Throne of Glass: Volume 1

Sarah J. Maas

Aug 2012 · Throne of Glass Book 1 · Bloomsbury Publishing USA

About this ebook

Lethal. Loyal. Legendary.

Enter the world of Throne of Glass with the first book in the #1 bestselling series by Sarah J. Maas.

In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion.

Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. And a princess from a faraway country will befriend her. But something rotten dwells in the castle, and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying mysteriously, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival-and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Thrilling and fierce, Throne of Glass is the first book in the #1 bestselling series that has captivated readers worldwide.

Ratings and reviews

While I am a fantasy and action fan, Throne of Glass overall was a disappointment and was one of the first book I had trouble reading through. Pacing issues made me hard to understand when exactly did the protagonists started liking each other. For a supposed Queen of the Underworld there was hardly any action, much less the "Tests" being fully elaborated apart from 3 tests. And heroine broke off her romance without bothering to fight for her man. Overall this series.... Gosh.

Ugh, was this an awful book. I don't even want to intellectually dissect why it was a horrid read, but I hope it'll save you 6-ish bucks. The author is a terrible writer. There are lots of fantasy writers with better world-building skills, and I had higher expectations. I didn't understand the characters' actions or choices because they weren't consistent with their personalities. Additionally, the writing is a hot mess. This story could have been a great mystery but lacked the careful construction of adding in small details over time. New elements are dumped in, and not satisfactorily tied up later. To compare this book to The Hunger Games or Game of Thrones is an insult to the series' authors. Are people in a systemic fight to the death? Yes. Is there significant political intrigue? Kind of. A better comparison is a plucky, cocky Bella Swan in a Disney-fied Hemlock Grove setting.

Although the plot is fantastic, Maas does not write a subtle story. Every opportunity to build suspense, and there were many, was sorely misused. Intriguing subplots and minor characters were too easily resolved, explained, and swept away. The ideas are beautiful, but she is much too eager to ease the mind of the audience. That said I will certainly continue reading because, despite my certainty of the end result, I hope yet to be thrilled by the maturity of a more seasoned author in the follow books.

About the author

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold seventy-five million copies and are published in forty languages.

sarahjmaas.com
facebook.com/theworldofsarahjmaas
instagram.com/sarahjmaas