Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is arguably one of the best starts to an epic fantasy series ever written.
In 2012, Maas, at just sixteen years old, blew readers away with this dazzling debut. The Throne of Glass series by Maas is comprised of eight books: seven for the main story line, and then one prequel. Each book ranges from 400 to nearly 1000 pages, creating a complete epic fantasy adventure. That being said, reading all of the books is quite a daunting task. For something like this, you need a show-stopping, jaw-dropping, and intriguing introduction that will keep readers hooked and wanting to read more, and that’s exactly what this book did.
Throne of Glass, the first book in the series, follows a young girl named Celaena Sardothien. Celaena isn’t like any other girl, however, because she is the notorious Adarlan Assassin. She’s lethal, cunning, and unbearably arrogant.
When the book begins, we discover that Celaena has been trapped in the rebel/criminal slave camp, Endovier, for the past year, when one day, she is released and brought to the glass castle, home to the King of Adarlan—the same man who butchered her family ten years prior and sentenced her to her stay in Endovier after she was betrayed by someone she thought she trusted.
Celaena has been offered a deal. She can play in the King’s deadly trials as his son’s Champion and win her freedom after she works as his lackey for four years, or she can go back and spend the rest of her days in the Endovier salt mines. Freedom is the very thing Celaena has been after since her home Terrasen was burned to the ground ten years ago, when the King banned all and any types of magic. She agrees.
“You could rattle the stars. You could do anything, if you only dared. And deep down, you know it too. That’s what scares you most.”
Now Celaena, using the alias Lillian Gardiana, must go up against 23 other criminals and rebels who are all fighting for the same thing: their freedom. Celaena will soon realize that she wasn’t just brought to the castle for the competition. There is something ancient and evil dwelling in the castle, and Celaena is the only one worthy of the task to rid the castle of it.
During her time in the castle, Celaena will make new friends, and also new enemies. Chaol, the Captain of the Guard, tasked with watching her every move to ensure that she isn’t a threat, will become an unlikely ally. Dorian, the Crown Prince, will soon become Celana’s reluctant friend, maybe even more, as she participates as his Champion. And Nehemia, the Princess of the rival Kingdom Eyllwe, sent to Adarlan for diplomacy, will become her best friend.
It is clear from the start of the book that the rest of the story is much bigger and more complex than we could have ever imagined. There’s a continuous feel of foreshadowing and foreboding in Celaena’s words, and the magic that still lurks in the walls of the castle beckons retribution.
“Still, the image haunted his dreams throughout the night; a lovely girl gazing at the stars, and the stars who gazed back.”
Is Celaena even who she says she is?
Is magic really all gone?
Is the rumored rebellion more than it seems?
These are the kinds of questions you’ll ask yourself when reading this book.
“My name is Celaena Sardothien, and I will not be afraid.”
The rest of the book will follow Celaena during her time as a competitor until the epic conclusion where magic and reality will collide during one final duel, marking this book as a true show-stopper. From swords and kings to romance and deceit, this book has it all.
Since her incredibly popular and successful debut, Maas has written other equally-popular series: A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City which both first released in 2020.
The complex world of the “Maasiverse,” as BookTok calls it, is all interconnected as the stories cross over in each book, setting Maas apart from other authors with her brilliance.
