“Freedom or death lay at this table. Her past and future were seated on a glass throne.” Throne of Glass follows the journey of Celaena Sardothien, an eighteen year old assassin with a troubled past. The story takes place in the world of Erilea. The Adarlanian Empire is slowly terrorizing the land and its people under its cruel rule, while the use of magic has also been outlawed. We first meet Celaena when she is enslaved in the harsh salt mines, until she is offered an opportunity to be free.
Celaena has been chosen for a competition to become the King’s Champion, or in other words a personal assassin to do his dirty work. The winner of the competition has to do this for four years, then they will be free. The competition is hosted with other thieves, criminals, and assassins.
When Celaena arrives at the Throne of Glass, she meets many companions such as the Crown Prince, Captain of the Guard, and a princess from a far away kingdom. Celaena’s mission changes when her competitors start being mysteriously murdered day by day. She seeks to uncover the dark secrets, evil in the castle, and even some magic.
There are a total of eight books in the series with Throne of Glass being first in written order. American author Sarah J Maas is known for her series A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City which are also in the fantasy genre.
One of the best elements of this book is the characters. Readers meet many characters with different backgrounds and personalities. The main character Celaena is hard not to like as Maas does an incredible job as making her character have depth, vulnerability, and complexity. Celaena’s past is emotional and mysterious. The reader gets to see her not only face external enemies but also her personal struggles.
Other strong elements are world building and plot. Maas does a great job of making this high fantasy world imaginable for readers to visualize: “Beyond the archway sloped a road, lined with trees of gold and silver. Glass lamp posts sprouted up between the hedges bordering the path. The sounds of the city vanished as they passed under another arch, this one made of sparkling glass, and then the castle rose before them.” The world she creates is rich in history and lore. Maas does a tasteful job of going into detail, but also keeping the audience engaged. As the story unfolds, she sprinkles in magic, political discourse, and secrets. There are a lot of different plot lines in this book, but it is organized and not hard to follow.
Since this is the first book in a long series, there is a lot of information dumping. Most of these details don’t come up until later in the book which causes pacing issues. Although necessary, sometimes it can leave the reader bored.
Mrs. Dent, a fan of Sarah J. Maas, has read both the Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series. She said, “I like the fact that it keeps you guessing, questioning who she (Celaena) really is, the mystery aspects, and the friendships she makes.” She recommends the series to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre.
Mrs. Reamer’s daughter, Rachel Reamer, is also a fan of Sarah J. Maas and read Throne of Glass after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses. Her favorite book from the series is the final novel Kingdom of Ash, “I liked how all the books and characters tied together in the end. It was neat to see how little details in other earlier books made all the difference at the end” she said. She recommends the series to people who read fantasy books with a strong female lead.
Back in 2016 Hulu announced that it would be adapting Throne of Glass into a T.V. series. The show was to be named Queen of Shadows after the fourth book in the series and Maas shared an image of the pilot script on social media. Writer Kira Snyder and director Anna Foerster were involved in the project. Unfortunately since the initial announcement, there have been no updates and the reason as to why the project has been paused is unknown.
