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Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass Book 1) | January 27, 2016

by Sarah J. Mass (Bloomsbury USA, August 2012)

This is the fantasy novel that I’ve been waiting for since I began to read the genre. It incorporates all the genre-specific elements that you’d expect: a complex magic system, an exciting new world, intelligent nonhuman species, and of course, a hero’s journey. But it’s this last and quintessential element that sets Throne of Glass apart from its peers, and that is precisely because the hero is a woman, and she is a badass.

Suffice it to say that Celaena Sardothien has not had an easy life. We first encounter Celena in a work camp, where her struggles have hardened her into a lethal assassin. When she learns that she could win her freedom by competing against other deadly villains to become the “King’s Champion,” Celaena agrees to be sponsored by the prince himself.

The competition unfolds in expected and unexpected ways. The challenges are amusing, and the countless midnight escapades are very exciting; unraveling ancient mysteries and providing juicy romantic interludes. However, the most fascinating thing about this novel remains our heroine. She is a character study of strength and vulnerability, without compromising her feminine sensibility for a strong arm.

Without spoiling later books in the series, I will say that while Throne of Glass does not necessarily give the reader the clearest sense of how the story will continue, it does provide a truly compelling heroine, so charming that it doesn’t really matter—you’ll follow her anywhere.

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