Celaena Sardothien, the most feared assassin in Adarlan, is serving time as a slave at the Salt Mines of Endovier. When given the chance to work as the King’s Champion to earn her freedom, she readily accepts.
But becoming the King’s Champion is a journey rife with challenges, near-death experiences, and finding alliances in unexpected places. Will Celaena be able to keep up her reputation as a ruthless mercenary or will she be forced to live the last of her days imprisoned in Endovier?
There’s a lot of debate surrounding Sarah J. Maas’ works, and the polarising views can only be overwhelming to a reader who is considering picking up one of the books. To them, I’d say – Throne of Glass is a fully entertaining fantasy fiction that has a heavily emphasised romance angle worked into the plot execution. It’s more about learning Celaena’s character strengths, weaknesses & backstory, rather than seeing her as a menacing killer.
I raced through the pages because of a few primary reasons, which were the selling points of the novel, in my opinion:
- Celaena’s disposition. She’s all sass, unrestrained behaviour, kindness and ambition.
- The competition to become the King’s Champion reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games, and that added to the excitement quotient.
- Her growing attraction for two of the most eligible bachelors at court made the story wildly entertaining.
- The descriptions, especially of the settings
- The history and scope of magic
Granted that the book is in no way unique or faultless, but then again it’s ultimately about how engrossing one finds it. And I did not want to set it down, even when there were some unpleasant remarks passed by a character or when stereotypical behaviours were depicted.
Initially, I couldn’t figure out who I’d ship Celaena with. But towards the middle of the book, one of the pairings stands out to be more genuine and heartwarming. I can only hope that something comes of it in the sequel.
It’s very much possible that I’ve not perceived the book with a critical eye. And I’m not sure I will, as I continue with the rest of the series. This is entirely a feel-good, amusing read, one that reminded me of why I enjoy reading fantasy fiction.
If all of that sounds inviting, then maybe this author’s works will be right up your alley.
The Life Stories 