Book Details
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Ages: 11+
Rating: 9/10
Number of Pages: 404
Plot: Celaena Sardothien is an 18 year
old assassin serving a life sentence in the dark and dangerous salt mines of
Endovier. After making a fatal mistake, Celaena is forced to live the rest of
her days being tortured and left isolated. But when the young Captain Chaol
Westfall offers her a deal – in exchange for her freedom Celaena must represent
Prince Dorian in a tournament to find the King’s Champion. Fighting the best
assassins and thieves of the land, Celaena will discover her true destiny. In
this fantasy YA novel, Sarah J. Maas creates a world full of love, lies and
violence that makes you want to read on and find out more about the characters
and story.
Review: I had heard a lot about this series
on Booktube and Goodreads and was intrigued as to why so many people were
comparing this to Harry Potter and
the Hunger Games. After reading the
first chapter, I realised how amazing this book truly was. Not only is it a
unique story, the characters are interesting and the setting is described so
vividly that you actually feel as if you are there. Maas manages to create a
world that, although is completely different to real life, includes characters
that can be easily loved and are relatable. I think it is amazing how Maas
first created this world when she was sixteen and I hope that the series is the
next to be made into a successful film production.
“Libraries
were full of ideas–perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.”
What I
loved the most about this book was how great Maas’ characters were. Her main
character, Celaena, was not only a loveable character but she is presented in a
way that makes her a relatable character. Unlike other franchises, Celaena is
not only a deadly female protagonist but she still loves the extravagancy if
the gowns she wears whilst in the King’s court. It is because of this that Maas
creates a character that is easier to relate too than other leading female
protagonists, for example Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games. I also loved Maas’ choice of structure – Celaena is
the main narrative voice but we also get an insight into the thoughts and
feelings of Prince Dorian and Chaol. I liked this writing style as it made the ‘love
triangle’ more apparent and made me love the characters more. I especially
loved the relationship between Celaena and Chaol and I really hope that this
develops in the next books, which I hope to get to read fairly soon.
The aspect
that really appealed to me though was the use of fae. I have very little
experience with books, or films for that matter, that include fairies or elves
and so when the fae were introduced in the book I was surprised. I loved how the
immortal Queen Elena was depicted as being strong and powerful and none of the
fairies were depicted in the ‘Tinkerbell’ style as most writers resort too.
Maas truly creates a fantasy world that is unlike any other that I have
experienced in literature and the story itself is so unique and intriguing I
can’t wait to read the next instalments. I would strongly recommend this to
anyone who loved or obsessed over Harry
Potter, The Hunger Games and any other critically acclaimed YA series. Even
if you have never read a YA series, the Throne
of Glass series is a great place to start. I would love to hear how other
people found this series or just the first novel.
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