Monday, January 7, 2013

Review: Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas

Release date: August 2, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Paperback, 404 pages

Description from goodreads:
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?


I borrowed this one from a friend because I wanted to finally read it! I gave it back to her when we met the next day ^^' Great way to start off the year!
A note on the cover: It's perfect! I love the UK cover so much more than the US one. It's way badass, and it includes several small things that are important in the book, like her locket. Also: the back cover shows her from the back, but there she's wearing a ball gown, which makes sense once you've read the book.


Review:
I went into this book with some trepidation. When there was only the cover and no reviews yet, I thought this must be badass and totally awesome. Then the reviews came, and they were very mixed. They worried me. Some people found Celaena extremely arrogant, while others described her as sassy and a strong, kick-ass heroine.

After reading the book, I can see where both sides come from.
In the beginning, we meet Celaena as a slave in the salt mines of Endovier. She’s been in there for a year. The usual time of survival? A month. But Celaena was Adarlan’s best assassin at the age of only 16. She’s been trained by the king of assassins himself, and he didn't go easy on her. Still, life in the mines has scarred her, both physically and mentally, and that becomes clear once the story progresses. I grew to really like Celaena a lot and root for her, but it took a while. At the beginning, she really is as arrogant as everyone said. Full of her abilities. Full of her looks. However, over the course of the novel she grows as a character and changes for the better.

There’s another side to her: she’s lost it all. After a year in the mines, he body is skin and bones; she is no longer clothed in silks and jewels but in rags. She had everything, and she lost it all in one night. She cannot fully remember what happened, all that the reader knows is that she was betrayed by her own kind. Behind all her swagger, she is also vulnerable, and she tries her best not to be. She cannot afford mistakes if she is to survive what she’s been offered by Dorian, the crown prince of Adarlan: a chance to fight to be the king’s champion. If she beats her contestants, she will have to serve for four years. After that? Freedom. And Celaena’s desire for freedom, her joy at something as simple as sunlight on her skin and fresh clothes to wear, was among the parts that made me like her.

Another redeeming feature? Her thirst for knowledge. She’s not just some badass fighter, she also loves to read! I didn’t expect that. She is very angry at the king for outlawing magic in Adarlan, and for burning so many libraries and the thousands of years of knowledge and wisdom stored in them. She hates the very man she will have to serve if she wins, because he is responsible for the fall of her homeland and the death of her parents. She feels like a traitor. But she wants freedom no matter the cost. Once she arrives at the court of Adarlan and the first part with all the dresses etc. was over and her actual training for the fights began, I liked the whole book a lot better. Celaena can actually back up her big mouth, and I loved her in full assassin mode. She can be cruel, but she doesn’t necessarily like to be.

I feel like I’m rambling quite a bit here… the book just had a lot of layers and aspects, loads of backstory, and great world building! And it’s hard to talk about any one thing without including the others as they’re gradually revealed.
But let’s talk about guys for a bit… there’s a bit of a love triangle forming, and I can’t pick sides. On the one hand there’s Dorian: Prince, rich, pretty, desired by nearly every lady at court and aware of it. I didn’t expect to like him, but I did! I enjoyed his banter with Celaena and how they shared a passion for books. I didn’t expect him to be kind, to have vision for a different future for Adarlan than the one his father intended. I liked to see him and Celaena grow closer over time, yet thought it foolish.
Then there’s Chaol, captain of the guard. He’s Celaena’s mentor, he doesn’t take any of her bullshit. He trains her. He makes her go beyond her limits. He helps her regain her shape, try to reign in her temper and use her head. I really liked him too. He has the hardened edge of a fighter, but he’s still kind and caring. More realistic than Dorian, maybe a better fit? I’m not sure. All I can say is that I’m not usually a fan of love triangles, but I liked how it was done here. Oh, and of course I’m not going to tell how things pan out between the three of them ;)
I just have to mention a third boy, though he never was a love interest: Nox the thief! I really really liked him and the friendship he had with Celaena! I hope he makes an appearance in the sequel…

We meet many other characters in the book, some I loved, some I hated, but all more complex than they appear at first. There are quite a lot of subplots to the main one of Celaena having to beat the other candidates. There’s rebellion, slavery, friendship, jealousy, duty, betrayal, mystery, magic. The world building is fantastic, and I loved that there was a map at the beginning of the book! Places, dress, manner, customs… it was like mixture of medieval and Victorian. I liked that Celaena could be both a deadly weapon and a girl.

Oh, and another thing? There are so many YA books where there’s the heroine, and she’s fairly pretty and likeable, and any other female character is either a bitch or a non-threatening friend. Well, not here!! There’s princess Nehemia, and she’s just as strong and determined as Celaena! The two bond and I really loved their friendly relationship. They recognized each other as strong without making a rivalry out of it. Also, she’s a non-white person and I think she will play an important role in the sequel, so yay for some diversity! The issue of her ethnicity was dealt with well in the book, in my opinion.

So in the end, what’s my view of Throne of Glass? I enjoyed it a lot. It was complex, compelling, full of mystery and magic. Once some of the subplots are introduced, I was kept guessing. It was hard to put down. It had a heroine I eventually grew to like, root for and respect. It had two great love interests, amazing world building, and a nice mixture of blood and humor. I am definitely going to read the prequels (already read the first one) as well as impatiently waiting for the sequel, and I hope Sarah J. Maas will deliver! The set-up is in place, now let the big plot I’ve glimpsed come crashing down!

A few minor things: Celaena’s initial arrogance and the constant focus on her looks. I’m all for girls being confident in their bodies but I’m not sure this was the best way to handle the issue. Another point was that for a long time, we are simply told how awesome an assassin Celaena is or see her plotting stuff in her mind. I would have liked to actually see her in action sooner, but I understand that it would have been difficult to build a flashback like that into the book. I’m counting on the prequels.

Overall: a really enjoyable, hard to put down read with a unique world and great characters! I have so many theories I cannot talk about now and hope we’ll know a bit more about the sequel soon. Fans of High Fantasy, assassins, and kickass heroines will love this one! Those daunted by blood and action and more out for a fluffy romantic read with nice scenery and no political aspects should look elsewhere.

Have you read Throne of Glass? What was your take on it, and what do you think of my review? Sorry for making it so long >.< I just had so many thoughts...

27 comments:

  1. I loved Celaena because she was so flawed. All those things made her even more human in my eyes. And I agree about the love-triangle. I don't like them, but this one worked out fine *TEAM CHAOL*

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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    1. Yes, that's what I realized a couple chapters in: her arrogance wasn't a problem in the author's writing, it was a deliberate character flaw. And a protection mechanism too, I think. So paradoxically her arrogance also makes her likeable because she's not perfect. If that makes sense ^^'
      Thanks for taking the time to comment :)

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  2. Fabulous review! I loved this novel, despite Celaena's arrogance and the inclusion of a love triangle, and I cannot wait for the next book. I actually thought the love triangle was handled well, too, and though I liked Dorian's character, I am firmly on Team Chaol. :) Great review!

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    1. *sigh* I can rarely pick teams!! I guess I'm truly Swiss in that respect :P I believe in 'both - and' rather than 'either - or'. That being said, Chaol does have a way of growing on you over time in a hardly noticeable, slow way until you suddenly get this amazing glimpse at what an amazing person he is :)

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  3. Aaaaah I'm reading this right now and LOVING it! And I totally agree with you about the UK front cover - Celanea looks so fierce and determined, just like she should. Thanks for sharing your fabulous review, I loved comparing my thoughts with yours! And I agree that this was hard to put down - I stayed up half the night reading Throne of Glass!

    I'm also a very loyal Team Chaol member!

    By the way, I have 3 giveaways going on at my blog right now, just letting you know in case you'd like to check them out. :)

    Jessica x
    www.bookedupbloggers.blogspot.com

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    1. I also read long into the night when my eyes started hurting and drooping I was at the worst possible place to stop. But I did it anyway ^^'

      Chaol is getting a lot of love here! The friend I borrowed the book from is also rooting for him. From the reviews I read previously I expected to choose him over Dorian in a heartbeat but as I said, I liked Dorian better than I thought I would.
      If you review it, I'm curious to read what you thought :)

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  4. This has been on my TBR list for awhile and is slowly moving up after seeing it on so many top lists for 2012 -- I love your review in that it's honest and discusses some of the major things people like and dislike about the book! Thank you so much -- I still want to read this very much!

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    1. It really is worth reading! The world building is phenomenal. And thanks for complimenting my reviews style *blushes* I'm often insecure about my reviews being so long...

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  5. I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't read this book yet. *sigh* It does sound amazing! Lovely review! :]

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  6. Thanks for the review. I have been trying to check this book out in the library, but someone always gets to it first. I like the cover you have up there, it's different from the one I saw. I think it looks better!

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  7. cant't wait to read this book, thanks for the great review :)

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  8. i love this book !!
    i can't wait to read the sequel... :)

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  9. Thanks for your thoughts! I've had this one on my shelf for awhile and hope to read it soon! Looks like a lot of fun characters and a great setting!

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  10. Ah, I definitely want to read this one! It's been on my TBR list for a while, but now I think I need to move it up to the top :)

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  11. I've read a lot of mixed reviews for this and it really just seems like one of those books you have to read for yourself and see where you stand. I think it sounds amazing!

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  12. I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on this book which has put me on the fence. I really wanted to read this when I first saw the cover and synopsis. I think that after reading your review I will def give it a try. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. I thought this book was amazing too. In fact I'm offering it as my prize on my kick-butt hop. Thanks for a fun review.

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  14. Calaena is one of the best kick butt heroines ever! Loved this book and can't wait for Crown of Midnight. Your review is great, you summed it up perfectly.

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    1. She definitely knows how to kick butt! I loved reading the prequels :) Thank you for your kind words on my review!

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  15. I also loved that Calaena is a reader. I enjoyed so many aspects that you mentioned including the respectful, non- competitive relationship with princess Nehemia, and the well done love triangle! This is one of my favorites of 2012/2013. Great review!

    Sabrina @iheartyafiction

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    1. Thank you :) The female freindship was something that really stood out to me! I think it's quite common in middle grade books but not so much in YA anymore, which I think is a pity!

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  16. I totally understand the long review because having read many good books myself I know that after reading it emotions are raw and jumbled and takes a lot of time to get those things out of your system ! Having said that I haven't yet read this book but I will soon because in a few days its gonna show up on my doorstep (I won a huge Giveaway) ! Very excited to read this book!

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    1. Yay for winning giveaways! I hope you'll love Throne of Glass! You're getting it right in time for the sequel ;)

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  17. Great review! I'm halfway through the book and I'm already in love with Celaena. But maybe I'm biased cuz I love strong heroines. I do think she is a bit arrogant, but I think her arrogance will come back to bite her, (i.e., it is meant to be a flaw of hers).

    I'm already looking forward to read Crown of Midnight :)

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  18. I'm really eager to read this book despite the mixed reviews! Calaena sounds like the type of character I would love and I so badly want to read this book! Thanks for the review!

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  19. I really love fantasy books, but they're so intimidating. But this book felt really easy to get into which was nice:)

    Cleo Rogers (Bankruptcy Chicago)

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    1. I agree, I stayed away from fantasy for quite a while because a new world is always hard to wrap your head around, but here it worked really well :) Thanks for commenting!

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