Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass 
(Throne of Glass #1) 
By Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: August 7, 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Source: Friend's Copy
Reviewer: Jenn

Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / IndieBound

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothein is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of elimination, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her...but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead...quickly followed by another.
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

4 stars out of 5 stars

When I first heard of this book, I was intrigued. But since it is not something I typically read, I let it release pass me by. After seeing many of my bookish friends go crazy over it, I moved it my TBR list but I still hesitated. It was only when I was heading off to BEA that I decided to give it chance. Stacee told me to be on the lookout for Crown of Midnight and even Daisel, occasional reviewer here and blogger over at Owls Always Be Reading, told me to bring her back a copy of CoM. So, off I went to BEA and I managed to meet Sarah J. Maas (after the most hideously longest line at BEA) and got me two lovely ARCs of CoM. I borrowed Daisel's copy of Throne Of Glass and here we are. I have yet to return her book and I probably won't do so until I get my own copy. 

We are first introduced to Celaena just as she is being summoned to the Crown Prince. She has just endured a year in the slave labor camp of Endovier for the crimes she committed as Arobynn Hamel's protege. The Crown Prince offers her a deal: to act as his champion in a competition that would find the Adarlan empire new royal assassin.

Celaena is such a kick ass heroine and the fact that she is an assassin definitely piqued my interest. That's not something you normally find in Young Adult book. She is smart, sneaky, resourceful and a very complex human being. She has to be one of my favorite female characters ever and I never know what to expect from her. She's the kind of person that I want on my team if the world is going to hell.

There is a love triangle but I don't even care about that and you know how much I hate love triangles. I loved both boys but the romance is not the main focus of the book, the romance is just a bonus. I love that because there doesn't all need to be romance all the time and that's okay with me. Girls can kick ass and rule the world just like boys. If there's love story on the side then fine. I love the fact that Celaena isn't all sighing and giggly about Dorian and Chaol.

I absolutely loved this book. The world building and the story is amazing. This book was not what I was expecting at all. It is completely unique and I am beating myself over for not reading it sooner. I loved it! I can't wait to dive into my signed copy of Crown of Midnight. Now, go read this, I'm telling you.will.love it!