Review: Throne of Glass
Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Format: ePub via NetGalley (Thank you!)
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.—Goodreads
I’ll be frank with you.
THIS. BOOK. IS. SO. MUCH. YES. Y’ALL.
For real.
It’s so good that I don’t even really know how to review it.
But I will try.
Sarah J. Maas’s Celaena Sardothien is my favorite heroine. Ever.
And here’s why: Celaena is Elizabeth Bennett with ninja skills. She’s a trained assassin who is girly and bookish. But she’s also arrogant and confident and quick to judge. She is an extremely layered character with a rich backstory, a lot to learn, and a lot of sass to give.
But she’s just one component to Throne of Glass. Though the book has been often compared to Game of Thrones, I think the world these characters exist in, Erilea, is much more akin to Camelot than Westeros. Erilea is sort of a mash-up of the Medieval World and the Renaissance: magic has been banned, books have been burned, there’s a despot on the throne, and his son has the power to return the world to normal. And what a son he is.
Dorian is a handsome prince with a heart of gold, the need to prove to his father that he’s a man, and his eye on Celaena. He’s good and just and honest and smart. And then there’s Chaol, the oh-so young captain of the guard who is a little more (forgive me for using this word, but) guarded than Dorian is, but still a man who is easy to fall for.
But the boys are not the focus of this book: Celaena is. And Maas does such a good job with her that it makes me downright jealous. But you know, what? I’m so glad that Maas has given the world the gift of Miss Celaena Sardothien.
She’s the best sort of heroine, one who has faults and has known intense loss and is very fallible (she even has cramps!) and can be duped, despite the fact that she is the best assassin the world has ever seen. And I love love love that she is girly. I feel like so many “heroines” of late are disinterested in fashion because it’s superfluous that it’s extremely refreshing to read a heroine who embraces her girly side and delights in balls and dresses and sumptuous bedrooms and bingeing on candy.
Overall, Throne of Glass is an engrossing, gripping tale that will keep you turning the page until you find yourself at the last one. And then you’ll flip to the first page again so that you can relive it all over again.
It is, hands down, my favorite book of the year. In fact, it’s one of my favorite books EVER.
Bonus: When you’ve finished Throne of Glass, I highly suggest you read the four prequel novellas. Yes, they are prequels, but I think it’s better to read them after you’ve read Throne of Glass. For, you know, perspective.
MORE BONUSES: Check out Sarah J. Maas’s Pinterest board for Throne of Glass. It is LEGIT.
TGIF: Book Olympics
Hello!
It is Friday. *does Friday dance*
To fit in with the Olympic madness that has overtaken the world, the wonderful and fabulous Ginger at GReads! has set forth a challenge: to bestow the coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals on books.
Y’all. This is difficult. My LIFE revolves around books. I work with them. I read them. I write them. I’m surrounded by them.
Seriously.
In an effort to keep me sane, instead of listing all of the books I’ve ever read by category, I’m going to restrcit myself to bestowing awards upon books I’ve read this year. Which is also hilarious because I’ve read a weird amalgammation of books this year, crossing many genres. Also, I’m bestowing them based on my level of enjoyment, not on any sort of literary merit. Just so we’re clear.
So here goes.
GOLD: Throne of Glass Sarah J. Maas
This book is SO FRICKITY-FRACKITY GOOD. I’m still in the process of writing my review of it, and hopefully it’ll be up on Monday. But y’all. This book. it is, just, all of the things. In the best possible way.
Gahhhh, I love it so.
SILVER: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
Let’s be honest: I’m straight-up obsessed with this series. I have a map of Westeros in my office. I own a bazillion coffee mugs, but I only really use the one that says Khaleesi on it. I squeled loudly when this photo of what might be the set of Riverrun was posted on the Interwebs the other day.
These books do something weird and serious to you when you read them. It just . . . gets inside you somehow. And most of that is to due the INSANELY COMPLICATED world building and character creating that George R. R. Martin has accomplished. I seriously want to see his editor’s office, because I’m willing to be there is a giant bulletin board that is full of plotlines and backstories and family trees and is basically indecipherable. Or there is an intern with CRAZY SPREADSHEETS that you have to have an MBA to be able to create. For real.
Anyway. These books are SO GOOD.
BRONZE: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
The more I think back on this book, the more it impresses me. There was a lot of really heavy emotional shizz going down in this book, and Perkins masterfully balaned it all in a way that felt real and true and honest and yes.
If you haven’t gotten your hands on this book yet, I urge you to do so as soon as possible. And read Anna and the French Kiss too. It will, uh, inform your reading experience with Lola. 😉
And there you have it. My totaly subjective, completely based on me, winners of the Book Olympics.
Happy Friday!
TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReads!
Review: Temptation
Title: Temptation
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Your heart misleads you. That’s what my friends and family say. But I love Noah. And he loves me. We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other’s arms. It should be ROSE & NOAH forever, easy. But it won’t be. Because he’s Amish. And I’m not.—via Goodreads
Alright, y’all. I will not lie to you, I love me some Amish romance novels. LOVE THEM. I started reading them when I was in high school and have never looked back.
Also, you should know that I’ve always been a little fascinated by the Amish people. Not because they’re weird or strange or backward, but because they are amazing, steadfast, hardworking people that I think many of us could learn a lot from. And, yes, they are very strict and sort of severe in their beliefs, but, you know, that’s their prerogative.
Anyway. When I heard about Temptation and that it was a YA Amish-English romance I basically RAN to mycomputer to request it on NetGalley. And did a crazy happy dance around my room when the request was accepted. For real.
And you know what? I really enjoyed this book. I will forgive the insta-love here because it’s necessary to make the story work. Noah and Rose’s attraction to each other has to be something that is organic, innate, something that can’t be denied or removed if they are going to be together. And while there were a few moments when I was thinking, “Holy crap, they are still *kids* who don’t know themselves or what they want out of life AND OMG I WANT TO JUMP INTO THIS BOOK AND TALK-SMACK SOME SENSE INTO THEM,” I had to step back and remember that 1) this is not real life (although I’m sure there is a couple somewhere who has gone through this), and 2) these characters are teenagers feeling love for the first time. And they’re in an extraordinarily difficult situation, as their lifestyles are completely different.
And though there’s a good deal of angst and some EXTREMELY outlandish measures discussed that will make you yell at your book, Hopkins does a good job of hitting how teenagers think about overcoming adversity and forcing people into accepting the situation at hand. Yes, it’s rash and extreme, but it gets them what they want. However, in this particular book, the measures taken are far less stupid than the things discussed. (Praise God.)
Maybe my favorite aspect of this book is that it’s told in alternating points of view. And though Noah’s chapters can be *highly* annoying to a female reader due to his thoughts on dealing with Rose, and, in a way, breaking her spirit and changing the core of who she is so that she will be more like how he wants her to be, at the same time, Noah is AMISH. He’s been surrounded by modest, quiet, obedient women his entire life and that is his world view. Yes, it’s crazy-making, but it’s also how he would react, because he doesn’t know any differently.
Though I enjoyed this book, and can make allowances for some of the things that others would probably find as dealbreakers, the one thing that really got under my skin while reading this was how women were CONSTANTLY being talked about, and portrayed as, sirens. Yes, sexuality is an important part of life. Yes, it’s true that sexual attraction is also an important part of life. But nearly every conversation in this book about sexuality revolves around women being vile temptresses, and men not being able to control themselves around women. I feel like most people are a little more evolved than that, but whatever. It informs the reactions of both families to Noah and Rose’s relationship, and the decisions they make, and, though bothersome, outlines the mindset of the Amish and their views of relationships.
Overall, Temptation is a passionate story of two teenagers in a very trying situation. If you’re fan of Amish romance books, I unreservedly recommend this book and will let you know that it’s a little more risque than many of the traditional bonnet books. Which is, you know, fun. If you’re not so much into Amish romance, or if you’ve never given it a try, but you want to read this, definitely be open-minded while reading, and then check out the Abram’s Daughters series by Beverly Lewis. I adore that series and it’s a nice entry-point into what Amish romance novels are generally like.
So, if you’re looking for a sort of steamy, non-traditional romance that maybe involves horses and buggies and some religious foundamentalism, check out Temptation.
Words of Wisdom for Your Wednesday
Review: The Unquiet
Title: The Unquiet
Author: Jeannine Garsee
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Format: ARC from publisher (Thank you!)
Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.
After a suicide attempt, and now her parents’ separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn’s bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be “touched” by Annaliese…or if Annaliese even exists.
With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about–not to mention her own–she can’t help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?
Annaliese? Or herself?—from Goodreads
The best way I know how to describe this part is ghost story meets psychological thriller meets treatise on personality disorder medications. Which sounds like it would be a big jumble of WTF, but the story in The Unquiet works, even if there are a few WTF moments.
I think my biggest complaint with this book is that I didn’t really like the—get this—dialogue between the main character Rinn and Nate Brenner, the love interest. It felt really stiff to me. And also, Rinn is a girl who is bipolar and has some VERY SERIOUS issues to work through, but once she meets Nate she’s immediately buddy-buddy with him and calling him “farmer boy.” Which is all well and good, but for me, the relationship was pretty static and didn’t work.
But that’s alright, because the main focus of the book is the ghost story, not the love story. Garsee is sort of brilliant to pair a ghost story with a main character who is bipolar and has a history of erratic, obsessive, and violent behavior. Because those parameters are set up, it forces both the other characters and the audience to question whether or not the ghost story is really happening, or if it all—and I do mean all—is just in Rinn’s head.
At the end of the book there were a few strings that weren’t wrapped up as neatly as I would have liked for them to be, but it was completely creepy and really satisfying. In a way it reminds me of one of the better episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Which is a VERY GOOD THING in my book. Because that show was ace.
So if you’re a fan of ghost stories and are looking for something that is a nice hybrid of horror, suspense, and psychological thrills, definitely check out The Unquiet.
Bethany Larson 
