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A review by deena_
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
4.5 stars ☆
That one Sarah J. Mass book that never got off the hype tide; after months of sweeping up spoilers and squealing my way through Acotar, I physically forced myself to sit down and give it a try. When it comes to SJM's epic world building, fantastical elements and writing style, the expectation bar is always high. A gruesome high fantasy book following a young assassin chasing after her chance at freedom, when the promise of it comes to her wrapped in a proposition from the crown prince to pertake in a grand competition with skilled contestants all over the continent with the goal to be the king's champion, she grasps it with both hands. Only she doesn't know what other horrors are lurking behind the king's enormous glass castle. As the trials become more challenging, some dark power hunts the contestants one by one. Between visions of a dead warrior queen and a deadly competition to win, she must find a way to destroy the evil that threatens to destroy everyone involved.
I got into this book expecting to see just that—a brutal contest bearing all kinds of horrors, from death upon elimination to shocking betrayals. No one told me beforehand that the ongoing contest wouldn't be the main focus of the story. Imagine my disappointment when I figured out it was leaning more towards world building and in depth character introductions; the blood, gore and fierce dispute I was looking for were just far echoes in a much larger space filled with emotional conflicts and political intrigue.
➷ However, it wasn't anywhere near boring; I'd applaud the characters for it. I knew I liked Celaena the moment she was introduced, something about her fearlessness was so captivating. You'd think she'd turn out to be a ruthless, emotionless brute after all that she's been through. I swear I lost a limb laughing at her secret hobby of reading erotic books. She never misses a chance to tease the prince and piss off the royal guard; she's a strong willed warrior with a bleeding heart, being awfully calculative and smart are just toppings on the fine print.
➷ Dorian is what I'd call a hopeless romantic, the fluffiest, cutest, kindest guy trapped within the expectations of the crown and the duty that comes with it and a horrible father by his side to seal the deal. He would do about every little thing to spite the king but not in a way forward enough to place him on the receiving end of his wrath. He awlays stood against his father's twisted ideas of entertainment, but as he was cornered to pursue a fitting participant of his own to partake in the king's grand conquest, he chose the kingdom's notorious criminal Celaena Sardothien, knowing it would displease his father. I loved their endless banter; Dorian, with his 'too big' heart falls fast and gets his heart broken but he still was a great friend till the end, his feelings for Celaena didn't mess up the connection they had.
➷ I don't know why, I was secretly rooting for Chaol and Celaena until I wasn't? But compared to Dorian, he still had better chemistry with her on an intimate level, even though Dorian and Celaena were the ones to share kisses. It doesn't really make sense, honestly; it just felt like there was so much tension between them and he knew her better cause as the person in charge of helping her train, he obviously got to spend more time with her whereas Dorian and Celaena's interactions were brief and lighthearted, things were smooth between them, no awkward moments. Chaol's character is controlled and closed off, he's always the one preventing others from making bad choices but when Celaena's presence tips the situation in his direction, he loses sight of what to do. They both went through a long push and pull phase only to realize despite everything how much they care for each other.
➷ I loved Celaena's friendship with princess Nehemia as well, her companionship made such a great difference. While all the court ladies were jealous of her for being close to the crown prince and the men were cautious of her sudden participation in the contest, Nehemia, the princess of another kingdom who came to Adarlan with hidden motives, befriended her. She was fiesty and protective of Celaena, she saved her life on multiple occasions, though her secrets stirred up misunderstandings. She was her first true friend at the court, they spent a lot of time together in between practices.
This book is plain in a charming way, its greatest appeal lies in it at best. If you dive into this book hoping for dynamic dramatic twists, you'd be thoroughly disappointed as it's basically character driven with an intriguing theme. It's a fantasy slow burn minus the romance part, though you'll still get some of it anyway, you know if you know. There's a lot going on regarding the reading order of this series for best effects. I decided to read 'Throne Of Glass' first and was a bit worried how it'd work out. I can tell, I faced no problem reading this, some confusing factors were there which I guess were explained in 'The Assassin's Blade', but it's nothing much and can be easily overlooked; like for one, the mention of Celaena's lost love Sam, mention of her instructor who helped her master her skills and thoughts of her dead parents during the final duel when she thought she was going to die as well. Except for these little bits of missing information, everything falls into place perfectly.
“She had often wished for adventure, for old spells and wicked kings. But she hadn’t realized it would be like this—a fight for her freedom. And she’d always imagined that there’d be someone to help her—a loyal friend or a one-armed soldier or something. She hadn’t imagined she would be so . . . alone.”
That one Sarah J. Mass book that never got off the hype tide; after months of sweeping up spoilers and squealing my way through Acotar, I physically forced myself to sit down and give it a try. When it comes to SJM's epic world building, fantastical elements and writing style, the expectation bar is always high. A gruesome high fantasy book following a young assassin chasing after her chance at freedom, when the promise of it comes to her wrapped in a proposition from the crown prince to pertake in a grand competition with skilled contestants all over the continent with the goal to be the king's champion, she grasps it with both hands. Only she doesn't know what other horrors are lurking behind the king's enormous glass castle. As the trials become more challenging, some dark power hunts the contestants one by one. Between visions of a dead warrior queen and a deadly competition to win, she must find a way to destroy the evil that threatens to destroy everyone involved.
“Find the evil in the castle . . . But the only truly evil thing in this world is the man ruling it.”
I got into this book expecting to see just that—a brutal contest bearing all kinds of horrors, from death upon elimination to shocking betrayals. No one told me beforehand that the ongoing contest wouldn't be the main focus of the story. Imagine my disappointment when I figured out it was leaning more towards world building and in depth character introductions; the blood, gore and fierce dispute I was looking for were just far echoes in a much larger space filled with emotional conflicts and political intrigue.
➷ However, it wasn't anywhere near boring; I'd applaud the characters for it. I knew I liked Celaena the moment she was introduced, something about her fearlessness was so captivating. You'd think she'd turn out to be a ruthless, emotionless brute after all that she's been through. I swear I lost a limb laughing at her secret hobby of reading erotic books. She never misses a chance to tease the prince and piss off the royal guard; she's a strong willed warrior with a bleeding heart, being awfully calculative and smart are just toppings on the fine print.
“I am Celaena Sardothien. I am going to win. I will not be afraid.”
“Arobynn told me that second place was just a nice title for the first loser.”
“We all bear scars, Dorian. Mine just happen to be more visible than most.”
“It makes no difference if my name’s Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I’d still beat you, no matter what you call me.”
➷ Dorian is what I'd call a hopeless romantic, the fluffiest, cutest, kindest guy trapped within the expectations of the crown and the duty that comes with it and a horrible father by his side to seal the deal. He would do about every little thing to spite the king but not in a way forward enough to place him on the receiving end of his wrath. He awlays stood against his father's twisted ideas of entertainment, but as he was cornered to pursue a fitting participant of his own to partake in the king's grand conquest, he chose the kingdom's notorious criminal Celaena Sardothien, knowing it would displease his father. I loved their endless banter; Dorian, with his 'too big' heart falls fast and gets his heart broken but he still was a great friend till the end, his feelings for Celaena didn't mess up the connection they had.
“One of my bitches gave birth to a litter of mongrels. Before, they were too young to tell. But now . . . Well, I’d hoped for purebreds.”
“Are we speaking of dogs or of women?”
“For someone who relies on my good graces, you’re very bold.”
“Bold? I’ve barely begun.”
“Shall I read to you in your final moments? What story would you like?”
“How about the story of the idiotic prince who won’t leave the assassin alone?”
“It’s Dorian, by the way. Not ‘Your Highness.’ ”
“Very well.”
“Say it.”
“Say what?”
“Say my name. Say, ‘Very well, Dorian.’ ”
➷ I don't know why, I was secretly rooting for Chaol and Celaena until I wasn't? But compared to Dorian, he still had better chemistry with her on an intimate level, even though Dorian and Celaena were the ones to share kisses. It doesn't really make sense, honestly; it just felt like there was so much tension between them and he knew her better cause as the person in charge of helping her train, he obviously got to spend more time with her whereas Dorian and Celaena's interactions were brief and lighthearted, things were smooth between them, no awkward moments. Chaol's character is controlled and closed off, he's always the one preventing others from making bad choices but when Celaena's presence tips the situation in his direction, he loses sight of what to do. They both went through a long push and pull phase only to realize despite everything how much they care for each other.
“I just prefer a certain type of woman.”
“And what type of woman is that?”
“Not an arrogant assassin.”
“I’m going to hit you in the head if you don’t shut up.”
“You know, it’s starting to sound like you actually believe in me. You’d better be careful.”
➷ I loved Celaena's friendship with princess Nehemia as well, her companionship made such a great difference. While all the court ladies were jealous of her for being close to the crown prince and the men were cautious of her sudden participation in the contest, Nehemia, the princess of another kingdom who came to Adarlan with hidden motives, befriended her. She was fiesty and protective of Celaena, she saved her life on multiple occasions, though her secrets stirred up misunderstandings. She was her first true friend at the court, they spent a lot of time together in between practices.
“What is the point in being a princess of Eyllwe if I cannot help my people? How can I call myself their princess, when such things happen?”
“I give you this name to use with honor, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, ‘Spirit That Could Not Be Broken.’ ”
“I’m glad to have you as my friend, Elentiya,”
“I’m even gladder to have you guarding my back,”
This book is plain in a charming way, its greatest appeal lies in it at best. If you dive into this book hoping for dynamic dramatic twists, you'd be thoroughly disappointed as it's basically character driven with an intriguing theme. It's a fantasy slow burn minus the romance part, though you'll still get some of it anyway, you know if you know. There's a lot going on regarding the reading order of this series for best effects. I decided to read 'Throne Of Glass' first and was a bit worried how it'd work out. I can tell, I faced no problem reading this, some confusing factors were there which I guess were explained in 'The Assassin's Blade', but it's nothing much and can be easily overlooked; like for one, the mention of Celaena's lost love Sam, mention of her instructor who helped her master her skills and thoughts of her dead parents during the final duel when she thought she was going to die as well. Except for these little bits of missing information, everything falls into place perfectly.