(Throne of Glass #1)
Sarah J. MaasYoung Adult/Fantasy-ish
416 pages
Bloomsbury Children's
Available August 7th
Received at BEA for review
THE STORY (from Goodreads)
After serving out a
year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes,
18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown
Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must
act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
MY THOUGHTS
Throne
of Glass is a story that seems to quietly smolder, intense moments of
action igniting a spark that grabs our attention before things settle down again for our
heroine, keeping us constantly on edge as we wait for a
full flame to roar to life and warm our hearts with its mesmerizing dance. Unfortunately, in this first installment, that stunning
flame is never quite given the air to breathe, our connection to the three
main protagonists flickering in and out of existence as we struggle to
get a handle on who each of them is beyond their classification or
title. Ms. Maas is unquestionably a gifted storyteller, and by the end, the pages cannot be flipped fast enough in order to learn
Celaena’s fate, but both world and characters feel a touch incomplete,
existing as bright but flat stripes of color without the shadows, depth, and background to bring their canvas to life.Celaena has the potential to be a spectacular heroine, her dark past barely hinted at in this first book and her skills as an assassin something we can’t wait to see put into action as she defends herself against the twenty-three other competitors vying for the position of the king’s champion, however, she spends almost the entire book merely boasting of her strength and her skill with weaponry without ever backing it up. From our initial meeting she’s referred to as “the world’s greatest assassin”, but those four words make up the entirety of what we know about her for majority of the story. She’s constantly aware of her surroundings, weighing and measuring those around her and plotting how easily she could take them down if she wanted, and while we clearly understand that she can’t go around slaughtering people given her precarious situation, we aren’t even really treated to a display of her skills when it comes to the Tests against the other competitors.
A couple of the Tests are described for us, and we can’t help but revel in those moments when we begin to see some of the much-exalted assassin come to the surface, but after those few brief moments, the Tests are glossed over for the remainder of the story until we get to the final duel. We barely scratch the surface of Celaena’s character, and because we know so little about her, her relationships with both Captain of the Guard Chaol and Crown Prince Dorian don’t elicit from us the reaction we long for when reading. There are several sweet moments between Celaena and both young men, but their connections to one another don’t leave impressions in our skin from where their fingers have grabbed us and held us tight, nor do our bodies feel wound tight in their presence, just waiting for the tension to snap and give us something emotionally charged. Instead, we spend our time longing for the moment when they’ll transform from black and white ink to flesh and blood people, dazzling us with facets of themselves we’re not seeing currently.
Throne of Glass does conclude in impressive fashion, the final battle between Celaena and the most dangerous of her competitors both gritty and violent, drawing us into Celaena’s world in the way we’d hoped to be from the beginning. Hopefully, as the series continues, we’ll learn more of Celaena other than she’s an assassin, and the richness of possibility surrounding all the characters as well as their world will be given room to stretch and come to fruition.
Rating: 3/5
*I think I'm in the extreme minority with my feelings on this book, so below are some reviews of those who absolutely loved it:
Bewitched Bookworms
The Readers Den
Realm of Fiction
Aw, too bad you didn't like this one as much as others (me included). I loved it, but I can definitely see where you're coming from with respect to Celaena's character. I have a feeling it would've been really helpful to read the prequels first, to get a feel for Celaena and how talented she is as a fighter. So I hope I will find the time to read them because I would very much like to enrich my reading of this one!
ReplyDeleteI know, I feel like an a-hole because Celaena just didn't work for me for most of the book! I'm sure seeing her kick ass in the prequels would have helped me believe in her as an assassin:)
DeleteOoOo too bad hon!!!! But sometimes a book that is just not your book...
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking back to my review! I loved this book so much! I agree, we do not learn much about Caelena, but I think this will be something explored within the next books. Also, the Novella's which take place before this happenings will give you lots of insight into her character and upbringing.
Maybe you'll give the sequel a chance and love it more :))
Yeah, majority of this book wasn't the book for me, but by the end I was really enjoying it, so I have high hopes for the next book! Maybe I'll read the novellas too:)
Delete"existing as bright but flat stripes of color without the shadows, depth, and background to bring their canvas to life." Wow, Jenny, that is one of the best statements i read ever!!!! I love how you alluded to this book as a painting. the perfect way so share how the books was incomplete and not perfect. And you used art terms!! Yay!
ReplyDeleteI love how you acknowledge that this book is just a starting point and that there is hope in the future for the series and writer to grow. Wonderful review!!!!!!! I
Side-question: Are you voting for Adrian today at the YA Crush Tourney? I am!
Thanks Rachel! I do think Sarah told a good story, so I will be continuing the series despite my reservations with this one:) And I'll have to hop over to the tournament today!
DeleteYou're not the only person who was underwhelmed. I've read lots of droolingly positive reviews, but I've read other review where the person couldn't stand it. I haven't read this one yet. I'm really hoping I'll love it though.
ReplyDeleteIf I had believed in Celaena a bit more, the story would have worked for me, but she was all arrogance and swagger with almost no action. I just wanted more from her:) I'm sure it's coming in future books though!
DeleteI'm one who LOVED this book, but I can see where you're coming from. Hopefully the sequel will expand on the characters and other areas that you found lacking. Even though our opinions differ, I love your review and your gorgeous use of words. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThat's my hope, and I'm sure it will happen:) I felt all guilty for not loving this one as much as everyone else!
DeleteYay! I'm really impressed with your review and how you expressed it! I too was not as impressed with this book (I ended up giving it a 2 instead, though) because it didn't feel real to me...at all! It had a lot of potential and I wanted to like it, but because Caleana was just a lot of talk, it didn't make sense. A lot of the actions of the characters felt extremely forced to me and, like you you said, flat. *spoiler* like the captain of the guard! I'm all for a cute captain of the guard, even a young one, but he seems to have an extremely precarious relationship with the king, not having been let in on so much that is going on, and then, and THEN, at the end when he kills...that person...he's all broken up about it because he hasn't killed before?!? Seriously! What kind of captain of the guard is he? If he got to that position, he sure as heck should have had a lot of experience, including fighting and killing, or if not, then explain that it's kind of a noble title and that he's still growing into it (though that wouldn't make as much sense).*end of spoiler*
ReplyDeleteAnywho, not to rant, I was just disappointed with the book and probably won't be continuing on with the series (and that's a rare thing for me!) but who knows, I just may. I just didn't understand the actions of the characters! It felt too forced and as if someone was pulling the strings and making them do what they wanted instead of what felt natural. Oh well, I'm not bitter or anything, just sad that I didn't like it as much as I would have thought. Glad I'm not the only one in the minority opinion!
Oooooo I never gave much though to Chaol, but you're right! I was distracted by Celaena's lack of asssassin-ness and Dorian's seemingly 180 degree turn in his feelings toward Celaena that Chaol didn't really even make it on my radar. Given the hype on this one, I too expected more, but I'm going to continue on in the hopes I'll get the depth I'm looking for!
DeleteAnd that rhymed. Unintentionally. Lame.
I read Throne of Glass and, personally, I absolutely loved the book! But I can definitely understand why there were aspects about the book which you left you wanting more, like seeing Celaena's skill as an assassin in person (relatively speaking, of course) rather than taking her for her word. The romance probably could have been stronger, but I viewed it more as a love triangle that is only bound to get stronger in the future, letting it play out more over time instead of trying to rush things when Celaena is more worried about the contest. (Zahida from Musings of a YA Reader had very similar thoughts to your review, so I'm not too surprised that you also felt the same way.) I did kind of think it was hilarious how she could be thinking about how to kill a person one moment and then go all girl about a pretty dress the next. But overall though, I really did think Throne of Glass was well worth the long wait and I'll be reading it again in the future! Hopefully, Jenny, the weaknesses you found with Throne of Glass will disappear in book two. Great review!
ReplyDeleteLiz @ Midnight Bloom Reads
I'm so glad you loved it Liz! I really wanted to, and by the end I was definitely rooting for Celaena, so hopefully we'll start off book two with a better relationship, she and I:)
DeleteI felt the same way you did. I liked it but didn't love it. I think you were spot on, we just scratch the surface of Celaena as a character. This story felt more like an origins novel. Love your review it is very descriptive and pulled me right in !
ReplyDeleteYes. It felt like a prequel to me, a quick introduction, instead of having all the character complexity I was hoping for:)
DeleteAww, Jenny. It's really too bad you didn't love this book as much as the others. I've heard nothing but glowing reviews for this book, but I was very glad I read your review. It's really well-balanced and I can see why you were frustrated. For me, it's of utmost importance for the main characters to be described in a detailed manner in order to feel an emotional connection with them. Seems like not much is said about Celeana. I wonder how I'll like this book. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny. :)
ReplyDeleteI know. I'm kind of out in left field by myself with this one! Oh well:) I just needed Celaena to show me her skills rather than constantly tell me how epic she is. She definitely showed up at the end, but I felt like part of her was missing throughout given how much her reputation had preceded her before I read.
DeleteAw, I'm sorry you didn't like it. I've been waiting for this book for what seems like forever so, I don't know what I'll feel if it doesn't reach my expectations. Thank you for the honest review though :D
ReplyDeleteI know. I fail with this book:( I'll be interested to see what you think Gellie!
DeleteAww sorry you didn't enjoy this one as much as you had hoped Jenny! But it's great to get a different take on things and see what didn't work out for you! Hopefully you'll enjoy the next book a lot more if you decide to pick it up. A lovely honest review Jenny! and thanks for linking my review! :)
ReplyDeleteOf course! I was happy to share you link, like you, I always enjoy getting a different opinion:) I'm still going to pick up the next book, I want to see if I get to see under Celaena's surface a bit more.
DeleteThe main reason I wanted to read this one was because of the assassin angle! If I don't see enough of that I will be disappointed too! Great review! Now I know what to expect
ReplyDeleteKrazyyme @ Young Readers
A lot of people weren't disappointed in that aspect, I just couldn't quite believe her as one in this first installment. Maybe in the next one:)
DeleteI have to say, I think it's awesome when a book garners such a wide variety of reactions. You know I had a love/hate relationship with it (and rated it 3 stars on Goodreads) and agree about the lack of showing versus telling (if she's really so awesome, SHOW me!).
ReplyDeleteMe too! It's fun to see how everyone will react. And I wanted more showing for sure! I couldn't help but compare her to Gin from the Elemental Assassin books, and Gin was just a much more badass woman. Her knives were always moving before her mouth, and I was looking for a little more of that with Celaena!
DeleteUh, is it bad that I haven't even heard of this one? Sounds like a pretty good concept but not one I will probably read....thanks for the review SuperSnark...:)
ReplyDeleteHahahaha SuperSnark! *dies*
DeleteSometimes characters just don't appeal to us. Look at me and Mac from the Fever series. I never liked her but the series still worked for me on some level. I am glad the ending was good :)
ReplyDeleteExactly. I think so much too depends on the book you just finished reading, and I had just finished one I absolutely adored, and this one just didn't quite match it.
DeleteLovely review, Jenny! I wish you could have liked this more but I'm glad you didn't totally hate it. I do agree that details of the tests were glossed over slightly, but then I never did feel the tests were supposed to be too much of a focus. It would have been nice to see Celaena use more of her deadly assassin skills though. ;) Thanks for featuring my review! :)
ReplyDeleteI know, I know. I fail at life for not loving this one! I agree that showing all the tests would have been way too much, but I just felt like the 2 we saw really didn't show off many of her skills, and then we just heard of the rest of the tests in passing until the end. I was super impressed with the one at the end, it was what I'd been waiting for all along:)
DeleteI just keep thinking "how can she be that good and so young", every review I read, the same thing
ReplyDeleteYes, she's awfully young to be the world's greatest assassin. Hopefully the next book will show me why she's considered as such:)
DeleteUgh. I dislike books that continually say a character is one way, but that characteristic is never built on or displayed in any way. It is a bit maddening, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteYes. I could see she had training in the way she analyzed every situation and planned take downs and escape routes, but none of her training was ever put into action, and I wanted that to be a bigger part I guess:)
DeleteThis is one of those books that really seems to elicit different emotions from different people. Its too bad it wasn't better for you, you already know I loved it, but sometimes books just don't click with us. I'm glad you still enjoyed it though and I hope the next book is better for you.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, and it's fun to read all the different views I think:) I've got my fingers crossed for book 2!
DeleteAwww, Jenny. I was hoping you like this book more. I loved it. The tension is amazing in it. But we all have our opinions. Thanks for being honest in your review.
ReplyDeleteMe too Savy! I was expecting to love it and it fell just a bit short for me:(
DeleteBrilliant review, Jenny! I've seen a lot of reviewers express complaints over the character of Celaena and even the love triangle and I think those are very natural qualms as I would have problems with those aspects as well. Your review was remarkably written though and I'm glad you still enjoyed the novel! :)
ReplyDelete~Keertana
Ivy Book Bindings
Thanks so much Keertana! I saw lots and lots of potential in this book, it just didn't all get realized for me before the end. I'm hoping book 2 will improve upon the first!
DeleteAww I've been looking forward to this one so I'm sad that you didn't like it as much as a lot of people have. :( I hope the next novel explains more about Celaena and you love it more. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope so too Bailey! It was still a good read, I consider a 3 to be a pretty decent rating, I was just hoping for more based on all the hype and the monster line at BEA!
DeleteHrm..there's something about this book that doesn't appeal to me. I mean I'm all for girl power and a kick butt heroine but I'm getting the same fantasy vibe to it. I think I'll wait and read this one a little later.
ReplyDeleteIt does have a bit of a fantasy vibe, but I wouldn't call it high fantasy or anything. At least not yet. This one was more adventure/romance with fantasy potential:)
DeleteI think that I may wait for the next one to get into it. I mean it sounds like a good enough read, but just wanting more from the character and not knowing about those tests. It just might bug me. I like that you see potential, though...
ReplyDeleteI wanted to see a few more of the tests since that's why she was at the castle and all, and it was the only time we were going to see any of her super assassin skills. I was hoping she would be a bit more like Gin from the Elemental Assassin series with her kickassery, but she wasn't for me:(
DeleteAwesome review!!! It's too bad that you didn't love it but I am still glad to hear you enjoyed it. Hopefully Celaena will really develop a lot more in the sequel!!!Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSeeitORreadit
I'm sure she will! I'm still going to continue the series:)
DeleteNooooooooooooo! Im so sad you didnt enjoy this one as much as I. Im a total sucker for fantasy and romance <33
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do agree with your pov. I was, too, expecting to see Celaena the Assassin, not Celaena the flirty girl who is in love with gowns and guys with beautiful faces. But I grew to loved her and understand why I didn't see the assassin but a girl instead.
Greta review my dear. I like when I see different opinion with strong arguments.
XOXO
I KNOW, I FAIL!!!! I felt super guilty when I finished and was all "ummmm, am I the only one that isn't giving this a 4 or 5? Yes? Awesome." Still, I'm looking forward to the next book:)
DeleteI'll be super interested in reading your thoughts Heidi! I just wanted a few more layers to Celaena's character, I know more will inevitably reveal themselves as the series continues, but I just couldn't fully embrace her in this first book.
ReplyDeleteJenny-
ReplyDeleteI'm sad you didn't like it, too, but you do make some valid points. I just got so wrapped up in the story, none of them bothered me. It happens. We can't all love the same books all the time. I always think of the same round of bloggers I comment on and we all like the same books and I begin to think, "How boring is this?" so I'm glad to see what you didn't like.
I haven't liked some of the most popular books out there. Like I said, your points are valid. I still loved it! You do not fail! You just found a book that didn't work for you. Nothing wrong with that! At all!
Excellent review!
You're still one of my favorite reviewers!
Hahaha thanks Heather! I'm glad my lackluster response to this book didn't taint your overall feelings for me:):)
DeleteSometimes I do fail though. Rather spectacularly:)
Hmmm, I think that even though others liked this book more than you did, I feel you have made some very valid points. If someone is an assassin, I want to see some assassinations! Also, when a character constantly talks about themselves it's kind of like an unreliable narrator.
ReplyDeleteRight? That's what I was thinking. She just had such an enormous reputation, I thought we needed to see at least a little of how she earned it you know?
DeleteI totally agree with you in the fact that Celaena's character was hardly shown to its full potential. I really liked this aspect of it, cuz it kept me reading, but I understand where you're coming from! Great review, Jenny - I hope you like the rest of the books even more! :)
ReplyDeleteSierra @ Yearning to Read
That's true, I did keep going hoping I would learn more about her, but by the time I reached the end I was just a touch disappointed in how little I knew of her.
DeleteThe more I read non-rave reviews, the less I want to read this book. Celaena sounds like an annoying character and I also heard that this has some well-done love triangle, something I hate in YA. I think I should wait until all the books are released before reading this so I wouldn't have to wonder who she's going to end up with. I take my OTP very seriously, you know. ;p
ReplyDeleteShe was a bit frustrating in the beginning when she would just toss out comments about how amazing she was, but by the end I liked her a bit more. And I might wait until all the books are out too and then read them all together, maybe that will help with my overall reaction!
DeleteMost of the reviews for this one have been "glowing"...it just never seemed to appeal to me though...definitely one to put to the bottom of my list!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just read Z's review for this one, and she said much the same about the heroine being nothing but talk. Bum deal. I think the story would have been much more exiting had Celaena been able to actually show off her skills. I think I'll be skipping this one, especially since the romance doesn't seem to leave an impression either.
ReplyDeleteI was going uh huh to so many points in your review, Jenny. Even though I was left terribly disappointed with this one, I'm most likely going to give book 2 a try because I think - or at least hope - the series is going to get better. As you said so eloquently, "Hopefully ... we’ll learn more of Celaena ... and the richness of possibility surrounding all the characters as well as their world will be given room to stretch and come to fruition" :)
ReplyDeleteNot all books are going to resonate with everyone, Jenny. I haven't read this one yet, it's in my pile but I'm glad to know what to expect in terms of character. Maybe the prequels might help with a connection. Hmm..
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderfully insightful review. :)
Don't worry Jenny, you're not in the minority! I know many bloggers who either put it on hold because this wasn't grabbing their attention or managed to finish it, but wasn't overly impressed! Even though I really enjoyed it, I do agree with you! Celaena does spend the majority of the book merely boasting about her abilities, and more than once I truly doubted her assasination skills (like when she performed a few of her knife/archery tricks, but they weren't overly impressive, I wondered how she even became the world's no.1 assassin?) But that ending was definitely awesomeee<3 Absolutely LOVED the fight!! Anyway, fantastic review Jenny! I love reading different opinions on books :)
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about this book. I was actually surprised that I didn't love ToG more, since I really enjoyed the novellas. I definitely wasn't a fan of the switching POV - the story would have been stronger if it stuck with Celaena.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Jenny! Very nicely written.
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