The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Alyssa Tyler editor in chief
For this week’s book review, I will be going over the Throne of Glass series. This is no small feat, the Throne of Glass series has eight books, including a novella. This series then is interconnected with two other works by Sarah J Maas. A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. However, for this review I will just be focusing on Throne of Glass.
It is hard to review the entire series, so I will review the book, then explain why it is worth reading the 17 books that will cause the reader pain. The book opens with Celenea Sarodothian, the notorious and infamous assassin of Adarlan. Celenea has been in Endovier, a salt camp filled with slaves from recently conquered nations and prisoners. Celenea has been there for a year now, after she was betrayed and lost her best friend, and lover. She was thrown into prison and was recently just taken out to compete for the Crown Prince, Dorian Havillard.
The king of Adarlan, is nasty, brutish, and will do anything to get more power. Therefore, he is hosting a championship challenge filled with Ardalan’s finest criminals. What the king needs is a champion, someone to do his dirty work. When Dorian comes to Endovier to meet the most feared person in Adarlan, he is surprised to see Celenea. A dirty, thin, and most of all, young, 18-year-old girl.
Dorian offers Celenea a deal she cannot refuse, after four years of service to the king, she will be free. Freedom is something she has wanted for years but could never get. But to win this freedom, Celenea must win the competition, which will not be easy.
From there the story moves on, Celenea trains with Chaol, the Captain of the Guard and Dorians best friend. Romance begins to bud, plenty of action-packed scenes, and plot twists fill the entire book. Out of the eight-book series, I would have to rate this one as my third favorite.
But now to move on to why I believe every reader should start this series. First, the world building is amazing. It is complex, but easy to catch on. The romance is unmatched. In all of Maas’s work, she is well known for her romances (and heart breaks) and Throne of Glass does not miss that. Then the plot? I cannot rave on about that enough. The plot is complex, I would almost argue that reading the series again is almost better than the first. After the first read, you can find all the hints and foreshadowing throughout the rest of the books.
I would rate this series 4.75/5 stars. The only reason I cannot give it a full five stars is because the end of the series, where an overused trope drives me insane. However, if I explain that now, I will ruin the series for you now. There is countless of strong, independent, and courageous women, quotes that will make you cry, and a huge fan base on all social medias. If you plan on reading any of Sarah J Maas’s works, I highly recommend starting with Throne of Glass, then moving onto A Court of Thornes and Roses, then lastly, Crescent City.