Throne of GlassPublisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2012Genre: YA Fantasy
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 kings 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.
A year spent in the salt mines of Endovier is no easy life, and Celaena Sardothien—the fearsome Adarlan’s Assassin—has managed to survive so far. Her life sentence is cut short when Dorian Havillard, Crown Prince of Adarlan, makes her a deal. Celaena is to be his champion in an upcoming competition to find the King’s new assassin. Winning means she’ll have to work for the King, but it’ll also mean her freedom. Her opponents are the best thieves, assassins, murdered and warriors of the land, but with her skill and the help of Captain Westfall, Celaena is confident she’ll win. That is, until the contestants start turning up dead, and Celaena is warned of a great evil lurking in the castle. Suddenly, court life gets very interesting with murder investigations, training sessions, a handsome prince, and past secrets coming back to haunt her.
Throne of Glass is YA High Fantasy of the finest brew; Sarah J. Maas work is right up there with my all time high fantasy idols Tamora Pierce, Maria V. Snyder, and Cinda Williams Chima.
Though reading the four Throne of Glass Novellas is not required, I strongly encourage you to do it. Not only will you get to know Celaena Sardothien better, but you’ll see why Adarlan’s Assassin is so feared and awesome. Throne of Glass starts after the end of The Assassin and The Empire, and living in the salt mines for a year has left Celaena with a sick sense of humor that she doesn’t hesitate to use it to taunt the always-serious Captain Westfall. Our little assassin is as hardcore as ever, but I was disappointed that her vanity and arrogance were still the same; being in the mines hasn’t humbled her at all. Oh, and she’s still a hot head too! But during the course of the novel we see her grow. She lowers that wall she always keeps up and starts making friends. As always, she’s very caring for those less fortunate than her, and for that alone I can forgive her other faults.
Dorian Havillard, the rebellious prince of Adarlan, is such a heartbreaker among the ladies, but he’s tired of them all. When he meets Celaena, he can’t help but fall in love with her sharp tongue and direct manner. He’s the first one to see past her assassin reputation. Though Celaena knows it’s a very bad idea to fall in love with a Havillard, she soon realizes he’s not like family. Dorian has a big, big heart, and if there’s anyone who can lead Adarlan to prosperity, it’s him. After losing Sam, Celaena never thought she could feel anything for anyone again, but Dorian shows her otherwise.
Celaena also befriends Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guard, who can certainly hold his own against Celaena both in duels and arguments. He’s not afraid to put her in her place when she’s being arrogant, vain, or impertinent. I was shocked at first, because Chaol seemed to truly hate Celaena because of her reputation. But after so much time spent together, he finally sees there’s more to her than being an assassin. As the only person who seems to really understand her, Celaena feels a strong connection towards him.
The handsome prince and the gruff captain arent the only one helping Celaena. There’s also Philippa, Celaena’s maid, who handles her quite well when she’s throwing a tantrum. Nehemia, a princess from one of Aderlan’s conquered lands, who’s just an awesome friend to Celaena. And Nox, who is one of her opponents in the competition, and the only one who doesn’t underestimate her for being a woman. Well rounded and interesting, I really hope that these characters return for the other installments.
Those ending chapters had me cursing and growling at the book, and I swear to you, I didn’t dare breathe during that final fight. And Chaol! Oh sweet, Chaol! Time literally slowed that when you stepped in ♥!!! I am hooked with this world and these characters Sarah J. Maas has created. With the hints and glimpses of Celaena’s past, plus the results of the competition and the final battle, I will be counting the days for the sequel to come out! I’ll probably go back to re-read the novella’s to tide me over the long wait. What are you waiting for!? Go buy. Go read. Get mind blown.
PS: Sarah Maas if you ever read this, I would so love to read the scene where Celaena tries to escape the mines! Let it be fast, action-packed, and bloody!
Favorite Quotes:
~Celaena’s Exploits~
“That’s all you have to offer as an explanation for what you did?
Captain Westfall demanded. “She killed her overseer and twenty-three sentries before they caught her. She was a finger’s tip from the wall before the guards knocked her unconscious.”
Captain Westfall demanded. “She killed her overseer and twenty-three sentries before they caught her. She was a finger’s tip from the wall before the guards knocked her unconscious.”
“So?” Dorian said.
Celaena seethed. “So? Do you know how far is the wall from the mines?” He gave her a blank look. She closed her eyes and sighed dramatically. “From my shaft, it was three hundred and sixty-three feet. I had someone measure.”
“So?” Dorian repeated.
“Captain Westfall, how far do slaves make it from the mines when they try to escape?”
“Three feet,” he muttered. “Endovier sentries usually shoot a man down before he’s moved three feet.”
~Banter~
“You still haven’t apologized,” she said, changing the subject before Chaol could inquire further.
“Apologized? For what?”
“For all the horrid things you said yesterday afternoon when I was sparring with Nehemia.”
He narrowed his eyes, taking the bait. “I won’t apologize for speaking the truth.”
“The truth? You treated me like I’m a crazed criminal!”
“And you said that you hated me more than anyone alive.”
“I meant every word of it.” However, a smile began to tug at her lips—and she soon found it reflected on his face. He tossed a piece of bread at her, which she caught in one hand and threw back at him. He caught it with ease. “Idiot,” she said, grinning now.
“Crazed criminal,” he returned, grinning too.
