Review: Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)
by Sarah J. Maas

Plot Summary:

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?

Review:

The first book in this series, Throne of Glass, was an amazing, action-packed adventure, and I was eager to see where the author would take the sequel, and how many more trials Celaena would have to endure.  The answer is much more.  It's one of the things that is so amazing about this book - how the author continually challenges her characters with bigger dilemmas, and more seemingly insurmountable difficulties.  And Celaena continues to amaze me as a character.  She strongly adheres to her own moral code, but there is a fear in her that becomes integral to the plot of this story and also is a turning point in both the story and her character.  Whether she'll embrace her essential role is debated, and makes for some very heart-breaking plot developments.  I was so not ready for the complete beating my heart took during this story.  Reader beware!  Guard your heart!

There's also the matter of the love triangle which I was glad to see was pretty quickly resolved.  There's such a gorgeous romance brewing in this story and I loved reading about Celaena's relationship and how the romance affected their characters. And even though one guy may have been picked over the other, both are still so important to the story. It's still a team of three, which I was happy for because I like the dynamic of Celaena, Dorian and Chaol together.  And while the story revolves around Celaena for the most part, Dorian and Chaol are both going through their own trials and the author flips through the different points of view of these characters effortlessly.

There's a sense of power and danger in Celaena that makes her one of my favorite heroines ever.  I love how she is truly the strongest character in the story, in terms of skill, and everyone is wary of her.  It's just fun to have a female heroine who can deliver and who does not let emotion or second thoughts get in her way.  Sometimes you just want a bad character to die a horrible death and you don't want them to get a second chance.  They don't deserve it!  And with Celaena also investigating the return of magic and so many secrets, she's just a ridiculously capable heroine.  Not perfect, but able to come through when it's important.

This second installment of the Throne of Glass series expands on the world of Erilea and brings out so much more in the story and the characters and the emotions.  It's a glorious read, and one that is emotionally addictive - I just didn't want to stop reading!

I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review.  I was not compensated for this review.

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On Thursday I hope to post all about the Crown of Midnight launch party that is happening today!!  Some fangirling with Paola at A Novel Idea is bound to happen!