Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Audible Audio Book
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Pages: 420
Date Finished: 23.08.15
Rating: 5/5
Summary: "A Line that sound never be crossed is about to be breached. It puts this entire castle in jeopardy--and the life of your friend."
From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.
I should start with a little disclaimer. I may be a bit biased because Throne of Glass is my favourite series (I'm currently rereading it for the third time). I really should stop rereading beloved books because instead of having carefully constructed reviews, I end up with a jumbled mess of curse words and all the feels. So, if you're looking for a review that's actually half decent, this probably isn't it.
Crown of Midnight starts a couple of months after the events of Throne of Glass. Celaena is working as the King's champion, yet she doesn't want to kill in his name and is only faking her assassinations. Right from page one Celaena is somehow more badass than she was in the first book which I didn't think was possible. If you're expecting a nice book, then maybe this isn't for you. Crown of Midnight is dark, gritty and unforgiving. Every action has a consequence, and characters are forced to make decisions with no good outcome.
Like I did with Throne of Glass, I actually listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Elizabeth Evans, speaks exactly how I'd expect Celaena to and she brings the story to life wonderfully. I really do recommend it. Part of the reason I'm listening to it rather than reading it is because I absolutely adore how Sarah J Maas writes and the audio version makes it so much easier to appreciate the amazingness of her prose.
Whilst Throne of Glass is kind of predictable (lets face it--we all knew Celaena would win the tournament), Crown of Midnight is filled with so many plot twists and unexpected turns that are still good even on the third time around. It really steps up the notch and brings the series to a new level. We finally get to see glimpses of just how big Erilea is. I'd say that the series only becomes epic fantasy after Heir of Fire, but the worldbuilding is set up beautifully and I just love it.
I mentioned in my Throne of Glass review that Celaena is my all time favourite character. I still firmly believe that. Crown of Midnight is a bit of a bumpy ride for her and I felt each and every emotion that she did. The second half of the book completely destroyed me in more ways than one. Watching Celaena break down was utterly heart breaking, but watching her get back up again makes it so worth it (even if she isn't entirely healed yet).
Speaking of, I love Chaol Westfall. I don't care what you say, he's just fab. Both Dorian and Chaol feel much deeper in this book and they're really growing into themselves. The character arcs in this book are second only to Heir of Fire. Dorian, Chaol and Celaena go through big transformations that just feel so organic. They make huge mistakes, grieve, have wonderful moments of unity and shattering moments of falling apart. Maas really pushes them to the limits and that makes me love them even more.
The only character who I feel is lacking is the King. He seems like too generic a villain. We really don't know anything about his motives aside his lust for power. I want to know more about why he does what he does. Hell, I want to understand and sympathise with him. Hopefully in Queen of Shadows we'll get a deeper understanding of him. It's not like he's inconsistent or a bad character, but more that he's nothing new. I wish he was more like Straff Venture from the Mistborn trilogy.
Whilst Crown of Midnight is definitely darker than the first book, it still maintains a fast pace, witty dialogue and heart warming moments. In Throne of Glass Celaena's journey had barely begun, but even as she gets thrust into the world of Wyrdkeys, Elena and a growing rebel movement in Rifthold, Crown of Midnight retained the wonderful charm of the first book.
Excuse me whilst I pick my emotions off the floor and go to read Heir of Fire (and cry a thousand tears).
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.
“But death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.”Crown of Midnight? More like Crown of Badassery.
I should start with a little disclaimer. I may be a bit biased because Throne of Glass is my favourite series (I'm currently rereading it for the third time). I really should stop rereading beloved books because instead of having carefully constructed reviews, I end up with a jumbled mess of curse words and all the feels. So, if you're looking for a review that's actually half decent, this probably isn't it.
Crown of Midnight starts a couple of months after the events of Throne of Glass. Celaena is working as the King's champion, yet she doesn't want to kill in his name and is only faking her assassinations. Right from page one Celaena is somehow more badass than she was in the first book which I didn't think was possible. If you're expecting a nice book, then maybe this isn't for you. Crown of Midnight is dark, gritty and unforgiving. Every action has a consequence, and characters are forced to make decisions with no good outcome.
Like I did with Throne of Glass, I actually listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Elizabeth Evans, speaks exactly how I'd expect Celaena to and she brings the story to life wonderfully. I really do recommend it. Part of the reason I'm listening to it rather than reading it is because I absolutely adore how Sarah J Maas writes and the audio version makes it so much easier to appreciate the amazingness of her prose.
“Chaol raised his brows. "So I'm just here for decoration?"
"Be grateful I consider you a worthy accessory.”
Whilst Throne of Glass is kind of predictable (lets face it--we all knew Celaena would win the tournament), Crown of Midnight is filled with so many plot twists and unexpected turns that are still good even on the third time around. It really steps up the notch and brings the series to a new level. We finally get to see glimpses of just how big Erilea is. I'd say that the series only becomes epic fantasy after Heir of Fire, but the worldbuilding is set up beautifully and I just love it.
I mentioned in my Throne of Glass review that Celaena is my all time favourite character. I still firmly believe that. Crown of Midnight is a bit of a bumpy ride for her and I felt each and every emotion that she did. The second half of the book completely destroyed me in more ways than one. Watching Celaena break down was utterly heart breaking, but watching her get back up again makes it so worth it (even if she isn't entirely healed yet).
“But he had no idea what sort of darkness lurked inside her, or what sort of monster she was willing to become in order to make things right.”My favourite thing about Celaena is that despite her huge flaws, she's one of the strongest characters I've ever come across. One of my favourite lines of this book comes from Chaol talking about Celaena, showing just how much he respects her strength. She's allowed to make mistakes and do terrible things yet still be a hero, just like she's allowed to wear pretty dresses and still slit someone's throat from ear to ear. You know, normal girl stuff.
Speaking of, I love Chaol Westfall. I don't care what you say, he's just fab. Both Dorian and Chaol feel much deeper in this book and they're really growing into themselves. The character arcs in this book are second only to Heir of Fire. Dorian, Chaol and Celaena go through big transformations that just feel so organic. They make huge mistakes, grieve, have wonderful moments of unity and shattering moments of falling apart. Maas really pushes them to the limits and that makes me love them even more.
“I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn't, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful, because I will always care what happens.”I also really liked Archer Finn as a character. I don't really have much to say about him more than that, but if the Throne of Glass series was ever going to be adapted into a film or a TV show, I can really picture Sam Claflin playing him. Side note: would anyone else love a TV show? If it was done well, it'd be epic.
The only character who I feel is lacking is the King. He seems like too generic a villain. We really don't know anything about his motives aside his lust for power. I want to know more about why he does what he does. Hell, I want to understand and sympathise with him. Hopefully in Queen of Shadows we'll get a deeper understanding of him. It's not like he's inconsistent or a bad character, but more that he's nothing new. I wish he was more like Straff Venture from the Mistborn trilogy.
“Then Celaena and the King of Adarlan smiled at each other, and it was the most terrifying thing Dorian had ever seen.”Without giving away any spoilers, Sarah J Maas has written a perfect romance, right down to the last page. Even if it utterly destroyed me. Sarah wasn't afraid to let things go wrong, but when they went right it was absolutely spectacular. I've mentioned before how I have NO IDEA who to ship Celaena with, but right now I'm leaning towards Chaol. Oh, I really do love that guy.
Whilst Crown of Midnight is definitely darker than the first book, it still maintains a fast pace, witty dialogue and heart warming moments. In Throne of Glass Celaena's journey had barely begun, but even as she gets thrust into the world of Wyrdkeys, Elena and a growing rebel movement in Rifthold, Crown of Midnight retained the wonderful charm of the first book.
Excuse me whilst I pick my emotions off the floor and go to read Heir of Fire (and cry a thousand tears).
"Do not let that light go out."
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