Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Young Adult

Maturity Rating: 13+
Initial Rating: 5/5
Technical Rating: 5/5

My Quickie Synopsis: Celaena Sardothien, best assassin in the realm, has spent the better part of the last year in a labor prison camp for crimes against the crown. Her fate is changed drastically, however, when Prince Dorian calls upon her to act as his champion in his father's competition. Should she win, she will become the King's Royal Assassin, enjoying luxuries beyond her wildest dreams. But there's that pesky task of having to outsmart the rest of the champions, and, of course, guarding her heart against both the charming Prince and the stubborn Captain of the Guard.

My Initial Response: WHY DIDN'T I READ THIS BOOK SOONER?! No, really. Throne of Glass  is so refreshingly different than what I've been reading lately, and I don't mean that just in terms of genre. The writing is absolutely superb. The characters are witty and real. The story itself is compelling. What more can a book lover ask for?

Only Rene Rancourt can express the awesomeness of this book!

 My only criticism is that the whole series isn't finished yet! I cannot do this book justice in words alone; you honestly have to read it for yourself. Believe me when I say that you'll get lost in the fantastical world that Ms. Maas has created. But, be warned, as I said before, the series isn't finished yet, so be prepared for some serious Celaena withdrawal.

Character Building: 1/1
So I read somewhere recently that this book took inspiration from the tale of Cinderella. I don't see it, but I honestly don't care. What a fantastic cast of characters! Celaena is such a bad-ass, strong woman and I absolutely love that. Dorian has just the right amount of cute playboy. And Chaol is the unexpected surprise of the book. I truly enjoyed the way Ms. Maas weaved the tales of all of the characters, both major and minor alike, to the point where you could see yourself being friends/enemies with all of them.

Plot Strength: 1/1
It wasn't hard to see where a lot of the story was heading, but the ride there was extremely enjoyable. The plot elements are stable and consistent, and Throne of Glass created a great foundation for the remainder of the series. I can't wait to see how Ms. Maas expands upon her world in the next book!

Sincerity: 1/1
I'm going to rant a little here, and I apologize in advance. There's one comment that I've seen throughout a lot of negative reviews of the book and that's simply that they don't feel that an assassin of Celaena's caliber could be "girly" in any way, let alone how she's portrayed in the book. I've also seen comments that say that some of her actions and thoughts don't entirely coincide with what we are told about her. I think that these kinds of comments are the main reason why we only ever see one particular kind of heroine portrayed in the young adult/fantasy/romance/paranormal genres lately. Just because a female is a bad-ass doesn't mean that she's without emotion. And a true bad-ass doesn't have to be a bad-ass all the time, especially one who is as young as Celaena. I think Ms. Maas gives us such a rich character, and each quirk of her personality makes sense. The times that she doubts herself or feels concern lets the reader know that she is human. She isn't a cold-blooded killing machine. But she still knows how to be tough when she needs to be. And she knows how to play her feminine charm. To that end, I can't really see any fault there. What I do see fault with is the notion that authors have to write their heroines as only having one dimension. I could understand the outrage if the character seemed all over the place with little rhyme or reason, but that was NOT the case here. The character was well thought out and everything about her made sense. Okay, whew. End of that rant.
Long story short guys, this book screamed of sincerity all day long. Cohesion was Ms. Maas word of the day!

Editing: 1/1
Well, if I ever decide to write a book, I would like the editor of Throne of Glass to edit my book. Enough said.

Pacing: 1/1
I must have gone into a time warp because I started the book at one time, finished it without stopping, and have no freaking clue what happened to the time in between. The book evolves continuously and you never feel as if the plot is lagging or as if things are progressing too quickly. So, if you're anything like me, you should probably set some time aside to power through this book. You aren't going to want to put it down.

My Icing on Top:
This book is long. For me, that's not a problem, but for others it might be, so I'm letting you know now. It can be a commitment. But it is worth it! It's such an enchanting world of intrigue, and although there's romance, it's not forced onto the story. If you're looking to add a little fantasy into your book line up and are craving a story featuring a strong lead female, Throne of Glass is most certainly for you!

Check out my informal review at Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K