Review: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Published: August 27, 2013 Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

“But death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.”  

The Good

The story line is a bit different since Celaena isn't in a competition anymore. I adore getting to see her being a "good" assassin. Working for a man she despises, she dives into trying to find out whatever plans the King has up his sleeves. I have to say, the King is such a great villain. He absolutely makes my skin crawl. I just thought he was evil before, but as time goes by he just gets more and more sinister and capable of anything. Celaena caused the characters around her to change in Throne of Glass, and this is the one where you can see the impact of the other characters on her. By the end, she's gone through a tumult of change and a roller-coaster of emotions. You don't want to get on her bad side.

The Bad

The beginning is definitely slower than the rest. However, when it gets rolling, it doesn't stop.

The Romance

I'm usually fed up with the 2nd book in the series and how they constantly have to be the 'conflict' book to move characters along on their journey especially with regards to romance. This series isn't driven by couples for me. At this moment, it's more on the definite changes that Celaena has made on Choal's and Dorian's lives and the effect they've both had on her as well as she discovers more about who exactly she wants to be. There is a choice made between the two of Dorian and Choal, but...things happen. Don't want to get too spoilerly there.

Conclusion

Such a great follow-up to Throne of Glass! The story keeps moving in a deeper direction and I'm loving the excitement it causes and the wonder about what more can happen. This series is highly addicting!

Excerpts

“I don't think you realize who you're dealing with."
The man clicked his tongue, "If you were that good, you would be more than just Captain of the Guard."
Chaol let out a low, breathy laugh. "I wasn't talking about me." 
"She's just one girl."
Though his guts were twisting at the thought of her in this place, with these people, though he was considering every possible way to get himself and Celaena out of here alive, he gave the man a grin. "Then you're really in for a big surprise.”

“Then Celaena and the King of Adarlan smiled at each other, and it was the most terrifying thing Dorian had ever seen.”

“Enough! We have enough enemies as it is! There are worse things out there to face!"

Celaena slowly turned to him, her face splattered with blood and eyes blazing bright. "No, there aren't," she said. "Because I'm here now.”