Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass

Series: Throne of Glass #1

Publisher: Bloomsbury UK & ANZ

Published: August 2, 2012

Format: eBook – NetGalley Preview Exclusive

Summary from Goodreads

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

I really love a book with a strong female character, so it comes at no surprise that I loved this book!! Celaena didn’t have the normal upbringing other children have because her parents died when she was 8 and she was then taken and trained to be an assassin. She had to learn to be independent at a young age.

We meet Celaena at the prison, and after we learn what the conditions are like there, you understand how tough and strong willed she is. For someone to be only 18 years old and to endure the life that she has lead already is truly amazing!!

When Celaena returns to court however we see a different side to her, which involves wearing dresses and looking pretty, she is a girl, not just an assassin!! She isn’t as cold-hearted as she appears to be. But she also has a funny sense of humour and she is always trying to stir people up!

One of my favourite scenes is when all of the champions are paired up to duel. They all have a weapon but Celaena goes out and beats her guy bare handed!! It was such a fun scene and it rocked all the other competitors as they never expected her to be so good!!

There are some great male characters in this book too....yum!! Dorian is the crowned Prince and tries to come across as a “stuff shirt, pompous, arrogant princeling,” (as Celaena described him) but he is quite the opposite once you get to know him. He is smart, charming and hot!!

The Captain of the Guard is Chaol Westfall and he has been friends with Dorian most of his life. He is a very cautious person as he wants to protect the Kingdom from Celaena, after all she is an assassin whose only purpose in life is to kill, isn’t it?? He spends a lot of time with Celaena because it is now his job to train her too. But his focus shifts when he spends more time with her and realises that she is still a person.

We meet plenty of other characters too, and Celaena even forms friendships (and maybe even relationships) which she hasn’t been able to do in a very long time!

I was enchanted by the storyline from the very beginning and found it really, really hard to put it down!! Even when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about the book and wanting to get back into it as soon as possible!! I love everything about this world- the characters and the connections they make, the dark magic which is unleashed, the mysterious storyline, EVERYTHING!!

I ‘m off now to get the Novella’s, because I want more of this world!! But before I go I will leave you with one of my favourite snippets from the book....

She brought her mouth close to his ear. "My name is Celaena Sardothien," she whispered. "But 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.” She smiled at him as she stood. He just stared up at her, his bloody nose leaking down the side of his cheek. She took the handkerchief from her pocket and dropped it on his chest. “You can keep that,” she said before she walked off the verandah.

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 Naomi