Book Review #20: The Glass Throne

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

* The Break Down:

Throne of Glass introduces the reader to a beautifully crafted world. A world full of secrets and monsters just lurking just out of sight. The effortless reading makes it is easy to forget the world around you. The moment I read the summary for this book, I knew it was something I was going to fall in love with. This book is perfect for fantasy fans and it will successfully distract you for hours on end. The story line is enthralling and will keep you guessing and all of the characters are astonishing in their own way.

Celaena is in one word: kick-ass. She is incredibly strong and determined and she does not break easily. She fights through terrible circumstances and overcomes a difficult childhood only to become a feared and a notorious assassin.  She survives a year in a place where most people only last a month and when she is offered a chance at freedom she does everything she can to make sure it happens. She is an admirable character, despite some of the questionable actions in her past.

Normally love triangles drive me up the wall. I usually can easily pick which guy I like more, but I could not do that in this situation. I had an extremely hard time choosing between Dorian and Chaol. Both characters were intriguing and lovable, but each in their own distinct way. Chaol is the Captain of the Guards and he is a very closed off and serious person. However, there is also something sweet and protective about him. On the other hand, we have Dorian who is the Crown Prince. He is cocky and slightly arrogant and enjoys teasing Celaena, but he is also extremely funny and can be incredibly sweet.  I really enjoyed both characters and because they were so different it is hard for me to decide. For the majority of the book I was leaning towards Dorian, for obvious reasons BUT then Chaol would do something to tug at the heartstrings.

 So here I was at the end of the book even more confused.

 Notably, as I read the book, I had sudden feelings of deja-vu, and in the back of my mind there was something familiar about it and here it is:

If Graceling and The Selection had a baby this book would be it. How? Well lets just make a list of all the ways:

1. There is a notorious assassin who is forced by the King to do his dirty work.

Remember Kasta? the King who made her kill the threats of the kingdom

2. A gorgeous Prince.

Both Prince Maxon and Prince Dorian had me a least swooning over

3. A competition with 24 contestants to "fighting" for the Crown.

The word "fighting can be taken in two ways. In The Selection, the women fight over Maxon's heart. While Celaena is fighting to protect the Crown

4. A complicated love triangle

The love triangle between : Dorian, Chaol and Celaena : Aspen, Maxon and America; left me breathless

5. A female lead who would really doesn't want to be in said competition.

It's safe to say both America and Kasta, and Celaena had no aspirations of being in the positions that they were forced into.

Overall, The Throne of Glass is something that readers should look into. Fans of Graceling and The Selection will enjoy this book immensely. So do yourself a favor and pick it up.