Spoilery Book Reviews

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Back of the book

Crowned by evil. Bound by duty. Divided by love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King or Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood – but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, puts those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors, a captain and a prince – and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom...

My thoughts

I could not put this book down and stayed up reading it until midnight. Once again, I disagree with the blurb, that makes it seem there is a love triangle going on when there really isn't. The tension between Chaol and Dorian is a little frustrating and it would be nice if they got over themselves a bit quicker, alas this poor choice of storyline is forgettable in the grand scheme of the series.

We start out by learning Celaena is rebelling in the only way she can, by faking the deaths of all her targets. She plays the keen killer, who loves the thrill of murder for the king, but hardest of all she must play this role in front of the people who have become her friends. She risks their lives for the not-murdering, all the while keeping them safer as they believe her to be hideously heartless. I love Celaena in this book way more. I said for the last book I really wanted to see her assassin side and this time we do. I loved the murder of Grave and all its brutality, followed by the murders of the rebels. I think I just love characters that dance in the moral grey zone and her butchering a group of rebels throws Celaena into that. On one side, she is justified to take down those who threatened her friend, on the other hand she wants to fight for the same cause the rebels do. The plot is crafted really well in this part where the miscommunication and secrecy that must surround a rebel movement leads to the killing of some of their own.

After Nehemias death the pacing picks up and things just don't stop. This fast pacing is a feature in some of the books, but not all, and after reading some fast-paced fantasy, it can be hard to drag yourself through the slow points. For Crown of Midnight, it manages to reveal loads of key information right at the end without seeming rushed or forced. As each revelation comes our way it still feels the right time and place to find that out, less than 100 pages from the end. The plot twists and information that gets dropped at the end keeps shocking in the best way, and had me racing to the next book.

I never realised how short a relationship Chaol and Celaena shared. I really thought it went on for longer, but they finally cross the barrier and bang, then the betrayals come thick and fast (like Chaol in the broom closet). Drawing out the not-quite-a-relationship phase is a favourite tactic of Sarah J Maas. Afterward, I also feel Celaena forgave Chaol too quickly, or at least got to talking terms very quickly. Considering how strained their relationship continues to be (oops spoilers for next book) they part in a reasonably amicable way, just to back slide further on.

A couple more disconnected thoughts:

· The characters really begin to flesh out more in this one. I commented on the lack of being able to build a consistent character for the first book, and that is not a problem for the rest of the series as each character follows their own emotional journey. I am in love with the changes these characters go through in this series.

· I was terribly upset when I first read the series about Celaena being sent off to Wedlyn. She had a purpose and just found the drive to really fight evil and uncover all the secrets now she's shipped across the sea. Knowing what happens across the sea I am not mad at all because the best bits are yet to come (and all the innuendo you wish to read into that).

For all my babbling, I love the plot of this book, how all the characters interact and how their relationships continue to evolve. I was far too lost in the book to notice anything about the writing, so I guess we can say it wasn't atrocious otherwise I would have noted something. Honestly if you are a critic, skip the first book and jump right into this one. You miss very little and get rewarded with a lot of action and plot happenings. I believe the plot of this book is crafted awesomely for events to flow naturally, fall into place at the right time and seem appropriate, natural and not forced. The best is still to come.

TL:DR

Stunning second instalment to the Throne of Glass series, where the plot doesn't stop and characters become complete people. Gory, thrilling and heartbreaking, get ready for a long ride of emotional ups and downs as you invest in these characters.