown of Midnight focuses a lot more on the dastardly plans of the man everyone loves to hate – The King of Ardalan. He exploits anyone and everything around him to his advantage and has the entire country hoodwinked by his lies. Lies that are slowly seeping through the woodwork with the help of Celaena’s sin seeking hands. Lies that are world destroying and the odds are quickly stacked against Celaena’s efforts.
As with every continuation, the book has its fair share of new characters and with them more plot tangents and conflict! The first and possibly the best new character is Mort. Seriously, why was this guy NOT in the first book? For a magical talking door knocker he is sassy as and hilarious, adding that much needed humor injection into an otherwise dark and strained tale.
Archer Finn, Celaena’s more curious of all her targets is noticeably handsome and suave which instantly set me on edge. People are usually over confident because they’re exceptionally shy(Dorian style) or because they’ve got lots to hide, I had Archer penned as the latter. In the beginning, his complete ease to let Celaena back into his life after knowing not only their history but her reputation and the dangers that came with that as well, conflicted with his overwhelming desire to smile constantly and perfectly timed cowering. As the story progressed, he became notoriously difficult to read as his actions didn’t correlate with what I had envisioned.
But my most favorite of all which I LOVE purely because she gave us a railroad to another bad-ass character in Heir of Fire has to be Baba Yellowlegs. Old, creepy and witchy, she had her her fair share of pulling the strings in Crown of Midnight, not only teasing the Prince about his own predicament but also to tango with our favorite assassin. She was suitably creepy, with a young girl eating back story to boot(ew.) and she was a truly great character that proved that the Tardis isn’t the only thing that’s ‘bigger on the inside’.
I cannot fault Sarah’s character development in the slightest. All her characters are fantastic right down to their bones. There is a clear arc of growth from the first book into Crown of Midnight. Celaena is no longing running from her past, though she is still struggling with the truth, Dorian is gathering himself, finally growing into a man that is willing to stand against his father rather than shrink into his shadow and Chaol is prepared to sacrifice himself for her rather than his country which he so proudly proclaimed to be loyal too in the beginning. It’s clear that they’ll only continue to grow through Heir of Fire too.
I think the main winning point for me in Crown of Midnight had to be the absolutely jaw dropping revelation in the skin tingling climax! Not only are the characters swimming in plot twists, betrayal, victories and romance, they’re also to our surprise, swimming in their own secrets which Sarah J Maas did an absolutely fantastic job of keeping off the radar!
Crown of Midnight is possibly my most favorite of the three due to the amount of action, eerie atmosphere and more plot twists than I can shake a stick at. It was thrilling and completely captivating and I’m hoping that Queen of Shadows will not only match Crown of Midnight on a lot of levels but also surpass it too.