Matcha & Motifs’ Rating: 4/5 

Adarlan’s infamous assassin, Celaena Sardothien, is offered two choices: die as a prisoner in the salt mines of Endovier or become the King’s Champion. A glorified title for the King’s lackey, Celaena can’t pass up the chance of freedom after a lifetime of service. Recruited by Prince Dorian Havillard and trained by Choal Westfall, Captain of the Guard, Celaena must compete against 23 others before she can obtain the position. However, when candidates start mysteriously dying, Celaena finds herself in more trouble than what she signed up for. 

Ever since reading ACOTAR, I’ve been dying to read TOG. However, I knew that I would probably get sucked into the series so I’ve been reading other books in between to diversify my reading palate. Anyways, I checked my Goodreads and apparently, I read Throne of Glass in 2014. However, I feel like my teenage brain didn’t comprehend anything because not only did I forget I read it, but I also don’t remember any details of the plot. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this “reread”. You know, this one might just be the better series of Maas’, just like everyone says. 

Celaena Sardothien 

I love our main character. I enjoy the mystery in her backstory and I like that we are fed only small parts. Essentially, we know as much as Dorian or Chaol, and I feel like this is purposeful. Do I only like her because I only know a small portion of her, the same reason Dorian or Chaol might like her too? 

The storytelling plays a tremendous role in creating her character through suggestion and audience inferences. For example, when Celaena holds back during the trials to conceal her identity, this creates so much insight. We can infer that her skill level is high, probably the best in the group for her to need to, and have the ability to, hold back. At the same time, there is still so much mystique in her abilities. What is she truly capable of? 

I love that Celaena’s character embodies duality and depth. She is what her reputation implies, sharp, strong and skillful. However, what I enjoy most is that is also a girl. I thought she would be the stoic, “not-like-other-girls” type, but she’s not. She’s dynamic. She loves dresses, complains about the floor being too cold for her feet and heck, she even has menstrual cramps! That’s unheard of in fantasy books! This is writing! She enjoys being beautiful and having fun. There seems to be much life to her, but in a way, there feels to be much darkness too. Additionally, there is this pull to do the right thing, like every cherished protagonist. For example, even after being told to stay in the middle of the pack, during one of their scaling trials, Celaena throws that notion away to save a friend who was falling. This is our protagonist… who alway seems to find themselves in trouble. Their curiosity always gets the best of them. When she discovers the hidden tunnels in the castle, there is respect for the past rulers and magic, a sharp contrast to the current King. The seamless integration of a character-driven plot makes this character so likable. In a way, you wish you were her. 

Friendship and Romance 

The development of friendship and romance feels calculated from Maas’s end. 

Celaena’s romantic relationship with Dorian feels designed to find common ground and build a foundation for friendship. Their relationship was cute, but I’m not in awe. I can see the allure of charming and beautiful company, as well as, sharing common interests like reading. However, their attraction towards one another felt more of a gateway to understanding one another.

Personally, I think I’m more of a Chaol girl. I feel like the banter, fighting, and slow burn between them feels more genuine. He’s stern and straightlaced, which I feel has such better chemistry with Celaena than Dorian. They’re both strong willed and spend so much time together, we even get the occasional “they’re hot” silent acknowledgement. For once, I’m not kicking my feet and giddy over the romance. (AND I WISH I WAS! But I think it’s maybe because Dorian is the love interest, and he’s fine, but I’m not particularly interested). I am, however, enjoying the friendship that she’s beginning to build with all these characters.

A note on Nehemia. I so so love a female friendship development. Celaena and Nehemia begin as likely friends in an unlikely place, they have a mutual understanding of being outsiders and a dislike for pompous characters *ahem* Kaltain. I appreciate how the plot builds around these two characters with the same importance as a male love interest. The plot beautifully intertwines their exchanges to foster their relationship through something as simple as language lessons. They keep each other’s spirits up, and it feels like Celaena needs as many friends as she can get. In a way, I feel like Nehemia helps her feel less alone and gives her a reason to keep fighting, the same way Celaena does for her. 

Plot/Writing 

I’ve mentioned this point during the character segment, however, I think it’s worth mentioning again. The third person perspective does an amazing job at relaying information of our characters flawlessly. For example, learning of Celeana’s battered and malnourished condition showed us what it was like to be a slave in Endovier. With the additional perspective of Chaol, we learn of him through his lens of Celaena. He sees a young girl but his wariness is evident when he stations guards everywhere. This is a testimony to her skills and reputation, yet again. Additionally, we learn of Choal’s soft side when he acknowledges the amount of damage Endovier has done, and marvels at Celaena regaining her strength. All while building a world that illuminates how war and power shapes the world. It shows the sickening reality of control, where those in power will do anything to keep it, including labor camps. It is also a moment of empathy, for those who are still in Endovier and the others who are caught in the interception of war, like Nehemia’s people. These moments in the book touch on war and loss, so slightly, but very impactfully. Sometimes authors are able to create very powerful dissections of themes with entertaining storytelling, and I felt like Maas did with her world building here. 

This was a wonderful start to the TOG series, and there is definitely more to come. Let me know if you like TOG more than ACOTAR. Or if you didn’t like TOG at all, let me know why. I would love to discuss this series and genre. 

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