Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

 
The blurb:
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 king's 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.

Review:
Throne of Glass was being marketed as a book for fans of Game of Thrones but I found the description misleading.  It's less about this strange world and more about the ultimate assassin Celaena Sardothien and the feel of the book is more reminiscent of Kristen Cashore's Graceling.  Having said that, I much prefer Throne of Glass to what it had been described as!

Celaena Sardothien is a fascinating, sympathetic, and deadly heroine.  She looks like a scrawny young girl and is continually underestimated.  As I read how others perceive her and treat her, I eagerly awaited the moment when she'd show her true abilities.  Throne of Glass delivers unstinting adventure, strong and likable characters, and a story of friendship and loyalty.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Ages 14 and up.
ISBN-10: 1599906953 -Hardcover $17.99  (Paperback to be released in May 2013)
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1 edition (August 7, 2012), 416 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley.

About the Author:
Sarah J. Maas was born and raised in New York City, but after graduating from Hamilton College in 2008, she moved to Southern California. She's always been just a tad obsessed with fairy-tales and folklore, though she'd MUCH rather be the one slaying the dragon (instead of the damsel in distress). When she's not busy writing, she can be found geeking out over things like Han Solo, gaudy nail polish, and ballet. 

1 comment:

  1. Hey, I just read your review and it really made me want to read this book! Thx for that. I hope, it will be available in Germany soon :-D

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