The Throne of Glass Series: My Latest Obsession
Sometimes, I get a book stuck in my head. It’s even harder to shake than a song. This year, my “It’s a Small World” (sorry) has been Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.
I checked out the first book, Throne of Glass, from my local library last summer, and it’s safe to say I was underwhelmed. The novel’s synopsis and high ratings had me pumped for a thrilling cloak-and-dagger tale of the world’s greatest assassin fighting for her survival in a medieval, tyrannical kingdom. What’s not to love?
However, I honestly can’t figure out what made me stick with the book to its clumsy end.
Throne of Glass is essentially a high school drama pretending to be a high-stakes thriller, with a confusing “whodunit” plot and illogical character motivations.
I could go on for paragraphs with all of my problems with the first book, but I’ll spare you. After all, this post is supposed to be about how obsessed I am with the series, right?
Anyway, by some miracle, I managed to get through not just one, but two books in the series despite feeling that they were poorly plotted and clumsily written. I credit (or blame) my constant need to find out what happens next.
Somehow, I found myself reading the third book, Heir of Fire. By this point, we’d discovered some secrets about the undeniably lovable and charismatic protagonist’s past and identity, which explain away some (and only some) of the improbabilities in the first book. She finds herself training in a distant land with an ancient Fae lord who helps her unlock her own powers and come to grips with her past.
Finally, as the reader, I started to understand where this meandering plot was going, and I liked it. A lot.
Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say that book three is where the story really gets good. Honestly, I suspect that Maas herself hadn’t quite figured out where she wanted the narrative to lead until then. Or perhaps she was starting to develop her writing chops at that point.
Regardless, many of the stylistic and pacing issues I’d had with the earlier books disappeared as well, and from Heir of Fire on, I’ll say that I truly enjoy the books as better-than-average YA fantasy novel. The series is an admirable take on the standard epic high fantasy, taking obvious inspiration from Lord of the Rings, but with interesting deviations and compelling characters.
“What if we go on,” he said, “only to more pain and despair? What if we go on, only to find a horrible end waiting for us?”
Aelin looked northward, as if she could see all the way to Terrasen. “Then it is not the end.”
-Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows
I finished the series at the end of last year, and I just could not quit thinking about it. As is my practice when I’ve read something in ebook format, I had read the books very quickly. I decided to re-read on physical copies after a few months had gone by, and I enjoyed the series even more (though I was still relieved when I had gotten through the first two books; no love gained there).
Throne of Glass has officially become a beloved series for me, and I recommend it if you’re willing to put up with a slow start.
My favorite thing about these books is that they contain some truly inspiring, strong, and flawed female characters. Celaena is truly a fabulous creation, and I love so many of the other characters as well – Manon, Nesryn, Yrene, and Asterin, to name a few. Each character is unique and demonstrates a different way to be female in this world, and it’s refreshing to me that they don’t have to be boyish or a badass warrior to be valued or respected by the narrative.
Maas also creates some wonderful settings, from the pirate-held Skull’s Bay, to the fiercely beautiful city of Antica on the Southern Continent, to the Fae city of Doranelle to the east, which is ruled by a beautiful and terrifying queen.
I think the thing that has stuck in my head for so long is the almost tangible reality of the main character — her personality, her strengths and weaknesses, her motivations and worldview.
It’s rare that a character can be so well imagined and portrayed, even in otherwise compelling and well-written novels. I’ve been asking myself what quality, exactly, it is that Maas imbues in these novels to make her protagonist (and consequently, the story as a whole) stick so firmly in my head, but I just can’t put my finger on it.
I suppose if I ever can, I’ll be one step closer to a best-seller of my own.
