Go to my blog at The Bookaholic to see my full post for this review. It was part of the Throne of Glass blog tour and a review for the BEA Book Club. Throne of Glass took me to a new world full of magic, action, mystery, and romance. I could not put this down!It’s not often that I read “high/epic” fantasy, but I’m proud to say I picked up a gem to add to my list of pleasant surprises this year. What I found really appealing was that it wasn’t a struggle to read, which is usually the problem for me when it comes to this genre. Admittedly, I had doubts before I requested this book due to all the hype and the genre. I’m so thankful I took the chance anyway or I would’ve missed out on this fantastic story! Calaena is a character worth rooting for. She’s tough, intelligent, and determined. But even with the hard-edged exterior, there’s a softness to her that comes out for the reader to see--a vulnerability--and she has flaws. She starts out as arrogant, sometimes rude and too sarcastic for her own good. At first, it’s a bit hard to like her. Until she proves herself and begins to grow into a more admirable person with certain things she does and says. I loved that development for the reader. She’s also a bit more girly than you’d expect some edgy assassin to be, and that’s what I really loved. I had some minor issues with the story though. Nitpicks maybe. But they weren’t enough to distract me away from my enjoyment overall. There is budding romance and hints at a love triangle. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of the love triangle idea. That’s the only thing in the entirety of the story that messed it up a little for me really. I adored both Chaol and Dorian as characters on their own, but throughout the entire story, I had a hard time seeing the romantic interest with either of them for Calaena. Chaol would be her best match though, that much I could pick up on, due to his background and their chemistry. I liked Dorian’s personality better though. Sigh. I felt a bit of a tug of war--maybe my own fictional triangle when it came down to it. Because of the personality and my fondness for him, I think I’ll be Team Dorian. Haha.I felt the world-building was solid and easy to visualize. I’m such a history geek that even when it comes to fantasy, I like to know the history. There was enough to satisfy my inner nerd here, but I would have been thrilled with even more. I wanted to especially know more about the magic and Wyrd marks. It was fascinating. I became invested in the characters easily. Sometimes there were unanswered questions or areas where I felt could have been worked out some (especially with the king). I’m hoping a lot more will come for the next book. I’ve said it before. I guess I’ll say it again. I should read more into this style of fantasy. It seems that over the last year or so, I’ve had a lot of luck in this genre and have found some good ones. I really love how an author can pull you right into their crafted world and make you feel as if you’re there with their characters. Maas does this perfectly. For me, Throne of Glass was genuinely breathtaking. When I sat down to start reading, I had no idea or intention to finish in only a matter of hours…but that’s what happened. I only find books that do that to me a few times a year, so I’m glad this was one of them. One of my favorite quotes: “Libraries were full of ideas–perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.”** I want to thank Bloomsbury Children’s Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review, as well as to be a part of the Throne of Glass blog tour.**
