Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness. 

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught. 

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?



My Rating: 4.6/5
Genre: High Fantasy, Adventure, Young Adult, Romance




Hardcover, 404 pages 
Published August 2nd 2012 by Bloomsbury





MY REVIEW:



Gawd, I still can't believe that I just finished Throne of Glass. I wanted to read it for ages but it was out of stock, and now I did and not only that, but it left me dumbfounded. It was not faultless by far, but... It made up for all the disappointment I have received from YA High  Fantasy books lately. 

Before I review anything, I have to say this: This is a book you will either adore, or drop it mid-way. If there was one major fault I spotted, is the following: 
Pretend that the lifeworks of J.R.R Tolkien never existed, and you have no idea what a fantasy world could probably look like. Then, trust me, you would never understand what this world looks like. Although it is quite atmospheric, I had to put my marvelous fantasy at work several times in order to fill in the gaps. 
The story is in 3d person narrative, majorly from the viewpoints of the Assasin, the Prince, and the Captain of the Guard, a fact which I admired because each perspective was different and colored the storyline with a wide range of emotions. 
The plot and ending were decent and a bit predictable, and what I think is this books most strong, and at the same time, disastrous card, are the characters.  


The most challenging character is Celaena herself, because what most readers expect is this: 

On the contrary, what you will get for most of the book is described by the following:

Caelena is obsessed with pretty dresses, food, puppies (yes, puppies). She is all jumpy and flirty with handsome men, rude and annoying and if not all these haven't made you cringe, you will be able to enjoy this book.

What most people overlook though, is that this "pretty little thing" (as she is often described) has spent two years in a death camp, and as a child she was broken by merciless training in order to become the most famous assasin in Erilia. Under the false identity she has been given in order to participate in this competition, Celaena has the chance to meet the life she was supposed to have, and it is obvious that she will never have. She is starved for social contact, and she tries to cope with the same assets a child has. 

Then, towards the ending and at the midst of the final and lethal test she has to go through, BOOM! 

It's probably the only time you will meet what the book cover promised you. Because Caelena is a character whose energy and actions are fueled by her own anger and pain, and although she might be trying to fit in a noble role, she secretly enjoys killing people. This is a fact that makes possible friends afraid of her, and condemns her in a loneliness that it's obvious she can't endure anymore. 

My point is that Caelena is a character with surprising depth, who has an endless love for life and freedom and this is the only form of love she seems able to comprehend. She is surely not the smartest girl on the block, but she is cunning and always longs for a strong adrenaline rush. When she kills she has a thing for histrionics, being a tad too theatrical - but I have to say I adored that fact. She is simply one of the best female characters I have met. 
I have to say that in general, all female characters in this story are notable for their strength of character (except for the queen who is purposefully dumb). 


And now, ladies and gentlemen, the love triangle. 

The word love does not fit in at all in this sentence, and that is because two of the three people in this misshapen condition are not in love. These are Celaena and Dorian.
There are hints that Celaena used to be in love with a boy who died, which in combine with her days in Endovier have left her broken. She is not in the condition to fall in love - yet - and so she doesn't. [SPOILER] This is probably why she stops her relationship with Dorian, which I found the wisest choice she ever made. I am sure that if she falls in love with somebody, it will be Chaol, and I certainly hope so because I find Dorian an immature charming dreamer, totally incompatible with her  [SPOILER]. Another warning to those of you who are possible readers of this book, is this: This is not the Edward-Jacob-Bella type of crap thing, no one swoons over the other and Sarah J. Maas is genious enough to spare us the "endless telltales of love" as I call all those "I am totally, irrevocably blah blah blah in love with him".  The characters voice their emotions through the way they observe things, and if you doubt me go read the Caelena-is-sleeping-Chaol-Dorian-are-watching scene, which is what made me want Chaol for Caelena. Simply put, go check the images above. Chaol is able to see both sides of the girl [SPOILER] a fact which at first repulses and charms him at the same time. In the end he comes to love her as a whole [SPOILER] whereas Dorian sees only the first, and pretends he doesn't see the second. Besides, who doesn't love the banter between her and Chaol?

I am currently in the beginning of book two, and I am very happy I came to read Throne Of Glass. To me, it is a story of acquired taste which will make you feel several emotions other stories can't. If you would like a melancholic fairy-tale for adults , READ IT NOW. If you are here for cheesy "heartbreaking" romance, then send it back to where you bought it from, you will be disappointed. 

NOTE: I have seen people comparing this book with Shadow and Bone, Poison Study, and Game of thrones. I have read all 3 books, and allow me to tell you that:

1. Shadow and Bone was one of the crappiest trilogies I have ever read, with only book 1 being somewhat enjoyable. Celaena Sardothien has been around for about twelve years in the author's website, and I wouldn't be surprised if Shadow and Bone is inspired by it. 

2. Poison Study is an equally good book with similarities in the plot, and the male interest is a total badass. I wouldn't recommend reading its sequels though. 

3. To be exact, I read somewhere that Throne of Glass is the teenage version of Game of Thrones. I am sure this is a marketing trick, because nothing compares to J.R.R Martin's writing, and certainly not Throne of Glass. In my opinion, Throne of Glass is a 5 star book for the YA standards and nothing more.