Heir Of Fire

I am falling more and more in love with this series.  In the third installment we find Celaena begins to train and learn more about who she is the power that resides in the fae form.  While she is training she learns that there is someone or something targeting demi-fae and sucking the life energy out of them.  Meanwhile things at the castle are heating up and Chaol discovers more of the king's treachery as Dorian begins to fall for one of the healers who has a secret of her own.  Celaena grows stronger in her power and gains more allies to become the queen she is meant to be, but is she ready to take on this role and power that comes with it.  Is she ready to begin a battle save her kingdom and her people and rebuild all that they have lost?

I think so far this is one my favorite books in the series.  I loved that there was more of her fae form and she comes to accept who and what she is.  I also suspect a new potential love interest in Rowen.  Even though the book doesn't focus on that and doesn't suggest it, as a reader who loves the characters I want to ship them even is Maas doesn't.  I wish we had a little bit more from Rowen, but the mystery adds to the charm of his character.  I expect to see great things from him in the next novel, and interested to see how Chaol will react to his presence.  I liked how all three books have flowed together seamlessly.  It didn't feel like I have stopped reading the series for a couple of months.  It picked up right where the last one left off and provided enough backstory to remind readers of what happened in the previous novels, but not too much that made readers think it was simply re-telling the previous volumes.

Sarah Maas is an exceptional story teller.  I admit I was a little weary of the series when I started it, but I simply cannot wait to get my hands on the next book and have already started telling people they need to read this series.  Mass captures her readers from the very first words and develops a world that makes readers want to visit become a part of. I found the Blackbeak story line interesting as well and look forward to seeing more from them and seeing how Manon changes as we already started to see.

Overall this is a fantastic book that fantasy lover will enjoy greatly.  If you haven't started reading this series then you need to begin it,  I give this book in the series a 5 out of 5 as it just keeps getting better.  Characters remain flawless and continue to develop even when you think they can't anymore.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah Maas

Crown of Midnight is the second novel in Sarah Maas' Throne of Glass series.  The book picks up after Celeana has been named the King's Champion, and she defeated the evil within the castle only to discover something more sinister is happening.  This book opens with her carrying out one of the King's orders.  All this time Celeana has been giving her marks an option to  fake their death and leave or she kills them.  When she is given an order to kill a former associate, she decides to try and gather more information about a rebel uprising.  While looking for secrets and answers Celeana stumbles upon another passageway leading to a big iron door.  Throughout the book, she discovers a throng of secrets being held from her, even from those who are the closest to her: Crown Prince Dorian, Princess Nehemia, and Captain of the Guard Chaol.  Who can she trust, if anyone?  What lies underneath the castle?  What kind of secrets is the King himself keeping?

There are no words to describe this novel, it was so engrossing I actually stayed up until 2 A.M reading the book because I couldn't wait to see what happens to Celeana and her friends.  Crown of Midnight is chalk full of secrets including Celeana's own secrets.  We get a lot more information in this novel, but there are still a number of questions left open for the next novel.  The end was surprising and left readers craving more, Maas expertly closes one story and opens the door for the next installment.  She completely blows fans away with the ending of this novel.  Everything in the novel feels like it happens naturally and isn't forced.  Everything unravels perfectly until the perfect cliffhanger ending.

The beginning of the book starts out slow and appears to be about political agendas, but as the book progresses into the story line, it picks up the pace.  I admit I was one of the girls that was hoping for something to happen between Chaol and Celeana, but who knows what the future will hold for these two.  There is nothing predictable about this book, there are so many twists and turns you would think you are on a country road in West Virginia.   There is not one moment when you are not on the edge of your seat waiting for what will happen next.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. 

Some books that show a political side tend to make it difficult to read or understand, but not the Throne of Glass series, Maas makes it interesting as she weaves it into the story of magic and what happened to magic of the land.  I cannot begin to recommend this book enough.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to move on to the next one Heir of Fire. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 star rating.  Excellent.

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas is the first book in the series with the same name.  It is a young adult, action/adventure, fantasy novel.  It follows a young woman Celaena Sardothien who has the reputation of being the countries most notorious assassin.  She has spent a year in salt mines as punishment for her crimes when the Crown Prince arrives and offers her the chance at her freedom.  All she needs to do is compete against 23 other "champions" to become the King's Champion and serve as his assassin for 4 years. 

For Celaena this is not a challenge, but when champions begin to die by a mysterious creature unknown to this world, Celaena begins to wonder if there is something more sinister happening.  While she trains for her Tests, she tries to figure out who or what is killing off the champions, all the while showing those around her that there is more to this girl than a ruthless assassin.

I admit I was not 100% sure about this novel when I picked it up.  The cover was something that really drew me into the book, and I will be honest: I bought it because of the cover.  I am not one for stories on assassins, I find they tend to focus a lot on politics, but Throne of Glass did not focus so much on the politics, but on Celaena's competition, interpersonal relationships, and her evolvement.  There were moments that allowed to magic,  magically symbols, and artifacts, and even a hidden truth to Celaena's background that she might not even know about.  I found the story to be enthralling and found myself staying up into the wee hours trying to finish it because I couldn't get enough.

Maas does a wonderful job at bringing the world around Celaena to life with her descriptions, dialogue and character interaction.  Just when you think you have everything figured out Maas throws a twist into the story that throws all reader theories out the window.  She creates characters that are so easy to love and antagonists who are so easy to hate.  The characters  all evolve and develop into something more complex as the story progress, and the interesting thing is that they develop and evolve together.

This book would appeal to readers of all ages and those who love fantasy and assassin novels.  I am very happy the cover art drew me into and I took a step outside my comfort zone.  I found a series I will most likely love, you might too.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.