Booklog vol. 3 (Throne of Glass Appreciation Post)

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It makes sense that I don’t write any blogs for a while and then write 3 back to back about books I’ve read. That’s all I’ve been doing non-stop since I picked up Throne of Glass. I desperately needed something to help cure my book hangover after I finished Iron Flame, so I dug into a couple of other books afterwards and felt ready to endure more emotional damage to be inflicted by fictional characters. I wholly thank Rebecca Yarros for starting her Empyrean Series this year and drumming up this hype that got me diving head first back into reading. I’ve always loved reading — spent most of my pre-college years in a library or buried in library loans, so the love was always there, but I’m so glad to have been propelled back into my first love, pre-video games.

I’ve known of Sarah J. Maas and her books since for awhile now- it’s very hard to not notice them. I couldn’t really explain why I hadn’t started reading them until now. I should’ve bought into the hype way sooner, but a little part of me is glad I waited so I could begin experiencing them and her universe for the first time at a time where I felt like I could really enjoy it. I read all 8 Throne of Glass books in 18 days and now need a bit of a breather before I dive into SJM’s next series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. I probably would’ve inhaled these books faster than 18 days if it weren’t for the fact that I had a full-time job and (some) responsibilities. Zach, as usual, takes care of everything as I had my kindle glued to my face in every non-working hour. I’ve now discovered that I can speed walk on a treadmill at the gym and read for hours as well.

I would recommend the Throne of Glass series to anyone and am currently waiting for my Zach to finish reading his current series so he can dive into it. He will not be escaping the rollercoaster ride that I was taken on in these books. I will bring anyone else willing (or just slightly unwilling) with me. When I first started, I thought I might not be able to stand the main character that was introduced, Celaena Sardothien, but I quickly came to love her and so many of the new characters and personalities that joined her story. I absolutely loved the journey of self discovery, friendship, love, and humility that SJM took me through in these 8 books. 5/5 for the entire series, but I did struggle through some parts of some books. 100% would re-read, however, and I’m already trying to figure out how I can fit that into my TBR list. Now, in order to deal with my book hangover (as usual), is a reflection on the series in the order I read in; however, upon my re-read, I will be looking forward to trying out the tandem read the internet seems to be quite fond of. No spoilers ahead, unless emotions are considered spoilers.

Throne of Glass (Book 1) – Celaena, an assassin when we are introduced, is given the opportunity to participate in a competition that would allow her to win her freedom. We’ve got a tournament story. Yes, with training montages! And during the course of the competition, her competitors start mysteriously dying? There’s mystery? I love a mystery. Fighting, competition, mystery, and a little romance in a castle already had me loving where this story started. I’ve seen some comments online stating that the series doesn’t really pick up until book 3, but I was hooked in book 1.

Crown of Midnight (Book 2) – Spoiler alert, maybe? Our book 1 heroine, with her freedom, now has a job to do. Is that really a spoiler, though? The world is still being built in book 2 and reminded me how much I always enjoyed the stories that took place in a castle. We got a little slice of life and some deep, dark, discoveries. Please always sign me up for ancient secrets. We also get to experience how truly fearsome, yet fragile, our heroine truly is; I felt like my heart broke for her at some point, but I couldn’t have imagined the story going any other way. I wished a lot of things were different and that was truly something I appreciated Maas’ writing for — for really making me feel the way each character felt about their actions and about the events that occurred.

The Assassin’s Blade (Book 0.5) – I waited until I had a little more context on the world before I read the prequel novellas. In some very brief searches before I started the series, I saw some recommendations that these novellas be read after book 3 or before book 1, however I really liked reading them after book 2 due to the setting and character development. I did have a bit of a tough time with the first 3 novellas, but I’m glad I read them with the same attention that I gave the other books. They were a bit more of a drag, but after reading the rest of the books, I really understand them now. It was so important to read these novellas and they gave so much more depth both our main character and the new characters that were introduced. The last 2 novellas, The Assassin and the Underworld and The Assassin and the Empire, started the tearing at my heart that only continued book after book in this series. It was worth it. Maas gave us a glimpse of the freedom and the future that could have been– a future that I truly wished could have happened.

Heir of Fire (Book 3) – I meant what I said about settings. Between 2 and 3 really felt like a great place to read the novellas. In book 3, we go to a new land and get a whole new host of characters. Some were lovely, some were meh. I spent most of my time complaining about the POVs of some of the new characters in this one. I’m sure I was not alone in that, but I did very quickly learn how these characters were woven into the overall story and how necessary their story was. I did glaze over some of the chapters a bit, for that, I will be paying a bit more attention to them on a re-read. HoF brought about significant character developments and training montages! Have I already mentioned how I enjoy training montages? I love seeing progression and it was laid out beautifully. I loved seeing the tie in to history as new, seriously plot-changing, details were revealed. Also, the end continued ripping my heart out, of course.

Queen of Shadows (Book 4) – We’re back in the main lands in book 4 and, as much as I enjoyed learning about new lands, I was glad to be back in our former setting. There was a lot of unfinished business being worked on in this book and it was immensely satisfying to see ends being tied up. I started to understand those character POVs I (previously) hated a bit more and how critical they were to the story. Also, did I already mention my heart getting ripped to shreds? Over and over. I love reunion stories and we got some of that here, but it was absolutely bittersweet.

Empire of Storms (Book 5) – Before I say anything else, I will have to say that I hate Darrow. I still do after finishing the final book and will never agree with him for anything he said or did in book 5. I understand it, but I hate it. EoS continued dealing us blow after blow of happiness, drama, hope, and pain. It also got mildly spicy and that surprised me for a second, because all the other books haven’t been. I couldn’t believe what SJM managed to pack into this book and it wasn’t even the longest one. I felt like I read years worth of story development and action. All the battles were so well told and I could see them all playing out in my head. Also… battle on the seas? What does this series not have? Oh yeah, the ability to spare me from emotional damage is what it doesn’t have. That ending… just. kept. ripping. my. heart.

Tower of Dawn (Book 6) – Book 6 takes place 80% of the time during the same timeline as book 5. For that, the aforementioned tandem read was suggested by the internet and one I will be giving a shot. I didn’t do that for this first read because I wanted to experience it the way everyone else had during the initial publishing. In trying to make my tandem read or individual read decision, I also saw opinions that ToD was “skippable”. No, it sure was not. We are in yet another land, and the world building had to begin again, but Maas did it masterfully and by the end, I felt like I had known this new land just as well as where we began. Some other stories also came full circle and that was just *chef’s kiss*. Everything had a purpose, no matter how irrelevant it may seem.

Kingdom of Ash (Book 7) – Well let’s just keep tearing my heart to shreds why don’t we? KoA picks up right after the events of book 5, which just ended in a whole pit of despair, but I also had the hope that book 6 gave me. There was a lot more traveling done in our finale book, which I did find boring at times, but the pacing was not awful. The changes in POV kept the story flowing and I was halfway done with the book before I knew it. By the halfway point, I had already started to realize that this book would be the last bits of time I would have with these characters and this amazing story. I was not ready for it to end and my feelings echoed a lot of what the characters felt in their storyline. Again, still don’t get how she does it but SJM has this amazing way of bringing you in to feel emotions alongside the characters. This was a gorgeous finale and regardless of how much time I had to prepare myself for the ending, it still wasn’t enough. I find myself disagreeing with endings often, but I wholeheartedly agreed with this one and appreciated the direction that Maas took. The only thing I wished was that I got more — at this point, can I get some slice of life with these characters I’ve grown to love? I want to be there in that world, however amazingly tragic. I was promised a better world and now I want to live in it!

Seriously, real life is such a drab after living in these amazing stories. I suppose that’s the downside of incredible storytelling. Again, don’t know how I went so long without reading the Throne of Glass series and would shove it into everyone’s arms and force them to read it. I’d politely shove it, I mean.

I’ll be spending the rest of 2023 and a good chunk of 2024 just living in books and reading more of the Maas universe. We bought a couple of bookshelves and have filled it up with so many books to read in these past couple of months. I’m going to have to build a house out of books and live out of it because I won’t be able to afford the mortgage after the fortune I’ve spent on books- both regular and special editions. At least then I could really start living in the stories… hah!