by Barbara Z.
The epic fantasy adventure series, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, is a must-read for your Spring Break. The story, set in a fictional time and place, is full of twists and turns as it follows the main character, Celaena Sardothien, Ardarlan’s Assassin.
In my opinion, Celaena is a much stronger female heroine than most others on the YA market. For example, Tris (Divergent) and Katniss (The Hunger Games) are both strong characters, but they lack a little in the department of individual personality. These two heroines (along with Celaena) share some of the same character traits: rebellious, determined, passionate, brave, full of grief, able to come with clever comebacks…I could type a list ofsimilarities that goes on for hundreds of pages.
Celaena fits into some of these stereotypes, but she has her own defined character. Celaena is definitely not short of unlikable qualities, yet I struggle to not like, even love, her.She’s selfish, snarky, ruthless and holding up a 1000-tonne ego; in other words, she’s a bit of a jerk. In the end, I think that’s what makes Sardothien’s character so rich and intriguing to me; she’s not a good person per se, but she’s predominantly good. That’s what Mass can hold above the heads of other modern day heroines; the character of Celaena is not only determined, brave and passionate, but also incredibly fierce (after all, she is an assassin).
All throughout the first book of this series, the main question floating around in my brain was, “Chaol or Dorian? Chaol or Dorian? CHAOL OR DORIAN!?” Both characters have unique qualities, so I decided to give them each an equal chance. And, as the series goes on, boy is Chaol blowing it. It’s not that I hate his character, it’s that I hate how loyal he is to a certain, ahem, someone.
When I refer to ‘giving Chaol and Dorian a chance’ I mean in terms of character, but I’m also trying to decide which one is best for Celaena. Now, this brings us to what you might think will be an issue. You must be thinking Gods above, a love triangle. I assure you, it’s extremely subtle. However, two guys and a girl does equal a love triangle. If you’re someone who’s against fictional romance, fear not because there is plenty of plot, action and adventure to counterpart the romance.
I would definitely pick this whole series up whoever you are, an avid reader, a non-reader, a football player, a hippie, the manager of a McDonalds’s – JUST READ IT!!!!!!!!
I promise you will fall in love with Celaena’s rich character and her exciting world.
