Early Review - Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Crown of Midnight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: 2nd (Throne of Glass)

Pages: 432

Published: August 27th 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens 

ISBN: 9781619630628

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.  Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for? 

 I Give This ...

I was in the camp of those who enjoyed Throne of Glass.   I did wonder though were our fearless assassin was because Celaena was hard to picture in that role.  Well hold on because we get her in this book.  This installment pretty much rocked it.

I was curious how Celaena was going to take on the role of the king's assassin.   She may be widely known for her skills, but the person I got to known in the first book is not just going to kill at the king's command.   Interestingly enough, I was not surprised to learn what she's really doing.   She's playing a very dangerous game with the king.  She may not be openly defying him, but this way might be even worse.  So were does the crazy assassin come in?  Some events unfold that lead to the death of someone near and dear to Celaena and she literally goes off the deep end.  I see now were everyone was right to fear her.  Thankfully we get the real Celaena back, although she's a little more damaged and a lot more determined to bring the king down.

I loved Choal throughout this book.  Celaena tests everything he has been lead to believe.  He must decide were his loyalties really lie.   Is Celaena worth risking everything for?  Then we have Dorian.  He sees what's going on between Choal and Celaena.  I was worried that he might be the one to portray them both.  But in the end, he has just as much to hide from his father.   How is it that one women managed to flip these two men on their heads to the point they will defy the man that can kill them all.   

There are also some crazy twists in the story.   Dorian has the power to help lead the revolt, but is he up to the task?  And who is Calaena really?  When its all laid out on the table for us I had all ready put my finger on the truth.  But, it was such a pivotal moment that I couldn't help but love how Choal put it all together.   And how close is the King to discovering how those closest to him may be the ones to bring him down?   And dammit...who is the girl in the mines that we get the slightest knowledge of?

I can hardly wait for the next book.

Review - Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: 1st

Pages: 416

Published: August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781599906959

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.  Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.  Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.  Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

I Give This ...

I as thrilled to be able to read this book.  It sounded like it might be similar to those written by Maria V. Snyder (and she's one of my favorite authors).  I was hoping it would live up to the hype.  I think it did a pretty good job.

Celaena is an interesting character.  It was really hard for me to picture her as the deadly assassin that she is.  She seems like someone who has been betrayed and beaten down.  But, then we meet her after she has been captured and forced to hard labor in a place were no one survives as long as she has.  That alone is testament to her will to survive no matter what the cost.    We get little stories her and there of what she has done and what she is capable of.  It's no wonder that few people take her seriously because it's so hard to connect them to her.  She's smart though, and we can definitely see that in every little thing that she does.

Since most of this story takes place in the Glass Castle and surrounding court, I couldn't get a good feel at what this fantasy world might be like.  We have Celaena's view (but she's been imprisoned for a year) and the view of those in the court.  I get the impression that the ruler is anything but just and doesn't care how he gains is dominance.  I did find it odd that he disappeared for half the story and no one knew how, when, or why.  I'm hoping that is something addressed in future books.  

I greatly enjoyed Prince Dorian and Captain Westfall.  The two characters seemed so vastly different but yet showed extreme interest in Celaena.   The prince seemed to bring out the carefree side of her which is something is really needed.  I found that Captain Westfall was a better fit for her romantically.  I think he his damaged is ways similar to her.   I wonder how it will all play out because it was really hard to tell by the end of this book.

I really enjoyed the entire novel and early await the rest of the story!