“Throne of Glass,” by Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury USA Childrens, Aug. 7, 2012, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)
Eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien expects the salt mines of Endovier to be the last place she sees before she dies. Serving a life sentence of hard labor in the mines, she knows she won’t last more than a year more. So it comes as a surprise when she’s dragged out of the mines and in front of the crown prince, who offers her freedom — for a price.
Prince Dorian is looking for a champion, someone to compete and win the role of royal assassin. It was Dorian’s father who put Celaena in the mines, and the last thing she wants to do is work for him. But her desire to live is much stronger.
A woman, Celaena is a surprising entrant in the competition. Her opponents are thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each with their own reasons for competing. They’ll face off in a series of eliminations and the final one standing will serve the kingdom. If Celaena wins, she’ll serve three years and be granted her freedom.
Life at court is a large step up from the salt mines, but it’s just as boring. Other than training with the captain of the guard and short chats with the prince, Celaena has nothing to do… until one of the other contestants turns up dead. Another victim quickly follows him. It’s clear someone’s out to get the competitors, but why and who’s next?
“Throne of Glass” is an interesting YA read. It’s part mystery, part magic, part adventure, part romance. And for the most part, it works.
Where it doesn’t completely work is in making all the elements cohesive. The story is there, and so are the characters, but the transitions are sometimes slow or extremely convenient. I would have liked to see tighter editing and perhaps some trimming or reworking in a few places. That would have cleared up the feeling that the author clearly knows more but isn’t sharing.
That said, author Sarah J. Maas has done an excellent job setting the scene. It only takes a few paragraphs to pull the reader in, making them want more. And Celaena is a likeable, strong young woman that has unexpected faults and gifts.
It will be interesting to see where Sarah takes this series. Fingers crossed that both her characters and her writing will continue to develop. If so, this could become something special.
