Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

This book was incredible! I steered clear of the majority of the hype and reviews so I could have an open mind and unbiased expectations, and so I wouldn't get any spoilers. I found the book to have incredible character development, stunning plot and world building, and lots of twists and turns! I did a buddy read on this one, so my review is split in to two parts:PART 1:I have to say that I am really loving the book so far. Maas has an exceptional writing style that offers highly developed characters and intense world building! I know many people have said that the pace of this one is slow, but I am enjoying it. I am being introduced to all the necessary characters. I am getting all the backstory I need, and I am getting the current plot unfolding at a steady pace. ... MoreThis book was incredible! I steered clear of the majority of the hype and reviews so I could have an open mind and unbiased expectations, and so I wouldn't get any spoilers. I found the book to have incredible character development, stunning plot and world building, and lots of twists and turns! I did a buddy read on this one, so my review is split in to two parts:PART 1:I have to say that I am really loving the book so far. Maas has an exceptional writing style that offers highly developed characters and intense world building! I know many people have said that the pace of this one is slow, but I am enjoying it. I am being introduced to all the necessary characters. I am getting all the backstory I need, and I am getting the current plot unfolding at a steady pace. I am also loving the little bits of humor mixed in!I am enjoying the tournament too. I can see why Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller has been compared to this one. The tournament is pretty interesting (like Hunger Games meets Reign) and has a few interesting plot twists.Celaena is pretty awesome, and definitely a force to be reckoned with. I find her to be calculating, brave, curious, comical, and dangerous. I like Prince Dorian and Captain Chaol. Dorian is very rebellious, and Chaol is mysterious and gentlemanly. They are both equally handsome and alluring. The character I feel like I need to expect the most from is curious Princess Nehemia. I have an awesome feeling about her and I love her already!As of right now, there is nothing I dislike about the book. I am looking forward to finishing it in the next few days! My expectations have been on par so far. I have enjoyed a good amount of action, a little bit of fantasy (hoping for more), and fantastic, developed characters and writing style. I feel like this book has characteristics from the TV show, Reign, which was one of my favorites!PART 2:I felt like part 2 picked up pace from part 1, in a good way. We spent part 1 getting a feel for the characters and story, so part 2 held more action. I loved the plot twists and the character surprises! I think we were meant to know from the beginning who was killing off the other champions, so I was okay with the predictability of that.The character development seemed to continue on through to the end of the book. I still loved Celaena, and was left wondering about her ties to Elena and the Fae. Dorian has really grown on me. I was leaning toward team Chaol at first, but am now back in the middle because Dorian was just so persistent and seductive! I really loved Chaol though, and felt sympathy for him because he tried so hard to be a good guard and do what was right!Lady Kaltain was my hated character. I think she was meant to be everyone’s hated character, besides Cain and the Duke. She was so conniving and back stabbing!I still found that I loved Nehemia. She had a pretty big secret, and she has proven to be a great friend to Celaena! I was left wondering what role she will play in the next book!I would have to say that part 2 was slightly better than part 1. Though, part 1 was amazing, part 2 picked up the pace and gave us more action. It also gave us more secrets, more passion, and more betrayal!

First off, I might be a bit biased in this review. I've been following this series since this book first came out, and have pre-ordered every subsequent book by this author since. This book series has outlasted two friends and stuck with me through colleges problems and mental health issues and always, always helped me stand up again no matter what.That being said, is this first book a masterpiece? Of course not. It sets up something bigger, and has foreshadowing that lies hidden until you reread it a couple years later, after you've read a couple of the other books.The pros of this book include that, of course, and world building and history that helps you get to know the setting as you read instead of one big info dump near the beginning. Witty dialogue, ... MoreFirst off, I might be a bit biased in this review. I've been following this series since this book first came out, and have pre-ordered every subsequent book by this author since. This book series has outlasted two friends and stuck with me through colleges problems and mental health issues and always, always helped me stand up again no matter what.That being said, is this first book a masterpiece? Of course not. It sets up something bigger, and has foreshadowing that lies hidden until you reread it a couple years later, after you've read a couple of the other books.The pros of this book include that, of course, and world building and history that helps you get to know the setting as you read instead of one big info dump near the beginning. Witty dialogue, well-written action, and lush descriptions grace the whole book from beginning to end as rapport is built between the characters and the stakes are driven higher. I really, really love this book.The downsides are mostly just subjective on my part. This book definitely knows its main audience. It's unapologetically girly at some points with its descriptions of fancy gowns and adorable puppies, which I don't dislike but I feel is a bit pandering. Aside from that our main character, Celaena, is a bit unlikeable at times for more than just flaws in her personality, and it has my most hated young adult trope of all time: LOVE TRIANGLE. I genuinely hate that trope so much. If I'd read this book just a couple years later than I did, I would have given up simply because of that. However, I'm glad I didn't. Minor spoiler: the love triangle doesn't last for many books. Romantic relationships develop and fall apart, just like in the real world.All in all, I do recommend this series as a whole, but the rest of the books are far better than this one. Stick with this book through the cliches to reach Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, and beyond, and you'll be in for a treat.

Calaena Sardothien is a prisoner. She is serving a life sentence in the dark salt mines of Endovier. She might be only 18 but she is a top assassin….a top assassin that got caught.She has spent a year in the mines, the fact that she is still alive is tantamount to her character. Then one day she is offered a deal, a deal that could, some day, see her regain her freedom… or could send her back to the mines. The Crown Prince, Dorian, and his friend, the Captain of the King’s Guard, Chaol arrive at Endovier to find Calaena. Prince Dorian wants her to represent him in a competition, she will take on other criminals, assassins and soldiers in a bid to win the title of the King’s Champion. Despite her hatred of the King, Calaena realises this is her only chance of ... MoreCalaena Sardothien is a prisoner. She is serving a life sentence in the dark salt mines of Endovier. She might be only 18 but she is a top assassin….a top assassin that got caught.She has spent a year in the mines, the fact that she is still alive is tantamount to her character. Then one day she is offered a deal, a deal that could, some day, see her regain her freedom… or could send her back to the mines. The Crown Prince, Dorian, and his friend, the Captain of the King’s Guard, Chaol arrive at Endovier to find Calaena. Prince Dorian wants her to represent him in a competition, she will take on other criminals, assassins and soldiers in a bid to win the title of the King’s Champion. Despite her hatred of the King, Calaena realises this is her only chance of freedom and so the competition begins.Calaena is a tough character. She is the best assassin in the game and takes no nonsense! She is to be trained by Chaol. A year in the mines has left her out of condition so she is taken to the palace and put through her paces.Things get rather interesting when Prince Dorian shows a keen interest in the assassin. Visiting her rooms and stealing time with her it’s clear he is fascinated by this beautiful girl. Yet her attention is divided between the handsome Prince and the Captain of the Guard Chaol. With her icy exterior melting who, if anyone, will win her affection?The competition was always going to be tough, it put them through months of training and combat. However when evil inhabits the castle things begin to take a turn for the worse. Competitors are found dead, savagely killed. They are being picked off one by one…can Calaena find the source and survive to reach that final dual?I loved this book. It’s a Young Adult fantasy and therefore easy to read, but no less absorbing. Calaena is a likeable character, a strong woman in a world of men. Her character resonates with me as I’ve been that female in a man’s world….mind you it wasn’t exactly life or death for me!I really liked the way this book is written. There is a clear timeline – the duration of the competition. I enjoyed the darkness of the evil in the castle and the light of the relationships with Dorian and Chaol. I won’t tell you which one I was rooting for…you have to make up your own mind about that!!

Content: I'd say 18+ for there is too much violence and apparently it gets worse in the next books. Plus if you read the prequels you'll see a very dark theme that I wouldn't recommend for some adults let along young adults.Sexuality: some kissing scenes but gonna assume there'll be more (again from the prequels where things get more heated).Before you read this I would highly recommend you read the prequels (There are five of them and combined they make one full length novel) in order to understand the story better.In general it was a fun but different kinda read from what I'm used to. It got too gory for me at some points I had to skip. The plot was good but predictable. As the prequel ended we see conspiracy and betrayal, but none of that is exposed in ... MoreContent: I'd say 18+ for there is too much violence and apparently it gets worse in the next books. Plus if you read the prequels you'll see a very dark theme that I wouldn't recommend for some adults let along young adults.Sexuality: some kissing scenes but gonna assume there'll be more (again from the prequels where things get more heated).Before you read this I would highly recommend you read the prequels (There are five of them and combined they make one full length novel) in order to understand the story better.In general it was a fun but different kinda read from what I'm used to. It got too gory for me at some points I had to skip. The plot was good but predictable. As the prequel ended we see conspiracy and betrayal, but none of that is exposed in Throne of Glass. In fact more conspiracies are added which makes the reader interested enough to want to continue to the next book. Thats what I enjoyed the most. Trying to figure out who did what and what happened to whom.The romance was not the main theme in this book, neither Dorian nor Chaol seemed as good as Sam in my opinion, as I felt Sam starting to regret the path he was on in the Assassin's Blade, and his undying love and loyalty for Celaena made me think he was perfect for her. Then came Dorian and Chaol. Of course Celaena did not choose the guy I was rooting for which ruined the ending and the book for me. I have mixed feelings between not wanting to read the next book and wanting to read it in hopes things would get better. But of course I'm too curious to what's coming next.There is a lot of stuff going on in this series. We have assassins, ghosts, demons, monsters, magic, lots of villains and not your typical heroine (if we can call her that in the first place!). That's why reading the prequels helped me a lot in understanding Celaena's past. In this book she doesn't seem as bloodthirsty as the previous ones. But then she spent a year as a slave after all what she went through in her life. The end of this book is promising in a way that makes it seem like Celaena might become the heroine I hope for her to be. Which is why I'll be moving on to the next book!

A stunning series about fae, redemption and revenge!

I absolutely love everything that this author writes. I am obsessed!Throne of Glass was her debut series and the first in an seven part series.This sucked me in from page one. She just has this voodoo and her writing really captures me from the start even if the story isn't what I thought it would be, she weaves so many unanswered questions that you immediately want to read the entire series.If you love YA fantasy , you need to pick up this book, I especially loved the amazingly strong female characters throughout.Thank you Sarah for letting us into your amazing mind, I can guarantee you will love this author immediately and anything she writes! It all just gets better and better!

Beautiful Addition to Throne of Glass Collection

I am so happy I got the collectors edition of Throne of Glass!! This series is very special to me. The story in my opinion was amazing and it grabbed my attention faster than A Court of Thorns and Roses; although I also really loved reading a A Court of Thorns and Roses. My favorite characters so far are Dorian and Celaena. The book is brand new and well packaged.

Great price and condition for a used book!

I was skeptical at first buying this book for such a low price, I thought I was going to get a book that’s been through the wringer. Surprisingly I received a book that literally looks brand new even though it’s over ten years old and the description said it was not in great shape. I would purchase from this seller again!

Horrible quality

I would like to say this rating is not about the writing or story but the actual quality of the book. The book looks like it was dipped in water and run over. The cover and spine are peeling. The book is stained and the pages look wavy from what I’m praying is just water. I know this is a used purchase, so I was not expecting a perfect condition book. But it looks like a book you’d have pulled out a garbage can. Also for the shipping packaging of the book was just the standard thin plastic. Where as I wish they would have sent it in a bubble mailer. But I guess you really don’t need to protect a book that looks like it crawled out of the pits of h3ll. Anyway save your money and time.

Worse than a regular edition

First off the color is not even remotely close to the stock photo. The stock photo is a bright purple and the book is navy! But the worst part is the first 20 or so pages are glued to the front cover. How can such an obvious oversight happen on a collectors item? Not worth it at all.