One Paragraph Review of Throne of Glass

sarahjmaas.com

I picked up this book after a recommendation from my crit partner, Laura.   I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant at first, partially because I'm not a big fan of the cover.  (Yes, I do judge books by their covers.)  I was also a little weirded out by how much the protagonist on the cover resembles the author's photo in the back jacket.  But, alas, those are not reasons to skip a book!  Throne of Glass, a tale of a young, female assassin, Celaena, who is taken out of the death camp/prison in order to compete to become the King's Champion -- his weapon, basically.  While living in the castle, Celaena uncovers secrets -- political and otherwise -- that go beyond her own torturous past.  But, those secrets and her past may be more intertwined than she thinks.  I have to say, I really loved this book!  Celaena's character is beautifully constructed.  While she possesses abilities most don't, she still manages to remain painfully human in parts.  There were even times (Not sure if this was intentional on Maas's part) when I kind of didn't like her.  She can be a little shallow, a little superficial.  But, rather than that creating a bad taste in my mouth, it seemed to make her more of a well-rounded character.  The other thing I adored was the way Maas wove in a subtle love triangle.  Rather than writing page after page of Celaena trying to decide between the two hot guys in her life who worship her,  Maas created organic relationships between her main character and the two "love interests," if I can even call them that.  They had major roles outside of the realm of the love triangle, so they became more than just "insert male character here for romantic subplot."  They became real people, with their own lives that weren't all-consumed with Celaena.  I liked that!  And, rather than decreasing the romance factor, it really made their relationships stand out as being special.  In sum, this was a really entertaining novel, and the 4 prequel novellas were equally as riveting!  Maas has created a story with a strong foundation, authentic characters, and *real* romance.

Now for the stats:

Front to back time: 1 week, but it could have gone much quicker if I hadn't also been doing my day job and baby-prep stuff. :)  Very fast read if you have the time!

Favourite character: Chaol, the captain of the guard.  He seems to always remain true to himself through the story, and his character arc is very well done, in my opinion.

Musical Accompaniment: Mostly Band of Skulls' latest album.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Have you guys read this?  Let me know what you think!  Now I get to wait a whole year until book 2 comes out!