Sarah J. Maas – Lyndsey Hall

It’s been almost a year since I finished Kingdom of Ash, the final book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, and one of my all time favourite book series. I think that means it’s about time I wrote a review, right?

I wanted to wait until I’d read the entire series before I reviewed it. It’s a long one, with seven increasingly wordy books (the final book is over 1000 pages!). Sometimes it’s nice to know whether it’s going to be worth your time investing in a long series before you start book one. And honestly, when I read Throne of Glass I had absolutely no idea the story would end up where it did in Kingdom of Ash, a lot happens between books one and seven (A LOT) , so even if you read the first book and weren’t all that enthralled, you might end up loving the series overall. Let me give you a tiny taste of what to expect from this behemoth of a series, so you know whether to invest your valuable reading time in it…

TL;DR Ex-assassin and slave, Celaena Sardothien is plucked from the salt mines by Prince Dorian to be his contestant in a deadly game to choose the King’s new royal assassin. Spanning a year in her life, the series follows the sassy and silver-tongued trained killer as she rediscovers who she is underneath all the layers of shame, secrecy and tragedy. Only by facing her past head on and accepting the path she’s been forced to take in order to survive, can she uncover the truth about her heritage and become who she was always destined to be.

Rather than review each book individually, which has the potential to be incredibly spoilerific – and nobody wants that – I thought I’d give you a brief overview of the series as a whole. If you prefer to go into a new series without knowing anything though, stop reading right here and go pick up Throne of Glass, because I’m not going to be able to write this review without giving certain things away. You have been warned!

In Throne of Glass, we meet our downtrodden heroine, Celaena Sardothien, who has been imprisoned for murder (what with her being an assassin and all) and sentenced to a life of slavery in the salt mines of Adarlan. Until one day a handsome prince arrives to whisk her away – oh wait, no, that’s a different story. He’s actually come to drag the notorious assassin out of one kind of imprisonment and into another, as his champion in a competition to become the king’s new royal assassin. Better than slavery though, right? Well no, not to Celaena, who hates the king with a passion and is not thrilled to compromise her own personal (very morally grey) code to kill for him.

We’re thrown into a classic competition trope, with a terrifying bunch of brawlers, hard-men and nimble-fingered thieves all hoping to escape their respective prison sentences and legitimise their criminal ways. No judgement here. When people start turning up dead – outside the confines of the highly dangerous competition – Celaena realises there’s something darker going on underneath the surface at the glass castle.

Along the way, Celaena gathers a tight-knit group of friends – from Fae warriors and magic-wielding royals, to skilled soldiers and even a pup named Fleetfoot – building a band of brothers (and badass sisters) to rival any army.

Throw in a coven of wyvern-riding witches, a pirate king with a supernatural knowledge of the waves, and hordes of dark demonic parasites that can possess human hosts to wreak their own special brand of chaos, and you’ve pretty much got ToG in a nutshell.

I can’t say much more without potentially spoiling a lo for you (if I haven’t already!), so if any of that sounds like your cup of tea, please go and pick up Throne of Glass and see what all the fuss is about. You (probably) won’t regret it!

If I can give you one tip on picking up this series, it would be to get the audio books. Not only does it make reading such a long series a much less daunting task, it also means you get the perfect pronunciation of all the crazy names and places – and if you’ve ready any Maas books you’ll know how much she loves a difficult-to-pronounce name! You’re on your own with the spelling though…

Oh, one last thing, this is more New Adult than Young Adult and there are a few somewhat steamy scenes in the later books, so it’s definitely one for the older teens and up.

Enjoy, and let me know what you thought of the series if you’ve already read it!

Lyndsey

Hello there! I read A Court of Wings and Ruin last month and I can’t believe it’s over, so I thought I’d do a round up review of the whole A Court of Thorns and Roses series for those of you who haven’t read it yet. I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but there will be spoilers for book one if you read on to books two and three!

A Court of Thorns and Roses – book #1

Feyre lives with her father and sisters in a ramshackle cabin near the woods, made cosy by her painted murals on the walls and furniture. Times are hard, and her father is unable to work since his leg injury. Her sisters, Elain and Nesta, are too stubborn, spoilt and helpless to do anything to provide for the family, so the responsibility falls to Feyre.

One day, she’s hunting a deer in the forest when she spots an enormous wolf also stalking the animal. She realises immediately that it isn’t a normal wolf, it’s one of the fae from the other side of the wall, the magical beings that enslaved humans for centuries until a war resulted in the wall being constructed to separate the two realms. She shoots the wolf, not wanting to let it deprive her family of a good meal.

Later that night, a hideous beast bursts into their cabin and demands that she come with him to Prythian, on the other side of the wall, in exchange for the life she took. Feyre goes with him, terrified he will kill her family if she doesn’t. There, she discovers that the stories told about the fae amongst humans aren’t all true, and she finds herself torn between her family and their home in the human realm, and the wondrous, magical new world she has discovered.

I enjoyed book one, I’d probably give it a solid 3.5, maybe 4 stars. It begins as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, before taking a serious curve around halfway through. It was at the halfway point that I really started to enjoy it, the action ramps up and some really fascinating characters start to come into their own. ACOTAR is slow going at first, but I recommend you persevere, because it’s about to get SO GOOD…

A Court of Mist and Fury – book #2

After the events of book one, Feyre is back at the Spring Court with Tamlin, a tattoo representing her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, covering her arm from fingertip to elbow. She’s struggling with PTSD and depression after everything she went through Under the Mountain, and planning her wedding to Tamlin is the last thing on her mind.

She can never return to the human realm and her old life, too much has changed, including her. When Rhysand finally calls in their bargain and forces her to spend one week a month at the Night Court with him, she’s pretty angry, but any excuse to get away from the Spring Court and all the wedding talk is welcome.

Meeting Rhysand’s friends and family, seeing a side of him she never could have imagined after the events Under the Mountain, Feyre begins to wonder if he is really the monster everyone says he is, or if there could be more to him than meets the eye…

OK, there is no denying it, or being coy, ACOMAF is the best book I have ever read in my entire life. This is a solid 5 stars, and if I had more I’d give them to it. The book hangover I was left with when I finished it was the worst I have experienced since Harry Potter ended ten years ago. What did I love so much about it? Only everything! The new characters are all amazing – flawed and layered, with fully realised back stories and motivations of their own. The relationship that develops between Feyre and Rhysand is the stuff of #relationshipgoals, the setting of Velaris is dreamy and beautifully described, the events of the book are heartbreaking, surprising, wonderful and terrible.

Just read it. If you found ACOTAR a bit of a slog, or you didn’t even both finishing, do, and then pick this one up. You won’t regret it.

A Court of Wings and Ruin – book #3

Feyre is once again at the Spring Court with Tamlin, wishing she was in Velaris with her husband and sisters, especially after what happened in Hybern at the end of ACOMAF. But, she’s got a plan to get back to her family, she just needs to hide her true feelings and abilities until the time is right to make her move.

The King of Hybern is mobilising his troops and plotting to tear down the wall between the two realms, enslaving those humans that are not killed in the ensuing battle. A meeting of the High Lords is called, uniting the leaders of all seven courts for the first time in centuries. Old rivalries are renewed and old wounds are reopened, but the only way to stop the King of Hybern is to put their issues aside and work together.

With battle imminent and the outcome of the war uncertain, relationships start and end, bonds are formed and broken, and loyalties are tested to breaking point.

ACOWAR had a lot of living up to do if it was going to surpass ACOMAF, and it didn’t quite reach those realms of perfection, but I felt it was a really enjoyable and satisfying ending to the series. I gave it 4 stars, I enjoyed it more than ACOTAR, but a lot less than ACOMAF. There are a few things I would change if I could, but overall it was the right way to end the story, and it definitely did justice to the the characters and the world Maas has created. I’m really looking forward to finding out more about this spin-off series Sarah has planned (if not already written). I’ve no idea who will feature, if any of the characters we have come to love will, or whether it is a prequel or a sequel, or a companion series, but I’ll be at the front of the queue the day it releases in bookstores.

Have you read the ACOTAR series? Did you enjoy ACOWAR? How did you feel about the way the story concluded? Let me know your thoughts and feelings (because let’s be honest, this series is all about the feelings) in the comments.

Lyndsey

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Tag Archives: Sarah J. Maas

Review: Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas