After years of putting it off, I finally began reading the Throne of Glass series in January, and even though I finished the series months ago, I've been hooked ever since. It's one of my favourite fantasy series ever.
I've been trying to convince anyone that will listen to read the series, so I thought it was about time I worked my magic on you guys, too with some reviews, and photos of the gorgeous Bloomsbury hardbacks that were released earlier this year. Just look at how gorgeous the art is on these covers!
If you're not already familiar with Throne of Glass, it's a fantastic eight-book YA fantasy series that you're sure to love if you enjoy romantasy adventure books like ACOTAR, The Cruel Prince, and Fourth Wing. The main female character is a badass, deadly assassin with quick wit, a complicated past, and a big heart underneath her morally grey veneer. There are also gorgeous, ripped fae warriors, a hot prince with shadow powers and daddy issues, a brooding royal guard (also with daddy issues) driven by his love for his best friend, witches with iron nails and teeth, a flower-loving wyvern, shapeshifters, demons, giant eagles, ghosts, enchanted talking door-knockers, a loveable dog, and young kings and queens trying to find their place in a troubled world.
It might be a YA series, but the story and world-building are really well developed and most of the main characters go through so much character growth over the series. There are so many great characters to fall in love with (my faves are Aelin, Rowan, Elide and Lorcan) and a handful to hate with passion. (Arobynn, Maeve, and Vernon, for sure). There is an assassin trying to win a place as the king's champion, a lost queen trying to reclaim her kingdom and free magic, epic romances, heartwarming friendships, rivalries, torture, murder, tragedy, battles, and a war with demons all the characters will come together to fight
If that sounds like your cup of tea, let me introduce you to the start of your new book obsession.
I'm breaking this up in to two posts because I've gotten carried away with the word count again (can't help it- I love these books), and I'll be focusing on the first four books today- Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, and Queen of Shadows.
Throne of Glass
'What's the point in having a mind if you don't use it to make judgements?'
'What's the point in having a heart if you don't use it to spare others from the harsh judgements of your mind?'
Plot: Celaena Sardothien, a young and deadly assassin, is freed from slavery in the salt mines of Endovier by a prince and his guard, and taken to the glass castle to compete to be the king's champion. Celaena must go up against 23 dangerous male criminals in a series of trials where desperation for freedom, and no rules means anything's possible- even murder. Determined to win back her freedom, she trains daily with Chaol, the moody captain, who refuses to see her as anything but a criminal; catches the eye of handsome Dorian, the cocky but charming young prince; and befriends the strong-willed princess, Nehemia. Friendships blossom and perhaps more. But then champions start being brutally murdered one by one in between trials, and Celaena is determined to get to the bottom of who's behind it before they come for her, too. Does it have anything to do with the weird symbols she keeps seeing around the castle, and can she find the answers she seeks before it's too late? Can she beat her brutish rival, Cain, and win the championship? Or will she find herself back in the salt mines once more?
Thoughts: I've read this book twice this year- first when I began the series and again when I finished it, and while it read even better with context, I thoroughly enjoyed it both times. It's the kind of book that left me wanting to read just one more chapter whenever I had to set it down and burrowed its way into my thoughts when I wasn't reading it. It's an unusually strong start to a fantasy series, with plenty of action, murder, mystery, betrayal, and suspense, and enough twists and turns to keep things interesting and entertaining. It also has just the right amount of romance and friendship to give the story some heart and excitement, and the beginnings of a love triangle. The world building was well developed and beautifully descriptive, helping to draw me into every scene, and the multiple-narratives helped to keep the story fresh and interesting. (Although, I would have been happier without Kaltain's whiny point-of-view- even if it was relevant to the story). I quickly fell in love with the three main characters, Celaena, Dorian, and Chaol (okay, Chaol took a little longer), and the relationships that developed between them, and I also enjoyed Celaena's friendship with fierce Princess Nehemia, and Nox, her ally in the championship. The book also introduces several characters I loved to hate, too, including Celaena's ruthless nemesis, Cain, irritating Lady Kaltain, scheming Duke Perrington, and the deplorable King of Adarlan. (Full review on Goodreads here).
Rating: 5 stars out of 5 (upgraded from 4 out of 5 on my first read).
Crown of Midnight
'I know you can look after yourself. But I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn't, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful because I will always care what happens.'
Plot: Celaena is the king's new champion, and is tasked with using her skills to murder his enemies. Except, she secretly plays the king by making them disappear instead, which seems like a genius idea- until she's told to kill her childhood crush. While she decides whether she can trust the smooth-talking courtier to run and hide. nothing will stop Celaena from plotting to other throw the king, and uncover the mysteries of the castle. Like what exactly is lurking in the halls and beyond the library? And what does the riddle in the tomb mean? Also, did that doorknocker just talk? And why is Celaena so afraid of the witch in the travelling carnival? Meanwhile, Dorian is in the throes of heartbreak, and shocked when strange things keep happening around him that he can't explain. Things that seem an awful lot like magic. But that can't be right- magic disappeared from Adarlan ten years ago. And Dorian can't tell anyone; if his father finds out, he'll have his head. Elsewhere in the castle, bristly captain Chaol has turned in to the soft, brooding type over Celaena, but what will happen when one little lie he makes to keep her safe results in the death of someone she loves? Devastated by the loss, she can't stem her blood lust, and as grief tears her apart and a betrayal is uncovered, more surprises are in store for the characters that could change their lives- and their relationships- forever.
Thoughts: Crown of Midnight is one of my least favourites of the series, along with Tower of Dawn. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this book, but it's a little slower-paced and less exciting than most of the others, so it's low-ranking in my list of SJM favourites. It must be one of the few occurrences where I feel the second book in the series isn't better than the first. It has such a different feel to the first book, with less humour and a much darker tone as the characters face loss and loneliness, avoid acknowledging their secrets, and struggle with their mental health. There's plenty of feral violence, intriguing mysteries, betrayal, magic, young love, heartache, and devastating grief and depression, and it took me through the emotional ringer- something SJM seems to have a talent for. Even now, I'm not sure I'm over the strained relationships or the shocking death. I loved Chaol and Celaena's relationship in this book, especially how cute soft, loved-up Chaol was. The dancing and birthday dinner scenes between them were particularly adorable. It was interesting to see all the different sides of Celaena and wonder how a person can wear so many different faces, from vicious assassin to chocolate-cake loving bookworm, but I especially enjoyed seeing her go rogue as an assassin and learning exactly why everyone is afraid of her- by the Wyrd, she's terrifying! I also found the change in Dorian's demeanour from cocky jokester to withdrawn little emo boy broke my heart, but the plot twist for his character was so intriguing and unexpected. I definitely didn't see this side of him coming. Nor did I guess the massive twist in Celaena's story, but looking back, the signs were all there, and I don't know how I missed them. It made for a fantastic climax to the story, and had me on the edge of my seat right until the painfully bittersweet ending. (Full review on Goodreads here).
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Heir of Fire
'I claim you, Rowan Whitethorn. I don't care what you say and how much you protest. I claim you as my friend.'
'I claim you, Aelin. To whatever end.'
Plot: Celaena has been sent to Wendlyn to murder the royal family, but she has no intention of following orders. She plans to go to Doranelle to learn more about the Wyrdmarks, but the fae Queen, Maeve, won't allow her passage into the fae city until she proves herself worthy. She's ordered to first master her powers with the silver-haired warrior Prince, Rowan, the most powerful fae male in all the realms, who is a sadistic, grouchy bastard, and seems intent on making her life hell. But she's the world's greatest assassin and nobody fights better than her- or so she thinks. Has Celaena finally met her match? Lost in her grief and depression, and being forced to confront the traumatic past she's kept buried for ten years, Celaena is in a dark place, and teetering on the edge. Will Rowan push her over it, or will they find some common ground? And what are the monstrous beings leaving dried-up dead bodies in their wake around Mistward? If anyone can figure it out, it's Rowan and Celaena, but will she be strong enough to fight when they come a-calling? Back in Rifthold, Dorian is angry with Chaol for sending Celaena away, and desperately looking for a way to suppress his magic, which sees him visiting a healer that he just can't seem to stay away from... Chaol is missing Celaena but reeling from what he learnt about her, while trying to tie up loose ends to keep Dorian safe before he sacrifices his soul to his manipulative father. He finds himself suspicious of newcomer Aedion, a shady young general who is definitely up to something, and he's determined to find out what. Will what he discovers interfere with his promise to leave the glass castle? We're also introduced to Manon and The Thirteen, a deadly coven of witches with iron teeth and nails who the king has enlisted. And they're not flying on broomsticks. What exactly is the king planning for Erilea- and for our heroes in the Glass Castle?
Thoughts: Heir of Fire is when the series really starts to transform from mildly entertaining into something spectacular, and when my love for the series began to turn slightly more obsessive. That's not to say the first two books aren't great, but book three is when everything really starts coming to life. The introduction of the fae, Rowan and the cadre, shapeshifting, powerful magic, and intense battles with magical demons adds so much to the story, as does seeing Celaena finally meeting her match, learning to control her powers, and beginning to face up to her past. And then there's Rowan Whitethorn, who despite starting off as a depraved bully who badly needs around-the-clock therapy, quickly tunnelled into my heart and became one of my favourite fictional characters of all time. Apparently, I just can't resist a morally-grey, brooding fae warrior with a hidden heart of gold who asks 'who did this to you?', fusses when she gets hurt, and has touch-her-and-you-die vibes. I worry about myself sometimes. I loved his sadistic side, and how his relationship with Celaena played out- except for one particularly cruel scene that hurt my heart- bastard. I also adored how cute Dorian and Sorscha were together, and loved meeting The Cadre, Luca and Emrys, and Aedion for the first time, whose shadiness and suffering for the greater good gave me Rhysand vibes. It took me a while to warm up to newcomer Manon and the other witches, and it probably wasn't until sweet baby Abraxos came along that I started to enjoy their scenes, and stop longing for another POV. There's also a dramatic ending in the glass castle you're not going to want to miss, but be warned- it hurts. A lot. I'm not sure I'll ever recover. Despite that, it's definitely one of my ultimate favourite books of the series, and of all time- and I wish I could read it for the first time again.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Queen of Shadows
'You make me want to live, Rowan. Not survive, not exist. Live.'
'You make me want to live, Aelin Galathynius,' he said. 'Not exist- but live.' ... 'I spent centuries wandering the world, from empires to kingdoms to wastelands, never settling, never stopping- not for one moment. I was always looking toward the horizon, always wondering what waited across the next ocean, over the next mountain. But I think... I think that whole time, all those centuries, I was just looking for you.'
Plot: With the help of her found-family, Aelin returns to Rifthold to free Prince Dorian and her cousin from the king's clutches, take down the king, slay some demons, free magic, and get her revenge on her erstwhile mentor, Arobynn. Can she and her friends do it all before the king enslaves the world? Meanwhile, Dorian is trapped in his body and forgetting who he is as a demon prince takes control; moody Chaol is plotting to save Dorian, while brandishing a massive attitude problem and working underground to free people from the demons with sharpshooter, Nesryn; Lorcan is furiously playing Aelin in determination to find the Wyrdkeys- and Aelin is playing him right back; Manon and the Thirteen are being trained as weapons but starting to question the disturbing things happening under the mountain; and cunning newcomer Elide is working to escape her abusive uncle's chains which sees her forge an unlikely alliance- but will it be enough to save her from the horrors of Morath and the future her uncle has planned for her? And when Aelin and Chaol come face-to-face with demon-possessed-Dorian and the king, will any of them walk out alive?
Thoughts:
Queen of Shadows gets the bronze in my top three favourites of the series, after Heir of Fire and Kingdom of Ash which are fighting it out for the gold. This book is a masterpiece and you can't convince me otherwise. It's packed full of fight scenes, brilliant schemes, satisfying revenge, manipulation, sexual tension, angst, rivalries, heartwarming reunions, humour, and a big long list of other great stuff. I loved every moment of it. There's just so much to love about this book from Rowan and Aelin's iconic reunion scene to Rowan being floored by a nightgown, and Manon and Dorian's flirting (hello Princeling, hello Witchling), to Lysandra and Aelin joining forces to get their revenge on the psychopathic Assassin Master, Arobynn. And then there's Aelin and her friends teaming up to free magic and save Dorian, and the growing friendship and sexual tension between Rowan and Aelin. *Chef's kiss.* I also loved meeting Elide (one of my faves) for the first time, who proves you don't have to be literate to be smart as she creeps around Morath with a chain around her disfigured ankle plotting her escape from the demon lair, and becoming unlikely friends with the terrifying witches. This book equally did a good job at punching me in the heart with Dorian being controlled by an evil demon, Kaltain being abused for her powers, and Chaol taking break-up pettiness to a whole new level by blaming Aelin for everything wrong in the world and just behaving like an absolute douche. The change in his character in this book definitely made me hate him for a while, but that's okay- who needs angry Chaol when there's ruggedly beautiful Rowan, Lorcan, and Aedion to fill the void? There's also a big plot twist at the end that totally blew my mind. I didn't see it coming for a second, and it completely changed my perspective on the character and all they'd done up to that point. If I'm honest, I'm still shocked, and I'm sure you will be, too. And if you love fantasy, I think you're going to love this brilliant book as much as I do.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
So, as I said, this is just half of the Throne of Glass series, and there's another four books to go after Queen of Shadows. But don't let the length of the series intimidate you; they're fantastic, easy reads, and the kind of books you'll fly through in days. I sure did!
I'll be back with reviews of the last four books soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for them- hopefully later this week!
Have you read Throne of Glass? What's your favourite book series?
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