Throne of Glass review
*spazzes out* This has been years coming, but I finally got to read Throne of Glass by the lovely, amazing Sarah Maas, and let me tell you - all those years were worth it.
SO.GOOD. LOVE.
Okay, down to business.
First, there are spoilers, so all have been warned!
Second, there will be fangirling at the end.
Let's start with characters, of course:
Honestly, I was a little afraid of what I was going to think of Celaena Sardothien. Strong female characters are great... as long as they are believable and likeable, which I find hard to come by unfortunately. Perhaps because my version of strength isn't just the ability to kick ass for the sake of kicking ass (which is what I found Katniss Everdeen's character to be like, quite frankly. Did not like her one bit. But that's an entirely different story). What I seek in a strong female character is strength of mind, strength of will, courage of conviction, and above all strength of soul. Katniss had some of these, but I found her soulless. Celaena, on the other hand, had all of the above plus the (believable) ability to kick some serious ass. (sidenote: I loved the parts when she described her training, and now I'm ravenous to read the novellas to get a better glimpse of the assassin in action as an assassin.) I loved the contradictions in her, which I think really made her soul just shine. The ruthless assassin versus the sensitive, caring, even compassionate young woman who just liked to curl up with a good book and wear pretty things and wanted friends. What I want to find most while reading a book is characters I can identify with. If I can't find them, then chances are I won't like the book. I can't say that I related to Celaena as a whole, for the mere fact that we live in completely different worlds, but I saw myself in those contradictions. I could relate to having these two different sides of me that... I don't want to use the same word, but I can't think of a better one... are contradictory.
As for the men...
Twilight has really brought about this whole "Team" business in terms of love triangles, and I find it silly because it really isn't our choice as the readers to make. It's for the character to decide! However, as silly as it is, I still like to partake in this "team" association for the sake of building my own understanding of human character and psychology? I don't know how to say that without sounding pretentious *sickens self*! I like to think that I have a fairly decent understanding of humans and love, so I absolutely adore being proven right as I read the beginning and see what it is about the "love interest" that draws the MC to him/her; what happens through out the story to bring them closer; and what it is that binds the MC to that character in the end. I'll say right off the bat that I am 100% Team Chaol, from their journey from Endovier to the very end. It took me about 4 chapters, I think, to loyally place myself in his camp, and watching Chaol and Celaena's relationship develop throughout the book was an absolute delight. I think it was my favorite part because it was done so well. Sarah did a wonderful job of making their emotions clear, but in a subtle way. I loved that. It wasn't overdone and flamboyantly passionate, as some authors cheaply use to draw readers in... it was real. These two characters have a subdued passion that is so exciting to me! I love that by the end of the book we the readers know what's there and see the potential, and then also know that these two characters have a long way to go.
Unfortunately for Dorian, my mind, in terms of the romance aspect to story arc, goes very narrow the moment I pick a "team" (which is also why I haven't let myself read the novellas yet, because I was pretty sure I'd be team Sam, and then be too devastated to read any more. Trust me, I know my brain, and it is weird). Needless to say, I got a little annoyed with Dorian for hogging Celaena so much. However, I'm not sure if it is my bias talking or the logical part of me that said that the Dorian/Celaena relationship moved a little too fast for my taste. Chaol/Celaena felt... earthy to me, like it grew from deep within, slowly and surely. Dorian's was almost the complete opposite, and the... I don't want to say shallowness because these two characters aren't shallow by any means, but the spark between them felt shallow, and I was so proud of Celaena for ending it in the end - I like them more as friends and allies. But still the lack of depth between them bothered me a little, beyond the fact that Chaol and Celaena clearly have something deeper. Perhaps it's the way that Celaena suddenly felt the need to kiss him, out of the blue. I think I would be bothered less if she (Celaena and the author) had given a little more... warning? to the development of these urges. It felt like one second Celaena didn't care much for him at all and the next she wanted to kiss him because he was so attractive. That alone didn't seem to fit her character. I understand how immediate emotions can be and I don't have any trouble seeing why they were attracted to each other, but I saw that after she decided she wanted to kiss him. I would have liked to see a little more of that before she came to that conclusion. After that, however, I think Sarah did a wonderful job developing their relationship and building a foundation for them in future books.
Love Triangle aside, Chaol and Dorian's individual characters were so well executed and brought to life in the writing. There was never a moment that felt unauthentic. But once again I prefer Chaol. Why? Dorian's path seems pretty clear. I'm interested to see what kind of twists and turns he'll take as the series progresses, but the direction he wants to go is pretty clear. Chaol's isn't as clear. He doesn't have the power that Dorian has or even Nehemia, so the choices he had to make in this book and will make in future book can't be as cut and dry as Dorian's. The king's loyalties are questionable to Dorian, but he has none to Chaol, so Chaol really does have to weigh his choices far more carefully. I cannot wait to see his path unfold in the coming books!
I don't have much to say about Nehemia. She was too abrasive in the beginning for my taste, but Celaena had me warm up to her by the end. I'm still a little on edge with her, so I'll wait to pass judgement until I get my hands on the future books!
Now for the story:
After years of anticipation being built up for this book, I'm still not entirely sure what I was expecting. I can say that I wasn't expecting this, and I mean that in the best possible way. I knew Celaena was an assassin, brought from these horrible mines to compete for her freedom. I knew there was a love triangle. I had a pretty good idea that the government was corrupt and would probably have a hand in the murders. Given the story had been originally based on Cinderella, I figured there was a chance for magic and maybe even faeries. With all that I knew and figured, I don't know why I was so surprised. But then maybe it wasn't the story itself that surprised me, but the depth that it went. It was predictable enough that I wasn't blown away by the revelation of who the bad guys were. But the depth of the evil was shocking! And I think that's what kept my eyes wide. And on the flip side, the evil was so evil that it brought out the absolute best from the depths of the protagonist characters, which also kept me glued to the pages!
I only have one thing to say about the world building: awesome.
The writing:
I'm usually hesitant about reading YA because I've found too many authors who ditch language to make it more "modern" or "young and fresh." I usually have to get into the mindset... like telling my brain to ignore the awful/dull language and just feel the emotions and let my imagination fill the gaps that the author doesn't. And that's worked for me for most YA books I've read! But I didn't have to do that here. The prose was wonderful, with vivid description and breath-taking imagery. The writing went above and beyond, I think, all YA prose I've read. That's all I can say. Just lovely.
Okay! Now I'm going to fangirl!
Sarah, this is for you - OMG I LOVE SO MUCH. I canNOT wait a whole YEAR, much less longer, for the next installment! I CANNOT DO IT. I refuse, I tell you, refuuuuse!
Let me detail for you what this has been like, and what it will be like with an odd assortment of disney and psych gifs.
When I touched the Throne of Glass book for the first time in the bookstore.
Then I got home
After finishing the first few chapters
YEEEEEAHHHH
Upon seeing Chaol as more than just Captain of the Guard
The pages flew by
and soon there were only a few left
And Chaol and Celaena still hadn't "talked about their feelings."
THE END. no more pages left...
until the next book comes out...
in a week
in a month
in a year
I don't know how I'll make it, Sarah! But I must, we all must!
Congrats on a fantastic novel, hon! And I wish you luck with the 2nd book edits! BRAVO!
I will leave you with this, a picture of part of my bookshelf:
I call it the bookshelf of awesome. Not a very creative name, but it's simple and easy to remember and gets the point across. The only thing that outshines this particular bookshelf is my antique bookshelf, and it's pretty clear why TOG can't go there. Few books make it to the shelves, especially not the Harry Potter shelf. They usually end up in a crate or in a stack on top of the crates If a book does make it to the shelves it's usually on the Twilight side. Once the TOG series progresses, I regret to inform Twilight that it will be demoted to a lower shelf to make room.
Oh dear, I have issues.
SO.GOOD. LOVE.
Okay, down to business.
First, there are spoilers, so all have been warned!
Second, there will be fangirling at the end.
Let's start with characters, of course:
Honestly, I was a little afraid of what I was going to think of Celaena Sardothien. Strong female characters are great... as long as they are believable and likeable, which I find hard to come by unfortunately. Perhaps because my version of strength isn't just the ability to kick ass for the sake of kicking ass (which is what I found Katniss Everdeen's character to be like, quite frankly. Did not like her one bit. But that's an entirely different story). What I seek in a strong female character is strength of mind, strength of will, courage of conviction, and above all strength of soul. Katniss had some of these, but I found her soulless. Celaena, on the other hand, had all of the above plus the (believable) ability to kick some serious ass. (sidenote: I loved the parts when she described her training, and now I'm ravenous to read the novellas to get a better glimpse of the assassin in action as an assassin.) I loved the contradictions in her, which I think really made her soul just shine. The ruthless assassin versus the sensitive, caring, even compassionate young woman who just liked to curl up with a good book and wear pretty things and wanted friends. What I want to find most while reading a book is characters I can identify with. If I can't find them, then chances are I won't like the book. I can't say that I related to Celaena as a whole, for the mere fact that we live in completely different worlds, but I saw myself in those contradictions. I could relate to having these two different sides of me that... I don't want to use the same word, but I can't think of a better one... are contradictory.
As for the men...
Twilight has really brought about this whole "Team" business in terms of love triangles, and I find it silly because it really isn't our choice as the readers to make. It's for the character to decide! However, as silly as it is, I still like to partake in this "team" association for the sake of building my own understanding of human character and psychology? I don't know how to say that without sounding pretentious *sickens self*! I like to think that I have a fairly decent understanding of humans and love, so I absolutely adore being proven right as I read the beginning and see what it is about the "love interest" that draws the MC to him/her; what happens through out the story to bring them closer; and what it is that binds the MC to that character in the end. I'll say right off the bat that I am 100% Team Chaol, from their journey from Endovier to the very end. It took me about 4 chapters, I think, to loyally place myself in his camp, and watching Chaol and Celaena's relationship develop throughout the book was an absolute delight. I think it was my favorite part because it was done so well. Sarah did a wonderful job of making their emotions clear, but in a subtle way. I loved that. It wasn't overdone and flamboyantly passionate, as some authors cheaply use to draw readers in... it was real. These two characters have a subdued passion that is so exciting to me! I love that by the end of the book we the readers know what's there and see the potential, and then also know that these two characters have a long way to go.
Unfortunately for Dorian, my mind, in terms of the romance aspect to story arc, goes very narrow the moment I pick a "team" (which is also why I haven't let myself read the novellas yet, because I was pretty sure I'd be team Sam, and then be too devastated to read any more. Trust me, I know my brain, and it is weird). Needless to say, I got a little annoyed with Dorian for hogging Celaena so much. However, I'm not sure if it is my bias talking or the logical part of me that said that the Dorian/Celaena relationship moved a little too fast for my taste. Chaol/Celaena felt... earthy to me, like it grew from deep within, slowly and surely. Dorian's was almost the complete opposite, and the... I don't want to say shallowness because these two characters aren't shallow by any means, but the spark between them felt shallow, and I was so proud of Celaena for ending it in the end - I like them more as friends and allies. But still the lack of depth between them bothered me a little, beyond the fact that Chaol and Celaena clearly have something deeper. Perhaps it's the way that Celaena suddenly felt the need to kiss him, out of the blue. I think I would be bothered less if she (Celaena and the author) had given a little more... warning? to the development of these urges. It felt like one second Celaena didn't care much for him at all and the next she wanted to kiss him because he was so attractive. That alone didn't seem to fit her character. I understand how immediate emotions can be and I don't have any trouble seeing why they were attracted to each other, but I saw that after she decided she wanted to kiss him. I would have liked to see a little more of that before she came to that conclusion. After that, however, I think Sarah did a wonderful job developing their relationship and building a foundation for them in future books.
Love Triangle aside, Chaol and Dorian's individual characters were so well executed and brought to life in the writing. There was never a moment that felt unauthentic. But once again I prefer Chaol. Why? Dorian's path seems pretty clear. I'm interested to see what kind of twists and turns he'll take as the series progresses, but the direction he wants to go is pretty clear. Chaol's isn't as clear. He doesn't have the power that Dorian has or even Nehemia, so the choices he had to make in this book and will make in future book can't be as cut and dry as Dorian's. The king's loyalties are questionable to Dorian, but he has none to Chaol, so Chaol really does have to weigh his choices far more carefully. I cannot wait to see his path unfold in the coming books!
I don't have much to say about Nehemia. She was too abrasive in the beginning for my taste, but Celaena had me warm up to her by the end. I'm still a little on edge with her, so I'll wait to pass judgement until I get my hands on the future books!
Now for the story:
After years of anticipation being built up for this book, I'm still not entirely sure what I was expecting. I can say that I wasn't expecting this, and I mean that in the best possible way. I knew Celaena was an assassin, brought from these horrible mines to compete for her freedom. I knew there was a love triangle. I had a pretty good idea that the government was corrupt and would probably have a hand in the murders. Given the story had been originally based on Cinderella, I figured there was a chance for magic and maybe even faeries. With all that I knew and figured, I don't know why I was so surprised. But then maybe it wasn't the story itself that surprised me, but the depth that it went. It was predictable enough that I wasn't blown away by the revelation of who the bad guys were. But the depth of the evil was shocking! And I think that's what kept my eyes wide. And on the flip side, the evil was so evil that it brought out the absolute best from the depths of the protagonist characters, which also kept me glued to the pages!
I only have one thing to say about the world building: awesome.
The writing:
I'm usually hesitant about reading YA because I've found too many authors who ditch language to make it more "modern" or "young and fresh." I usually have to get into the mindset... like telling my brain to ignore the awful/dull language and just feel the emotions and let my imagination fill the gaps that the author doesn't. And that's worked for me for most YA books I've read! But I didn't have to do that here. The prose was wonderful, with vivid description and breath-taking imagery. The writing went above and beyond, I think, all YA prose I've read. That's all I can say. Just lovely.
Okay! Now I'm going to fangirl!
Sarah, this is for you - OMG I LOVE SO MUCH. I canNOT wait a whole YEAR, much less longer, for the next installment! I CANNOT DO IT. I refuse, I tell you, refuuuuse!
Let me detail for you what this has been like, and what it will be like with an odd assortment of disney and psych gifs.
When I touched the Throne of Glass book for the first time in the bookstore.
Then I got home
After finishing the first few chapters
YEEEEEAHHHH
Upon seeing Chaol as more than just Captain of the Guard
The pages flew by
and soon there were only a few left
And Chaol and Celaena still hadn't "talked about their feelings."
THE END. no more pages left...
until the next book comes out...
in a week
in a month
in a year
I don't know how I'll make it, Sarah! But I must, we all must!
Congrats on a fantastic novel, hon! And I wish you luck with the 2nd book edits! BRAVO!
I will leave you with this, a picture of part of my bookshelf:
I call it the bookshelf of awesome. Not a very creative name, but it's simple and easy to remember and gets the point across. The only thing that outshines this particular bookshelf is my antique bookshelf, and it's pretty clear why TOG can't go there. Few books make it to the shelves, especially not the Harry Potter shelf. They usually end up in a crate or in a stack on top of the crates If a book does make it to the shelves it's usually on the Twilight side. Once the TOG series progresses, I regret to inform Twilight that it will be demoted to a lower shelf to make room.
Oh dear, I have issues.