Throne of Glass: Book 1
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
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 New York Times bestselling series that has captivated readers worldwide.
Throne of Glass by bestselling author Sarah J. Maas is an absolute must-read for fantasy lovers. This novel is the first in the Throne of Glass series, which features our heroine, Celaena Sardothien, more popularly known as “Adarlan’s Assassin.”
Ten years prior, on the day all magic vanished from Adaralan, Celaena was taken in by a man who sheltered, trained, and broke her. The life of an assassin became all she knew, and the second she believed her life could be something more, Celaena was brutally betrayed and forced to work as a slave in the Endovier Salt mines.
After a year of hopelessness, Celaena is summoned to the castle of the merciless King of Adarlan, who gives her the chance to compete for the role of the “King’s Champion” and win her freedom.
While living at the castle, Celaena uncovers the truth about the past that’s been hidden and discovers an evil darkness within the castle walls. Readers follow along as we watch Celaena heroically fight for her freedom, wrestle with the feelings of her heart, and gain a few unexpected friendships.
The Throne of Glass series is the second Sarah J. Maas series I have read, and as I expected, it did not disappoint. Reading about a strong female character who is unmatched in strength, wit, and swordsmanship immediately grabs my attention.
There are seven books in this series, so Throne of Glass is focused on character development and setting the scene for the future. While this book moved a bit slower than I was expecting, I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and the attention to detail Maas uses in her storytelling.
I gave this book four stars for two reasons. The first, as stated above, was the pace of the book. I enjoyed the details and character development, but it took me a while to fully immerse myself in the story.
My second reason for removing the star is due to a few of Celaena’s actions. Without giving too much away, Celaena suspects the wrong person for bringing evil into the castle when the real answer is right beneath her nose. I’d understand if this was a normal person making this mistake, but Celaena is a highly trained assassin who pays extremely close attention to detail. I felt like Maas made Celaena make this mistake to make the story more interesting, which it did, but it also strayed from Celaena’s character which I thought was confusing.
Other than the two points I made above, Throne of Glass is an excellent read, and Maas does a great job of setting up the story for the next book.
When the competition for the King’s Champion turns into a battle for her life, Celaena Sardothien must rely on her training as an assassin, the protection of her friends, and the mercy of the Gods.
The Throne of Glass novel will have you rooting for Adarlan’s Assassin from chapter one. 
Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-eight languages. Sarah lives with her family in New York City.
