THRONE OF GLASS (THRONE OF GLASS #1) – SARAH J. MAAS
Then one of the contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. As she investigates, her search leads her to a greater destiny than she could have imagined.
Now, it is no secret that I, much like many others, absolutely adore Sarah J. Maas’ writing. Hell, I’d probably sell my soul to get my hands on her grocery lists or to even see her walking across the street. But this, it just took my breath away!
Having loved the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy I decided that it is about bloody time I start Throne of Glass . And I have got to say, it did not disappoint.
In this first instalment of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series, Celaena Sardothien, a legendary 18-year-old assassin, feared throughout the land as the most notorious of paid killers, is taken from her life of slavery and shoved into a competition of cunning and skill, a competition to win her freedom. Fighting as the Champion of Dorian Havilliard, crowned prince of Adarlan, against 23 champions drawn from an assembly of male thieves, assassins and smugglers from across the empire, each challenge takes her one step closer to freedom. But nothing is without a catch.
If Celaena wins she earns the title of King’s Champion and must serve as his assassin for four years, ruled by the man who caused her endless pain. If she loses, it will be to return to slavery, or to die. But when an obscure force begins to murder champions, to mutilate her competition, Celaena realises she must act, or risk becoming the newest victim.
I really just have to start off this review with Celaena. Not only is she one of the most well written and relatable YA characters ever but she is also an amazing representation of femininity that younger readers are not usually privy to. And there are two reasons why I think this.
The first is that she is a feisty heroine who could probably kill someone in under 10 seconds if she thought it was necessary but she also cares about clothes and looking fantastic. I am so tired of having female characters who are either ditsy bimbos who love clothes and are conscious of their looks or badass chicks with snappy attitudes who cringe at just the thought of wearing a dress or anything that makes them look even remotely feminine. I’m tired of being told that I have to be one or the other; pretty but stupid or awesome with not a trace of interest in looking good. I mean honestly, how many people could say to me that, on those nights that you go out and get all dressed up, you don’t feel amazing because you know you look amazing! It made me so happy that this is showing young women particularly, that they are strong in their own ways. Also, she didn’t look down on the ‘womanly’ tasks like cleaning or doing the laundry, it wasn’t considered weak or stupid to fulfil a woman’s duties. At last, a female that doesn’t need to completely reject all faucets of her femininity to be an remarkable, sturdy and influential lead!
The second thing I loved was that she didn’t wait for some guy to tell her how awesome she was. She knew she was attractive, knew she was strong enough to rip everyone to pieces and smart enough to never be caught. And, while it occasionally translated to pride or arrogance, she was never wrong. Normally, in any sort of YA book, a heroine lives out her life hating herself until the male lead arrives and helps her discover how beautiful, smart and useful she really is. This just fuels the idea that women rely on men, making readers feel they need a guy to tell them their worth before they can even believe that have any. But not Celaena. She walks around so empowered and it is beyond refreshing. She gives of this aura of ‘I am so awesome that I can kick your ass and look good while doing it, because this dress was such a good choice – you get it dirty and I can turn this table to firewood and burn you with it.’ At least that is the vibe I got.
Celaena Sardothien is the strong female character this world has been waiting for. Even her complaining makes so much sense to me and it wasn’t overdone. Seriously! I too wish to stay in bed all day and eat chocolate cake and stab people when they tick me off. Maas’ artistry and genius when it comes to creating characters is put on display within Celaena, the little things like her sloppy eating, the joy she feels when listening to music and her passion for shopping making her that much more real and human.
Now that I’ve spent a heap of time just fangirling about Celaena I should probably get on to the characters. So, Dorian and Chaol – in true Maas fashion, these besties are dreamers playing indifference. Dorian especially, dreams of a better world of equality where people can live freely without needing to hide who they are. But I do have to say, I am not entirely sure how I feel about Chaol. I know Dorian has absolute faith in him but he strikes me as a bit of a lackey, refusing to even have his opinions if they go against what he deems right.
The language is brilliant - providing rich details but never crossing the line into being too descriptive, the plot is riveting and the world building seamlessly paints an image of a world ravaged by tyranny. But it is the characters that make this book so astounding - I've never felt more in tune with a group of people from a fantasy world.
If you are sitting on the fence about reading this book, get off and read it. Whether you read ACOTAR and loved it, you read ACOTAR and hated it, or you’ve never read a Sarah J. Maas book in your life, check it out. The Throne of Glass series is one that I would recommend to any and all!
Rating: 5/5
To get your hands on this book, head to Amazon or Book Depository.
I really just have to start off this review with Celaena. Not only is she one of the most well written and relatable YA characters ever but she is also an amazing representation of femininity that younger readers are not usually privy to. And there are two reasons why I think this.
The first is that she is a feisty heroine who could probably kill someone in under 10 seconds if she thought it was necessary but she also cares about clothes and looking fantastic. I am so tired of having female characters who are either ditsy bimbos who love clothes and are conscious of their looks or badass chicks with snappy attitudes who cringe at just the thought of wearing a dress or anything that makes them look even remotely feminine. I’m tired of being told that I have to be one or the other; pretty but stupid or awesome with not a trace of interest in looking good. I mean honestly, how many people could say to me that, on those nights that you go out and get all dressed up, you don’t feel amazing because you know you look amazing! It made me so happy that this is showing young women particularly, that they are strong in their own ways. Also, she didn’t look down on the ‘womanly’ tasks like cleaning or doing the laundry, it wasn’t considered weak or stupid to fulfil a woman’s duties. At last, a female that doesn’t need to completely reject all faucets of her femininity to be an remarkable, sturdy and influential lead!
The second thing I loved was that she didn’t wait for some guy to tell her how awesome she was. She knew she was attractive, knew she was strong enough to rip everyone to pieces and smart enough to never be caught. And, while it occasionally translated to pride or arrogance, she was never wrong. Normally, in any sort of YA book, a heroine lives out her life hating herself until the male lead arrives and helps her discover how beautiful, smart and useful she really is. This just fuels the idea that women rely on men, making readers feel they need a guy to tell them their worth before they can even believe that have any. But not Celaena. She walks around so empowered and it is beyond refreshing. She gives of this aura of ‘I am so awesome that I can kick your ass and look good while doing it, because this dress was such a good choice – you get it dirty and I can turn this table to firewood and burn you with it.’ At least that is the vibe I got.
The unbearable urge to splatter someone against a wall lessened.
Celaena Sardothien is the strong female character this world has been waiting for. Even her complaining makes so much sense to me and it wasn’t overdone. Seriously! I too wish to stay in bed all day and eat chocolate cake and stab people when they tick me off. Maas’ artistry and genius when it comes to creating characters is put on display within Celaena, the little things like her sloppy eating, the joy she feels when listening to music and her passion for shopping making her that much more real and human.
Now that I’ve spent a heap of time just fangirling about Celaena I should probably get on to the characters. So, Dorian and Chaol – in true Maas fashion, these besties are dreamers playing indifference. Dorian especially, dreams of a better world of equality where people can live freely without needing to hide who they are. But I do have to say, I am not entirely sure how I feel about Chaol. I know Dorian has absolute faith in him but he strikes me as a bit of a lackey, refusing to even have his opinions if they go against what he deems right.
The language is brilliant - providing rich details but never crossing the line into being too descriptive, the plot is riveting and the world building seamlessly paints an image of a world ravaged by tyranny. But it is the characters that make this book so astounding - I've never felt more in tune with a group of people from a fantasy world.
If you are sitting on the fence about reading this book, get off and read it. Whether you read ACOTAR and loved it, you read ACOTAR and hated it, or you’ve never read a Sarah J. Maas book in your life, check it out. The Throne of Glass series is one that I would recommend to any and all!
Rating: 5/5
To get your hands on this book, head to Amazon or Book Depository.
Comments
Post a Comment