Fiction for Teens

Celaena Sardothien was an unstoppable assassin, known all around for her skill and stealth. That was all before she was caught, and sent to the salt mines of Endovier, which few survive. After enduring a year, she is summoned to Rifthold to represent the Crown Prince of Adarlan in a competition to serve as the king’s champion and eventually earn her freedom. When her competitors are murdered under very suspicious circumstances, Celaena must delve into the history of her nation and the secrets it holds.

After reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by the same author, I was interested to try Throne of Glass, as it has a very strong following on social media and the synopsis looked really interesting. I struggled to get going with this book, however once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Celaena’s combination of fiery comebacks and extraordinary talent made her a likeable character, and I really wanted the best for her as the book progressed. Similarly to A Court of Thorns and Roses I found the constant reference to the characters’ appearance slightly frustrating, instead I wanted to focus on their character development and personality. After a while, the reference to their looks didn’t mean much as all the characters were described as “good-looking”. That being said, the characters were unpredictable at times, leaving the reader guessing as to what would happen next, and the mystery surrounding the murder of the champions was not obvious until later in the book.

“Libraries were full of ideas – perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.” – Throne of Glass

I don’t usually read longer series of books, preferring trilogies, as I find I lose interest and want something different, but I’ve just bought Crown of Midnight, the second book, as the ending included a twist that made me want to continue following Celaena’s story. Hopefully, in the next books, I’ll see more demonstrations of Celaena’s prowess in battle.

Please let me know if you have read the rest of the series – were they as good as the first? My next review will be Charlotte Says by Alex Bell.