Throne of Glass Paperback – February 14, 2023

From the very first chapter, I knew this was going to be a binge read. Celaena is such a fun main character—equal parts sass, skill, and vulnerability. She’s confident and capable, but you also get these little glimpses of her humor and humanity that make her feel real.The world Sarah J. Maas builds is rich without ever being overwhelming. You get politics, danger, friendship, and those little moments that make you laugh or hold your breath. The pacing is perfect—it kept me turning pages without wanting to skip ahead, and every scene felt like it mattered.What really hooked me was how this story feels like it’s just scratching the surface of something so much bigger. You can sense the layers and the history beneath the plot, and it makes you want to dive straight into the next book.If you love strong heroines, fantasy worlds that feel alive, and a story that will only grow in depth as the series goes on, this is the perfect place to start.

‘Throne Of Glass’ is the first installment in the ‘Throne of Glass’ book series. After reading the synopsis of this book I wasn’t 100% sure if I wanted to read it, because it didn’t really intrigue me to want to dive into the book. However after reading Maas’ other book series ‘A Court of Thorns And Red Roses’, which I absolutely loved, and the amazing book reviews of ‘Throne of Glass’ I decided to give this book a shot and I’m very happy that I did. Lately it has been very difficult for me to find a book that draws me in, so I’m very happy to have found my fix and sweet escape again in this book.‘Throne of Glass’ is a book about gaining freedom and making new friends in places that you least expect it. In this book we mainly follow the life of Celaena Sardothien who has been sentenced to a life of slavery, until she got a proposition from the Crown Prince, Dorian Havilliard, to act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin in exchange for her freedom.Celaena is Adarlan’s most notorious assassin and her reputation has caused her to become quite vain and arrogant. However she’s a very likable character; she’s very kind, clever and witty. I also loved that she’s such a badass heroine and that she can hold her own.Then there’s Chaol Westfall, Celaena’s overseer and the Captain of the Royal Guard, who’s ruggedly handsome, stoic and patriotic. Chaol is usually very stern, but in this first installment we get to see glimpses of his tenderness. In this book we also saw his inner struggle when it comes to him following the King’s orders and doing what’s morally right. There’s also Dorian who’s tall, toned, elegant and an absolute flirt. We also saw Dorian’s strained relationship with his father the King and his struggles to stay in his father’s good graces. Both guys are very interesting and likable, but I can’t seem to choose between the two. Maybe after diving more into the series I’ll be able to do so :PJust like in ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’, I was really captured by the secondary characters in this book. Especially the Princess of Eyllwe, who’s also very witty and a badass in her own right. The secondary characters - from Celaena’s personal servant Philippa right down to the antagonists - are multidimensional characters, who you can’t help but to like or to dislike.I really enjoyed the manner in which the book was written. The storytelling is very descriptive in a way that it draws you into this complex world that Maas has created. The map also adds to the book’s allure, which helps to draw its readers into this bewitching world.I also thought that it was very interesting that the story was told from the third-person narrative, which allowed the readers to see the inner workings of the minds of the different characters to give us a glimpse of what moves them and to understand why they do the things they do.I really enjoyed this first installment in the book series and I’m very curious to see how this story will unfold. This book also kept me at the edge of my seat. There was so much going on, from solving the mystery of the killer to Celaena’s blossoming romance. Speaking of which, I’m still mind boggled by this new romance because of Celaena and her love interest’s backgrounds. It didn’t make much sense when you thought it through.Overall, this was a very promising start to this series and I’m looking forward to diving more into this captivating and enthralling world. If you’re in the mood for an action-packed read with multidimensional characters and a badass heroine, then you should definitely give this book a read.

I have to admit that this book is probably not one that I would have immediately grabbed after reading the description, but after seeing glowing review after glowing review my curiosity was ignited, so I pre-ordered this one from amazon. I'm so glad that I listened to the reviewers and grabbed this one. What a treat to read!No summary of the plot that I could write would accurately show just how awesome this story is. There is action and mystery and the supernatural. There is a love story ... sort of. It's pretty subtle at this point in the story. This is a story of survival as well as a story of a society which is potentially at the dawn of a new age. This is the story of a girl who has gotten by in this life by taking care of herself and herself alone for the most part, but who finds herself letting her guard down enough to find friendship and companionship. There are so many things to like about this story. I think I'll boil all of it down to these things:Celaena Sardothien. What an amazing heroine for this series! She is so strong. So strong. She can kick just about everyone's tail at every turn. She is smart and athletic and cunning. She has a big heart, but she is not in any hurry to let anyone really see that. She finds joy and happiness in life despite all of the hardship and trial that has been thrown her way. I love her because even though she is strong and a capable fighter, she is also emotional and vulnerable at times. She doesn't have to be stoic to show her strength. There is still so much more to learn about her. I can't wait to see what future books in this series reveal about her and her destiny to help her oppressed people. Even she doesn't exactly know how she fits into any grand plans, but I'm excited to see how she moves into her new roles as the series continues. She is fun to read about.Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guards. Oh how I loved this character! Chaol is a no nonsense guard who doesn't let his guard down around Celaena because he recognizes her potential for violence and mischief. He sees her strength and her intelligence, and he knows that she would just as quickly slit his throat as anything in order to gain freedom if she could. He trains her diligently and seems to understand her more than anyone else. In the process he seems to grow attached to her, but he never really comes out and says anything. His actions show his feelings more than any words he utters. So many times I just willed him to say what he was feeling, but I'm not sure that even he knows exactly what he is feeling. He was a fascinating guy to read about. I want to know more about him in the future books as well.Prince Dorian. Yes, there is a love triangle in this book ... sort of. It's not really one I guess because Dorian is in love with Celaena, and Celaena sort of likes Dorian, but Chaol is there too. The only difference is that Chaol and Celaena don't ever really explore their feelings for one another, either to themselves or each other. So it's kind of a weak love triangle. Nevertheless, I have to say that I love the character of Dorian. My heart breaks for him in so many ways. It has to be hard to be the son of such a horrible king. But it seems as if Dorian is beginning to form his own path by the end of this book. There is still more to discover with this character. I just know that I love him with his love of books and his kindness toward Celaena. I have the feeling that he will play a pivotal role in the future of this society if things will ever work out to help the oppressed.The ideas of this book. There are so many interesting themes that are being thrown about in this novel. I think it was interesting to see the way that the government had tried to eliminate knowledge from the people by destroying books and history. Now that knowledge is being held by the king who could potentially use it against the people. But it seems as if those who are rebelling have kept some of that knowledge, and that will prevent the government from having power over them. Knowledge is definitely power in this world as well as our own I'd say. I think that the idea of freedom in this book is interesting as well. Freedom is a powerful motivation for Celaena, but it is something that Dorian seeks as well. So many people in this society are not truly free, and eventually they will need to make some tough choices to see what they will sacrifice to gain that freedom. There is still so much more to discover as this series progresses.The pacing of this book was wonderful. Not too fast, not too slow. I felt as if I was slowly unwrapping a Christmas package, layer by layer, slowing discovering the parts of the book that would come together to create such a detailed and layered story. I almost wish that I had waited to read this book until the next book in the series had been published because I want to know so much more. I have definitely discovered a new favorite, I think. Future books will determine whether this one becomes a classic for me that I will read over and over again, but for now I'd say that Throne of Glass is a wonderful beginning to a fascinating and engaging new series. Five stars!