Review - Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass

Title: Throne of Glass

Series: Throne of Glass (Goodreads)

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Group: YA

Source: Amazon UK (Purchased)

Review 

I absolutely loved Throne of Glass this book is a powerhouse filled with action, romance and spirit. I had to rush out and buy the next books, then consume them straight away after the delivery man posted them. The first book and series I read by Sarah J. Maas was A Court of Thorns and Roses which I also loved and lead me to read Throne of Glass because her books possess such strong characters, beautiful descriptions, and delicately constructed world building. Maas is definitely one of my now favourite authors and I will continue to read and follow all her future works because I believe as a writer she will only gain more experience and progress into an even stronger one. Also the worlds and characters that she creates are so intricate and complex, her characters in particular do have their flaws but I see this as a positive because people or mythical creatures aren’t one-dimensional beings. Her characters are constantly changing and reacting to situations in their lives that make them question their own morals as we do in real life because none of us continue to be the same person over our long lives and are flawed as we are challenged by difficult decisions.

Throne of Glass offers readers a strong female protagonist in Celaena Sardothien and Maas is not afraid to discuss female concerns and issues. I have read from other reviews that some people felt disappointed by Celaena because she wasn’t represented as a strong female assassin I however would like to argue why I personally do not agree with this interpretation. Crucially, Celaena has been forced into slavery for the past year and has become malnourished and tortured by the slave guards. Therefore, at the beginning of the novel Celaena is physically incapable of achieving her full potential but as the book progresses we see her regain her strength and potential as a kickass assassin. Another criticism related to the following issue is Celaena’s love of dresses and flirting with boys that others didn’t feel fit in with the idea of a powerful assassin. Personally, I saw that Maas wanted to humanise Celaena and remind readers that there are multiple sides to a person's identity. For me, I saw in a Celaena a young woman that has lived through traumatic events and lost her childhood innocence and for her to finally have young men interested in her and a collection of beautiful dresses allows her a chance, however short-lived it may be, to find joy in her life and to be more than just an assassin capable of causing pain and death.

‘Despite her arrogance, she was clever, and relatively kind, and somewhat charming. But where was that writhing darkness? Why didn’t it show itself so he could just throw her into the dungeon and call of this ridiculous competition?’  

As I already mentioned Maas is not afraid to talk about female concerns and issues. In fact she champions the discussion and exposure of female bodies and their enjoyment of sex both in the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series. As Celaena regains her physical strength we learn that her monthly periods also return as a result, ‘Celaena stretched, but then stopped as pain seized her stomach. She bent over, focusing on her breathing, and waited for the cramp to pass’. Talking about women’s bodies shouldn’t have to be a problem and women themselves have been silenced for too long over the discussion of their bodies and the issues that they face. Of course, Maas is not the only writer not afraid to discuss women’s bodies but perhaps she is one of the few writers out there writing about them for Young Adult readers. In response to Celaena’s returned periods Maas also exposes the male embarrassment and discomfort about confronting women’s bodies. After Celaena tells Chaol about her periods his instant reaction is to run away in discomfort, ‘“I- if… Then I’ll take my leave,” he stammered, and bowed. Celaena raised an eyebrow, and then, despite herself, smiled as he left the room as quickly as his feet could go without running, tripping slightly in the doorway as he staggered into rooms beyond’.

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

Key Quotes 

‘"How old are you?" "twenty-two." "So young!" She batted her eyelashes, watching him for some kind of response. [...] "And how old are you?" "Eighteen." But he said nothing. "I know," she continued. "It is impressive that I accomplished so much at such an early age." "Crime isn’t an accomplishment, Sardothien." "Yes, but becoming the world's most famous assassin is!" He didn’t respond. "You might ask me how I did it."’ 

'"Only an idiot would walk in a house made of glass." "It's as sturdy as steel and stone." "Yes, until someone just a bit too heavy enters and it comes crashing down."’

‘"I like music," she said slowly, "because when I hear it, I…I lose myself within myself, if that makes sense. I become empty and full at once, and I can feel the whole earth roiling around me. When I play, I’m not…for once, I’m not destroying. I’m creating."

‘A glass chandelier shaped like a grapevine occupied most of the ceiling, spitting seeds of diamond fire onto the windows along the far side of the room.'

Similar reads

Grave Mercy, The Cruel Prince, Red Queen, Graceling

Afterthoughts

The series also sets up incredible friendships for Celaena between Chaol, Dorian and Nehemia.

Maas also challenges gender stereotypes for young men as well as for women.

The friendship and tension between Chaol and Dorian concerning their developing feelings and relationship to Celaena.

Maas carefully crafts distinctive and multiple narrative voices for each character. 

The series is building up for an introduction to a land filled with magic, already the series is heading towards being more complex, and about more than just an assassin. 

What else would you recommend readers if they enjoyed this book or series?

I would love to hear what you thought of this book too, sound off in the comments and I cannot wait to chat with you