Throne of Glass

This was a very enjoyable book. It was a very fluid and smooth read that made me want to just read one more chapter (then one more, etc).
The heroine was a refreshing balance of strength and femininity. The love interests were both very well balanced and intriguing.
I have already started on the 2nd book.

This is the worst book ever, i tried to finish it, reached page 200 and i gave up.
I got bored reading it, there's absolutely nothing going on, total nonsense.
Aughhh i thought it's gonna be good so I started 2016 Reading it

Completely destroyed all doubts I had about this book.

This book was “recommended” by Goodreads, but honestly, it was straight up terrible. I had to stop at page 26. The reader is constantly told how beautiful and talented the main character is, as well as how handsome everyone else is. In the very first paragraph, the main character is “Adarlan's most notorious assassin.” On the second page: “It was true that she had been attractive once, beautiful even, but – well, it didn't matter now, did it?” A little later, “She was important enough to warrant an execution from the Captain of the Royal Guard himself.” (Thanks for letting me know!)And, “She looked at her rags and stained skin, and she couldn't suppress the twinge of shame. What a miserable state for a girl of former beauty!” (Truly a tragedy!)And others are described thusly: “Yet there was something in his eyes, strikingly blue – the color of the waters of the southern countries – and the way they contrasted with his raven-black hair that made her pause. He was achingly handsome, and couldn't have been older than twenty. ‘Princes are not supposed to be handsome! They're sniveling, stupid, repulsive creatures. This one... this... How unfair of him to be royal and beautiful.'” (How unfair indeed!)That's only up to page 8. Nope, Nope, Nope. Edit: Almost forgot to add books that are actually worth reading. If you liked the idea of this book, read either [b: The Blue Sword 407813 The Blue Sword (Damar, #2) Robin McKinley https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1286927812s/407813.jpg 2321296] or [b: The Hero and the Crown 77366 The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #1) Robin McKinley https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386642407s/77366.jpg 2321243]

4.5*

What to say? My expectations were quite high, but it worth it. The book was awesome. I was afraid, because before, Throne of Glass was compared to Hunger Games (which I haven't read yet). I saw Hunger Games as film and I have to say, that this is really something different... and I loved it! The characters were likeable, especially love triangle Celeana, Dorian and Chaol. But I can't wait for the second book, because I think that there is much more in Nehemia or The King and I think they will make some storm in Erilea soon... :)

I really enjoyed the story line and the characters. The dialog was poor and romance painfully sappy and shallow.

3.5/3.75 stars.

RTC

I really enjoyed this one and definitely plan to read the rest of the quartet. The main characters are terrific and they develop wonderfully over the story. The world isn't too different from our ancient past but it is well crafted. This book does take a few chapters to really get going, so I would be patient with it. But it was well worth the read. A good, light fantasy read.
Can't wait for the next one!

One of my good friends recommended this book to me saying she loved it, so I went into this with high expectations. This book was not good at all. The main character is this whiny, vapid teenager who is supposedly this amazing, renowned assassin but throughout the book that was barely apparent. She cared more about her pretty dresses and choosing between the two boys in her life. The characterization is terrible – there was barely any information about Chaol, he was just kind of there throughout the story and all of a sudden he becomes a love interest. This book was a waste of my time, and I do not recommend this to anyone who wants to actually read something good and entertaining.

Celaena is an assassin imprisoned in the salt mines for her crimes. After a year she's approached by the Crown Prince with an opportunity to win back her freedom. Compete with 24 others for the chance to become the King's official Champion and thereby earn a 4 year contract leading to her complete freedom upon completion. Along the way, emotional walls are broken down, misconceptions, etc. But there's a problem: people are dying. Contestants, to be specific. Only Celaena can stop the grisly deaths, but can she to that AND win the competition?

It was enjoyable, though I found that I'm in a different headspace while reading. The whole “exceptional youths” thing is wearing on me a bit, so I can tell I'm in a more realistic-fiction/non-fiction mood. It was entertaining, enough that I'm interested in continuing the series, but probably not until I've had a good palate cleanser first.

First read: October 15,2013
Loved this so much!!! If I could give it more stars I would!
If you love high fantasy books you HAVE to check this series out!
I don't even know what to say it was just soooo good!

Well what can I say... this book was not good...

I gave it one extra star for the cover.

The characters are unconvincing in a very fundamental way, the plot is unbelievable, and the protagonist leaves one ultimately confused by her muddled portrayal of a “World Class Assassin”. (At one point one member of the love-triangle [or square? I was never quite sure] asked the land's most deadly assassin if she was okay after having SEEN a dead body... and neither of the characters recognized how empirically stupid that was...)

So no, don't read this book... I know, I can hear you... that cover is really cool... but trust me...

This was, to say the least, incredible.
There were so many plot twists and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I could barely put it down- my friends can attest to that- and I can't wait to start the next one. In fact, I already have.

All of the characters were wonderful. Whether it was the more villainous Kaltain, or the kid and rebellious Nehemiah, I found myself loving them all. I'd recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoyed books such as The Hunger Games.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas was a really fun and interesting fantasy to read. It has so much potential to be an amazing series and I cannot wait to dive into the other books that are already out at the moment! I loved the first one about 200 pages in and decided to buy all of the other books.

Throne of Glass follows this kick-ass assassin named Celaena Sardothien who is currently a slave in a salt mine. One day she is taken away from her duties and brought to the Crowned Prince. He gives her a proposition to be set free in four years if she will become the King's Champion. This means that she will be his personal assassin for four years doing whatever he wants her to kill. She takes this deal but she will have to fight other contenders to become his champion.

Celaena has to deal with a lot of obstacles while she is at the King's palace. She is being watched by the Guard Captain and trained also. His name is Charol. I really enjoyed his character because he felt real and would understand Celaena. The other love interest is obviously the Crown Prince himself. There is sort of this love triangle of forbidden attraction because they all shouldn't like each other. The two boys obvious like Celaena over time but she has mixed feelings for both. I didn't really expect there to be a love interest in this fantasy story because I assumed it would focus more on the competition and mystery itself, but it was a nice touch.

I really enjoyed this book and Sarah J Maas' writing is really spectacular. I got really into each characters story. The writing is in third person though and I got confused at times who was talking because at some points they just switch over right after each other. That is no big deal though. I just needed to pay attention more.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I think it has a lot of potential. I am starting Crown of Midnight right now and am already enjoying Celaena journey again. I think any fantasy lover would enjoy this series but it has enough of everything for any type of person to enjoy it.. not just because it has Prince's and Kings makes it a full on fantasy. There is love, mystery, and hardship in this story.

I expected so much more out of this book. The plot was predictable and the characters were just bad. I have never before met an assassin who has an obsession for....clothes shopping? Seriously? And how does she have an issue with being a murderer when she's an ASSASSIN. Does she not kill people? I'm confused. Maybe I am just too used to assassins who are bad-ass and well...kill people and prefer knives and swords over pretty pink clothes. Magic was trickled into this story with too little back story. We were introduced to the fae, I think, and were told of Calaena having some sort of power, but we never see or hear of it again. I thought this book would predominately focus on her training and tests, but instead these more interesting parts were glossed over for a weak love triangle that made me want to gag, cliche after cliche. Not a series I will continue.

Amazing!!! Celaena is such a strong female character. Loved her attitude and strength. Chaol was also an interesting character.

I really enjoyed the different perspectives we go throughout the book. Whether it was Celaena, Chaol, Dorian, Neehemia, or Kaltain's perspective. Cannot wait to read the next book.

Visit my blog for more reviews. Pages of Starlight

Oh, how embarrassing. I actually like this book. clears throat Okay, let's try that again. All the while wondering why it's so difficult to write a review of a book I like.

I didn't think I'd like this book. Heaven help me, I didn't think I'd like this book. I thought I'd buy it and if it was mildly entertaining and diverting, it would be time well spent. And I've got a bit of a thing for assassins, be they male or female - especially those assassins that are starting to thaw a little. There's just something about those type of characters that make me go all mushy. So, the main character being an assassin immediately caught my attention.

Celaena Sardothien did not disappoint at all. I mean, seriously, I first met this girl and she's prickly, she's arrogant and abrasive and so incredibly full of herself. Then I read another few pages and fell absolutely in love with this mouthy ‘former' assassin. Celaena is so different than all the other lead females I've read about in fantasy stories. This here is a girl that's tough - and she knows it. Will probably rub your face in it. She stands up for herself but if she's ever put into a position that she cannot (IE: if she did, she'd be executed) she stands there, seething. More than once, the thought of killing someone just to get them out of her hair crossed her mind.

I just don't think I can describe to you how much I love this girl. I don't often feel this strongly towards the main character if it's a female in stories (though I almost always like them more than the leading male) but Celaena is just so incredible and amazing and I now really need to quit gushing about her and talk about the other characters. Like, you know, the guys.

Right... The guys.

Dorian, Crown Prince... I really got a kick out of this guy. Him and Celaena had some great back and forth joking going on. He was a fun character for the most part, but I had a hard time with one aspect of his character. You see, Dorian was a bit of a flirt. I don't mind guys with that personality trait, in fact I usually quite like them - this time being no exception. However, for a character like this to work for me as a love interest, I need to feel that he views her differently than he does all the other girls - and I never really reached that point between him and Celaena. I do look forward to Dorian growing as a character in later books of the series, because there was this one personality trait he has that I am less than enamored with.

Chaol, the Captain of the Guard. I really loved watching him and Celaena forming a friendship and relating to each other throughout the story. I will admit, I was interested in him from quite early on in the story due to the way he reacted and behaved about certain things. I think he was supposed to be the more serious of the two guys, but I laughed as much at his conversations with Celaena as I did Dorian's. There was something about him that gave him this boyish charm. I will admit, there were several instances toward the end of this book that Chaol just really, really impressed me. I mean, the way he was acting, he was actually starting to give Celaena a bit of competition for my favorite character.

I do feel that special mention must be made of Nehemia, a young princess from another land. This girl was amazing. Though she doesn't play a particularly large and important role in the book, she absolutely does have her moments (like towards the end...). And she becomes a close friend to Celaena. One thing Ms. Maas seems to know how to do exceedingly well is make strong, likable females.

The plot was quite cool. Having it slowly develop instead of everything slamming into you all at once was great. I know this story was inspired by Cinderella and, if you know that story, you'll be able to see a few instances of this inspiration. However, this story went off in it's own direction right from the start (and as someone that really didn't want to read about ‘Prince Charming' or evil stepsisters at that time) I thought that was great.

While there were a few slow moments in the book - as in, not much fighting (yes, it is that type of book) - the down time was used wonderfully to develop the characters.

I honestly cannot wait to read of Crown of Midnight because if it's close to as good as this book is, this series will be up on my shelf as one of my two favorite fantasy series, ever.

So, full disclosure: Once Upon a Time, I read the original Throne of Glass on Fictionpress. All the cool (and even the not cool kids!) were doing it! I'd wait for updates and eagerly phone a friend who also read, and we would eagerly discuss the newest developments and debate the pros and cons of love interests. She was Team proto-Dorian, and I was Team proto-Chaol but figured she'd probably end up with Dorian.

Even if I had not known Queen of Glass, however, I think there is no way that I would have been surprised to learn that this was a fictionpress original. Mostly because it has pretty much all the greatest hits of Fictionpress Fantasy Cliche. Throne of Glass ft. Corset Hate* (I'd Much Rather Wear Pants), Evil Tyrant Who is Evil, Heroine with Unusual Eyes, I'm Not Like the Rest of These Airheaded Twits (The Casual Misogyny Song), and In Your Dreams (Destiny Is Bossing You Around).

Okay, here's the thing about Calaena. I like her-she's flawed in unusual and interesting ways. I like that she's vain because I'm tired of plain heroines who complain about being plain and beautiful heroines who are convinced they are plain and beautiful heroines who act like it's a curse. You go, girl. Make it work for you. She's fiercely proud. Now, these would be great if the book would just let them stand on their own instead of beating you over the head with them with oh she's stunning, oh she's so talented. Worse, it does this without usually not by showing but explicitly telling. Yawn.

So like I said I like Calaena, but I could have liked her a whole lot more. The major problem is that I find it hard to root for her and hold my breath in suspense because her flaws and faults have so little weight. Sure, they pop up all the time, but it's easily brushed away either by the narrative or by other characters. Go to the ball that you're not supposed–a few cross words and then all is forgiven. There's never a lack of surety to her or the narrative. It never seems like a struggle. Sure, in most narratives it's a fairly safe bet that the protag is going to succeed, but still watching them snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat is exhilarating! There is none of that as Calaena sails through test after test.

Even more annoying during possibly the only tense moment, the day is saved not by our heroine or cleverness from one of our heroes but rather by a rather deus ex machina apperance.

There's also a strange discrepancy between her history and some of personality traits. Like, okay, she's been trained to be an assassin since she was eight, but despite this, she's pretty street dumb. Yeah, you eat that candy that randomly showed up in your bed despite the fact that you know an ancient evil is lurking somewhere in the palace and killing your competitors. Despite there being an explicit discussion of there being no honor among assassins, trust pretty much every random person who offers you assistance.

There's also some minor continuity issues. For example, Calaena complains that Chaol never laughs and jokes with her like Dorian does even though there are literally a dozen scenes of them doing just that.

There's some sloppy editing. Maas has a weird penchant for adding comma, and there is an appalling amount of sentences that start with And.

Mostly, the thing I find most distressing is that Throne of Glass is distressing shallow compared to the Fictionpress Queen of Glass. Really! I don't know if Throne of Glass was dumbed down for the YA market, but it really lost a lot of the things that made it great, leaving you with a shallow, fluffy read that isn't even fun to read.

A tepid two and a half stars out of five

So far so good. I enjoy the main character's hard ass attitude, which is spunky but realistic and in keeping with her life experiences. At 100 pages in things are kind of settling into a rhythm that I hope doesn't keep up until the end - sleep/eat/train/compete.

Im intrigued by some of the minor characters that they've introduced. The world building is good, but there isnt enough of it - the authors use of imagery is excellent and I hope we get to see more than just the castle.
The history of the country is mentioned briefly, but never fully explained, Im a little confused about the layout of the country/timeline of events, I wish there was 1) a map, and 2) a preface with details about the current king's invasion. I suppose we'll learn more as we go?

They've glossed over the training crap, and focused more on the mystery aspect. The romance between the main character and the prince is irritating, I like the captain more. Also love the Nahima character, would love to see her fathers kingdom - the desert. Wish there were more small details about what the characters look like, how they act.

Theres some kind of mystery about her parents thats intriguing, and her connection to the fae queen's ghost that Im sure will feature in the next book. The magic system shown is also interesting.

Good climax, and enough of an ending to wrap things up nicely. Looking forward to the next book.

Where do I start? Throne of Glass is such a stunning whole package that I'm not even entirely certain how to put my feelings into words. Does “omg-that-was-so-amazing-swoon” count as a coherent statement? Didn't think so. Suffice it to say that this is one of my absolute favorite books of the year, and probably of forever! Let the fangirlish rambling ensue.

First off, I absolutely adored Celaena. It's completely fair to say that she makes the book. She is the epitome of everything that I love in my female characters! Raised as an assassin, and condemned to the salt mines, it's more than accurate to say that Celaena is a bit rough around the edges. She's strong, cunning, and as charismatic as they come. Gorgeous, and yet completely capable of killing you in an instant. However underneath her gorgeous, yet rough, exterior beats the heart of a loving person. Celaena has a soul, and it makes her that much easier to love.

If it wasn't enough that I was enamored with the main character, my love for Throne of Glass was cemented when I met the rest of the characters who surround her. From a feisty young warrior princess, to a love struck Captain who tries to play gruff, right down to the spoiled Prince. Every single one of Sarah J. Maas' characters are expertly written. They have vivid and unique personalities. It's like you can see them moving around on the page. This is what I want when I read! Characters to believe in. Characters who keep me coming back.

Setting this book on maximum overload, and thus fully earning my full five star rating, is the gorgeous world that Maas builds for her characters. Her descriptive writing is spot on and never overdone. Sweeping plains, desolate mines where workers go to die, and castles made of glass that stretch to the heavens. Reading Throne of Glass is like watching a movie. It all flows together into something more perfect than I have words for. It's all too much and, yet, just enough.

Let's get one thing straight. I love Fantasy. I love well-written characters. This book has both of those elements, and so much more. There is no doubt in my mind that Throne of Glass will be my favorite book of the year. Nor that I'll have a copy that I read incessantly until it falls apart. It's that good. Get this please, and for the love of everything bookish will someone please make a movie? If you are looking for a book that will taunt you, begging you to read just one more page, you need Throne of Glass.

Adarlan's Assassin was never supposed to be more than that. The Crown Prince saw her as an escape from the routine life of royalty, the Captain of the Guard saw her as nothing more than a killer for hire, and the King has nothing but a means to an end. Nobody expected her to be their savior, but that's exactly what she was.

After suffering through Endovier's torture of a jail, after being betrayed by someone she thought was the most loyal, Celaena Sardothien has to agree to win the fight to be the King of Adarlan's Champion. She knows she has what it takes to put up with four years of following the King's orders to get her freedom, but the challenges soon become nothing to worry about when Champion candidates start turning up mauled to death.

I liked the fact that Throne of Glass was told through third-person perspective as well as from multiple points of view because it gave this mythical yet medieval world more depth. The love triangle could be spotted a mile away in this book, but I do have to give it points for originality. However, with all the little hints made that Celaena came from Terrasen's royal family, I got the vibe that the Crown Prince and Celaena would do better as siblings than love interests. I was probably far off in that assumption but I can't really say that they go well together, romantically speaking. I guess this puts me in a more Team Captain Chaol than Team Prince Dorian. Chaol was more of a repressed character in this book and I would like to see him subtly get closer to Celaena, as well as both of them getting to know each other better.

As far as the writing goes, I had no problem with the flow of the novel, and have to say that the descriptive portions with the creatures and otherworldly power was honestly spot on and thrilling. I know this has to do more with the plot than with the writing, but I liked that Ms. Maas was able to incoporate the gruesome scenes and Celaena's fighting scenes so flawlessly into the story line. The true problem that I had with the plot was that there were so many hints and clues that there was more going on with the kingdom, the castle, and its King, but there were very little answers. I understand that there's going to be more installments but I would have appreciated a more concrete standing in this world that these amazingly dynamic characters live in.Overall I think it was a decent start to a series with a haunted assassin with too many demons and only freedom in mind. Though there were too many questions about her past that were not addressed in this installment and perhaps a bit too many secret plots, there's hope for Celaena and her mismatched crew that consists of a besotted Crown Prince, a no-nonsense foreign Princess, and the hardy Captain of the King's Guard.

Also, for those who really liked this book I would highly recommend reading Maria V. Snyder's works, especially Poison Study, the first in the Study series.

C+