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.

Wow. I almost can’t even put into words how much I adore Throne of Glass. To put it into perspective, it’s on par with my favorite series of all time. For most people, that’s the Harry Potter series. For me, it’s Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series. Throughout my life, I’ve loved hundreds of books, but nothing has ever surpassed my love for all things Tamora Pierce. And while I’m not saying Throne of Glass achieves that, I definitely feel the same way about this book as I do about Alanna’s adventures.

Let’s start with our protagonist: Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan’s most feared and respected assassin. Celaena is extremely likable. She’s also witty, frightening, determined, loyal, and so, so very fierce. Celaena proves that even if you break a warrior’s body, you don’t necessarily break their spirit. She has an inner strength that is nearly unparalleled in literature. She also doesn’t make excuses for herself. It’s hard to call Celaena a role model when she’s also a murderer, so I won’t. But what I like about Throne of Glass is that everyone acknowledges that what Celaena does for a living is wrong.But they don’t immediately discredit her as a bad person. Instead, they try to understand, and while she can’t quite be forgiven for the deaths she’s caused, we at least get glimpses into her reasoning, glimpses that will turn into full-on explanations as the series progresses, I assume. Celaena is definitely a complicated character, someone with a hard past and multiple layers to her personality; someone who doesn’t deserve to be judged at face value.

But Celaena isn’t the only shining star. Throne of Glass, as a whole, shines on its own. The setting of Adarlan is captivating and fresh. This world is beautifully wrought, the details fine-tuned and expertly crafted. Falling headfirst into this world is such a wonderful escape, one I’m already dying to experience again. There are castles made of glass, masked balls, all forms of combat, glittering gowns, and shudder-inducing punishments. There are thiefs, assassins, dashing princes, corrupt officials, and deadly princesses. Throne of Glass has literally everything I pray for in a book.

Then there’s the plot, a plot that’s anything but predictable. The ups and downs, twists and turns kept me thoroughly on my toes. Plot twists are revealed all the way up to the very last page, promising an equally exciting sequel. The competition for the King’s Champion is thoroughly engaging without dragging. Maas doesn’t waste time introducing us to unimportant characters or detailing events that can be summed up succinctly. Instead, there’s more focus placed on characterization and world-building, when necessary. That’s not to say the action is lacking. There’s plenty of it, from Celaena’s training to her battles against the other would-be champions. Not to mention the action that comes along with dancing — literally dancing at balls and parties as well as the figurative dances that come along with court politics. Basically, there’s never a dull moment.

Then there’s the romance. Romance is decidedly not the focus of this book. Instead, more of an emphasis is placed on forming relationships based in friendship and trust. Obviously, Celaena is a hard person to trust, nor does she trust others easily. It takes a long time for the characters in Throne of Glass to feel comfortable with and open up to each other. But watching their relationships grow is so fulfilling. While I expected more romance, or at least more of a love triangle, I am so glad that these expectations aren’t met. The relationships that do form are so much more gratifying and leave me with even more respect for Celaena. If I could give this book more than five stars, I absolutely would. As it stands, there’s nothing I dislike about Throne of Glass and I absolutely recommend it to everyone, no matter what your book preferences are. Throne of Glass is so worth every minute you spend reading it and rereading it and rereading it.

Pages: 416
Publication Date: August 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: NetGalley
Rating : ★★★★★

Teaser Quote: “After a too-long moment, the crown prince spoke. ‘I don’t quite comprehend why you’d force someone to bow when the purpose of the gesture is to display allegiance and respect.’ His words were coated with glorious boredom.“