I just had to have the hardcover because the art was too good for me not to have. The novel also wasn’t to shabby I guess.
Throne of Glass is a young adult fiction narrative with Hunger Games-esque style development, characters and fantasy action which as a young adult (twenty going on fourteen am i right) completely enthralled me from the very beginning.
Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most dangerous assassin, the perfect protagonist in this world which is burdened by a ruthless dictator, his rebellious son and power hungry court. After her capture and enslavement she is given the opportunity to compete to become ‘The King’s Champion’ by the Crown Prince of Adarlan, Dorian.
This story follows Celaena’s vulnerability as a weakened form of her true self (which she would never show to anyone) and the blossoming of her strength both physically and mentally. She attempts to overcome the struggles of competing against assassins, soldiers and criminals with the reward of a winning a contract that will ultimately gain her the freedom which is being dangled over her head. Big stakes.
Dorian and the Captain of the Guard, Chaol Westfall, have the utmost confidence that Celaena will win the competition, however, her competitors are being found one by one around the castle with their organs missing. With marks and blood on the walls that point to a forbidden magic, the mystery begins to revolve around Celaena and these things called Wyrdmarks that drive her thoughts.
What first appeared to be a simple story about some outrageous competition and Celaena’s freedom quickly manifests into a world of forgotten magic, dangerous beasts and even more frightening individuals.
The thing about this book that had me hooked really was Celaena. She is an annoyingly likable character, so quick, so relatable (I hardly know why) and so damned irresistible, I just want to be in her presence! When I put down the book I would always wonder what she would do next, who she would befriend and who she would make an enemy out of.
I also enjoyed the presence of all the supporting characters including Dorian and Chaol (someone tell me how to pronounce his name please) among others. Their relationships with Celaena are so inherently different however convey the same values and emotions.
The best part about this book was that the villainous characters were so damn easy to hate that I ended up enjoying their company! I hated their plans, hated their motivations and just truly had a vile distaste for their exsistance. But I loved that! It was awesome to have a subtle villainy in some of the supporting characters with an overarching evil that had everyone tied on strings to their fingers.
While a teen romance wasn’t the focal point of this narrative I felt like some parts including it were forced and maybe that was intentional. I’m just so goddamn angry that the people whom I want to be together never actually get together! It’s ludicrous!
This book was sold to me as an action, adventure, fantasy style book. However, there really wasn’t too much action for me to be excited with until the last few chapters. I was expecting more. When I got it, I was extremely pleased, I just had to wait too long.
The prose and person used is quite inquisitive and fresh as a multi-perspective approach added layers to a multitude of characters. From this, we are able to understand the inner workings of Celena’s mind, the choices that she makes and how she comes to these decisions. I absolutely love how she analyses almost every social interaction with a pinch of suspicion coming from her background.
Throne of Glass has an extremely good flow to it, more detail in some areas would have been nice but there are only so many pages that can be filled. A great starting point for the series with an extremely vast and expansive world to explore in the next books in the series.
Throne of glass deserves a throne of its own. Royalty.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first installment of the series. 8/10.
~krisesandchrosses~
krisesandchrosses 