A Review for Crown of Midnight (Thorne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: August 15th, 2013
Finished Date: October 21st, 2013

Publishers: Bloomsbury
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Source: For Review

Format: eARC
Pages: 432

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.

Love or loathe Celaena, she will slice open your heart with her dagger and leave you bleeding long after the last page of the highly anticipated sequel in what is undeniably THE hottest new fantasy series.

The Review: Crown of Midnight was simply spectacular, a breathtaking fantasy adventure that even with lots of secrets still kept, manages to captivate its audience. We join Celaena a little while after becoming the King’s champion and she has already been sent on missions for the King, forcing her to adopt her assassin persona. She keeps at it, hoping & praying for her freedom one day. Having pushed Dorian away at the end of Throne of Glass, she continues to keep her friends at arms length for fear the King will use them against her but they have already made their impact and she can’t stop them caring for her. When she is given the name of a target from the King, things become complicated… she knows the target & whilst it will be an advantage, it will also be a hindrance when the time comes to do her duty. As she sets about her mission, she uncovers some information that could be to her benefit & put her in favour of the King, making her appear the ever faithful servant…. Only there are huge consequences for what she will uncover & more than her own life will be in danger. As she unravels secrets on the outside of the palace walls, she also unravels them inside and her discoveries will have far reaching effects if she can’t put the pieces together and work out what the future holds. I absolutely loved this, as I did the first book and thought the progression in both the story and its characters was perfect! Celaena has taken to her role as King’s champion with ease (not surprising considering her profession) but I like the changes that she went through whilst she was in Endovier and how she is putting them into practice here. She is a very cautious person and doesn’t trust easily which seems to serve her well, she’s well aware that things aren’t what they seem but because she let Dorian, Chaol & Nehemia in, she’s in it for the long run and I like the changes she has gone through because of those people she let in her life. She was stuck between Dorian & Chaol before but in this book she does lean towards one over the other and I loved the development in the romance department for her, the fact that someone can evoke those feelings in someone like her, really softened her character & we could see some vulnerabilities which was endearing. The storyline was all action & mystery because when she’s not trying to kill people, she’s trying to uncover secrets and clues to what is happening on a larger scale. She isn’t stupid and she knows something is amiss and she is so adept at discovering things that it drives her, she didn’t get where she is today by brushing things under the carpet and her character traits actually add to the story. I love the reappearance of magic, even though it is still undercover, I like how that guides her, I like how people are willing to die so that it is not forgotten and with the developments in this book it becomes apparent that not only is magic going to make a reappearance but it will have a massive impact on more than one of our characters. I also loved how the palace featured into this, what its hiding etc. we got a glimpse of it with Elena’s tomb but again…. there is more and it piques even more of my curiosity. The plot definitely thickens in this and we start to see more of the King’s plans, a budding rebellion and more than one of our characters has an interest in both worlds which leads to some precarious situations as Celaena finds herself in danger time & time again. There are secrets galore just waiting to be uncovered and by the end I had been excited, scared, anxious, curious, amused, elated & heartbroken but most importantly……..desperate for more! 

UK Blog Tour for Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas; Character Bio's + UK/IRE Giveaway

Throne of Glass 

by Sarah J.Maas

Publishers: Bloomsbury

See Donna's Review: HERE

Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / 

The Book Depo

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?

THRONE OF GLASS CHARACTER BIOS

Nox Owen: Known as the “Master Thief of Perranth,” Nox made a name for himself at an early age, rising up from one of the countless city orphans to become one of the most talented thieves in Terrasen. After Adarlan’s conquest, Nox turned his talents toward tormenting Perranth’s new rulers (viceroys and generals sent in from Adarlan), and has been rumored to occasionally see to it that those stolen goods make their way into the hands of Terrasen’s rebels. He was sponsored in the king’s competition by the new Minister of Terrasen (a native himself), and was granted immunity if he lost. His motives for accepting the Minister’s offer, however, remain unknown.

Likes: Stealing things. Pretty women. Being far too clever.
Dislikes: Getting caught. Adarlan’s rule. Crafty army generals who set traps for him.

***

Kaltain Rompier: An eighteen year old courtier from Bellhaven, Kaltain has had her sights set on the royal crown for as long as she can remember. Her family is absurdly wealthy, which is what initially caught Duke Perrington’s eye (and her beauty played no small role, either). Though she strings along Duke Perrington, she has every intention of marrying Dorian Havilliard some day. In fact, she BELIEVES that she should be queen, and she’ll do anything to ensure that it happens. Even if it means leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.

Likes: Dorian Havilliard. Opium. Scheming. Wealth. Ridiculously large litters to haul her across the kingdom. Crowns.
Dislikes: Lillian Gordaina (AKA Celaena Sardothien). Nehemia Ytger. Anyone who is a threat to her own ambitions.

***

Duke Perrington: The King of Adarlan’s right-hand man and cousin, the Duke of Perrington rules the duchy of Morath, a large and powerful bit of territory in the south of Adarlan. Vicious and cunning, he’ll do anything to ensure that the king’s agenda goes off without a hitch—even if his methods are beyond immoral. He claims to be infatuated with Lady Kaltain, but even Kaltain isn’t sure of the Duke’s true motives in courting her.

Likes: Power. Kaltain Rompier. The King of Adarlan. Being a jerk.
Dislikes: Criminals. Rebels. Anyone not from Adarlan.

***

Cain: A soldier born & raised in the infamously cruel tribes of the White Fang Mountains (above the city of Anielle), Cain’s own brand of brutality was enough to get him noticed by Duke Perrington. Not much is known about Cain’s past, but his unnatural strength and ruthlessness made him the duke’s first pick in the king’s competition. Strength and speed aside, Cain seems to be clever in his own way—and his part in the king’s plans remains to be seen.

Likes: Secret knowledge that he has no business learning. The White Fang Mountains.
Dislikes: Any threat to his own goals (AKA every competitor in the king’s competition). Spoiled lordlings who rule Anielle.

***

The King of Adarlan: The tyrant-conqueror of many kingdoms, who is still hell-bent on conquering the rest of Erilea. People across the continent are still puzzled as to how he acquired so much power ten years ago—right before he marched into Terrasen to begin his conquest. No one except for Duke Perrington knows what his plans and motives truly are—though it’s far to assume that it’s nothing pleasant.

Likes: Being a tyrant. Enslaving the world. Destroying lives and kingdoms. 
Dislikes: Just about everything.

Want to see an extract of Throne of Glass - if so, see HERE!

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A Review for Throne of Glass by Sarah J.Maas

Posted by Donna

Release Date: August 2nd 2012

Finished Date: June 4th, 2012

Publishers: Bloomsbury

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 416
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

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.

The Review: Am I the only one who had NEVER heard of this book before I was given the opportunity to review it? I clearly wasn’t paying attention, because if I had, there is no way a book like this would have slipped past me and now after reading, I’m so pleased to say, Sarah J.Maas has created the perfect fantasy read with Throne of Glass. 

Celaena Sardothein has been trained from a young age to become a deadly assassin. When she is imprisoned for her crimes, she is thrown in a salt mine, being forced to work and is given hardly no food.  When a visit from Prince Dorian comes, Celaena is offered her freedom but it comes at a price. She must act as his champion, killing other men who are competing to become the king’s new assassin so she came claim the title herself. But how can Celaena fight for a king who believes in everything she is against? Not only that but as Celaena starts to take on her opponents, some of them turn up dead, but who is the killer? And while spending most of her time with Prince Dorian and Captain Chaol how does she stop herself falling for them? 

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I’m not even sure how to describe how great this book was because it was all kinds of awesomeness. Sarah J.Maas has a talent for creating fascinating stories, that are so beautifully written, it’s hard not to fall for her work. As soon as I started reading I was captivated from the start and it was hard to put the book down without still thinking about it. 

<

The story itself was fantastic. I loved being in Celaena’s world and I just wanted to get more and more. There was such a round variety of scenes that made you feel different every different emotions from happy, excited, and hopeful to betrayed, sad and angry and I adored every minute of it. But what I really loved about this book was that the characters were so outstanding. Celaena’s not your typical character, she thinks differently from most heroines and mainly she thinks about killing or how to escape, so it was wonderful getting into her head. She’s strong and brave and I loved how witty and sarcastic she is. Then of course, the love interests; Prince Dorian or Captain Chaol – I loved them both each in their own way. I spent most of this book trying to figure out which team I was on and let me say Sarah J.Maas does not make it easy on us readers. About 80% of the book I was convinced I was Team Dorian and then Captain Chaol would do something and it would change everything. It was so frustrating but in such a good way that I’m dying to find out who she belongs with. 

<

Overall, Throne of Glass surprised the hell out of me and has become of my favourite fantasy reads. Sarah J.Maas blew me away with it and I’d highly recommend it to you readers that are looking for a read that is enthralling, thrilling and beautiful.  

Thank you to Bloomsbury UK for giving me the opportunity to review this book.