The king sent me to kill you.
I don’t know how to say it other than that I love this series. I already enjoyed Throne of Glass very much – thank you for making me a slave of yours, Queen Maas – but the second book was even better. I loved how Celaena was finally portrayed as what she essentially is – a badass assassin with her very own mind. And yes, it is as bloody as it sounds. The whole book got a lot darker than the first one and even if I’m normally not into gore and stuff this really got me.
What I especially admire about Sarah J. Maas – besides the constant breaking of my heart – is how she makes her own characters suffer. How she breaks them just so that they can improve. Not only had Celaena a lot to deal with, but also Chaol and Dorian as the male counterparts had their own problems, edges and complex flaws. But next to that there was also a hideous amount of character development going on. While Celaena seemed to be more childish in Throne of Glass she now seems to be more adult. At least she knows what to do in her job and sorts out her priorities like no one else. Chaol and Dorian also got more depth and more background one could learn. It is fascinating to read about how different all of these characters are all the while they are working together as a team. My favourite is still Chaol since I have a weakness for those dark-haired and sassy idiots I simply connect more to him than Dorian.
Against my normal beliefs I loved the ongoing romance. I never really saw Celaena and Dorian together so Chaol it was. And let me say – I really really enjoyed both of them together. I don’t want to talk about this topic too much because I won’t shut up once I’m getting started. But I also believe that there is something deeper, something more important than the ongoing romance. I strongly believe that this books shows a lot of true and deep running friendship. While Celaena and Dorian share some kind of bittersweet moments they’re still there for each other. They care and just want to see the other one save – especially after the surprising turn of events – you know what I’m talking about when you read the book. If you didn’t – just be prepared to get your mind twisted. But back to the friendship let’s just say that they love each other like siblings do. The true and purest form and friendship is portrayed not between them but between Celaena and Nehemia. The assassin and princess share a true, but not always easy friendship. The further you read the more you realize that there are always problem building up between friends – which not necessarily means that the bond will snap. In this case it only deepens the love for the other girl. Still there are so many things to learn from both of them – not to trust blindly but also to forgive rather than requite. You can also see this in the friendship of Dorian and Chaol – next to their own development, the friendship also improves (more or less, depending on how you look at it). Especially the meanings of friendship as a form of love – though not always unconditional – makes me love this book so much. I cannot pray enough that everyone should read it to realize how important friends are. And also how important it is to think for one self and not blindly following orders.
As nice and peacefully this may sound – no one should be intrigued by that. Particularly when it comes to Sarah J. Maas. Because she knew exactly when to hurt me and where to break. Not only was no true happy ending in sight but she made it worse. It seems to me that she is the queen when it comes to cliffhangers at the end – with those horrible unanswered questions and my feelings shattered. With bone-crushing reality she makes me see the reasons of why the characters acted as they did – and it was not always that pleasant. It’s hard to see a beloved character die but it is even harder to see a beloved character dancing on a dangerous line while very slowly tripping and sliding off the edge. As you might guess I’m not really stable right now when it comes to my emotions.
The plot from the first book gets thicker and more twisted with every occurring event. It’s easy to find oneself entangled in the story and wanting to know more. I finished the book almost two weeks ago but needed time to process everything that happened. I am still in awe at how good Sarah J. Maas is at making her readers realize flaws as well as the important things in live. She makes her readers understand more about their own lives – the positive as well as the negative aspects of it.
The rating:
