Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Throne of Glass

This is technically a reread for me, but it's been over 10 years and I didn’t remember anything about the plot. It's kind of fascinating starting this series last of the SJM set, and reading certain things and thinking to myself, "ah, I see the beginning of connections, I do, I do." (iykyk) Anyway. A fun book, definitely the best-of-the-best-from-FictionPress back in the day (which was my initial and lasting impression from that first read so long ago). There are so many things that scream this was written in the early 2010s--but I think the biggest shift is how I personally read the characters; perspective of time, huh. At 20 I found Celaena's sarcasm and Strong Female™️ shtick fun. Now I see it as a staple of the time, but also the inherent sadness in her character much more clearly. Chaol and Dorian are both kind of just there. I'm much less interested in their little triangle and actually find Celeana choosing her freedom over a relationship with Dorian the much more satisfying choice. (That's the perspective change, I think.)(also, her getting with and staying with the son of the man who had her enslaved is a No from me, gang.) Anyway, onto the next.

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hannahcommabanana's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Really good but honestly not great? If you compare it to the later books this is much slower and harder to get into. But it’s still very fun, and VERY worth it for what will come.

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abetterpaige's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I finally took the plunge into the first series in the SJM universe and I wasn’t disappointed. Throne of Glass (TOG) introduces us to Celaena Sardothien - a slave at a death camp in Erilea run and operated by the men of the King of Adarlan. The Crown Prince of Adarlan, along with the Captain of the Guard, come to propose a trade for Celaena - compete in the King’s competition to become his champion, and one day earn your freedom, or die at the death camp. Celaena, a newly 18 year old who is known for being Adarlan’s Assassin, can taste nothing but potential freedom when she agrees to the competition.

Taken to the glass castle, where, obviously, the book gets its name, Celaena trains with the Captain of the Guard, Chaol, and falls into an easy flirtation with the Crown Prince. She also quickly develops a friendship with a visiting princess, Nehemia. As their training and the competition continue, more and more sponsored Champions start showing up dead - their bodies in ribbons, insides eaten. Celaena knows, somehow, that she can help solve these horrific murders, but can she do it without risking herself becoming Champion and her inevitable freedom?

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was obvious that SJM was very young when she wrote this as it kind of felt like a 15 year old dreaming of being a badass 18 year old with men falling at your feet. Celaena is…difficult to like. She has the intelligence and maturity of a preteen, and the emotional capacity of one too. Her character was not developed or hashed out much beyond “she’s a badass with trauma” which felt very similar to the character development in Crescent City for me. I felt like we were TOLD more than we were shown about all of the characters, and I didn’t quite understand why any of them had chemistry or tension with one another. All that to say, the world building was easy to understand and enjoyable, and man is it fun reading this after ACOTAR and CC because IYKYK! Onto Crown of Midnight!

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aileron's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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nerdkitten's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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sierrabowers's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I thought this book was good, but not as good as ACOTAR. I keep wanting to read more Sarah J. Maas but none of them live up to the first series I read from her. I liked the storyline and the strong female lead. I also liked the twist at the end that let you into something that the main character didn’t know. I wasn’t sure that she was

going to win at the end.

I think that seeing into different dimensions or worlds is going to become very important later on. In the end, I did like it, just not like some of the other books I’ve read.

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