Throne of Glass has introduced me to one of my new favorite characters.
Celaena Sardothien—notorious assassin, world-famous for her dark deeds—is broken out of prison by Prince Dorian to participate in a competition to become the King’s Champion. There’s a catch, though: She has to pretend she’s someone else, a Lady Lillian with royal blood…a well-behaved lady.
Which poses a problem. You see, Celaena spends every waking moment of the day thinking of how to beat someone up, kill them, or escape. She’s been in prison long enough that her blood won’t settle into being a tame lady. She’s haunted by her experiences in the prison where she lived in crippling loneliness.
So even though she’ll fight for her freedom in this competition, she won’t behave.
Celaena is difficult to deal with but extremely likeable. She’s causing trouble for everyone from the Prince to the guard training her, but try as they might to keep a distance, they can’t stop liking her. It seems that in her rebellion she brought newness to the dull palace; this newness appeals to Prince Dorian and his friend, the Captain of the Guard, Chaol—which is also a problem, because they’re best friends.
She made me smile. Even when she tried to behave, her presence was cause for trouble. The other competitors were irate at having a girl play; court ladies were jealous of her closeness to Dorian. Celaena is a spark, making her presence known wherever she goes, for better or for worse.
Despite it all, though, she loves to read. Somehow that’s the detail that sealed her as unforgettable for me. Her mind and heart are in chaos, but she still loves a good book.
The worldbuilding was well done, to a point where I didn’t question things unexplained. This is a world of chaos with corrupt kings and dark monsters, but I managed to read it with hope because of the light brought by her friendships with Dorian and Chaol. (These friendships often got dangerous…#TeamChaol)
Best of all, romance was not the first thing in Celaena’s mind—she thought more of escape and violence. This is refreshing in a female main character. Of course she noticed when a certain person was kind or beautiful, but she didn’t act on trying to win them over.
She cared more about her freedom than romance, and for that I adore her.
I have the second book and I’m excited to start it, but don’t want to read this series too fast. Good things need to last! If you want a refreshing MC who’ll earn your loyalty from page one, read Throne of Glass.
It’s very popular, which is why I took my time to read it…but this book deserves its fame.
Mariella Hunt 
I read this one and skimmed the second one. I just. Cannot bring myself to keep reading. Maybe I was in a slump the last time I tried. Maybe I’ll try again.