Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Publication Date: August 7, 2012

Source: ARC from ALA

Rating: I really liked it

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.

 

The Skinny: A fantastic addition to YA literature

Throne of Glass is the type of book that reminds me why I love to read. The sheer pleasure and joy of escaping into another land and acting out in ways that are impossible in my daily life are the reasons why I love to read. This book made me want to get up and punch something and learn how to do a roundhouse kick. I was so full of raw energy after finishing the story that I felt the need to do something incredibly cool and amazing. I settled for writing this review and watching the Olympics Taekwondo match.

Celaena is an incredibly strong-willed and confident character, and I enjoyed meeting her. She is smart, loyal, and mature, and I immediately connected with her and understood her choices. She is such a well-written character that I felt myself rushing to finish the story so that I could discover what happens. What a horrible problem! Conflicting feelings about wanting to savor every word while battling the need to learn more. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a story and a character.

Sarah is a fantastic writer and the world she created is rich and complex. The characters are multilayered and attractive. The love triangle is handled so well that I did not feel the usual pangs of frustration. In fact, I actually enjoyed this love triangle and looked forward to its development. I am so desperate to read more about this world. I recently discovered that Sarah wrote several novellas that take place prior to the events in Throne of Glass. If you are trying to decide what to read next, then you have definitely discovered it. Throne of Glass is everything that I have ever wanted in a book: great writing, great characters, and a great story.

She is attending the OC Children’s Book Festival next month! I am so excited to get my book signed.
 http://kidsbookfestival.com/authors
YAY