A review by kjm19
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Unsure on the rating for now - could be between 3.25-4.25 for many reasons. 

I think the writing has improved from the first book, but I think the exploration of relationships has worsened slightly. Less nuance, more black and white (time and place I’d say) and things tend to transform back and forth which is a little frustrating as a reader. However, love Chaol and Celaena (yes I’ll carry on with that for now). 

I do believe the world building has been very subtly effective. It doesn’t feel like I’ve had pages of info dumps and that I’ve been overwhelmed at any points. It’s been done gradually, and considering the big plot twist at the end, I’m pleased because things are about to explode!

I did see the plot twist coming - call it intuition. I knew ‘Aelin’ was a character from random things on social media, and I just assumed that they might become a POV in the future, but the more the name got mentioned and the more mysterious Celaena turned out to be, it all started falling into place. 

Chaol and Dorian just seem to be two lovely MMCs. Here for the magic and here for the yearning. Always. 

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