Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Book Blurb:
Adarlan’s Assassin: the name is legendary and feared throughout the county, though few know who the assassin really is—an 18-year-old girl named Celaena Sardothien. Imprisoned in the mines of Endovier, she finds a possible path to freedom through the Crown Prince—compete against twenty-three killers, criminals and thieves and be ordained the king’s champion. If she loses she goes back to prison—and almost certain death. Soon Celaena—scarred, dirty, and ready to fight—finds herself in a castle made ofglass, decked out in ball gowns, chatting with royalty, and posing as a common thief girl to seem like less of a threat to her competitors. As the Crown Prince provokes her and the handsome Captain of the Guard protects her, she finds herself caught in the crossfire. But when competitors start dying outside of the arena Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a struggle for survival.

About the Author: At age 16, Sarah J. Maas published an early draft of THRONE OFGLASS (then titled Queen of Glass) on an online writers’ forum (fictionpress.com) and soon had tens of thousands of page views and comments. More than a year before its debut, the novel has had over 1500 saves and 69 5-star reviews on GoodReads. One fan even has a Queen of Glass tattoo! Maas is a New York native who currently lives in the California desert.

Review:
When I picked up Throne of Glass for review at Netgalley, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. On the one hand, I liked the story's premise and looked forward to reading it. On the other hand, I read the reviews at the beginning of the galley and, while I appreciate the enthusiasm in the comments, I found myself a bit leery of continuing.

I did continue and found myself pleasantly surprised. Yes, the reviews that were in front of the galley text had some merit to them (I think that I still find myself leery of the enthusiasm shown, but that is a personal quirk and I do appreciate the fact that the people who contributed those comments do have that kind of enthusiasm for the book).

First, what I like about the book. The story and the characters. At its basis, Throne of Glass is the story of Celaena Sardothien and how she finds a possible path to freedom from the mines of Endovier through a competition. As the story progresses, more is learned about her, the people who hold the keys to that freedom, and the other competitors. The characters also grow and change. Not everything is revealed at once and everyone does the best they can with what they know at any given time. Another aspect that I liked about the book is that not everything is as obvious as it may seem. For example, the king is the bad guy, but what is his real motive for doing certain things? Who is Celaena really? (The second question came to me, the further I read the book.)

Next, what I find myself waffling on about the book. It is mostly one sticky point for me and that is that I both like and dislike what appears to be the fact that Throne of Glass may be the start of a series. I like it because the characters may be back in a future book and readers will see more of them, more of the story will unfold and readers will see what comes next for Celaena, Dorian, Chaol, and Nehemia. What I like about it is also a little what I don't like about it - the fact that there very well might be a continuation.

Finally, what I don't care too much for with the book. There is the title. Throne of Glass is, to me, a little bit deceptive for a title. Yes, the reader does come across the glass throne in the book (along with a glass castle) and the title could very well be some sort of endpoint in the future, but, unless I missed something in the reading (and this could very well be possible), it does not seem to have a direct bearing on the storyline. The title could very well be a metaphor for the actual story points, but if it is, I must have missed the meaning (again, very possible). I realize that the author may or may not have had control over what the final title was, and it is not that much of a detraction for me from the reading, but it is a "niggle". The other point for me that I find a little wanting with the story may be a non-issue if there will be future books featuring this cast of characters and that is that there were questions left unanswered (at least in my viewpoint) that leave the reader (or at least they did this reader) begging for them to be answered.

All in all, a great read and I hope that there will be a continuation of the story in the future.