Lauren O’Malley, Reporter
@lomalleycourant
In a world of kings, queens, witches, faeries, and magical creatures, escape to Erilea in the book “Throne of Glass,” by Sarah J Maas. This fantasy mystery is the first of seven in the series full of complicated plots and twisting stories.
“Names are not important. It’s what lies inside of you that matters” (Maas, 152). The book follows the main character Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin who was thrown in the salt mines to pay for her actions. To date, she is considered the best assassin the land has ever seen. Now, she sits in the caverns belittled to nothing but, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t lost the fire inside of her.
Prince Dorian Havilliard needs an assassin. Competition between those of noble power is ensuing and he needs to find the best assassin to serve the empire. So, he and Captain Chaol Westfall seek Celaena out in prison to enter her in the competition as Dorian’s entry. The Prince offers her freedom if she wins after serving the kingdom for some years.
When Celaena agrees to the terms, she’s whisked away to the castle to start training. But, once competitors are being killed, Celaena must find who is doing this even if this means someone discovering her true identity.
This is definitely one of my favorite books of all time. You could spend hours upon hours enveloped in this story with the constant twists and turns, it’s a page-turner. In general, I love Maas’s style of writing and the worlds she creates but, the characters in this story in particular, are absolutely awe-inspiring. You will fall in love with Celaena, Dorian, and Chaol so much and be so invested in their well beings. It’s honestly embarrassing how much I emotionally invested in these characters.
But this story is not for the faint of heart with, graphic violence and descriptions as well as serious real-world issues intertwined with the story, I would proceed with caution.
