Hey ForeverBookers,
I’m sorry that I haven’t been here for ages but I’ve been planning something exciting...more information coming soon!
Anyway, I have still been reading, slowly. Throne Of Glass was really good. It was atmospheric while still being fun and it had some twists that I didn’t see coming, as well.
I’d heard from others that I wouldn’t like Throne Of Glass based on my preferences. I LOVED Sarah J Maas’s other series, ACOTAR so I’m glad that I also really DID enjoy TOG, too!
4.5 Stars (5 Stars on Goodreads)!
The Readathons that I’ve read Throne Of Glass for are:
* Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019 - A book featuring and extinct or imaginary creature. There are imaginary creatures because it’s a fantasy book. I won’t spoil who or what they are, though!
* Litwits - been meaning to read! I’ve had Throne Of Glass on my TBR for absolutely YEARS! I can remember buying it when it was released so...yeah. For Christmas 2018 I got the hardcover boxset which was great as that’s my favourite format.
* Reading Rivalry - A Strong Female Character - For May, RR had some older prompts as it was a year since RR started, so I believe I read Strong Female Character before.
* Fiction Feud Society - Booked For Life - Teen (YA) - Throne Of Glass is YA. From book 4-6, the story becomes NA, but TOG is definitely okay for a teenager to read!
Throne Of Glass starts with Celaena in prison. She works in the salt mines as a prisoner but is recruited to become the Prince’s Champion in a competition where the Royal family of Ardalan, the setting for the majority of Throne Of Glass, need a bodyguard type of person. Celaena trains from dusk until dawn with her trainer, Chaol to get ready to fight against the other Champions or challengers. Throne of Glass is a fantasy novel so there are fantasy elements throughout. This made the reading experience exciting as I didn’t know what was going to happen most of the time. I highly recommend Throne Of Glass if you want something gripping and exciting!
NOTE: As I said above books 4-6 get steamy but in TOG there was no sex or even much of a romance story. There is however the bare bones of a love triangle set up, which I didn’t hate, as well as some flirting between the main characters! I think it will become more of a main thing in Crown Of Midnight, book 2, though. I think TOG would be fine for readers 12 and up to read! However, in the novel there are lines such as, “Arrogant ass,” so although I’d be okay letting a 12 year old read it, you might not be.
Spoilers below...
“As if that sort of trick could work on her.”
From this line, very early on in Throne Of Glass, we clearly get a view that Celaena is not one to be intimidated. Chaol is the guard who’s come to collect Celaena from the mines, where she’s kept prisoner and take her to the Ardalan palace. This is where she’ll be staying and training to become the King’s Champion. Chaol having his hood up is meant to scare Celaena but of course, our heroine has more inner strength than that! She’s not one to be toyed with. She’s independent and can very much stand up for herself, which she continues to prove throughout the novel.
“Princes are not supposed to be handsome! They’re snivelling, stupid, repulsive creatures! This one...this...How unfair of him to be royal and beautiful.” This is what Celaena think of Prince Dorian who later becomes a part of the love triangle. I loved reading Celaena and Dorian’s parts throughout TOG. They start off as close friends but quickly become more...how much more??? You’ll have to read to find out...
Throne Of Glass is actually written in 3rd person perspective, which I normally don’t like. However, in this series we get lines, like the one above, which take us into the minds of the characters, even though it’s still 3rd person. I loved this. ACOTAR, by the same author, which is written in first person, will always be my favourite out of it and TOG but I’m pleased to say that TOG won’t be like the 3rd person classics I read for school, which were very boring and monotonous because of the writing style.
Other characters have a part to play as well, although not quite so bigger part as Celaena, Chaol and Dorian, I don’t think. The cast is surprisingly small for a fantasy novel, actually. There are under 10 characters brought into the TOG. This will probably grow in the next books, as I know at least 2 main characters that aren’t featured in TOG but come into I think, Heir Of Fire (book 3). I’m excited to see these characters introduced. I love how the author writes her characters. She has a flowy but to the point writing style.
The events in Throne Of Glass, set up the next novels, I believe. The Assassin’s blade is the novella collection, which comes before Throne Of Glass. I wanted to read Throne Of Glass first because it was the author’s original work in this series and so starts off the events, for me, at least. I think I’ll read TAB fourth after HOF where it was originally published as a collection.
We get to see Celaena grow in this first book.
“No one has called me a friend in a long time.”
This is Celaena to Nehemia, a princess she meets at the castle. Nehemia is bit of a mystery so there are things that I don’t want to spoil about her but I will say that Celaena and her grow close. They can rely on each other when times get hard.
“Consequences be damned. He’d find a way to make it work; he’d find a way to be with her. He had to.”
Dorian is in love with Celaena. She tries to put herself out of reach of him, as she is trying to become the King’s Champion and he is the Prince, but can she or does she fall for Dorian? Or does she fall for Chaol? As I said above, a love triangle is formed here. You’ll need to read to find out who Celaena chooses or if she chooses either one!
“He didn’t know why, but seeing her made him feel like a man,” is another place where Dorian’s feelings for Celaena are referenced. He’s clearly in love with her, but is she with him yet? You’ll need to read to find out!
Celaena makes another friend or confidant in Nox, another character trying to become the Champion. She gives him advice about the upcoming battles. She trusts him.
“No. Let her train with him. The other champions are brutes— she could use an ally.”
“That she could.”
Chaol and Dorian are discussing her training with Nox, here. They believe it’s important for Celaena to have an ally. I’ve got a feeling we’ll see Nox in other TOG novels later in the series
Celaena is a young woman so suffers with her period in the book. I like when authors tell stories how they would be in real life. Girls have periods, but most authors I’ve read don’t include them. Why? I don’t know.
“Perhaps I won’t be so courteous next time, and I’ll just vomit all over you instead.”
“If you can catch me,” he said with a half smile.
She tells this to Chaol, her trainer, who she has a friendship with. This might become a bit like Rose and Valentine in the Vampire Academy series, I don’t know but I’m here for it if it does as I LOVE forbidden student/teacher like relationships in whatever form they take in literature. It’s one of my favourite tropes, in fact!
Lastly, I’ll just summarise the magical part in Throne Of Glass.
“You must win this competition and become the King’s Champion. You understand the people’s plight. Erilea needs you as the King’s Champion.”
This is Elena, who I haven’t mentioned yet but she’s a mysterious character that I don’t want to spoil too much about, as her part was a surprise to me. She’s telling Celaena that she must become the King’s Champion here because she understands people’s needs. I have my theories about who Elena truly is but I don’t want to spoil it here. If she’s who I think she is I’ll let you know in the review to the book where it gets revealed.
There are of course evil and twisted characters, too. What fantasy novel doesn’t have evil and twisted characters??? I don’t want to spoil anything about that here, though, as they make up a significant part of Throne Of Glass but they’re very conniving. I’m looking forward to reading Crown Of Midnight, which will be happening sometime within the next few months.
Overall, I loved Throne Of Glass and can’t wait to continue in the coming months. If anything, I would have liked just a little more of a forbidden relationship feel between Celaena and Chaol. But we did get a little of it. I just wanted MORE...I can hope for it in the next books, I guess. That’s why I’m giving Throne Of Glass 4.5 stars!
Stand by for my next review coming soon...
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