adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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: Complicated

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous emotional informative tense slow-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: Complicated

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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: Complicated

First read (6/2022)- 3⭐️
Reread (1/2024)-4.5⭐️2.75🌶️

New Adult fantasy romance
Multi POV
Magic
Magical beasts
Fae
Morally grey FMC
Found family
Secret history
Politics
Treason
Rebellion
Closed door romance

The second book started not long after the first, with the King’s Champion taking hits off a list. Only she wasn’t.

I think the incident with the carnival is one of the most vivid memories I have from the whole series. Along with the wearhouse scene. The set up is really great for such a pivotal turning point in Celaena’s journey. 

Chaol having to deal with his lawful nature was just as hard to go through the second time as it was the first. His self deprecation after Neimiah died is SO much. He does absolutely nothing and basically disappears for multiple  chapters. Why didn’t he fight for her?! 

Dorian’s journey in this book is an interesting one. Going from infatuated playboy to someone with their own dark secret was a great arc. But the unresolved attraction Boggs his character down.

The arc with Chaol was beautiful, and devastating. I forgot how intense it was.

I was disappointed that the only diverse main character in the book was used as a tool to further the plot in the way they were. It’s almost like she was becoming too good of a character, more noble than the FMC, and had to be taken out.

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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: Yes

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when i was reading acotar and crescent city, i was under the impression that the throne of glass series was SJM's weakest work and that the first four books weren't that good and i shouldnt bother with the series. who the fuck let me think that? what the fuck? why did i wait this long? i cannot put these books down 

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adventurous dark 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

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

chaol pisses me off, am i alone in this?? selfish mf that “wants to keep her safe” just makes decisions without consulting her. then GOTCHA ofc she’s the gd heir to the throne of teressen!! ofc she knows what’s going on and he just didn’t trust her omg. i’m annoyed with both male leads tbh. at the end of the first book i was team chaol, end of second book, team dorian kinda. more like team celeana going on her own journey. i gotta say, i was gooped and gagged cause i totally forgot about the missing princess. i read that foreshadowing on a plane so it really didn’t sink in. so i was mind blown by it. love that tho, maybe i should pay less attention when i read so the twists really gag me. fun read! and pretty quick at the end there.

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adventurous dark emotional 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: N/A

This book wrecked me and had me screaming and wanting to throw it across the room so many times. A book that does that is automatically 5-stars in my opinion. 

I have seen so many people say how hard the first books are to get through in the beginning of the series, but I couldn't disagree more! If these are "slow" and "not the best", how much better can these books get??? 

The character development with insight in grief, guilt, love, and friendship, is invaluable. I am absolutely loving seeing how these characters are growing and changing as the story progresses. And the world building, politics, and history! So good. 

I decided to read Assassins Blade third, so that's what I'm picking up next. I'm already so attached to the FMC, and I'm concerned that learning her backstory will absolutely break me in the best way possible. 

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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: Yes

I'M GLAD I GIVE THIS SERIES ANOTHER CHANCE.

Maas improved his writing and honed everything that didn’t work in the first book, bringing the story forward.

I really enjoyed reading about Celaena’s character in this book. She’s a total badass, and it was amazing to witness her in action. Now I understand why everyone was afraid of her - she’s deadly. This book helped me to see how vulnerable she was when Chaol and Dorian took her out of jail. She’s such a complex character, and I didn’t fully appreciate that in the first book.

The relationship between Chaol and Celaena is natural and realistic. Chaol struggles with his own desires and fears. He tries to remain loyal to the crown and resist the temptation to be with Celaena. Unfortunately, this internal conflict leads him to make poor decisions. Resulting in him losing everything. The dynamic between Chaol and Celaena is reminiscent of Valek and Yelena’s relationship in Poison Study.

Dorian is a character that I had a little affection for. But in this book, he conquered me. At first, his presence doesn’t seem relevant. But, as the story progresses, his subplot takes on a lot of weight.

In the first book, I felt his relationship with Celeana was forced. However, in this book, their relationship is fluid and natural. They forged a meaningful and powerful friendship. They understand each other perfectly.

This book’s unexpected twists and turns pleasantly surprised me. The author’s approach to revealing the major plot twist was cleverly executed. The last pages are an emotional wreck. This secret impacts the relationship of Celeana with one of the other characters, changing the dynamic between them and setting the stage for the next book. It’s brilliant.

Crown of Midnight gets dark and bloody with betrayal, revelations, heartbreaks, twists, and turns. The story is way bigger and more complex than it seems. I’m so eager to get the other book.

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