Review: Crown of Midnight

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt. But her heart never wavers.

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

Title: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass ~ Book 2)
Author: Sarah J. Maas | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: August 15 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Length: 435 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Source: ARC Provided by Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cover Love: Stunning.  Just look at those colors... and Celaena is fierce.
Point of View: 3rd person

My Rating: 5 Stars

Wow.  What a ride.  I finished Crown of Midnight last night, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  I went to sleep thinking about what may be ahead for these characters, and I woke up thinking about the exact same thing.  When I read Throne of Glass in 2012, I was blown away by it.  I had not read a lot of books in the fantasy genre and did not know what to expect.  Like I said, I was blown away.  Then I realized that the sequel, Crown of Midnight, would be published a year later... *sigh*  But, here we are.  It is out and let me tell you, it has not disappointed.  The wait was most definitely worth it.

“Who knows what games these people play, and what ends they have in mind?”

If you read Throne of Glass, and thought that it was full of suspense, action and romance... you have no idea about those things until you have read this.  I was captivated from the first word to the very last, and when it was over I found myself just sat there staring at my Kindle.  The ending is mind blowing.  I kid you not.  I was an emotional wreck.

There are so many revelations that are made.  Some bad, some good and some completely awesome.  As each shocking twist and turn comes at you, all you can do is hold on for the ride and enjoy every single minute of it.  I can't even begin to understand how this world and story are simply swimming around in Sarah J. Maas' head.  In my opinion the writing is flawless.  It can get confusing with fantasy novels, as there tend to be an abundance of characters, locations and words that you may not be pronouncing correctly.  But I never feel that when reading this series.  Everything is thought out, and presented perfectly.

“Perhaps the world would never be perfect, perhaps some things would never be right, but maybe she stood a chance of finding her own sort of peace of freedom.”

Celaena is absolutely amazing.  There is no better way to describe her.  If I am ever asked to name a kick ass heroine my answer forever more will be Celaena Sardothien.  But with that fierceness there is softness.  She has the biggest heart, and some of her actions will truly shock you.  I thought I knew her, but she continues to shock me.  Just when I thought she couldn't get more amazing...

“I can’t tell if I should be ashamed of wanting to hold you on this day, or grateful that, despite what happened before now, it somehow brought me to you.”

When I wrote my review for Throne of Glass, I mentioned the love triangle.  We have Celaena, Prince Dorian and Captain Chaol.  I am happy to report that I no longer see this story as a love triangle.  That isn't to say that Dorian and Chaol do not both love Celaena, but it is quite evident that while Celaena cares for them both, there is only man she is actually in love with.  So to me, that is no love triangle.

And who do I love?  I have mad feelings for Dorian, and I have to say that he has grown up so much in this book.  He is learning and processing his future, and he is starting to finally make a stand against things that he knows is wrong.  But, my heart is with Chaol.  I have loved him since the start of book one.  I have never wavered, and I can only hope that somehow Celaena and Chaol will get their happily ever after after all is said and done.

“It never made any difference to me when it came to you.  I'd still pick you.  I'll always pick you.”

Even though it has been a year since I've read Throne of Glass, and I have read over a hundred and fifty books since reading it, I didn't feel that a re-read was necessary.  The story picks up perfectly, and the way that Maas writes, you don't feel like you have forgotten anything.  You are reminded along the way of past story lines, but never once was I confused.

And now I'm sure you want to know when the next book in this series will be out.  Yep, you guessed it.  2014.  *sigh*  There are scheduled to be a total of six books in this series, one being released each year.  I can only assume that the August schedule will continue, but this is only my guess.  This means, that the sixth and final book is scheduled for 2017.  I am of a mixed mind about this.  I love that there will be six, because honestly I love this world and I love these characters, so the more the better.  But when you think about the time it will take for the whole the story to be told, it seems a bit daunting.

However, as I said, I didn't feel a re-read was necessary.  And it's kind of exciting to think that for the next four years the story will unfold in all of it's glory.  So yes, of course I would want to have them all sooner.  But, this is an epic story, and the fact it will span such long period of time... that makes it even a little more epic.

“It was war upon them all.  Let them tremble in fear at what they had awoken.”

MORE QUOTES FROM CROWN OF MIDNIGHT