Book: "Crown of Midnight"
Series: "Throne of Glass"
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Pages: 416
An assasin's loyalties are always in doubt but her heart never wevers.
She was dangerous and deadly. Now she is unstoppable. Crowned in evil. Bound by duty. Torn by love.
Asassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become the King's Champion. But she is far from loyal to the crown. Though she hides her secret vigilantly, her deadly charade becomes difficult when she realizes she's not the only one seeking justice. No one is above questioning her allegiance - not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend Nehemia a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then, one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to decide once and for all where her loyalties lie... and whom she is willing to fight for.
Hello, Angels!
I've finished this book as well, and oh, what a book it was! I couldn't catch my breath. Okay, fine, I could because I've finished it for seventeen hours , but that is only because I had to do my job and be an adult.
It's so hard to express my feelings right now. I don't know if I want to go inside the book and gruesomely murder Chaol or to be happy for Celaena... Or Aelyn, should I say? Okay, fine, I will start from the beginning because I don't want you to be confused.
The whole book is dynamic. Celaena has won the contest and now she is fulfilling her duties to the crown and the King as a King's Champion. The duties - awful murders of people that the King considers a threat to the crown. At first I thought that Celaena just went along with it but knowing her... she would never be okay with going along and murder people (even though she is an assassin and basically she gets paid to murder people). For a brief moment I was torned between the things that she is forced to do and I almost couldn't bring myself to forgive her for murdering people for the King,as you know - she hates him and stuff... But I was wrong. She was not murdering them as well - she was faking their death. And that is one dangerous game that she was playing. And just when it seemed like Celaena would fight to her death for her freedom and would never bow to the King - she become his favorite. Way to go!
Like that's not enough, but Celaena starts a romantic realtionship. And no, contrary to your first guess that it should be Dorian - well, it's not. It's with the Captain of the Guard - Chaol Westfall. Now, I know that I've said that I don't like him and he was boring in "Throne of Glass", and I do still think that he is boring sometimes, but oh, boy, he was so not boring this time. And yes, fine, I admit - I kinda liked him in this book. In my defense - I only liked him because Celaena and Chaol were very cute together when they were doing some ... stuff. Now you will start wondering what kind of stuff are those, and let me tell you: YES, it is exactly what you are thiking! Although I completely see Celaena ending up with Dorian (and that might be because he is reminding me of my Beloved Rhysand, and I do adore Rhysand), and I do think that Dorian is way more suitable for Celaena, well.. where am I going with this... Nowhere, I guess. So, where was I? Ah, yes. I did liked for a moment Celaena and Chaol as a thing. Yes, I said it. Now stop being so judgemental and keep reading. Although I did shiped for a moment Celaena and Chaol... Well I hated him! Wanna know why? Because he simply betrayed her.
Which makes me wonder, why everyone that Celaena loves with all her hearth end up betraying her? I guess Sarah is doing her very best as a writer.
My heart broke again - because of Chaol's betrayal and Nehemia's death. Terrible timing, really. I was on the edge of depression just like Cealena was, and just as her - equally shocked because Chaol did not said a word to Celaena for the threat of Nehemia's life. Sometimes I wonder where does Celaena is managing to find all this strength after what has happened to her and how does she keeps getting on her feet... Every single time I am amazed by her strenght. Driven by the thought of revenge, rage and anger. In the name of something good. Of course, she is still merciless towards those, who have threatened her loved ones' lives. And even though at the very end of the book Chaol was so willing to make a sacrifice for Celaena (that's the least he could do)... It doesn't change the fact that I don't like him. Not at all. I was right not to like him in the very first place.
That's why I ended up with this decision: I like Dorian. A lot. His character grew a lot from the previous book and from a scared boy he's started to be a good friend that is ready to keep Celaena's back at all cost. I did liked that. I do hope that in future there will be interesting situations between Dorian and Celaena, but I guess that it will be in the far future, because after all let's not forget that Dorian has his own problems - you know, the magic that he has found out that he possess, and the King - his father probably will kill him if he finds out.... Let's just leave Dorian to his own problems.
Let's get back to Celaena and her adventures. Yes, you've read it correctly - adventures. Because every single day from Celaena's life so far is a big adventure, and like it's not enough but with all things that happened - the reason is simple and it's called MAGIC. Oh, yes! Celaena is investigating magical Wyrda signs, learning them... She even had a fight with a demon once or twice. She was rebellious, wild and managed to end up being drawned to all the mysteries that the Glass Castle hides inside - from the underground catacombs to the secred magical signs that the already deceased Elven Queen has left for Celaena. And Celaena did it - she managed to unravel all the mysteries that the Castle hides, along with the dark and twisted secret of the King and how he has managed to enslave the whole Kingdom with such a speed. And it all leads to Celaena's past, or best to say - Aelyn's.
Sarah J. Maas definitely is managing to keep me surprised. There were laughter, sadness, romance (between Chaol and Celaena), there were tears and hearthbreak and mysteries and danger, and with all of this combined I ended up in an endless magical adventure that left me wanting more and more.
Here are the already familiar five golden stars for the book, but every single person that has read Sarah J. Maas' books knows that there is no way to have less than that.
I am on my way now to be drawn in the next book and Celaena's adventures, even though to be honest I am quite afraid that I will read the books way too fast...