Crown of Midnight
Ratings798
Average rating4.2
This one was so much better than book 1.
I just really dislike most first books in series 😋
but yeah. I actually liked Chaol in this book and loved Dorian and Nehemia♡
Celeana also grow on me, I didn't think she was annoying anymore :)
Now I've hit my good reads target for 2017 I needed to have another focus to drive my reading till the end of the year and so I'm now trying to get through as many books in series I've started before the end of the year to try and increase my completed sets of series before the year is out. Having just started Throne of Glass a few weeks ago I decided now was the ideal time to delve back in and read Crown of Midnight, the second book in the series, before I forgot too much about it.
I enjoyed Throne of Glass and the story of Celeana Sardothien, the girl assassin who won the competition to become the King's Champion and his trained killer. Picking up immediately after the end of Throne of Glass we follow Celeana as she begins her new job and the demands the king makes upon her to dispatch his ‘enemies' on his behalf. All is not as it seems though as Celeana is struggling with the job as she begins to find that those she is sent to kill are not bad people but simply those who are trying their best to stop the power hungry King of Adarlan's ongoing monopoly of their lands and the death and destruction his power brings.
Struggling with her conscience we follow Celeana as she continues to build her friendships back in the Glass Castle. She is growing closer to the Head of the King's Guard, Chaol, and their feelings are moving towards something more than just friendship. Her best friend, Princess Nehemia, is helping her to understand the terror's that face her people now the King of Adarlan has taken over their lands and finally she is trying to stay away from the Crown Prince Dorian who she doesn't want to lead into danger through a close relationship with her.
This book was absolutely non-stop action. From the very first chapters it had me gripped. I liked Throne of Glass but Crown of Midnight really raised the bar on this series for me. I hadn't grasped what the hype around this series was really all about till I read this second instalment. Whereas book one spent quite a bit of time world building and had lots of characters who came in and then left again as part of the competition to find the King's Champion in Crown of Midnight we have a more tight knit cast, most of whom we have met before and we are all about expanding their stories and knitting them all together more.
This book was a reasonable read, at about 440 something pages but I read it in just over a day, sitting up to the small hours of the morning finishing it because I literally could not put it down. Every time I thought I'd caught my breath and it was calming down it would be off again in another direction full speed ahead. It has magic and mystery from the first book and we continue to explore the mysterious Wyrdmarks and how they link to the world of the past and present. We have a kick-ass heroine who is amazing to read about because you almost never quite know what she is going to do, you just know that it will be awesome. There is backstabbing and intrigue in the court of Adarlan, questions over who can be trusted and who cannot and that is one of my favourite aspects of the books. Finally there is a wonderful romantic element with the ongoing relationships Celeana has with both Chaol and Dorian.
The book ends with a really stunning revelation which sets up book 3 wonderfully and raises the excitement levels for what will happen next. It gives us a glimpse that the next instalment will expand the world even further and introduce even more aspects and characters than we've had before, including some Fae!
This book was really good, I liked it so much more than book 1, it hit all the points I needed it to and reassured me that this series does have the potential to live up to A Court of Thorns & Roses. It is a thoroughly deserved 5 out of 5 stars for this one.
~Full review here on The Bent Bookworm!Everyone has read this book already. Everyone, except me. Therefore, I'm departing from my usual format for my Crown of Midnight review. This is a play-by-play of my reactions as I read the book – yes, I kept very detailed notes, down to the page number! I probably could have finished it a lot faster without...but I just couldn't stop. I also took a lot MORE of these notes in the last half of the book than the first, hehe. It probably goes without saying, but, um...**SPOILER ALERT!!! For ToG, Books 1 & 2***Beginning: Well, hopefully a few people will have become actual adults this time...(you can see my rather unimpressed review of Throne of Glass here)6 – Ewwwww...glad to see Celaena hasn't lost her love of the dramatic, I guess?15 – “Plans” seem a little overrated.25 – Why is Chaol still so worried about the king? The king is evil. Chaol is not. I don't understand this loyalty.29 – I don't like this Roland person.31 – WHY SO MANY CLOTHES AND SHOES?!? I don't understand.36 –Unlike Celaena's [bookshelf], which housed every title she got her hands on, whether she liked the book or not.THERE'S my girl.43 – I want a necklace that glows when danger is near, damn it.74 – And now I miss MY best friend, damn it. Nehemia is the best.89 – Chaol, you overprotective ASS...you better watch yourself.91 – Ugh. I've never been comfortable with the idea of courtiers/courtesans, male or female (not in this context, anyway). I get that sometimes it's a lifestyle choice, but in this case it's pure slavery and...UGH.92 – I'm a little disturbed that so far the only same sex relationships in this series are portrayed as a taboo thing, something to hide and keep behind closed doors. I get that maybe that's how Adarlan's society IS, buuuuut...it seems like it never occurs to anyone, even our heroine, to look at it differently.111 – Aaaaahhh secret passageways and tunnels!! Or rather, more of them.138 – Phew. There for a minute I thought we were headed for a love SQUARE. At least now we're back to love triangle that IS NOT a triangle, according to Dorian. Just keep believing that there, little buddy.192 – Ok. I love Chaol, as much as he's flawed and torn by his idea of loyalty. And I feel like my heart is going to be broken by it somewhere along the line...223 – Now there's the assassin I've been waiting to see!229 – WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING OMG NO NO NO NO.230 – THIS IS ALL WRONG. SO WRONG. WHAT EVEN.241 –Death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.246 – I'm so sad I don't even know if I can keep reading this.(puts book down for about a day)267 –Then Celaena and the King of Adarlan smiled at each other, and it was the most terrifying thing Dorian had ever seen.Yikes.291 – I love how everyone gets upset and distraught and...runs to the library for their happy place.294 – Are you kidding me, Chaol?? You're STILL having twinges of conscience about this bloody tyrant of a king? Or is it Dorian you're actually worried about? Because that's slightly more acceptable even if it doesn't make you any less stupid.296 – Ooooh is the battle hungry rebel guard a woman?297 – LOL JK300 –“Then you will always have a place here.”Oh, god, Dorian. Come on now.309 – Well, that doesn't reek of LotR AT ALL.313 – OH MY GOD CHAOL. Just because she'll never trust you again doesn't make her a threat to one of her best friends.328 – Hold on – does it occur to anyone that she's going to have to walk/climb/run back up ALL THOSE STAIRS? That's a lot of freakin' stairs...339 – Haha. Ok well, glad someone addressed that problem.357 –The world didn't need an assassin with a coward's heart. It needed someone like Nehemia.366 – Archer =373 – Yes, yes beg ALL the gods that will listen.374 – NOT FLEETFOOT!!! 378 – Okay, any man that will risk his life to save her dog...379 – Well I knew SOMETHING was coming I just didn't expect THAT SOMETHING.Am I the only one that was just...not expecting that AT ALL??389 – That's right, call her a good woman. Probably not the best thing you could have said right there.393 - WAIT WHAT?!?!? SHE KNEW ALL ALONG?????? WTF?!?398 – “Her” kind, clever prince? WHA?405 –“Knowing the truth, whatever it may be, will not change what you must do tomorrow – where you must go.”Why have I not seen THIS quote on a t-shirt?408 –Never forgive, never forget.Yeah, ok. So. That was one big puddle of feelings and some confusion. I have many mixed...thoughts. I felt this one was much better written than the first (thank you, SJM, for sparing us the many repeated descriptions of just.how.beautiful. Celaena is), and it was overall much more interesting. We learned a lot more about the world, about Celaena's background (OBviously), as well as Chaol's, and some new, very interesting characters were introduced (Baba Yellowlegs?? I was so disappointed that she had such a brief part).I'm so bummed that Nehemia died. And in such a truly SENSELESS way. Actually, bummed doesn't even begin to describe it. The book itself even states that it was a catalyst, an instigator, that she sacrificed herself in order to goad Celaena into action...WTF?!? That is so wrong and sad on so many levels. I'm extremely disappointed in that aspect. I've seen a few different bloggers talk about how in some very popular books, POC are used as plot devices...and I'm guessing that this is one of the chief offenders. No matter how much of an amazing character Nehemia was, the fact is that her death was used as a tool is just beyond sad.The ending was awesome, though. I love that Celaena is strong enough to say goodbye, even when she knows it is probably goodbye forever, or at least goodbye to the happiness she had. I still love Chaol even if he's a complete dunderhead, and I have hopes that he will come around. He doesn't seem to be an ENTIRELY lost cause. And Dorian...I can't even begin to figure out what's going on with Dorian. He's such an utterly nice person, and it kind of makes him boring but I want him to be happy. Oh, and whatever happened to Roland?? Like he was there, and vaguely creepy and unsettling and then he was just...nothing. So confused.This is such a popular series I'm sure most people who read my blog have read it, so (WITHOUT spoiling the next books, please!), tell me what you think! I'd love to talk about it some more.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+
4.5 Stars
This review contains spoilers for books two through six in the series! You have been warned!
Random Shit I Wrote Down In My Notes While Re-Reading Crown Of Midnight Because I Have Limited Internet Access Right Now:
• This is my least favorite book in the series imho so I hope this goes quick so uh that was a fucking lie
• Could totally do without the over-descriptions of the body parts thanks x
• I genuinely think I hate Chaolaena more than Dorlaena
• There's no way every woman at the palace is simping for bland ass Chaol lmaoo
• Poor Kaltain :/ I mean she kinda deserves it but I also feel kinda bad for her y'know
• Mort laughing at Celaena's fake name will always send me
• LYSANDRA MENTION LYSANDRA MENTION
• Ooh Chaol was gonna finish the job himself ooh so scary
• At least the writing in this book is better than the writing in Throne Of Glass
• Dorian bro “would Aelin have been my bride??” no she's Rowan's bride my guy
• AEDION MENTION AEDION MENTION
• NOOO NEHEMIA :((((( I knew it was coming but it still hurts all the same
Jaw dropping. Never in my life have I read a book with as many emotions, plot twists (which are not only completely blind to the audience and a masterpiece), and marvelous characters. Every page of this book reaches to your heart and gives a little tug somewhere.
4.25 Stars.
This book was great! Although, sometimes I wanted to scream at Celaena, you have to remember she is only 18 ish. I LOVE Chaol. I LOVE Dorian. I Hated the ending to the book. It always annoys me when books end on huge over the top cliff hangers(or TV shows). Like, I am going to read the next book, don't put me in MORE pain. At least in my case I was late to this party and I have the next book on my kindle :)
I didn't enjoy this installment to the Throne of Glass series as much as the first one. I don't know what it was about this one, but it didn't hold my attention as much. I think maybe because the story is so spread out and it feels slow right now. As if this book is still setting a stage for events that will happen.
I enjoyed this one even more the the first. The characters development was well done and interesting.
oof there is a LOT going on here. I still love Celaena and these characters but I admit I was reading with slightly less enthusiasm than the first one... it was a little draggy for the first half and then the last few chapters were like, EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
(BTW I cannot for the life of me keep these titles straight and every time I try to remember one it becomes a Mad Lib. Throne of... Midnight? Crown of... Darkness? Lady of... Glass? whatever)
anyway uh... yeah! it was still good! I'm on hold for the 3rd one!
Ever get tired of the saying, “Good things happen to those who wait”? Well, this book is an embodiment of that very saying. The ending of this book, oh my god, blew my mind to shreds.
Unbelievable stuff from Sarah J. Maas. A recommended read indeed!!
I am incoherent with how happy this book made me! This was the perfect follow up and it filled me with soooo much excitement for the whole series! If I write more it will end up as spoilery babble of fangirling, so I will stop there and just say, read this series! Do it! This one was even better than the first, which was wonderful.
MON DIEU.
Si je pouvais mettre 5,5 à ce bouquin je le ferais volontiers.
La fin m'a achevé. C'est pas comme si Sarah J. Maas nous a préparé... à ça. Non. Si j'étais méchante et rancunière, je dirais que sa forme de sadisme est réelle et je ne lui pardonnerai pas de ruiner la vie de ses lecteurs comme elle s'amuse tant bien que mal (et avec succès) à le faire.
Je n'aurais pas du compter sur ce bouquin pour m'éclaircir davantage sur le cas amoureux Celaena/Dorian/Chaol. Je suis tout aussi éparpillée que dans le premier, pour la simple et bonne raison que je les aime tous les deux. Cela dit, je crois que j'ai une petite préférence finalement pour Celaena et Dorian... je ne saurais même pas dire pourquoi.
Ce qui m'a absolument subjugué du début à la fin dans ce bouquin c'est la constante action de l'intrigue, du début à la fin. J'ai eu le souffle coupé durant la quasi totalité du livre. Mais vraiment.
On rit, on pleure, on s'émeut, on admire, on déteste, on s'inquiète, on soutient : en quelques mots, on se sent vivre au même compte et au même rythme que les personnages, à un rythme qui ne va qu'en s'accélérant.
Bref, Crown of Midnight est sincèrement l'un des meilleurs livres que j'ai lu depuis longtemps.
Was better than the first one. I actually enjoyed reading this and can't wait to read the next one even though I know it'll be another emotional rollercoaster
This book filled my heart with so much joy I thought it would explode, and then it tore my heart in half and flung the pieces everywhere. So good.
*First read: October 21,2013
I thought that nothing could get better than the first book in this series but I was wrong! This book is even better than the first (which is quite hard to believe!)
AHHH! Calaena and Chaol!!!!! OMG!!!
I don't know how I'll survive until the next book!
Crown of Midnight pretty much picked up where we left in Throne of Glass. Personally, I think the series is getting better and better with each chapter and book. The second book was full of twists and turns. You didn't know who to trust and who was an enemy. It was constantly changing and I loved every minute of it.
We start off with the King's Champion herself. Celaena has just won the competition and she is awaiting the King's orders to sign her contract. While this has been going on, she has been taking the names that the King has been giving her and killing the suspects that he wants gone. The is obviously part of her job and it is her job to not question the King on what people he wants to have eliminated. Although, she has been going behind the King's back and giving the suspects a chance to flee. When this happens, she finds a dead body and presents it to the King. This is on the behalf of Queen Elena herself. She has a task for Celeaea which involves going against the King's orders.
Even in the beginning, you can feel the attraction and connection between Celaena and Chaol. He makes sure to check up on her after her missions and goes with her to dinner. They even hang out with each other after dinner and read silently. Their friendship and “romance” (that they don't really know about) is growing with each day. I really enjoyed reading about their friendship. Celaena really needed someone to be there through the bad and the good. Chaol will take no crap from her and her actions. Unlike Dorian. I always thought he would just follow her around like a dog.
As the story progresses, we learn more about the kingdoms past and the wrongs that have happened. Celaena is tasked by the king to kill someone she knew when she was growing up; Archer. Archer is someone that she knew when she was younger and watched her become an assassin. She is tasked to kill him but she decides to find out any information she can from him about the organization the King does not approve of.
We learn a lot in the second book when it comes to everyones past. There are new stories to be told and secrets that come out but there are still some mysteries that need to be solved. We deal with a battle that is physical but also spiritually and mentally draining. There are hardships between Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian. Celaena's past is coming up more and more often. Sooner or later she will be found out. But by whom? She gives a hint to someone only she trusts. Chaol.
Overall, the second book was wonderful. I hated having to put it down when I needed to but I was able to finish it quickly in one afternoon. It was full of new adventures, love, and even some answers. The ending will leave you wanting more and making you curse for not realizing it yourself!
I would recommend picking up the second one if you have finished Throne of Glass because it is full of a new adventure between the characters. Each character grows and discovers new things about themselves. You will experience all of the emotions that they have to undergo.
WOW!!! That was epic. I need more!
For whatever reason, I did not see the end coming. And now I just want to learn more about what Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian are going to do. This book definitely set up the journey that Celaena will be undertaking and what is in store for everyone else.
This book could also have went by the title ‘The Secrets, Lies and Stupidity of Celaena Sardothien, Chaol Westfall, Prince Dorian and Princess Nehemia'.
I hate secrets. Especially secrets kept for no good reason. Secrets - if used badly - are little more than plot devices. At best, they fester and then when the truth comes out it's like this big chasm has been ripped. Now, it can be used well, I don't doubt, but in this book... The secrets were stupid, as a whole, and they were being kept from people that were, at-the-least, friends As much as I adored these people, each of the main characters had at least one secret. Most of them were things that just needed to be said. Just, out with it.
When I started to realize that there were all these secrets being kept from people that could help and by people that really should know better and after reading this line in the jacket flap ‘Then, one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy' I was envisioning a knockdown, drag-out fight. Or at least an argument. There wasn't. In fact, it was only one secret that lead to this ‘tragedy'. A tragedy that, yes, was horrible, but that I saw coming ever since I realized that this secret wasn't going to be told. Besides the fact that it was narrated with such a lack of emotion that I really couldn't feel anything besides some distant pain.
Celaena still occasionally showed signs of being the awesome, kickbutt chick from Throne. However, besides the constant lies and secrets, she also refused to do a thing that would put her little bubble in danger. It's like everyone else can die, just as long as she and her ‘friends' are safe. I can understand it, but I believe there's not much Celaena could have done to make me dislike her more. At one point, toward the very end of the book, Celaena thought something like ‘doesn't he realize the trap he's put me in' and at that point I actually cursed Celaena out because no, no he doesn't because she's never told anyone anything. She keeps a minimum of four secrets throughout the book and that one that put her in the trap - yeah, it's still kept by the end of the book. She had not one but two reveals about her ‘past'. Okay, I saw the first one coming, but it was still totally awesome. I figured out the second one moments before Chaol did and I was left going ‘how generic'. In retrospect, I should have seen it coming from a quarter of the way through the book.
As for Chaol, as much as I adored him in the first book, he ticked me off in this one. I still inherently like him (Chaol, Fleetfoot, portal, anyone?) but his ‘secret' falls more into the stupidity portion of my makeshift title. In fact, Chaol throughout most of this book acted rather...well, stupid. After the way he behaved in the first book, I expected something more than ‘yes, my lord' and supreme obedience. And his near obsession with Celaena was baffling to say the least. If some guy treated me the way that Celaena treated him, I would have stayed far, far away.
I will admit, some of the secrets (specifically Dorian's, but also, to a much lesser extent, Nehemia's) were kept for a good reason. Nehemia's secret was understandable, but she should have told her supposed ‘friend' Celaena early on. Of course, I wouldn't have told Celaena the sky was blue considering the way she was acting in this book... Princess Nehemia is such a prize. She's exactly what a princess should be. And, believe me, as a girl that watches way too much anime, I have seen some truly great princesses. But this girl just takes the cake. She's smart and brave and determined and so incredibly gutsy. She knows what she wants to do for her kingdom as well as how to go about it. I honestly think that this girl isn't afraid of anything.
Dorian's secret was one that I could totally understand him not telling anyone - especially because it had been kept from him until this book and he was barely coming to terms with it. Dorian's actually the one that impressed me the most this time around. To me, in the first book, Dorian was a coward. He never stood up to his father, just sitting over there like a good little heir. Never making waves or making daddy upset. In this sequel though... he stood up - figuratively and literally - and I really like him for that. It felt like he was finally trying to get out from under his father's thumb. Maybe he didn't make the best decisions, but I have to give him respect for trying.
You know, even after everything they had been through, towards the end of the book, when Dorian was admitting the truth to Celaena - she was still lying through her teeth and right to his face. For this book I was all set to say something like ‘I can understand why Chaol and Dorian like Celaena so much'. Seriously, before this book, I had a crush on her myself. Now, I know Dorian can do better and I have a bit of a suspicion that Chaol can as well.
If the secrets had been cut out, there would have been no plotpoints. Seriously. Every large event in this book - as well as several of the smaller ones - were brought about because of a secret someone - usually Celaena - kept. In fact, the whole setup for book three is based on something that wouldn't have happened if Celaena would have actually talked to these people.
This was not a fun book. It was depressing. Nothing good happened - unless you think the romance was good, but the way that was handled, if you were there for the romance, you'd probably feel like your heart was being ripped out.
(Originally posted on my blog: http://pagesofstarlight.blogspot.com/)
