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.
My Review
Fast paced and exciting, with just the right touch of romance and danger, this is one of the best YA Fantasy novels I’ve read.
The main character Celaena is fully developed. But Maas also keeps enough of her personality a mystery that the reader can’t help but be intrigued by who (or what) she is. A strong female protagonist who is a match for any of the male characters in the book, Celaena is easy for the readers to root for. And at the same time, there is enough of a romantic, girlish streak in her personality that one can’t help but like her.
The secondary characters in the novel are developed enough that the reader can clearly see them as people. They are believable and intriguing.
The book is perfectly balanced with backstory, danger, and action that I really couldn’t put it down. I love when I fall into a story and can’t stop reading it.
I will definitely be checking out the rest of the Throne of Glass series. I strongly recommend you do as well!
Available in hardcover and as a kindle through Amazon.
