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Series: Throne of Glass (Book 3)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; Reprint edition (September 1, 2015)
Page Count: 592 pages
Throne of Glass has become one of my favorite current YA series, so I had to continue reading the rest of it! I finally got to reading the third novel recently and it’s my favorite one yet!
The Plot: At this point in the story, Celaena is in a very dark place. She’s in a place of hurt and grief and though this story is much about finding out the source of the murderer who leaves only husks of people, this story is also about Celaena finally coming to terms with the grief she’s been jamming down inside of herself. I think that’s why it’s my favorite of the series so far, because I love seeing Celaena break through this wall she’s had for the past two books.
The Characters: Celaena’s journey was definitely my favorite in this book. It was a long and hard one for her, but I loved seeing her growth as a person both in her abilities and emotionally. Aedion was my favorite character who is a fae. Most of what I love about him is spoilers so I can’t say too much. Sadness.
I also really liked Sorscha and I grew to hate the King of Ardaland more than I thought I could. -_- I can’t say that I liked Manon, but I did think her an intriguing character. I did like the wyvern Abraxos. ^ ^ Also liked Rowan. Not at first, but he grew on me.
The Setting: Welp this story takes place across three countries, so there is a wide variety of settings. Celaena is in Wendlyn, which is a land of magic, while Chael, Dorian, and Sorscha are in Ardaland, and Manon is in a secret cave location. Each of them had really intriguing features, but my favorite has to be Wendlyn because I’m a sucker for magical places.
Epic Things: Where do I start? Wyverns are so very epic along with a wide variety of fae abilities, including shape shifting. I also really like the unusual culture of the witches in this story. It’s really unique. I also love the big cousin relationship in this story, because cousins.
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The Theme: Grief was such a huge theme for both Celaena and Rowan. I loved seeing their journey with it. My favorite scene of the entire book was the tattoo scene when Celaena finally lets herself mourn for the people she loves. The symbolism of having the names of those she loves tattooed over her scars has such amazing symbolism. I see it as no longer being ashamed of their memories and letting their memory cover the pain that she’s suffered to instead of add to it. It was such a great scene.
Content Cautions: The biggest thing I’d say for this book is it does have a good deal of profanity, including 46 usages of d***, 39 usages of h***, 20 usages of ba****d, 16 usages of sh**, 15 usages of a**, 7 usages of bi***, and one usage of prick. There’s a good bit of gore in the fight scenes, including a beheading, but nothing too cautioning. Emrys and Malakai are a gay couple, and some characters spend time hiding in an opium den.
What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:
1.) The Significance of Tattoos – As mentioned before tattoos have a big significance in this book, especially for Celaena. She gets this idea from Rowan who is a tattooist who has tattooed the names of his loved ones on himself and friends. For them this was a way of processing grief.
How this can be applied to writing: Tattoos have been used as symbols in many stories. In the Mortal Instruments, they’re symbols of power and protection. For Tris in the Divergent series her tattoos symbolized the family she left behind. Have you thought of using tattoos for symbolism in your stories?
Conclusion: Loved this book. Definitely going to read the next one! 😀
About the Author:
Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Queen of Shadows, Book 4, will be out in September 2015), as well as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (out 5/5/15).
Sarah lives in Bucks County, PA, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much tea, and watches an ungodly amount of TV. When she’s not busy writing, she can be found exploring the historic and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with her husband and canine companion.
A Book Review of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
A Book Review of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas