Saturday, August 24, 2019

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis (via Goodreads): After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.


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Okay, so I didn't love Throne of Glass, but I've also read it before! It took me a few chapters to realize this, but then everything started clicking into place. I think I read this one when it was originally published (so nearly a decade ago), and forgot to update it on Goodreads. I know I previously owned a copy of this book, but due to a lack of space, I only keep the stories that I plan on reading again and again and again! Clearly, my past self didn't plan on re-reading this one, but I was on such a Maas high after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses (for the second time), and was looking for something that would elicit similar feelings.

I debated between three and four stars, but ultimately I was dissatisfied with the characters and the story. The romance was weird and unnecessary, although I really enjoyed their friendships. I wish they had worked together collectively, instead of pairing off throughout the story. It was always Celaena and one of the other characters (usually Dorian, Chaol, Nehemia, or Nox). Why didn't we see Chaol and Dorian making plans or discussing issues? Dorian is the Crown Prince and Chaol is Captain of the Guard, so the two of them had plenty of reasons to conspire and share suspicious.

Instead, we see the two friends fighting for Celaena's attention. They're not mean about it, but the jealousy is there whenever one stumbles across the other alone with the assassin. I feel like it put a strain on their relationship, which is ridiculous. People are being murdered, and Celaena is a convicted criminal that they know nothing about. Priorities! Chaol was understandably suspicious, but he was clearly intrigued by their new Champion. I liked both Dorian and Chaol individually, and thought they both had a lot to offer the story, but felt like they weren't fleshed out as characters.

Additionally, I didn't really get assassin-vibes from Celaena. Super spy, maybe, because she was calculating and observant. However, she seemed to lack the desire to actually kill someone for money. Maybe if Maas had shared more of her history and backstory, it would have made more sense. From what I can tell, Celaena only killed people that deserved it, and she tried to save everyone else. I just had a hard time thinking of her as someone who accepted money for murder.

I wanted to know more about all of the characters in this book, but feel like the author alluded to their histories just enough to keep us invested. Obviously, Celaena isn't who we think she is, and she's constantly locking a door in her mind to keep herself from thinking about whatever it is. I have my suspicions, but it would have been nice to have some things confirmed before the end of the book. Chaol has an equally complicated past, although we only learn about where he's from, and that he has a younger brother. How did he become the Captain of the Guard at such a young age? Also, how did he mange to do this without having to get his hands dirty? They're in the middle of a war -- have been for years -- but the King's Captain of the Guard has never fought and killed another person? It doesn't make sense. Dorian is portrayed as a promiscuous prince, but one with compassion and understanding. He doesn't want what his father wants, but he's not quite brave enough to challenge him openly. Why are his eyes so different? Why isn't he as corrupted as his father?

I really enjoyed the magical elements of this story, even if I didn't always understand what they were or how they were happening. I'm sure some of this is expanded on in the next book, but I wish we'd been given more information in this one. Back to the romance... I wish it had never been an issue. What Celaena says at the end... about wanting to be free... that should have been her belief from the beginning. She always knew that the outcome would be her freedom or her death, so it shouldn't have been a surprise when it happened. It would have prevented any unnecessary feelings from developing.

I'm sure I'll eventually read the next book in this series, but I wasn't completely blown away by Throne of Glass. I also have a feeling that the romance I do want to see develop isn't going to happen. Based on other reviews, Celaena seems to be with a different person every book.

10 comments:

  1. I've done that before. I did a lot of reading before I ever got online so most of those books never got a review or jotted down anywhere that I had read it. So I've re-read a few books.

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    1. This is my second blog and Goodreads account, so I know some books have slipped through the cracks! I stopped blogging after having kids, because there just wasn't any time! I really wish I'd kept up with my Goodreads account. ;)

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  2. I have the first three of these books and the prequel short stories bind-up on my Kindle. After I bought them I found out they were about assassins. I don't mind stories with assassins in them, but I loathe books that are about the assassins themselves. The bloggers who recommended them to me knew this, so I wasn't happy. They were just trying to get people to buy her books. I got them all on ebook sale, but I would have preferred to use the $8 to buy a book I would read. Ha ha. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one. ๐Ÿ‘✨

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    1. That stinks! There are very few bloggers that I trust with recommendations, and even then they don't always work out! I know I've recommended a few to friends and they were epic failures. I'm sorry this series wasn't what you were expecting. Have you tried reading them at all? The first one was okay, and I'm considering reading the next one.

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  3. I did not love this one either. I think I only gave it 2 stars. I like her other series better.

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    1. I'm OBSESSED with A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES! It's everything I want from a series and more. <3

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  4. The hype around this one and the rabid love for it is off the charts. I broke down and read it several years ago (5 years?) and thought it was... just okay. I agree with so much of what you talk about here. I just didn't understand the hype. I had friends swearing up and down that each book got progressively better but I just wasn't impressed enough by the first book to continue the series. The few magical elements left me confused. The wyrd marks (or something like that) were something I didn't understand and the magic didn't seem to blend in with the rest of the story. Maybe one day I'll give it another try. Until then, I'll stick with the ACOTAR series. :)

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    1. The fandom for this series is INSANE! Like you, everyone keeps telling me they get better as the series progresses, but the first one didn't impress me. I need a reason to keep going, you know? I wasn't a fan of the main character, the love interests were poorly handled (they would have made a fearsome trio of friends though), and the story itself was confusing. I also thought the Wyrd (?) marks were weird and confusing. I would have appreciated more information! I might read the second book -- maybe -- but it'll likely be an audio version so I can listen to it while I do something else.

      ACOTAR FOR THE WIN -- SO GOOD! Did you see my Night Court tattoo, Tanya?? I LOVE IT SO MUCH. <3

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  5. I read this back in the day when it first came out. I agree with a lot of what you have to say about it. Which is actually great to hear. I've been hesitant to give ACOTAR a try because of my feelings about Throne of Glass. Knowing that you feel the same about ToG but love ACOTAR gives me hope for ACOTAR. Bumping it up my TBR! :)

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    1. You should never hesitate to read ACOTAR! ;) Haha! I recently did a re-read and already want to read it again. I'll occasionally grab one of the books and read a few chapters before putting it away -- so good. The two series are nothing alike! I hope you have a chance to read ACOTAR soon, because then we can talk about it! I'm a little jealous you get to experience everything for the first time. <3

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless