Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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.

Amazon
Amazon UK

Celaena Sardothian is the world’s most famous assassin – but she’s spent the past year as a prisoner. When Prince Dorian offers her a chance at freedom, she accepts, even though it means fighting as his champion against other assassins in order to win the honour of serving as his royal assassin for four years before being granted freedom. But a seemingly straightforward competition is complicated when her rivals start turning up dead, and she discovers a darkness beneath the opulent castle with its roots in magic long-forgotten.

I admit I found Celaena unbearably arrogant to begin with – she’s the world’s best assassin, and she knows it. She also catches the eye of every man within a hundred-mile radius, and the love triangle was a tad predictable. Oddly enough, though, it didn’t annoy me, and didn’t distract from the main plot. I like the idea of a world where magic once existed but has been all but stamped out of existence – but still lurks beneath the surface. Meanwhile, the plot is fast and exciting, and the heroine is entertainingly witty, if a bit annoying at times. I found I appreciated the vulnerability she tries to hide as the story continues.

Throne of Glass is accessible epic fantasy for a teen audience with a strong heroine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s fast-paced, packed with mystery and memorable characters. I’m really interested to see where this series goes!

Rating: ****