Book Spotlight: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION. FULL ON FANGIRLING AHEAD! (also, probably the longest review I've ever written because I simply couldn't shut up about it)

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.
From Goodreads.com

This book takes off from the first pages. We are introduced to Celaena, an eighteen year old assassin who has been in prison within the salt mines of Endovier. The crown prince Dorian comes to give her the freedom she so desperately needs in exchange for becoming his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. She travels to the Castle of Glass with prince and captain of the guard Westfall. The castle becomes a battleground, with random killings and people out to see Celaena fail. There her new life begins and what an adventure it is. 

I cannot even tell you how amazing this book truly is! Honestly, I’ve been wondering on how to write this review without being all mushy and spoilery for months! There is so much to the story, and it’s written in such an excellent way that it keeps you up at night, begging you to turn just one more page. 

Celaena is a wonderful, complex character who works hard at becoming the best version of herself. She is thrown into the den of the wolves so to speak when she comes face to face with the men - “thieves, assassins, and warriors” - to battle. I loved watching her grow as an individual, discovering parts of herself that made her who she is. She is most definitely a kick butt kind of a character that movies are made about (*nudge nudge*). 

On the other side of Celaena are Prince Dorian and Captain Westfall. Both are there to help her grown and train so that she can win the battle. However, both are also there to teach her things about herself she didn’t think she was capable of feeling. Both Prince Dorian and Captain Westfall are exquisite characters that I loved to pieces (maybe Captain Westfall a bit more) :-D I am partial to Captain (can I get one somewhere please?) because I feel like I can relate to him more, and I loved seeing his character a lot more (please let there be more of him in the coming books) than Dorian (although Dorian is plenty interesting as well). 

The battle scenes and the training in this book were amazing! I loved how well Sarah writes these, almost making it seem like you’re watching a movie! The scenes are so smooth, so realistic, they made ma gasp a few times, worried that one of my beloved characters will get hurt! Celaena can kick some serious butt though! I especially loved Celaena and Westfall dynamic in training and the final battle! Aww, Westfall! :-D

What I’m trying to say with all of these ramblings is that August 7th should be the day everyone, and I mean everyone, goes to the closes bookstore and buys this book! Throne of Glass has rekindled my love for fantasy and I cannot thank Sarah enough for that. She has created a world so full of wonder, complexity, and self discovery I don’t know how you cannot love this book! Throne of Glass is a full ride, filled with action, adventure, and characters you dream about at night! 

Happy reading, 

Valia