Tag: TOG

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas  

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Crown of Midnight is the second book in Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. After winning the competition and becoming the King’s Champion in Throne of Glass, Celaena had to follow the King’s orders and kill his enemies. Maas delivered another hit with no misses in sight! In the second book, Celaena was very busy: tricking the King to make him think she was killing people, trying to find out the King’s evil plans for Erilea, searching for answers regarding the rebel group in Rifthold, and…falling in love with Chaol.

Crown of Midnight teemed with intrigue, mysteries, romance, tension, jealousy, deceit, heartbreak, death, and…revelations. With the pressure of the ancient Queen Elena and Ellywe’s Princess Nehemia, Celaena had to decide whether or not she would finally rise up against the King of Adarlan and take action to protect Erilea. Throughout the entire book, Celaena struggled with this. She had already lost so much. She feared losing the last remaining people she cared for if she did publicly rebel against the King. However, after a horrific event, Celaena made her choice.

I thoroughly enjoyed Crown of Midnight. I loved that Dorian and Celaena found common ground and friendship once more. They weren’t meant to be together, but they were meant to be the best of friends. That much was clear. I also enjoyed the romantic moments between Chaol and Celaena. She needed a little happiness, and he gave that to her…for a short time. I know Chaol was the Captain of the Guard, but his loyalty to the King annoyed me. At least the King’s evil plans were revealed to Chaol. Now he can stop being irritating with all that (slightly) blind loyalty.

I loved the twist and turns that came with each mystery and revelation during Celaena’s search for answers. At each step of her investigation, Celaena discovers something new, and sometimes those discoveries hurt her. It wouldn’t be a Maas book without some emotional trauma. I was crushed after a particular character’s death. And it was even more distressing seeing Celaena grieve. However, Celaena’s switch to revenge monster mode was excellent. I loved seeing the fierce assassin come out to play.

The revelation of Dorian’s powers and Celaena’s real identity were incredible! I relished every little clue to Celaena’s heritage, and the reveal of her true form sent excited chills through my body. I look forward to learning more about her past and experiencing the legend that is…Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.

 I enjoyed Crown of Midnight and can’t wait to see the story and action reach a whole new level in the next book.

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas  

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A group of novellas by Sarah J. Maas tell the story of Celaena Sordothein before the events of Throne of Glass. Each short story in The Assassin’s Blade encompasses the events that led to Celaena distancing herself from the King of Assassins and her eventual sentence to Endovier.

I loved reading about Celaena’s life before she was taken prisoner and sent to the slave camp. The events described in the book present glimpses of who Celaena was behind her confident mask and the trauma she went through before even being captured. The new characters introduced in each story were also lovely because new storylines were created that I wanted to hear more about. Rolfe was undoubtedly an interesting character. I would love to see more interactions between him and Celaena. Ansel was another character that stood out to me since she was Celaena’s first real female friend and showed a new vulnerability in Celaena.

The Red Desert story may have been my favorite. Celaena always thought she was the best, but the Silent Assassins humbled her a little. It was a nice change. The training methods were intriguing, and the improvements Celaena made were noticeable later in the book. This brings me to my next point. Although they were separate stories, they all connected. The stories built on one another to lead to the betrayal that changed Celaena’s life forever.

Sam Cortland was an absolute treat. I am heartbroken that we won’t see him again in the series. I liked that the romance was enemies to lovers, at least from Celaena’s perspective. It wouldn’t have fit Celaena’s character to have her get along with her rival in the Assassin Guild from the beginning. The handful of romantic moments I got between Sam and Celaena was precious. I’m super upset that Maas didn’t give us more. The ending hurt me in every way. Why does Maas create these characters I love and then hurt them so bad that I feel their pain? I don’t appreciate it…but keep going, Sarah. I cried while reading the final story. My emotions were all over the place after it was revealed who betrayed Celaena.

I enjoyed The Assassin’s Blade because, as usual, Sarah J. Maas cast a spell on me and made me feel attached to her characters. I look forward to seeing how the effects from the events in this book come back later in the series.