Throne of Glass

Overall Rating: 1/5

Characters:

This was the toughest part of the book for me to get through. The main character, Celaena, is supposedly the most famous assassin in all the land (wouldn't fame be bad for an assassin?) and has spent the last year of her life doing back-breaking labor as a slave in a death camp. When we first meet her, she's cold and calculating. However, as soon as she arrives at the glass castle, her characterization completely changes and she's a free-spirited girl who can't decide which man she loves. In addition, she shows no signs of trauma from her time as a slave and lacks basic survival instincts that she should have as an assassin. When she's told to downplay her skills as an assassin to protect her identity, she throws a temper tantrum because she wants the world to know she's the best (maybe this is why she was famous?).

The other two main characters, Prince Dorian and guard captain Westfall, really don't do much other than brood over their feelings for Celaena. Oh, and read a few books. They don't really feel like fleshed-out characters because they aren't given any scenes that don't center around Celaena.

Plot:

There are two main plots: a contest between criminals to win the position of king's champion but is plagued by horrible murders, and the battle between Dorian and Westfall for Celaena's affection.

The contest: This is actually pretty interesting and kept my attention whenever there was one of the contest scenes. Her opponents are hardened criminals. The mysterious murders and the research Celaena conducts to solve the mystery is also interesting.

The love triangle: It's pretty much love at first sight for Celaena-Dorian and Celaena-Westfall, with little to justify this other than the fact that both men like books. This wouldn't be all that bad but it takes up a significant portion of the book.

Setting:

Magic is mysteriously gone and also illegal. The immortal race of Fae have vanished. The king is buys conquering all the land. All in all, pretty cool and will probably be expanded on in the future.