Review - Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight

Title: Crown of Midnight

Series: Throne of Glass (Goodreads)

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Group: YA
Source: Amazon UK (Purchased)

Review

The Throne of Glass series continued to impress me and in Crown of Midnight themes and issues that were introduced at the beginning of the series were developed even further in this book. Unlike the first book the pacing of Crown of Midnight felt slightly slower in the first half before a tragedy strikes and the pace increased to the same as Maas’s first book in the series. Maas continues to develop complex characters and the fictional world of Adarlan, we especially see the increased elements of fantasy that will unfold in later books of the series.

What I loved about Crown of Midnight was the developed relationship between Chaol and Celaena. They continued to have interactions which were built on taunting and challenging one another in a way that it didn’t feel cruel but rather fun and flirtatious. In Crown of Midnight the first half of the story is focused on Celaena working as the King’s Champion and as part of this we meet an old acquaintance of hers that she’s been tasked to find and kill on orders of the King. Celaena manages to hunt down the acquaintance, and their interactions are very exciting and flirtatious, but Celaena doesn’t find him without the help of Chaol which leads to this rather hilarious interaction:

‘she gave him a feline grin. “You aren’t afraid of a bunch of stuffy old ladies and giggling young women, are you?” He glared at her, and she patted his arm. […] “The next time we train,” he said as they eased through the throng of beautifully dressed women, “remind me to wallop you”. An elderly women turned to glare at him, and Celaena gave her an apologetic and exasperated look, as if to say, Men!...“This is the part where you shut your mouth and pretend to be a woolly-headed bit of decoration.” His returning pinch told her that he was really going to make her sweat the next time they were in the training room. She grinned.’

This scene is just one of the rather fun and flirtatious moments that occurs between Chaol and Celaena and if you read this book I promise you won’t be disappointed with how their relationship develops.

Celaena herself is developed further as an individual and where readers may have been disappointed by her in Throne of Glass for a lack of her assassin abilities then Crown of Midnight will not disappoint.

‘Celaena reached a gloved hand into the sack and tossed the severed head toward him. No one spoke as it bounced, a vulgar thudding of stiff and rotting flesh on marble.’

We finally see Celaena in her element and her capabilities as an assassin in this book and she is fierce. Celaena can be ruthless, bloodthirsty and heartless. There is a tragedy that occurs in the book that unleashes Celaena’s blood-thirst and ruthlessness and allows us as readers to see how not only that she can fight to kill but she chooses now to use her skills in order to protect the ones she has come to love and see as irreplaceable friends. For me, Celaena is not just a ruthless assassin with no morality but one with a fierce and loyal heart who fights for those she loves above all else.

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Crowned by Evil.

Bound by Duty.
Divided by Love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood - but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, put those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors - a captain and a prince - and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom... 

Key Quotes 

‘Chaol, mercifully, kept quiet, observing the crowd around them, as if these fancy women might attack them at any moment’ 

"You are in a position of power - and knowledge - and yet you just obey. You obey and you do not question, and you work only toward one goal: your freedom." 

'Concealed beneath a black mask and hood, she willed herself to melt into the shadows, to become nothing more than a slip of darkness.' 

"When you go away," he said... " I have no idea what's happening to you. I don't know if you're hurt or rotting in a gutter somewhere..." He brought his face close to hers, his voice hoarse.

'She wouldn't mind working with him - but not in the way Roland meant. Her way would include a dagger, a shovel, and an unmarked grave.'

Similar reads

The Cruel Prince, Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows, Red Queen

Afterthoughts

I love that Celaena is not just defined by her abilities as an assassin but has multiple sides to her personality such as her appreciation for the arts and culture.

The elements of fantasy that will become a major focus in this book are slowly but excitingly introduced and I love the introduction of Mort for this very reason. Also Mort is just as sassy as Celaena and these two clash because of their similar personalities.

Dorian is developed as an individual and we begin to see his own story-line develop that is unrelated to his previously romantic relationship to Celaena in Throne of Glass.

If you've read the book, how did you feel about that devastating tragedy? (no spoilers, please for those that haven't yet read it. Thank you.) Did you feel it was necessary to allow Celaena to develop as an individual, or did it feel unnecessary?