This was a real “bookstagram made me do it” risk buy. The SJM hype was huge and so without even really thinking, I bought all of her books! At the time, that was the entire TOG series, the first four in the ACOTAR series and Crescent City. Just like that. I bought them. And now, here we are.
So, book one of my huge SJM collection is Throne Of Glass. I’ll admit I was nervous going into this. It is such a hyped book and I had bought 13 books by one author with no idea how I was going to feel about them. My first journey into fantasy as an adult started here and what a journey it was.
This book was stunning. It had everything I was looking for in the perfect book for escapism. The world building was beautiful and thanks to the stunning map I was able to follow the characters across Erilea. I have something called Aphantasia which means I cannot picture anything in my head. No magic movies for me as I read so I really appreciate maps in books to help me see some of what the characters and other readers see. From the salt mines to the glass palace, everything was so beautifully described and I loved the detail given to every place we journeyed through.
Character development is strong throughout the book and wow do the characters grow on you! I loved that we saw the flaws of all characters and also that they were given the opportunity to redeem themselves. The interactions and relationships between characters were believable and I really liked the impact of these on the characters as individuals. I think the relationship that I liked most was that of Celaena and Nehemia. The development of their friendship and the way Celaena learnt how to bond and communicate with someone outside of the Assassin’s Guild felt so real and raw that I was more interested in this than any of the other relationships for Celaena.
Although I found the story a little slow at times, the “action points” had me on the edge of my seat and almost shouting at the characters the way a fan at a football match shouts at the players as if he knows better than the manager! I tend to get a little overly involved but if I am doing that while reading, it is usually the sign of a good book which was definitely the case here. I loved it when the real fantasy element started to kick in and found myself waiting for more magic and fantasy moments more than I was focused on the competition between the champions.
I loved this book and cannot wait for more of Celaena’s story and more beautiful world building in magic in the rest of the series. I’m glad I bought all of those books and am excited to see what else SJM has to offer!
CW: imprisonment, violence, death of a loved one, slavery, murder, physical abuse
Only If I Can Bring A Book 