Throne of Glass

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 124,358 ratings

Price: 8.21

Last update: 12-19-2024


About this item

Lethal. Loyal. Legendary.

Enter the world of Throne of Glass with the first book in the #1 bestselling series by Sarah J. Maas.

In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion.

Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. And a princess from a faraway country will befriend her. But something rotten dwells in the castle, and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying mysteriously, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival-and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Thrilling and fierce, Throne of Glass is the first book in the #1
New York Times bestselling series that has captivated readers worldwide.

Top reviews from the United States

  • Melissa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hurray for a Well-Written, Strong and Intelligent Heroine!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2012
    I have to admit that this book is probably not one that I would have immediately grabbed after reading the description, but after seeing glowing review after glowing review my curiosity was ignited, so I pre-ordered this one from amazon. I'm so glad that I listened to the reviewers and grabbed this one. What a treat to read!

    No summary of the plot that I could write would accurately show just how awesome this story is. There is action and mystery and the supernatural. There is a love story ... sort of. It's pretty subtle at this point in the story. This is a story of survival as well as a story of a society which is potentially at the dawn of a new age. This is the story of a girl who has gotten by in this life by taking care of herself and herself alone for the most part, but who finds herself letting her guard down enough to find friendship and companionship. There are so many things to like about this story. I think I'll boil all of it down to these things:

    Celaena Sardothien. What an amazing heroine for this series! She is so strong. So strong. She can kick just about everyone's tail at every turn. She is smart and athletic and cunning. She has a big heart, but she is not in any hurry to let anyone really see that. She finds joy and happiness in life despite all of the hardship and trial that has been thrown her way. I love her because even though she is strong and a capable fighter, she is also emotional and vulnerable at times. She doesn't have to be stoic to show her strength. There is still so much more to learn about her. I can't wait to see what future books in this series reveal about her and her destiny to help her oppressed people. Even she doesn't exactly know how she fits into any grand plans, but I'm excited to see how she moves into her new roles as the series continues. She is fun to read about.

    Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guards. Oh how I loved this character! Chaol is a no nonsense guard who doesn't let his guard down around Celaena because he recognizes her potential for violence and mischief. He sees her strength and her intelligence, and he knows that she would just as quickly slit his throat as anything in order to gain freedom if she could. He trains her diligently and seems to understand her more than anyone else. In the process he seems to grow attached to her, but he never really comes out and says anything. His actions show his feelings more than any words he utters. So many times I just willed him to say what he was feeling, but I'm not sure that even he knows exactly what he is feeling. He was a fascinating guy to read about. I want to know more about him in the future books as well.

    Prince Dorian. Yes, there is a love triangle in this book ... sort of. It's not really one I guess because Dorian is in love with Celaena, and Celaena sort of likes Dorian, but Chaol is there too. The only difference is that Chaol and Celaena don't ever really explore their feelings for one another, either to themselves or each other. So it's kind of a weak love triangle. Nevertheless, I have to say that I love the character of Dorian. My heart breaks for him in so many ways. It has to be hard to be the son of such a horrible king. But it seems as if Dorian is beginning to form his own path by the end of this book. There is still more to discover with this character. I just know that I love him with his love of books and his kindness toward Celaena. I have the feeling that he will play a pivotal role in the future of this society if things will ever work out to help the oppressed.

    The ideas of this book. There are so many interesting themes that are being thrown about in this novel. I think it was interesting to see the way that the government had tried to eliminate knowledge from the people by destroying books and history. Now that knowledge is being held by the king who could potentially use it against the people. But it seems as if those who are rebelling have kept some of that knowledge, and that will prevent the government from having power over them. Knowledge is definitely power in this world as well as our own I'd say. I think that the idea of freedom in this book is interesting as well. Freedom is a powerful motivation for Celaena, but it is something that Dorian seeks as well. So many people in this society are not truly free, and eventually they will need to make some tough choices to see what they will sacrifice to gain that freedom. There is still so much more to discover as this series progresses.

    The pacing of this book was wonderful. Not too fast, not too slow. I felt as if I was slowly unwrapping a Christmas package, layer by layer, slowing discovering the parts of the book that would come together to create such a detailed and layered story. I almost wish that I had waited to read this book until the next book in the series had been published because I want to know so much more. I have definitely discovered a new favorite, I think. Future books will determine whether this one becomes a classic for me that I will read over and over again, but for now I'd say that Throne of Glass is a wonderful beginning to a fascinating and engaging new series. Five stars!
  • Erica Kaczmarczyk
    4.0 out of 5 stars One of my new favorite series.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2018
    Throne of Glass is the first novel in a series of 7 books (with the newest one being released in October 2018). Throne of Glass was actually my least favorite of all of the book in this series. As Cait from A Page with a View said in her Goodreads review, TOG is just not the strongest book in the series. That being said, I do think it’s a great introductory book. And it was enough to get me into the series in general, which is what I really needed.

    I have finished all of the released books, at this point. Sorry, guys, no I could not stop in between and review them. I had to devour them. Because “holy gods” this series is amazing.

    I know some people dislike Sarah J. Maas’s writing style, but I really like her books. In her newer books especially, (Tower of Dawn, etc.) I feel like her writing is able to convey the thoughts and feelings and reactions of the characters in a really relatable, personal way, without having to be like “Blah blah blah,” thought Celaena. And if you are familiar with Maas’s other series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, there are some lines that are word-for-word the same, which is kind of like a little fangirl easter egg hunt.

    One of my favorite things about Celaena is that she is a dangerous assassin, she’s strong and wicked and deadly.. and yet she’s totally sarcastic at times, girlish and feminine and frivolous. I love that Sarah J. Maas wrote a character is who is a complete bad ass, who also likes to look cute and go shopping and wear pretty dresses. Yes! In real life, women are complex and have many different interests simultaneous.

    That being said, my god, Celaena can get on my nerves sometimes. I try to remember that the girl is only seventeen, despite everything she’s been through, and is allowed to be more than a tad immature. I have this issue with many YA fantasy books, but I think it might just be me showing my age.

    But in general, I think Celaena is a rather likeable main character. She’s not dainty. Definitely not one of the heroines waiting for a man to save her, or even waiting for a man to train her. She’s bad all by her damn self. And she’s full of mystery and secrets. You never know what is up her sleeve, or what she’s hiding, which makes for a lot of excitement.

    I feel like I don’t even need to mention this, but of course I will, because I can’t not. The world building in this book is amazing. Sarah J. Maas is the undisputed queen of worlds in my eyes. I love both of the worlds that she’s created (that I know of). The TOG world is so rich with history, complexity, and conflict. There is so much that we learn and so much that we don’t in this book. I want SJM to write endless stories taking place in this world.

    The “King’s Champion” plot was actually one of the weaker aspects of the book for me. I actually thought it kind of lame. And a bit unbelievable. But anyway, I think that the main plot of the book was rather flimsy.

    The pacing of the book was slow in the beginning but it picked up after a while. And the twists weren’t too obvious either, I was surprised once everything was revealed (as much as they are revealed in this book). It’s definitely a great read and I can see why it has such a large fandom.

    Final Thoughts
    This series is shaping up so well! The first book is definitely enough to get you hooked but you MUST keep going. It gets so much better. Like I said above, Throne of Glass is easily the weakest book in the series, and if you even liked it somewhat, keep going because it gets a thousand times better.

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