Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass Series #1)

by Sarah J. Maas

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

An assassin that must prove herself in order to gain her freedom, Celaena Sardothien has become one of the most iconic heroines in a fantasy series. The worldbuilding that Maas does in this novel is phenomenal, and you’ll find yourself eager to return to the fictional land of Erilea.

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 king's 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599909394
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/07/2012
Series:	Throne of Glass Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	183
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sarah Maas is a New York native who currently lives in the California desert. This is her first novel, though she has a large on-line fanbase who eagerly support her writing.
sjmaas.livejournal.com

Editorial Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Celaena Sardothien may be young in years, but she has seen more than most men twice her age. She was raised to be an assassin and until her capture and imprisonment in the salt mines of Endovier, she was known as the Assassin of Adarlan and feared the world over. No one lasts long in the mines, and when she is offered the possibility of release in exchange for a mandatory, four-year conscription as a hired assassin to the king who conquered and enslaved her people, she has no choice but to comply and play a brutal game to win back the chance at freedom. In order to succeed she needs to outfight, outplay, and outlast 23 men in a competition that many would not survive. There are other forces at work as well: an ancient and outlawed magic that she doesn't understand; fellow competitors turning up murdered; and the three very different men who are attracted to her and frightened by her. Maas has created a strong and sympathetic character in Celaena, who is able to best men in a fight but is laid low by the return of her monthly cycle. The world-building is complex, as is the political intrigue. Fans of Tamora Pierce will find a lot to love here and will wait eagerly for the next installment.—Genevieve Gallagher, Charlottesville High School, VA

School Library Journal

Readers seeking the political intrigue of Kristen Cashore’s Graceling and its sequels or the deadly competition at the heart of The Hunger Games will find both in Maas’s strong debut novel. Celaena Sardothien is considered the best assassin in Adarlan, and she has been condemned to the salt mines for her work. As the story opens, she is plucked from slow execution by the calculating crown prince, Dorian, to be his candidate for champion, competing against “hieves and assassins and warriors” to become an enforcer for the king. The stakes are freedom or death: win or return to the mines. Youthful captain Chaol is charged with preventing Celaena’s escape, and though she fantasizes about killing him on occasion, he becomes a far different target of her attention. This is not cuddly romance, but neither is it grim. Celaena is trained to murder, yet she hasn’t lost her taste for pretty dresses or good books, and a gleam of optimism tinges her outlook. Maas tends toward overdescription, but the verve and freshness of the narration make for a thrilling read. Ages 12–up. Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Laura Dail Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Action-packed . . . What a ride!” —Booklist on The Assassin's Blade

“A thrilling read.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Throne of Glass

“An epic fantasy readers will immerse themselves in and never want to leave.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on Crown of Midnight

“Celaena is as much an epic hero as Frodo or Jon Snow!” —New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce on Heir of Fire

“Packed . . . with brooding glances, simmering sexual tension, twisty plot turns, lush world building, and snarky banter.” —Booklist on Queen of Shadows

“Tightly plotted, delightful escapism.” —Kirkus Reviews on Empire of Storms

“Turns a corner from sprawling epic to thrilling psychological fantasy.” —HuffPost on Tower of Dawn

“A worthy finale to one of the best fantasy book series of the past decade.” —Time on Kingdom of Ash

From the Publisher

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a tale full of surprises and shadows, where deadly seeds are sown with the promise of more danger to come. A fascinating glimpse into the dark side of Cinderella.

the NYT Bestselling author of the Tiger's Curse s Colleen Houck

Although the main character of this novel is an assassin, narrator Elizabeth Evans portrays her as such a sassy, smart cookie that listeners will be be won over. Celaena is released from prison to participate in a cruel tournament: 23 killers will fight to the death, and the last one standing will become the king’s champion. Besides facing down 22 brutal men, Celaena must fight an unknowable magical force, as well as her attraction to both the crown prince and the captain of the guard. Although Evans’s male voices fall a little flat, she charms as a disdainful foreign princess, and her portrayal of Celaena is delightful. She nails the voice of a weary-beyond-her-years young killer who is also a girly girl who likes fancy dresses as well as sharp knives. G.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2014 - AudioFile

A teenage assassin, a rebel princess, menacing gargoyles, supernatural portals and a glass castle prove to be as thrilling as they sound. Being the most feared assassin in Adarlan is a notoriety 17-year-old Celaena considers an honor, even though it has landed her in a slave-labor prison no one has ever survived. A year into her sentence, the Crown Prince offers to sponsor Celaena in a competition with 23 other criminals and murderers that, should she win, will result in her freedom. The only catch? She'll become the king's personal assassin for four years, the same dark-hearted king who sentenced her to imprisonment. Woven in the vein of a Tolkien fantasy, Celaena's world is one where magic is outlawed and power is snatched through greed and genocide. The third-person narrative allows frequent insight into multiple characters (heroes and villains alike) but never fully shifts its focus from the confident yet conflicted Celaena. And though violent combat and whispers of the occult surround her, Celaena is still just a teenager trying to forge her way, giving the story timelessness. She might be in the throes of a bloodthirsty competition, but that doesn't mean she's not in turmoil over which tall, dark and handsomely titled man of the royal court should be her boyfriend--and which fancy gown she should wear to a costume party. This commingling of comedy, brutality and fantasy evokes a rich alternate universe with a spitfire young woman as its brightest star. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews