Throne of Glass

Celaena Sardothien is 18, beautiful and a ruthless assassin, trained since the age of eight to kill. When we first meet her, however, she is a slave labourer in the Salt Mines of Endovier, her body scarred from beatings and the terrible conditions. Celaena is saved from certain death by the arrival of Crown Prince Dorian of Ardalan, who has a proposition for her: compete in a tournament in his father’s court – if she wins, she will become his father’s champion, granted her freedom after four years. If she loses, she’ll be sent back to the salt mines. Of course, she accepts his offer.

Soon Celaena is ensconced in the king’s castle, competing against the other would-be champions in a series of dangerous tests, while also uncovering something nasty in the basement. She still finds time to dress up in gorgeous frocks though and to flirt with both Dorian and the strong, silent captain of her guard. It’s an interesting take on the Cinderella story!

Sarah J Maas began to write Throne of Glass when she was just 16, building up a huge online fanbase who read it via www.fictionpress.com. Only now, ten years later, has it been picked up by a major publishing house.

There’s no doubt that an editor’s input would have made this a shorter and a better read.  There are overly frequent descriptions of Celaena’s training sessions, while the trials themselves are not the dramatic climaxes they could be. Not surprisingly, given its genesis, the story progresses at a generally leisurely pace so though Celaena’s back story is hinted at throughout, it’s at such spaced intervals that it’s hard to follow. Nonetheless, it’s clear why Maas has so many devoted fans. There’s something very appealing about Celaena, who is a proper kick ass heroine, and despite its faults this is an enjoyable and always satisfying read, entertaining and full of ideas.  Maas mixes glamour and danger in just the right amounts, and has a good line in irony. This is worth recommending to Hunger Games fans.