Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight

(Throne of Glass, #2)

Sarah J. Maas

5/5 starsAdmission: When I read Throne of Glass, I really liked it but I wasn’t fully hooked. After reading Crown of Midnight, well….



 You have been warned

Crown of Midnight picks up right where we left off in Throne of Glass with Celaena struggling to do her duty as the King’s Champion without sacrificing her morals (yes, even assassins have morals). She walks a fine and very deadly line between the two by faking the deaths of her chosen targets without telling even those she is closest to. But when someone from her past becomes the King’s latest target the past and the present collide with secrets and betrayal all around.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end. There were times when I thought about putting it down just to let myself recover and I couldn’t do it.

 Gave me emotional whiplash

This book starts off fairly gently- sure there are decapitated heads and such but for the most part things are pretty smooth. There is a lot of really great character building and that is really one of the strongest qualities of this series. As you learn more about each character’s backstory and how they have been shaped by them, it adds more layers and makes them all the more real. The dialogue and interaction between them is another strength. It never feels stilted or contrived and the banter between Celaena and Chaol had me laughing out loud at several points. Even Dorian, who I was not a big fan of going into this book, grew on me this time around. On the romance front there are some very serious squee moments and some definite resolution on her choice. No love triangle here, folks. With all the squeeing and glee over actual real, flawed characters I was lulled into a state of bliss. I probably looked something like this during this phase of the book:

Well, minus the beard and I occasionally brush my hair



Then the other shoe drops and you are just stunned. Mistakes are made, secrets are revealed, and people are hurt. You understand why everyone made the choices they did but you're still screaming at all of them.

 …or maybe that was just me

Then we finally get to see Adarlan’s assassin when all pretense of civility is stripped from her. It is a simultaneously glorious and terrifying thing to behold. She is truly a badass heroine, not one of those that talks a big game then waits for someone to come save her.

 but seriously

The big reveal at the end wasn’t much of a shock for me, it just confirmed what I already suspected but I’m still excited to see how it plays out. With all the changes going on it’s impossible to even guess what’s going to happen in the next book, but I can guarantee that I will be buying it and finding out the day it comes out. You hooked me this time, Ms. Maas.

P.S. Chaol-