Review – Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)

Author Sarah J. Maas

Description from Amazon

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.

Initial Thoughts

As you may or may not know, I have never read anything by Sarah J. Maas, but I know she’s basically the queen of YA. I decided to make September, Sarah J. Maas Month. I am going to read (listen to) the entire Throne of Glass series this month.

Some Things I Liked

• Celaena is all sass. She might be one of my all time favorite characters. She says and does whatever she wants and I love her.
• Assassins and Competitions. The concept of this book totally had me hooked. There’s a Hunger Games, meets Game of Thrones (Hunger Game(s) of Thrones??) vibe and I’m all about that. Also, I love that Celaena is the only girl.
• MURDER!!! Finally, a book that utilizes my well-honed detective skills!

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

• The love triangle 😡. Dear Sarah J. Maas, don’t make me choose between Chaol and Dorian. I just can’t! As much as I hate love triangles, I love both of these characters. I hate the triangle because I don’t want Celaena to have to choose!

Series Value

I am so hooked on this series. It’s actually crazy how much I want to read the next book, like right now! This is a classic, I can’t believe I waited so long, kicking-myself, series.

Final Thoughts

This book had it all. Assassins, an amazing and vast setting, kick-ass characters, political intrigue, romance, and MURDER! I loved all the pieces and how they came together. I can’t wait to continue the story and find out what happens in this incredibly captivating world.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

• Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas – if you liked this book even a little, you absolutely must read the next book in the series. I am OBSESSED. Crown of Midnight might even be better than Throne of Glass (I can’t believe I just said that 😱)
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber – while these stories don’t have too much in common, I loved the energy and the settings in both. If you liked the atmosphere and the competition setting, give the Caraval series a try.
• The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala – if you liked all of the moving parts and secrets between characters in Throne of Glass, give this duology by Swati Teerdhala a try.