Title: The Assassin’s Blade
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass series, a collection
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: March 4th, 2014

Note: This post reviews a companion of the Throne of Glass series. As it is a collection of novellas that take place before Throne of Glass, it is okay to read this book in any order of the series. I recommend reading it after Heir of Fire, as it introduces some of the characters in the following books. 

Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan’s Assassin and protégé of the King of the Assassins, is the best of the best – and oh does she know it. When she and Sam, a rival assassin, are sent to deal with the Pirate Lord in Skull’s Bay, Celaena must decide whether to follow her master, or follow her conscience. In The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, we see just how far she will go to fight slavery.

We see yet another side to Celaena in The Assassin and the Healer. Celaena is on her way to the Red Desert as a punishment for her actions in Skull’s Bay, when she meets a young woman, trapped in an unwanted life.

Celaena continues on to the Red Desert and reaches the Mute Master in The Assassin and the Desert. She is to spend one month with this group of assassins, and to learn from their master. During this time, Celaena forms an unlikely friendship with Ansel, another assassin.

The Assassin and the Underworld shows Celaena, back in Rifthold yet again. She is assigned to another job involving slavery, and this time, she believes she is doing what is right. With Sam – no longer a rival, but a friend – at her side, she begins to see more clearly who she can trust, and who she cannot.

In the last novella, The Assassin and the Empire, Celaena and Sam know that their place is with each other – and not Arobynn. But as they make plans of their own to start a new life together built on their love, they realize that their master, the King of the Assassins, will not let them off so easily.

I really liked this prequel to the Throne of Glass series! Maas did an excellent job of taking us back in time and showing us Celaena’s life before she is rescued from Endovier.

Title: Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass series, book 4
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: September 1st, 2015

Note: This post reviews the fourth book of the Throne of Glass series. You may like to read the first three books in the series, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire before reading this review.

Celaena Sardothien has returned to Adarlan – and she is ready to do what needs to be done, no matter the cost. With both Prince Dorian and Aedion Ashryver, her long-lost cousin, imprisoned by the King of Adarlan, Celaena risks everything to save the people she cares about.

But that is only the beginning. The King of Adarlan will be brought down, his tyranny and corruption brought to an end. With the help of her friends, and the Fae Prince Rowan faithfully at her side, Celaena must embrace the truth of who and what she is if she is to save Dorian’s people, her people, and the rest of Erilea from the impending darkness ahead.

This fourth book of the Throne of Glass series was the best so far. Not only was it an action-packed page turner, but it was rich with character development. Maas definitely upped her game with this one.

Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass series, book 3
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: September 2nd, 2014

Note: This post reviews the third book of the Throne of Glass series. You may like to read the first two books in the series, Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, before reading this review.

Celaena Sardothien, the King’s Champion, has been sent on an errand to the distant continent of Wendlyn. But instead of doing the King of Adarlan’s bidding, she finds herself on a mission of her own: to find the powerful Queen of the Fae, Maeve, and learn more about the ancient weapons the King of Adarlan has come to possess.

But she has more to learn than this – so much more. Celaena has been running from the truth of who and what she is for ten years now; her past, too terrible to confront, her power, unimaginable. She trains with Rowan, a prince of the Fae, and is easily outmatched by him, despite her skill as an assassin. Rowan does not let her off easy, but instead pushes her, challenges her, and ultimately breaks her. It is at this time that she must make a decision: to crumble into worthless nothingness, or to rise up and become the person she was destined to be.

I enjoyed this third installment of the Throne of Glass series… after the first two hundred or so pages. It took me a long time to get into, but once I was into it, I didn’t want to put it down.

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass series, book 2
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: August 27th, 2013

Note: This post reviews the second book of the Throne of Glass series. You may like to read the first book in the series, Throne of Glass, before reading this review.

After winning the brutal contest and earning the position as the King’s Champion, assassin Celaena Sardothien only appears loyal to the king she serves. Celaena is pulled in different directions by the ones she cares about most: the Crown Prince of Adarlan, Dorian, the Captain of the Guard, Choal, and her best friend, Nehemia, Princess of the threatened kingdom of Eyllwe. Since each of them have their own expectations of her, she struggles to decide where her trust, her loyalties, and her heart truly lie.   

But as she uncovers more and more of the king’s dark and powerful secrets, it becomes harder for Celaena to do his bidding, especially with her own secrets about who she is, secrets so dangerous that she trusts no one with them; secrets that could affect the future of everyone.

Sarah J. Maas is becoming a new favorite author of mine. She drew me in first with her series A Court of Thorns and Roses, and is continuing to captivate me with her series, Throne of Glass.

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass series, book 1
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: August 7^th, 2012

Celaena Sardothien is willing to do whatever it takes to buy back her freedom – even if it means selling herself to the same king who destroyed her family so many years ago. She accepts Prince Damian’s offer, agreeing to be his champion in a competition to become the king’s assassin. If she wins, she will serve the King of Adarlan for four years, after which she will be given her freedom.

What her competition does not know is that she is really Adarlan’s Assassin, her name widely known across the land. No one could have thought that the most feared assassin is an 18-year-old girl. The only ones who know the truth are the king, Dorian, and Chaol (the Captain of the guard). Celaena and Chaol eventually have an understanding between them, and even a friendship; Celaena and Dorian begin to have something, as well.

In this exciting first book of the series, we meet a strong heroine who is not afraid to fight for what she wants, a prince who wants to be more than what his father has become, and a guard who will protect, no matter the cost. This YA cross between Game of Thrones and Hunger Games drew me in immediately, and continued to hold my attention till the end.