Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

A lot of people were talking about Throne of Glass before it came out. I even read that some people said it was kind of like a YA version of Game of Thrones. I've never read Game of Thrones, so I have no idea if that's true, but with all the hype, I knew I had to get my hands on this one.

Here's the summary from Goodreads: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien 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 eliminations, 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 exhilirating. 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.

What I Liked: 1) The plot. Talk about a detailed and very involved storyline. There were so many different branches of this story going on that once I got into it and started to see which pathways the characters were taking, I'm not sure the fire alarm would have pulled me out of it. Lots of twists and turns that just approach that line of being confusing, but thankfully never cross it. 2) Chaol and Dorian. Okay, one of them is a Prince, but he isn't all...snobby like our MC Celaena expects. What girl doesn't like a Prince? The other is just...*sigh*...kind of strong, silent type. Like a knight. I think I could live in this world and be happy. I thought all of the characters were very well developed and fully explored as people. They became very real to me as I was reading along. 3) Nehemia. I think Nehemia was my favorite female character. I could tell all along that she wasn't quite what she seemed, but thought she was fabulous all the same. I loved the way that she befriended Celeana, and really taught her how to be more than a hardened killer. Also, she added a stronger dimension to the story, making it extend past the borders of Adarlan. 4) The writing. I loved how detailed and fluidly this story was written. Between the language and the pacing, it made it easy to sink into the story. No big jumps or gaps, no stopping and starting where you find yourself crashing back down to reality. 5) Celaena. She became such a real person to me as I was reading that I felt her pain of struggling to be who she thinks she is, and who she wants to be. She's got so many competing emotions that she doesn't understand, and they were all expressed through action, and not just speech. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

What I Didn't Like: 1) Well, the only thing I can say is that in the beginning, Celaena was seriously arrogant. I kind of wanted to punch her in the face a few times. Stop standing in front of a mirror fawning over yourself. Seriously. But she got better!

Overall Thoughts: A great opening to what I'm sure will be an awesome story. These characters will grab you by the shoulders and pull you into their world so thoroughly that you'll be disappointed to come back to reality. Between action, romance, drama, and magic, there is something for absolutely everyone in Throne of Glass, so make sure you take the time to check it out!

My Rating: 5 shots