Miss Maas

If you read the word assassin what image comes to mind?

Don’t get too attached now, because I’m about to change things. But don’t worry, it’s for the better. Now, I want you to take that image, put it on the floor, and smash it with your heel. Enter your assassin’s replacement : Celaena Sardothian; avid reader and bookworm, lover of food, also, one of the most feared people in all the land.

         In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

         The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Does that sound amazing or what?

Celaena is probably one of the most unique characters I have ever come across. Maas totally annihilates the typical heroine. She takes a selfish, enslaved assassin and turns her into something so relatable you forget that everyone is afraid of her. Oh, and did I mention she has a soft spot for puppies?

So, here is our first look at Celaena when we start the book. She has been a slave in the Endovier Salt Mines for over a year. She is unexpectedly summoned and escorted by the Captain of the Royal Guard. 

Being lead through various underground tunnels and stairwells, she contemplates the reason for this…surprise visit. Celaena concludes that she is to be hanged and when they come to a halt in front of two large red-and-gold doors she grows restless. But what she finds behind those doors make her heart freeze in her chest…

Sarah J. Maas takes us on a journey with a girl who, at first, is focused on one thing: Escape. As the story grows and the plot deepens secrets about the strict Kingdom of Erilea are revealed. Celaena surprises everyone, even herself with what she is truly capable of and she discovers that there is more to her magically desiccated kingdom than meets the eye.

Not only does Maas know how to imagine a great plot and characters she knows how to write them. That is what makes this book such an amazing reading experience. You can have tons of great ideas, but you must know how to write them and that’s what makes them come alive.

Language: Mild-2-3

Alcohol/drugs: There is a character who smokes a drug to ease her migraines. She does misuse it and has some unpleasant side effects.

Violence: 7.5

Sexual Content: There is some mentioned lustful looks and a kiss or two

Spiritual Content: This is a high fantasy novel with make-believe religions and revolves around magical elements.

Currently Reading: The Warrior Spy By Dony Jay

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