Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #1

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Publication Date: August 7, 2012

Source: eARC from publisher

This book was much more than I thought it would be.   This book has haunted me since I finished it.  It was full of action, adventure, romance, friendship, magic... It really had it all.

That being said, it wasn't always smooth sailing.  There were moments in the book, especially in the middle where I wasn't as involved as a reader as I would have liked to be.  I found it too easy to put the book down and come back later.  The part of the book that really made this book for me was in the last 4th.  I would love to tell you all why, to detail the scenes that really started to make this book for me, but I cannot/will not do that to you.  You will just have to read this book yourself to discover those moments of pure greatness.

I liked the touch of magic to the story.  It was interesting and different.  Seeing how magic continues to evolve in the story line is one of the things that will keep me coming back to this series.

As far as the characters went.  I liked them.  Celaena seemed to be a bit more talk than show.  I more often than not got the feeling that she wished that she was just a normal girl, not the most notorious assassin in the world.  That she didn't really like the cards that she had been dealt in life.  She never really showed her awesome assassiness.  I really would have liked to see that.  Maybe in the next book we will be blessed with more detailed action.

Dorian felt a bit bland to me.  Just a Prince.  He wants what he wants.  I found him to be a bit slimy.  I never really trusted him, still don't.  There really isn't a reason why.  It is just the vibe I got from the guy.

Then there was Chaol.  My favorite.  I loved Chaol.  The quiet, mostly unsung hero.  This character right here made the book for me.  You really will have to read the book to see why.  Maas does such a wonderful job with him.

The relationships between the characters were all wonderfully done.  I am interested in learning more of why Celaena is totally petrified of the king.  It is hinted at a bit, but never quite told.  I also cannot wait for the next book to see how specific relationships progress and to see how some of them develop.  Will Dorian end up turning truly slimy or will his actions in the next book change my opinions of him?

In the end, I am a total fan of this book.  I think many will enjoy it.  There are no real language issues and not too much in regards to sexual content.  The violence is there, some of it pretty gruesome, but not horribly detailed.

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher.

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