Summary:
"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 three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. 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."
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 three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. 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."
My Thoughts:
Okay, first I totally have to say that one of the coolest parts about this story is the tale of how it came to be. Sarah J. Maas originally posted this story on fictionpress.com several years ago, and has since removed it, edited, and then sought publication. Now, what makes it really cool for me is that I also used to post stories on fictionpress.com, though I can honestly say that I never recall seeing this on there (but there were a lot of stories so I know I missed out on a lot). Anyway, I'm so excited to see that the response she got on fictionpress and all the comments of others on there helped to push her up to where she is now.
So, onto the story. In some ways it reminded me of Poison Study, because in that book Yelena is pulled off death row and offered the position of food taster. Here in Throne of Glass, Celaena is chosen by the prince to be his champion and fight for the position of King's Assassin. So, in a way it is almost like Poison Study meets Hunger Games. It also sets up a great love triangle and I honestly can't decide which guy I prefer for Celaena.
At the beginning I felt completely certain that I wasn't going to like Prince Dorian. Really, he just seemed sort of pompous to me, but then came the scene with the books and the discussion of literature...and I'm sorry, I melted and possibly even swooned. Sarah J. Maas, you hit me in my weak spot...I'm a sucker for a lover of books. But then later, Captain Westfall (Chaol) also mentions his love of books and there I was, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Seriously, how can I decide between two such great guys?
Both of these guys have such faith in Celaena and her abilities, and I loved watching Chaol start to trust her more and more. I really honestly cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I sincerely hope that it helps me make a decision on which guy I prefer: Dorian or Chaol, but based on how everything went in this book, I imagine that the choice will just become more difficult in book two.
A definite 5/5 for Throne of Glass.
Throne of Glass at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/throne-of-glass-sarah-j-maas/1108077808?ean=9781599906959
Throne of Glass at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Throne-Glass-Sarah-J-Maas/dp/1599906953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357418711&sr=8-1&keywords=Throne+of+Glass
Throne of Glass at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/throne-of-glass-sarah-j-maas/1108077808?ean=9781599906959
Throne of Glass at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Throne-Glass-Sarah-J-Maas/dp/1599906953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357418711&sr=8-1&keywords=Throne+of+Glass
Other Readings:
Well, I started getting into the books chosen for my book clubs: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for Vaginal Fantasy, and Old Man's War by John Scalzi for Sword & Laser. I'm also about ready to jump into Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, and then I have a few other books, but I'm trying to only let myself read four books at once, so I'll start a new one after I've finished one I'm reading now. My first regular From the Stacks for the year is Born at Midnight and that will be up in a few days.
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