Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Reviewed by Arthi J.

Grade 11

We all bear scars...mine just happen to be more visible than most.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most notorious assassin. In a land recently stripped of all magic, the cruel king, who rules with an iron fist, holds a competition to determine who will become the King’s Champion: the person who will become the King’s personal blade, assassinating whomever he desires dead. Celaena, still reeling, both physically and emotionally, from the events that concluded this series prequel (The Assassin's Blade), is summoned to the glass castle from the slave mines of Endovier. The king offers her a bargain: win and competition and become his Champion, and, in return, she will be freed from the slave mines. Now, all that stands in her way are twenty-three extremely skilled killers, thieves, and fighters which should be no problem for the deadly assassin.

However, that is not the only thing that stands in the way of Celeana’s freedom. Something ancient and evil dwells in the glass walls of the castle--a place she believed to be free of magic--and it has one simple goal: to kill. When her competition begins to drop dead one by one, Celaena must fight not only for her freedom but also for her own survival and overcome her own demons that have left scars on her that run deeper than those on her back. Along with her new companions, the Crown Prince and Captain of the Royal Guard, she must work quickly to root out this mysterious evil before it destroys them all and the world surrounding them.       

The entire Throne of Glass series has definitely got to be one of my favorites. Looking back, it's truly astonishing to see how much the plot of the story and characters themselves have developed over the course of the books. Sarah J. Maas does a wonderful job in building the world of Erilea and the complexity of Celaena's character. I also really enjoyed the way in which this novel’s plot subtly builds up to the explosive conclusion that comes crashing down on the reader.  

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy novels and escaping to another world like no other. If you enjoy this series, I would also recommend Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series and her newest adult fantasy novel, House of Earth and Blood.