Review - The Assassin's Blade

Original Title: The Assassin's Blade
Series: Throne of Glass, #0.1 - #0.5
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: March 4th, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

*THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Let me be clear. I was not going to review this novella bind-up. But since the characters and the stories struck me so hard, and I kept thinking about them long after finishing, I feel like I have to do something about it. As I read them separately to meet my reading challenge (otherwise it wouldn’t have been possible), I’ll analyse each novella the same way, as I have more to say about some of them, and less about others. 

Just so you know, this will contain spoilers from many books from the series. If you haven’t read the series, go and read it. Just do it. Don’t think it. Do it.

Let’s go.

If you read my review of Queen of Shadows, you know I said that I had got a little tired of how many times Sam was mentioned, when I myself didn’t really know him, and couldn’t share Celaena’s pain. Well, in this novella, we can see how they started to work together, and what they were really made of. I really like the fact that, even with all their training and learning to sell their services to the highest bidder, they very clearly draw the line in regards of their job. They are assassins, not murderers. And that added a lot of depth to both Celaena and Sam, given that they are not naturally inclined to kill people, nor they enjoy it. It is what they do for a living, they are not naturally inclined to evil.

I like Celaena’s attitude and wit. She’s always one step ahead, and never yields, all the time with the sarcasm and defiance that rule her life. I like how deep her character is, because she’s both selfish and selfless, and knows when something is bigger than herself, or her master. When she found out Arobynn and Rolfe’s deal was about slavery and human traffic, she didn’t think it twice, and immediately started to plan their freedom, perfectly knowing that she would pay a steep price for it. Even then, her attitude is that of a queen.

I loved to get to know Sam Cortland, his sad past, and the fact that, even from the very first book in the series he appears as Celaena’s first love, here we get to see how they started their relationships butting heads, not always agreeing with each other, but finally finding common ground, to work together, and set the slaves free. Obviously, nothing stopped Celaena from being herself:

“Sam,” […]

“Hmm?”

[…]

“If you ever tell anyone about me embracing you … I’ll gut you.”

Celaena Sardothien, ladies and gentlemen. I don’t expect less from her. Even when she started warming up to Sam and thinking that she may have a true friend in him, instead of a colleague, it didn’t stop her from threatening him. She’s always been a bone hard to crack, and this is not exception. But one thing is true: she feels everything deeply and fiercely. Love, hate, anger… And if someone messes with them, her blades will answer for it. 

This is the second story in the bind-up. Not a lot happens in it, but I hope Yrene Towers appears again in the later books. And now that magic is free (as it happened in Queen of Shadows), her healing gift can truly bloom and be used in the war effort. 

This takes place right after what happened in Skull’s Bay, in the previous novella, and wee meet Celaena facing its consequences. Arobynn didn’t take the ruining of his business lightly, and punished her and Sam mercilessly, subjecting her to a terrible beating, and forcing Sam to watch it. But even that didn’t break Celaena, because she didn’t regret freeing the slaves. I really like how deeply her character is developed, how you can truly feel her inner struggle with both her thoughts and her actions, and her attitude worthy of a queen. She had to go through the punishment, but doesn’t apologize for what she thinks is right, and I love her for that.

And, honestly, I’ve never read about a heroine that kicks butt the way Celaena does. I have had my share of badass protagonists, but Celaena is in a whole other level. She has no qualms about gutting people, beating them, and torturing them, if she has a clear goal in mind, although it is true that her feelings cloud her judgement, more often than not. I liked how she instinctively jumped in Yrene’s defense (partly because she was bored and still reeling from the beating, true). But still, she even taught her a move or two, so she could defend herself, in case she needed it, and gave away her own brooch to pay for her education in the Torre Cesme.

Not much to add, except I hope to see Yrene back.

This one was, no doubt, my favourite. It was incredible, and mostly because of the extended worldbuilding. It’s amazing to keep knowing this land, knowing that other places still exist and buzz with life outside the places the characters visit in the series. It deepens the complexity and the layers of this world, and for a moment I stopped thinking this was fictional. It truly feels like it is alive.

Sarah J. Maas’s writing shines in this one, and I love it even more with each story she tells me. Among other amazing things, she says that “Words could be just as deadly as steel.”, and I couldn’t agree more. The right words, said in the right moment, can mean the difference between life and death, between the rise and the fall of an entire empire, and hit as high as the destiny of a nation, or as deep as the heart and the feelings of one single person. And that is visible in the character Ansel. I really liked her, because she was deep and layered, and had very clear reasons to do what she did. Her story gave a glimpse of what later can be read as a part of Manon Blackbeak’s story and that of her fellow witches in Heir of Fire. Plus, I liked the fact that Sarah J. Maas is perfectly capable of writing female friendships that are true bonds of fondness, when literature nowadays (especially YA) is filled with cat fights and slut shaming, and girls are always rivals instead of friends, judging and hating each other non-stop. It’s a breath of fresh air, and I’m grateful for it.

I loved everything in this novella, and I like Celaena even more after this. She may be impatient and passionate, talking back and hardly restraining the fire inside of her, but, as I said before, she’s not a murderer. Being an assassin means shutting off her heart and doing what she is paid to do, but she knows when death is meaningless. And I’m sure she found a friend in Ansel beyond what they shared in the Red Desert, because, just like her, Ansel lost her family and her lands at the hands of invaders, and bores a terrible pain inside. Just like Celaena feels about Terrasen. That’s why I think their bond is even deeper, because it lies in understanding. Celaena can fully see why Ansel did what she did, because it’s not further away from what she herself would’ve done in the same situation. That is why she fired that arrow a minute later than she was supposed to, and this only helps me state my claim. Death may be Celaena’s profession, but it’s not her passion, nor her goal.

I really hope to see some of these characters again.

This one killed me. I hate Arobynn Hamel, I hate him! But I have to talk about him. It’s one of the best written characters I’ve ever read. He’s the epitome of everything that is rotten in Rifthold. Everything that happens in the Vaults, summed up in one person.

Arobynn Hamel is one of those villains that truly grow fear and hate in you. He’s everything that is wrong with the world, and that wouldn’t be so terrible, if he wasn’t the King of Assassins. I mean, he’s possessive, greedy, lustful, and is willing to do everything he can to get his way. The power he wields only makes everything worse, because the consequences are far greater. He uses everything in his favour. He knew exactly where to hit to get Celaena and Sam to cooperate and fulfil the mission, making them go to the party and see Doneval with those girls, to paint the picture of him as the bad guy, when in fact, he was the one who wanted to save the slaves. Look how well written Arobynn is, how smart he was there, acting as the puppeteer and pulling the right strings in the right moment. He doesn’t feel any love or empathy, and the world is his chessboard. He knew exactly when to exploit pain, weakness, and virtues. He knew Celaena, knew her passions, and her integrity, and used her virtues to his advantage, knowing that she wouldn’t spare any slavery supporter’s life, whoever he or she was. He used her as a weapon, using her light for darkness. And that, my friends, not only speaks of a great character, but also of an amazing writer behind it. 

Now that I know Sam better, I can understand Celaena’s pain. Their feelings for each other were real, and it’s sad to see that they could totally have been happy together, if they had had the chance. Finding someone to open up to, to be vulnerable with, and not get hurt in the process, was what made everything a lot more painful. As I said before, Celaena doesn’t know moderation when it comes to her feelings. She feels everything strongly, and has both light and darkness in her, and Sam is the ice to her fire. He knows how to calm her down and I even when I knew what would eventually happen to him, I couldn’t help but loving him, and that made the next novella so difficult to get into. 

It killed me, guys. I cried real tears as I read this one. I couldn’t help it.

But first things first. I really loved Celaena’s passion in this one. She may be an assassin, knowing how to handle poisons and blades, and fight like hell, but she’s also this girl who loves music and has an indescribable passion for dresses, make up, and everything beautiful, which, for me, it’s a good thing to see in fantasy. Normally, the heroine is not like that. If she is a badass and can wield a sword, she hates dresses, and dancing, and all girly things. But Celaena is both things. She kills because she has too, but she’s still is a lady on the inside, and doesn’t hide her taste for fine clothes, and expensive things. The balance is perfectly written. It can be seen how she can be both, and still stay a great character.

Sam and Celaena start planning their future in this novella, and it wouldn’t have been so difficult to read it if I didn’t know what would eventually happen to them. After being manipulated by Arobynn into doing the dirty work against her own principles, Celaena decides to leave Rifthold and start a new life somewhere else, with Sam by her side, finally free from his manipulations. But Arobynn and Celaena are more alike than they think. Nobody messes with them without facing the consequences. Although while Celaena is pure fire and goes straight for her blades, choosing gutting over reasoning, Arobynn’s ways are subtler, he destroys his victims from the inside out, utilizing their strengths and weaknesses against them, to get his way. He’s definitely one of the most incredible characters I’ve ever read, and one of those I wanted dead the most. Bravo, Sarah J. Maas!

This novella is how everything started. In Throne of Glass, we are told that Celaena, as long as she suffered as a slave in the salt mines of Endovier, told herself “My name is Celaena Sardothien and I will not be afraid”, to keep her sanity in a place when very little people could survive. And here, we get to know she learned that from Sam, who told himself the same thing when he was scared. He stayed with her long after his death, and I can only call that love. It gets perfectly understandable why they love each other, and how Celaena wants to be with him because he sees her as more than an assassin, and can love her with all her faults, with the burden of everything she did. No wonder she went berserk after what happened to him. Rourke Farran wasn’t exactly merciful with him.

“Reality opened wide and swallowed her whole.” – I think all of us can think of a situation in our lives that felt this way. Sarah J. Maas’ writing is beautiful, accurate, and painful like a dagger to the heart. She’s a gifted writer, and she’s definitely among my favourites. It took a little while for me to realize that, but after this novella that made me cry a sea of tears, I can positively say so.

Long story short, this novella was utterly heartbreaking, and you need to read it to understand how much. It’s not the same effect if you read them before reading, at least, the first book in the series, because ignorance keeps you safe. If you come here having read as far as Throne of Glass, you know what to expect, and it doesn’t make the ride less painful. 

***

Thank you for stopping by, and I’ll see you soon with another review! Bye! 

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The Bookmas Tag

Hey, everyone!!
Happy Holidays!!

How you've been? I hope you are doing amazing. First of all, as always, thank you so much for reading me, guys, it means so much to me, and I can't properly express how much I love you, and thank you for all the love I've been receiving from visitors, and the wonderful things people have been saying about my reviews. Just THANK YOU!!! 

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to keep posting regularly, but to give you an idea, in the last week of school, I delivered no less than EIGHT papers in the same week. Imagine how my brain ended up after that. But I'm free now, and I want to do something fun for the Christmas holidays. 

Today I bring you the Bookmas Tag. It's old, I know (2016), but it has all this cool questions, and have more than one answer for them. I saw it done by two great booktubers, LilyCReads and SophieSeries, and I thought it would be fun to do it too. I've been wanting to do it since July, but you know... Seasons be crazy.

Anyway, here we go.

1. The Lovebirds: Which two characters would you like to see under the mistletoe? 

With this I'm going with Faramir and Éowyn from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. I was obsessed with this pairing when I was a kid and I used to read their chapter over and over again, to see how they fell in love and how she was able to heal her heart and recognize a man who loved her so much, for everything she was, and was worthy of her. I love them, I absolutely love them. Éowyn is one of my favorite female characters of all time.








2. The Mismatched: Which unlikely pair of characters would get stuck under the mistletoe? 

Oh, I definitely know this one. Nico di Angelo and Reyna Ramírez Arellano, from the The Blood of Olympus. I totally imagine them bumping to each other under the mistletoe and being like "Erm... No." Just friends. For obvious reasons.

3. The Grinch: Which character would spend the day with their face in a knot? 

I could name more than one in this one (and I will). There's a lot of characters out there that could totally be the Grinch, but I'm going with Mr. Darcy, from Pride & Prejudice. I can totally picture him sitting in a corner of the room as everyone else around him is dancing, bored, and giving his opinions on the guests and the music, and the "perfectly tolerable" young woman who's sister is the most beautiful creature his friend is ever beheld. And sitting right next to him is Severus Snape, with the same expression on his face as Dumbledore hands him a cracker. 







4. The Naughty List: Which character has angered so many people that nobody felt like getting them a gift? 
Again, two characters, both in the Potter world. You tell me who, in the name of God, would buy a gift for Dolores Umbridge, or Rita Skeeter. They have to be two of the most annoying character ever written, they have made so many people angry that nobody would bother on getting them a present. Except it's something that would make them even more angry or contain a really, really nasty surprise for them (Fred and George, I'm looking at you!)



5. The Fraud: Which character would assign a fake date to the gathering, just so they don't appear alone? 

I can totally picture Maria Bertram, from Mansfield Park, doing this. She needs to feel wanted by men, if it isn't one, it's the other, she can't be alone, so I definitely pick her for this one.












6. The Caroler: Which character does everybody have to yell at to stop singing Christmas songs? 

Tom Bombadil, one hundred percent. Tell me it wouldn't be him! He lives by singing, and he wouldn't stop with the carols no matter what they tell him. He's a happy guy and that he will show!











7. The Klutz: Which character accidentally knocks over the Christmas tree? 

Oh, my dear Nymphadora Tonks, this would be you. Stealth is not your thing. She entered the Dursleys' house and immediatly broke a plate, and in Grimmauld Place she kept stumbling upon things, like the umbrella stand. She would totally knock over the Christmas tree.











8. The Snooper: Which character would ruin all of their surprises by trying to figure out what all the gifts are?

Definitely James Potter and Sirius Black during their school days at Hogwarts. They drew the Marauder's Map and without curiosity, that wouldn't have been possible. With that attitude there wouldn't be Christmas surprises left for them.











Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed that. I wish you a very happy and blessed Christmas, as we remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have a beautiful holiday, and if you don't celebrate it, an great joyful time.Thank you so much for your visits, and I'll see you soon with new reviews and tags!

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Review - Queen of Shadows

Original Title: Queen of Shadows
Series: Throne of Glass, #4
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: September 1st, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

*THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

If I had to describe this book with one word, that would be intense. The fact that it took me so long to finish it was not the book’s fault. Not at all. It was just life getting in the way. But I did it! And wow, what a ride it was! I couldn’t stop reading, I stayed up late, it was so very intense, and I only stopped because I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

I definitely love Sarah J. Maas’ writing style. It’s utterly brilliant, poetic in the right moments, and raw and direct when it needs to be impactful, like a dagger to the heart. I noticed and loved how well done and fully fleshed-out the worldbuilding is, as she doesn’t try to sugarcoat the world she created. She paints it exactly as it is, with both its bright and dark sides, both with vivid details and without holding anything back. It’s as realistic as it can be, being a fantasy world, and it is incredibly done. Great job, Sarah J. Maas!

Something I really love in this series is that every character is well written, and there for a reason. It’s not that you can remove any of them without disrupting the plot, as it has surely happened before with other authors. Sarah J. Maas makes sure that everyone is there with a purpose, and has their own, unique voice, which is worthy of applause, because you can tell who is speaking even if his/her name doesn’t appear on the page. The protagonist, Aelin –no longer Celaena–, is definitely different from any other character I’ve ever read. She’s a true badass, fearless, and brave, a queen worthy of the name, and not to be messed with. She’s still distrustful but we are far, far away from the characters that started the series in Throne of Glass. That was more like a fairytale –even if darker–, but here, in Queen of Shadows, we are fully into an epic fantasy story, and the characters have evolved accordingly, with deep personalities and complexly layered, and it is good to read the work of an author who actually cares for those aspects.

I was truly impressed and invested in the story of the new people in it. Arobynn Hamel, oh, my God! What a character. Every scene with him made me unable to stop reading, I gasped, and held my breath, and enjoyed that tug-of-war with Aelin, as she fought to get the amulet back without giving in into his requests. She definitely outsmarted him, with a little help, of course, and it was brilliant. The whole trick with the ring, to push him to reveal his true intentions, that was just… Wow. Amazing. Incredibly done. I was truly outraged when it happened. And it’s also greatly done how important the bond between him and Aelin is, how he shaped her identity and her character, and how, through his death, she not only recovered what she needed –the amulet of Orynth–, but also fully stopped being Celaena Sardothien. The ruthless assassin who only yearned for freedom after slavery dies along with him, and a Queen comes to take her place.

I utterly loved the character Lysandra, even though, at first, I thought I’d hate her. What a good addition to the series! I think she’s an expression of how people can actually change, and aren’t always what they seem, something I thought before knowing she was actually a shapeshifter (but that only made it literal). I mean, she was able to deceive with her looks even without her powers, right? Her story was sad, but I liked to see how she was a badass in her own way, not afraid in the least when she had to end Arobynn’s life; and also, her wits, and her selflessness, both sacrificing herself to save this girl, Evangeline, from her own fate as a courtesan, and later coming to help in battle! I really liked her relationship with Aelin, and I’m glad that Sarah J. Maas decided to include female friendships in this series that are far from the typical cat fight, that I despise so very much. First Celaena and Nehemia, and now Aelin and Lysandra. And that is something that needs to happen more often in YA fiction, because there’s already enough books out there filled with girl hating and slut-shaming, as if it were impossible to tell a story without that. But this author proves that is possible, even when one of the characters is, literally, a whore, but with enough depth as to see that she’s a lot more than that.

I have to say it, people. I really loved Manon in this one, even when in the previous book I used to grumble every time I encountered a chapter on her and the rest of the witches. But her character has definitely gone far, proving that the Crochan witch was right, that they are made into monsters, not born. She’s a badass, she demands respect, and doesn’t let anyone control her, and with every chapter, she’s a little stronger and more willing to stand up to her grandmother, changing her fate into what she can be, instead of focusing on what others think she should be. Her fight scene with Aelin on the crumbling temple was absolutely epic, and I loved how she respected the life debt, helping her with Dorian when they had given up all hope on saving him, and were ready to kill him to stop the demon inside of him. Oh, and finally the whole thing came together! Rebels, Valg and witches, all together in the same scene at last. It was about time, and I didn’t want to wait for the next book for it to happen. And also, I don’t know how relevant this is, but I really loved Asterin after she told the story about her love for a human, and the baby she lost. 

As for Dorian, wow, that was depth. He’s king now, but still, he’s not a warrior, and by that, I mean he’s not the typical prince. He’s fragile, broken, and doubtful, and carries very heavy burdens, especially Sorscha’s death, that he should have prevented, but couldn’t. Thanks to an unintentional spoiler before he even met Manon, I kind of knew where the story was heading into, and I wasn’t worried about him, but his scenes fighting the demon inside of him were very intense. I really want to read a further development in his relationship with Manon, because he’s utterly broken, even though he’s free, and that gives a lot of potential to deepen his story. He needs to heal, and I don’t know how he will do that, but I’ll gladly read about it.

Oh, Elide, poor little girl. She’s actually the proof of how much I drifted away during Heir of Fire, because I revisited it and it actually says that she is Marion’s daughter, so I shouldn’t have been so surprised when she said so. I really liked her, and I can tell she has a lot of potential. Even though she has witch blood in her veins, she’s still very human and fragile, and has authentic reactions in front of terrifying situations, or under her uncle’s thumb. But she also has this inner strength and courage, not fully developed, but there nonetheless, that will make her a good character to read about. I definitely want to know more about her, and I can’t wait to read her reunion with Aelin, and of course, the moment in which she finds out Celaena and Aelin are the same person, and gives her the stone Kaltain gave her. 

Oh, and Kaltain. Wow. Just… wow. That woman was smarter than anyone gave her credit for. From ambitious court girl to devourer of worlds, capable of standing up to demons when everyone else begged for death, there’s no other like her. I’m just sorry she’s gone, she would have made a hell of a character in battle, although she did make a spectacular final act. She went down but took as many as she could with her, ruining Perrington and Vernon’s plans and destroying the offspring of witches and demons, which I’m glad she did, because after Elide’s description, I’m ok with not knowing more about how that came to happen. Yes, it was that terrible. It is so well written that it is absolutely horrifying, and had me doubting who was the real monster there: the creatures they bred, or the people who forced the Yellowlegs to give birth to them? Again, well done Sarah J. Maas. If I have nightmares, it will be your fault.

I absolutely loved the scene in which Aelin went undercover as a dancer to rescue Aedion, it was so intense, so well written, that I couldn’t stop. And of course, the reunion! Hopes not disappointed at all. Such raw emotion, and open feelings, it was greatly done. I really like Aedion, his attitude and badassery, and I’m happy we got to know a little more about him. The only thing I just don’t quite get is how Aelin, Aedion, and Rowan walked through Rifthold just like that, with no guards looking for them, after the spectacular rescue. One would think that after Aelin herself was in town to rescue his cousin after she openly defied the king, and that the party in which he was to be executed was clearly a bait, every soldier in the city would be looking for her. But they go from here to there like nothing is happening and that felt a little odd. The only thing I really couldn’t care about was Rowan and Aedion’s little alpha male drama. It’s ok, but honestly, I didn’t care enough about their battle of wills as much as I was supposed to. But it’s understandable, as Aedion wanted to be bonded to Aelin for so long and found out Rowan did it before him, so in general terms, it is well done. I’m glad they could eventually work together.

*big sigh*

Can we talk about Aelin and Rowan? The big romance twist in this series. I have to tell you, it makes a lot more sense with him than it ever did with Chaol, a relationship I’m actually glad is over. At least we can say that it was relevant to the plot, because a lot of things that happened wouldn’t have, if it wasn’t for their brief, intense romance. But with Rowan is different. He is in her heart the way Chaol never was. I love them together, but at some point I got a little tired with their comings and goings. I ended up yelling at my book “just kiss already!”. They did everything, except kissing, and I ended up begging them to please, once and for all, act on your horniness so I can stop reading pages and pages of every little detail every time you touch each other. But if you, as you claim, can’t be together for the time being, no matter what it costs, the solution is very simple: stop sleeping in the same bed, and save me some time! 

Another thing that bothered me about them is how they both kept sulking about their past loves. Don’t get me wrong, it adds depth to their characters, and their past loss is what, in a way or another, brings them even closer together, because they understand each other better than anyone ever could. I get Rowan though, because Lyria was pregnant with his child, and she shouldn’t have died. But Aelin, I mean… yes, she really loved Sam and suffered a lot when she lost him. But, for the love of God, let him rest in peace! I completely understand that Sam was important to her, being her first love and everything, but it exhaust me to read about someone who isn’t even in the book. He belongs to a past I can only get to know through snippets from Aelin’s memories, but I can’t share her pain, simply because I don’t know Sam enough. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, as it is all linked to Arobynn’s character. I’m just saying that I prefer to read about characters that actually are in the book, that are relevant to the plot, and that I can care for, because I know them. 

The only character I can’t like, no matter how much I try, is Chaol, and luckily, he barely appears in this one. His attitude, I mean… I don’t know how to explain it. I just don’t like him. But I like the bond with Dorian, their strong friendship, and how Chaol didn’t give up on him, and protected him when Aelin tried to kill him to save him from the demon. As for Nesryn, there’s not a lot about her, but I’m not opposed to read more about her, now that she’s in the king’s army. I can’t say more because the book doesn’t give them a lot of importance, but I wish them well. 

Something I appreciate is when characters spend a big part of the book talking about their plans to do something, and they actually do it before the end, like here, when they said they would blow up the clock tower with hellfire. For a brief moment I thought I’d have to wait until the next book to see that happening, but they did it, and I couldn’t be happier when magic was unlocked. That opens the road for a lot more powers, and to see the real reach of everyone’s magic: Aelin, Rowan, Dorian, the witches… It’s promising. Just one thing: during the battle in the tunnels, I really thought Rowan, Aedion and Lorcan would be killed, but I loved when Lysandra suddenly jumped over them in her animal form and saved them, not only for that, but because what it meant for her to have her shapeshifting abilities back. I let out a breath when she leaped over the enemies and started ripping throats here and there, proving her loyalty and her true power. She truly deserved what she got at the end, and I really hope to read more about her.

Finally… the plot twists. Oh, my God. I’m shocked with the turn of events, because the king is no longer there, and there’s still a lot of story to read. That let me with my mouth open, like, “and now what?”. In one, brief second, Sarah J. Maas introduced a new villain, changed my attitude towards the king, raised a lot of questions, and moved the plot in a way I never saw coming. And that, my friends, is what a true writer does. Well done. Truly, well done. 

*LOUD APPLAUSE*

Not much else to say, because I can’t possibly cover every little detail, except that I’m very excited now that Aelin is back in Terrasen. I’m really looking forward to know more about Elide, and Manon, and all the consequences left by the events in this book. This one truly is a great fantasy series, I can’t possibly cover all the details here, but I recommend it to everyone who hasn’t read it. Sarah J. Maas is a great author, and I will keep reading this amazing series until I can answer every single one of my questions!

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Review - Heir of Fire

Original Title: Heir of Fire
Series: Throne of Glass, #3
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: September 2nd, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

*THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

I’m going to start this review with a quote:

“She darted to the next tree […], cursing silently at the slowness of her pace.”

That was me during the first two quarters of the book. To give you an idea, in my previous review I said that with Crown of Midnight I didn’t have time to take notes, because it was so intense, but here, I could not only do that, but also go get coffee, and even take a nap. Don’t get me wrong, I did like it, but the first half was very slow and heavy with details, and the only truly intense, fast-paced part was the last quarter, the way I wish the entire book had been. 

The first thing I noticed is the characters’ evolution. They undoubtedly got deeper, and it is very noticeable how things have changed since the first book, not only around the tone of the story, but also on Sarah J. Maas’s writing, in the way that now the twists and turns of the story are truly surprising, and well done. I mean, remember the very first book, when they all suspected Cain was guilty, and in the end, it truly was him, no plot twist there? Well, that doesn’t happen anymore. More than once I thought something would happen, and in the end, it went the opposite direction. Bravo! That’s how it should be.

I have mixed feelings about this book. At first, it was a three GR stars, but the last quarter of the book turned them into four. I feel like it wouldn’t be fair, given how the story takes a dark turn by the end, but still, I have a few things to say. It took me forever to finish it, and there’s plenty of reasons for that. After Crown of Midnight, I was hoping for a novel as intense and action-packed as that one was, but, considering how and how long this one is, I believe that it could have been so much shorter! The most that happened by the middle of the story that made me say “I have to keep reading” was the scene with the cave, the frozen lake, and the monster with the red eye. It was the only part I didn’t said “I will keep reading but the next chapter can wait until I feel like coming back.”

To be honest, it was the same problem I had years ago with Eldest, by Christopher Paolini. Just like that one, the plot revolves mostly around training. It’s not badly done, don’t get me wrong. It’s good to see Celaena making mistakes, slowly accepting her destiny, and getting in control of her magic. If she had been good from day one, just because she’s Fae, I wouldn’t have bought a single page of this story. She has to start the climb at the bottom of the stairs, just like any other warrior in training. But it bothered me that the whole thing took that many chapters, and I seriously questioned Rowan’s method so much! Because Celaena trained page after page without making any real progress, with a teacher that didn’t really help, and I didn’t like that. All Rowan did was pointing out to all her mistakes without actually telling her how to do the things he asked from her, and then even found ways to make her pay for that, like giving her double shifts at the kitchen and things like that. All he did in every lesson was ordering “shift”, and with only that, I ended up a bit confused about what she was supposed to learn.

About that, at first I couldn’t understand how other readers said they ended up with a massive crush on Rowan, because… well, I never like characters like him, who think so highly of themselves to the point of not even deigning to talk to other people. Rowan and Celaena ride for days without speaking to each other, but simply because Rowan won’t talk. He has lived too long and too much, so he’s above that. I found that sense of superiority very irritating. Plus, this line about Rowan’s tattoos had me rolling my eyes:

“She had debated asking him what the words meant, but that would involve talking. And talking meant building some sort of . . . relationship. She’d had enough of friends. Enough of them dying, too.”

Oh, my God. *deep breath* It’s just asking him, don’t exaggerate! You won’t build a deep bond by only asking him a question. Come on, Celaena, is not that big of a deal. You are smarter than that.

Anyway, I disliked Rowan until I saw how their relationship moved forward, and they could truly form a deep, meaningful friendship, especially after her burnout, and after he discovered her scars, and her past as a slave. Rowan is fiercely loyal, a true warrior, and I ended up liking him a lot, because at one point he stopped acting like he didn’t have all those scars and sad history, and both he and Celaena let themselves be vulnerable around each other. I really want to keep reading about him and see his part in the whole mess that will ensue. And honestly, I’m not opposed to a romantic relationship between them. After all, it would make so much more sense with him that with Chaol. 

And talking about Chaol… I honestly don’t love him. It’s ok as a character, but in this book is he constantly thinking about why he sent Celaena to Wendlyn, and sulking about their relationship, after what happened with Nehemia in Crown of Midnight. He spends the entire book (literally) saying that he will go to Anielle to accept his courtly duties as the heir to the throne, but nothing ever happens around it. He just says it over and over again, and I found myself thinking “are you going or not?”. He’s still this guy who shows no emotions externally, but he’s cracking up internally, and now that he has left the king’s service behind, I want to see him as a rebel, and seeking to help his best friend Dorian. That “I love you” there, by the end, was totally out of brotherly affection, and I really liked it, because it could be said without being romantic at all, and it was still heartbreaking. I can’t wait to go with them to save Dorian and Aedion.

Oh, and Aedion! I loved him! I completely loved him. When he first appeared, I was ready to hate him for having betrayed his lineage and serving the king, but then everything changed. It was all a carefully built façade, because he was still fiercely loyal to Aelin and the Ashryver-Galathynius bloodline. He has this fire on him that will help him not to break as long as he is in shackles, and I loved how happy he was when he heard Aelin was still alive. Now I need that reunion. I need Celaena and Aedion to meet again and fight together for Terrasen and Eyllwe, and for all those people who gave their lives for the queen to survive. That will be epic! 

Unlike the previous books, Heir of Fire is told in three different perspectives, showing how everyone is fighting their own little wars where they are, inside the big war that drives the plot. And one of those fronts is the story around Manon Blackbeak the witches and the wyverns, a plot I just couldn’t care so much about, basically because, as if we didn’t have enough of Celaena’s training, we need a complete side story about the same thing. I can tell that they are going to have a big role in the upcoming story, but still. I think I grumbled a couple of times when, turning the page, I found out that the next chapter was about Manon. But it was good from the moment I noticed that Abraxos, even having ripped off Titus’ head, still could be loyal and defend his rider, like the rest of the wyverns. And the last scene was just… so great! With the Crochan witch they forced Manon to kill, that said that everything is a lie, that those heartless witches are not born, but made, meaning that Manon can change her fate, that of her of people, and make the whole plan of a witchy army backfire on the king. I don’t –yet– see why she wouldn’t take Celaena’s side on the future, but I hope she does.

The part that really gave me goosebumps, because it was so great in its simplicity, was when the rebellion slowly started to show on Adarlan, after the massacre on the labor camps of Endovier and Callacula, and the orchestra played the songs of those nations that suffered because of the king. It was terrible, but realistic, if you know what I mean. It made me want to cry so badly, because that was a quiet rebellion. The king is the origin of all these sorrow and death, and his people won’t support that. I love it. And think this. That little girl who started the rebellion by killing the guard in Callacula (I wanted to know what had happened to her), did it in Nehemia’s name, and that inspired the slaves in Endovier. See how greatly done it is, that Nehemia, even being out of the picture, still lived a little longer in them, and how she inspired them in giving her life for what she thought was worth it. I still think that killing Nehemia was a waste of character, because she had a lot of potential, but without that, Celaena couldn’t have become Aelin, and at least we can say that it was worth it.

I really liked to see the king angry when Aelin defied him, because he can’t orchestrate everything, and that was something he did not see coming. In your face, you damn bastard! But I need to say this. He is this massive villain, the main source of terror, but he’s barely on the book. He has only a couple of scenes, and very little dialogue, but still, he is this scary, permanent presence that rules everything and everyone, and the characters in the three fronts this book narrates are directly linked with him, under his influence in a way or another. That is honesty so well done!

And Dorian! Dorian, for the love of… well, whatever deity they have in Erilea. He’s a prisoner now and I swear I never, ever saw that coming. I’m desperate to know what will happen to him now. I need to keep reading. When the king took Sorscha, I seriously thought she would be saved, in one way or another, that Dorian would blast the king and freeze the guards with enough time to save her. Honestly, I was really liking their storyline, with Dorian recognizing that he and Celaena are not meant to be. I loved this line:

“He’d been a fool once, swearing he would tear the world apart for Celaena. A boy in love with a wildfire—or believing he was in love with one.”

Of course, all this only helps me to state my claim once again: the love triangle is not necessary. Look how easily it went out of the picture, hardly disrupting the plot. I liked that Dorian recognized this girl, Sorscha, and truly valued her as a person that did so much for them, and kept her mouth shut, that had to tread as carefully as everyone else in the castle. She did not deserve to die, she never hurt anyone, and ended up paying the price it entailed. Just as those poor slaves in Endovier and Callacula. When she was beheaded, my mouth fell open, and I couldn’t react by several seconds… Completely. Stunned.

I just don’t understand how Dorian’s magic works in a land where the king has banished magic, I hope there’s some sort of explanation behind it, and also about the towers, the Valg, and Perrington, Roland and Kaltain, who did not appear in Heir of Fire. I want to know where they are, and what role will they have in the future.

God, there’s so much in front of us! Considering what Sarah J. Maas did in this book, I positively think that we can expect anything from her. I really like it, even when this book was very slow at times, and I hope it gets better. I’ll grab Queen of Shadows soon, and see how it goes! Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!

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Review - Crown of Midnight

Original Title: Crown of Midnight
Series: Throne of Glass, #2
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

*THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

OH. MY. GOD.

That’s literally all I can say right now. I am stunned. Truly, and utterly, stunned. Never before a book series made me take back my words. I feel like giving it less than five stars wouldn’t be fair, because this sequel has been a wild ride. Wild indeed. If I had to describe it with one word, that would be intense. There’s not a moment to breathe as you read, as the events unfold and there’s simply… magic.

Although I’ve already put the spoiler alert, I’ll say it again. Don’t read this if you don’t want to be spoiled. Stop right here. 

First of all, I want to say that I stand by everything I said about the first book of the series. That was full of suspense, but mostly romance, and court drama, and did not fulfill my expectations. But Crown of Midnight was everything I wanted that first book to be. It was captivating from page one, in a truly unique way, keeping me up at night, saying “just one more chapter”. I normally take notes as I read so I don’t forget about the things I want to say later, but with this book, I didn’t even stop to do that. I’d never thought I’d be so hooked by a story that starts with a gruesome murder that had me wrinkling my nose in the first few pages. But that is exactly what happened, and as I write this, I realize that it rendered me speechless. It went exactly in the opposite direction I thought it would take. The gap between this book and the previous one is enormous. 

The first noticeable thing is the character development and the incredibly well done worldbuilding (so far), not only because of the places they visit, but for the people. Sarah J. Maas gave every character their own voice and depth, you can tell who is speaking simply for the words they use. Here, we can truly see Celaena as the feared assassin everyone said she was, but without solid events that could truly prove it. This woman is not perfect. She has a temper, she’s a badass, but even with all that, she’s still human, she still loves and fears, and that is incredibly well done. She’s not to be messed with, and she turned very scary when angry. I was particularly moved by the scene in which she remembers her past, and mostly with the part that, in the previous book, had been told as her attempt to escape from Endovier, because, in this book, we learned that her intention wasn’t escaping, but taking revenge. A payback for what happened to Sam, her first love. It was truly chilling. Well done, Sarah J. Maas! 

Can we talk about Dorian for a minute? I really liked the fact that he’s not the typical prince, trained to be a warrior, and the pride of, if not his father, at least his people. No, not at all. Instead of the fairytale cardboard royal, we are met with a fleshed-out character filled with fear and doubts, fragile, treading carefully in a court in which a misstep can have terrible consequences. And now he has found out he has magic! I definitely want to know more about that, since magic has been banned from Adarlan for a long time. Where does it come from? Was he born with it, or Nehemia put it in him when she traced the Wyrdmark over him? Can it get stronger? I have so many questions! Honestly, I don’t particularly love Dorian, but I do like him and I want to keep reading about him. 

Oh, my God, the love story! Although this book took it not one, but a million steps further, I still stand by what I said in my review of the previous book. The love triangle is simply not necessary. It doesn’t have to be there, it only tires me as a reader. Because, in the first book, Celaena was mostly attracted to Dorian, wanting to kiss him constantly and opening up to him, and in this book, she turns to Chaol. Here, their relationship is a lot darker, and deeper, and when they started to be happy together, I simply knew that couldn’t last. When things go too well in books, distrust shows its face, and I was not proven wrong. But the thing is that I don’t really like having both Dorian and Chaol having feelings for Celaena, and having Celaena going back and forth between the two of them and their load of qualities. It is like the line between the two is constantly blurred. Celaena certainly is unique, I give it that, but I don’t particularly root for this love triangle. Luckily, the story has a lot bigger pillars to sustain it, and it is not based solely on the romance, because I couldn’t read that without rolling my eyes. 

With that said, let’s go to the plot twists. I swear I never, ever, saw Nehemia’s death coming. I honestly thought Celaena would make it on time, but… *painfully sobbing*. I found myself in complete denial. Literally. All I could think was “Nehemia, no. No. That didn’t happen.”. I tried to think things like “I’m sure this is a ruse, she will turn up alive in one of next books, or something like that”. That won’t happen, but I want you to understand the level of my denial. I truly loved Nehemia, she had so much potential to be a badass, indomitable character with the temper and the attitude to be an awesome queen. I found her to be a character worth of admiration, an inspiration for her people, and I was seriously not ready to see her gone. I wanted her to be happy. It completely broke my heart. But, if I have to see the bright side, it means that I’m in for a story with great plot twists, and unpredictable turns, filled with deep, raw feelings. After Nehemia’s murder, Celaena went completely wild with anger and pain, and I could truly feel it, it is incredibly well written, and I can positively affirm that I love Sarah J. Maas’ writing. 

As for Archer, oh, my God! I knew that he was lying about not being involved in a rebel movement, but never, in a million years, could have guessed he was the one who had Nehemia killed posing as Lord Mullison! It took me completely by surprise, and I was actually glad when he died. I just thought that he, just as Nehemia, would stay for the next books. But good riddance, I say. Archer, you damn bastard!

As for Celaena being Aelin, I could deduce it at some point, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not intrigued. As I said in my review of the previous book, Celaena has a past that goes beyond the point in which we can start reading her story. I was glad that, when Chaol knew she was Fae, she was able to provide an explanation, if short (which is ok, it was not the time for it). My point is that it’s not that she knows nothing, and it took her by surprise too. She is aware of her nature, and the fact that she didn’t mention it before doesn’t make it a bad plot twist. On the contrary, it makes me ever more eager to get to Heir of Fire to know more!

Damn, this is what happens with good books. I end up so excited that I can barely review them. There’s so much happening in Crown of Midnight, that I simply can’t cover the details, but I’m definitely looking forward to read the rest of the books. There’s so much I want to know! What is up with Perrington, Kaltain and Roland? What will happen with the Wyrdkeys? What about Dorian’s magic, the portals, the mythical creatures, the Fae, the king’s twisted plans…?

In short, this book is simply brilliant. I could guess some things as it progressed (like the clue about the Wyrdkey on Elena’s tomb), but in general terms, it was amazingly done, and I wish I could say more about it, but I simply can’t cover all the details. I will for sure read the next books, and I hope the series only gets better and better!

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