• Home
    • facebook
    • instagram
    • bluesky
    • goodreads
    • mail
    • ko-fi

Heise Reads & Recommends

A School Librarian Sharing Books & #ClassroomBookADay

  • Heise Reads & Recommends
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recommended Reads
  • #ClassroomBookADay
    • What is #ClassroomBookADay?
    • Getting Started with #ClassroomBookADay
    • #ClassroomBookADay Resources
    • #cbadSpotlight
    • #ClassroomBookADay Book Recommendations
  • Resources
    • Slides & Docs
    • Author / Illustrator Interviews & Guest Posts
  • Consulting
    • Published Works
    • Conference Sessions & Presentations
    • Workshops & Webinars
    • #ClassroomBookADay Presentations

THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas

July 25, 2012

Title: THRONE OF GLASS
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Number of Pages: 416
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at IRA

After serving out a
year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes,
18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown
Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must
act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her
opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the
empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats
her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for
three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her
training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging
and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a
little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in
her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her
best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly
followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she
becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads
her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

THRONE OF GLASS was a thrilling, exciting epic fantasy book with magic, action, intrigue, secrets, lies, manipulations, romance, friendships, assassins and some unexpected elements. Sarah J. Maas has written an enthralling book, which, while dense, was a page-turner. I was happily surprised by some of the twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, which made it even more interesting as I discovered truths along with the characters. It’s an interesting mix of magic within a medieval fantasy type of story. The magic is alluded to at the beginning, but doesn’t come in again until a bit later. There is a fully realized fantasy world within these pages-both with the elements of the king and his endeavors to take over the kingdom and the magical elements of the Wyrd and forests beyond. *Note: As this was an ARC, there was no artwork, but I imagine the final book may have a map of some sort that would enhance understanding of this world.

From the very start, 18 year-old Celaena is endearing and inspiring as a strong, determined, kick-butt heroine even after being locked up for slave labor for the past year. She’s so smart…and lethal within seconds. Her ability to be the renowned assassin she is at such a young age, along with her determined nature drew me into this story even more. Yet, her vulnerability and desire for acceptance in the midst of her strength and intelligence is perhaps what drew me to her the most. She is constantly thinking and analyzing escape routes, but is a teen girl who just wants to have a friend at the same time. There seems to be a little something extra to Celaena that we have yet to discover. Interestingly, the book is written in third person; although, it mostly felt as if we got to know what Celaena was thinking more than any other character, so it did at times seem as if she was narrating. As we see her struggles to regain strength and figure out how to earn her way to freedom, we also see her ability to fight any man (or beast) and win along with her cunning mind that led to her becoming the kingdom’s most feared assassin by the age of 17. Beyond just her journey, we’re also given insight into the struggles that Prince Dorian is having with his father’s style of being king, and Chaol’s struggles to remain impassive as the Captain of the Guard against his blooming trust of Celaena as he gets to know her more. These two, along with other secondary characters, add an element of humanity to this story beyond just the magic and champion’s competition. And, yes, it’s another YA book with a love triangle-ish storyline, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me in this book. Although, I was definitely pulling for one of the guys to edge the other one out in the end.

Even with the element of romance and a female main character, I think there’s enough action, fighting, political intrigue, and gruesomeness to hand this one off to guys as well (don’t let the cover deceive you). I can see the Game of Thrones for the YA set comparisons – especially with the strength of the elements of the political maneuvering with the king along with the hidden magical elements. It was a thoroughly enjoyable book, but it wasn’t necessarily a quick-read. I did feel that it was a little densely written (just requiring more attention and thinking-not a bad thing) and the unfamiliar names caused me a little trouble in the beginning until I could get comfortable with a pronunciation in my own head. *And, of course, as I was writing this post, I found this pronunciation guide on the author’s website. Overall, a definite should read for me to recommend to others and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next for these characters and this world!

While you’re waiting for THRONE OF GLASS to release on August 7th, you can read the four novellas that tell the backstory of Celaena Sardotheien: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld, The Assassin and the Empire. I enjoyed reading them even after I read the whole book. They give a greater depth and insight into Celaena’s character and what has made her who she is.

«
»

Filed Under: Other

Comments

  1. Sarah @ Y.A. Love says

    July 30, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    Great review, Jillian! I'm glad you sent me a copy of this one because it sounds like a book I'll enjoy (and my students, too!). I'm wondering if it will be like the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima.

  2. Krystianna says

    July 28, 2012 at 3:19 am

    This one sounds amazing! I've been hearing so many outstanding reviews for it. I'm going to have to check it out! 🙂 Thanks so much for the review!

  3. Melissas Eclectic Bookshelf says

    July 26, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    Another wonderful review for this book. And that is awesome that they have a guide to pronunciation!!

  4. Ms. Yingling says

    July 25, 2012 at 3:57 pm

    I liked this one more than I thought I would, but I haven't had a huge number of hard core fantasy readers in recent years, so probably won't buy it.

  5. Kristina says

    July 25, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    Great review! I received an ARC of this, but it kept being sent to the back of the pile. I am definitely going to move it to the front. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I am so excited to read it!

  6. Anonymous says

    July 25, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    I'm looking forward to this book!
    Love that there is a pronunciation guide. When I can't get a comfortable pronunciation of a name it is distracting things to me as a reader. I know that really holds up some of my struggling readers.

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • bluesky
  • goodreads
  • mail
  • ko-fi

Search

select

shop

Subscribe

statement

Views expressed within these pages are personal & do not represent that of my employer.

Recent Reads

Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers
Mama in Congress: Rashida Tlaib's Journey to Washington
I Lived Inside a Whale
The Last Slice: A Three Kings Day Treat
Yusra Swims
One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World's Oldest University
Dounia and the Magic Seeds
Nour's Secret Library
Swimming Toward a Dream: Yusra Mardini's Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer
Eleven Words for Love: A Journey Through Arabic Expressions of Love
Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater
The Book That Almost Rhymed
I Am Odd, I Am New
Brody the Lion Sometimes I ROAR!: Helping children with autism, anxiety, and big emtions cope with transitions and changes
Arab Arab All Year Long!
My Brother Otto and the Birthday Party
How Are You, Verity?
We Are a Class
I Want to Read All the Books
The Brightness Between Us

Latest Resources

Instagram Posts

School's out for summer & the weather was perfect School's out for summer & the weather was perfect for reading outside this weekend. Couldn't resist choosing this YA romantasy touted as "Taylor Swift's 'Vigilante Sh*t' meets The Gilded Age" for my first summer break read!

#GildedInVengeance #LibraryLife #bookaday #HeiseReads
Finding moments of joy where I can. There are two Finding moments of joy where I can. There are two days left of this school year. A year that started with sitting in the corner crying due to the overwhelm of the massive task ahead of us to get ready for the first day upon walking in & seeing the state of the library after summer renovation work. A year of ups & downs & all arounds. All the way to today when we had the giddy joy of our brand new booktrucks being delivered. They are pretty & sturdy & glide smoothly & elevate the look of the whole library while making our lives easier. Farewell old, dented, wobbly, rusty, beige carts. IYKYK. Bahama blue, turquoise, teal, sundrop, & calming lavender are taking over. Thank you for the colorful options, helpful customer service, & quick response shipping before school ends @demcoinc!!

#LibraryLife
Iris season brings me joy.💜 There's just someth Iris season brings me joy.💜 There's just something about that shade of purple... #nofilter
The new-to-me podcast binge getting me through my The new-to-me podcast binge getting me through my commute these last few weeks of this school year. Thanks for the @everysinglealbumpodcast rec @thereadingzone_!🫶🏻

Thoroughly enjoying the ways in which @noraprinciotti & @nathanchubbard bring entertainment, thoughtfulness, care, & joy to these conversations & deep dives into @taylorswift's discography.
My view for most all of this long weekend - in whi My view for most all of this long weekend - in which I have to redact almost the entirety of the image.😅 #amreading for Caldecott 2026.

#ClassroomBookADay #LibraryLife #HeiseReads
Love this reminder of the power of children's lite Love this reminder of the power of children's literature from the introduction in Show & Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration! Reading it this weekend to continue building background knowledge for my work on the Caldecott Committee this year. 

"In this regard, we truly suffer from an embarrassment of riches. Children's books have never looked better or been more
important. They are one of the few quiet places left where a child can go to be alone, and to travel worlds past, present, and future. They are often the first place children discover poetry and art, honor and loyalty, right and wrong, sadness and hope. And it is there between the pages that children discover the power of their own imaginations. They are indeed a dress rehearsal for life."

#ClassroomBookADay #LibraryLife #KidLit #HeiseReads
Found this @taylorswift bio mis-shelved in the "my Found this @taylorswift bio mis-shelved in the "mythical creatures" bin. 😂 And I'm not even mad about it.🫶🏻

#LibraryLife #TaylorSwift
His & Hers homemade pizza halves. Tasty benefits o His & Hers homemade pizza halves.
Tasty benefits of the husband getting more serious about his meat grinding / sausage making hobby!
Not pictured: brats & burgers & breakfast sausage, oh my!
My favorite crabtree is flowering & the sun was sh My favorite crabtree is flowering & the sun was shining.
Refreshed & feeling my best.💉 Stopped in for on Refreshed & feeling my best.💉
Stopped in for one of the few things that helps limit my migraines & tmj pain (with some extra perks) yesterday. 
Thank you @refreshedby_injectorjess for always taking such good care!! 🫶🏻
Follow @heisereads on Instagram
Copyright © 2025 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs