Review of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title/Author: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher/Date published: Bloomsbury, August 2nd 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "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 couldn't decide which of the covers I like better, so I decided to post them both :) Also, I'm plotting ordering the UK version even though I've already pre-ordered the US version months ago... Yes, this definitely falls under First World Problems...

But onto the book itself.

You guys: THRONE OF GLASS!! THRONE OF FREAKING GLASS! How could I not drop everything I was doing and read it the moment I got the e-mail saying I was approved for the egalley??? SERIOUSLY! I've haven't been waiting months, but YEARS for this book and let me tell you that it is every bit as amazing as I'd hoped it would be!

All those years ago I read this story on FictionPress, back when it was still called Queen of Glass (and I'm still sorta getting used to the new name, but it totally fits, so YAY) and this is the polished, shiny version of the story I fell in love with back then.

I don't know if any of you remember, but Celaena appaered on my Top Ten Favourite Characters list back in 2010. I love her and the fact that she and all these characters have stayed with me for so long makes me want to give this book to everyone and force them to read it! I love that she's not a damsel in distress and how she hasn't let her spirit be broken by all that's happened to her in the past. She's snarky and arrogant and flawed and smart and basically awesome and such a fully formed character that I wouldn't be surprised if she walked into the room right now, wanting access to the pretty books on my shelves.

There are so many other characters for me to love as well, among my favourites the Crown Prince Dorian, Captain Chaol Westfall, Nehemia and Fleetfoot. I love being creeped out by the King of Adarlan and several others I shall not name in light of spoilers and such.

I love the worldbuilding and Sarah J. Maas's storytelling. The story never once dragged and after reading the 416 pages it encompasses, I was left wishing for more! There's not cliffhanger, but I just can't get enough of this world. I know that when my pre-ordered copy arrives I'll dive in again, it's that good.

I don't really know if I'm even remotely coherent, but Throne of Glass just has me fangirling and gushing and I can't control myself! I LOVE loving a book this much! It's everything I wanted from it and I cannot wait for the sequel to get in my hands so I can devour it as well!
HIGHLY recommended for all you fantasy fans out there!

My rating: 5+ stars