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

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas is the sequel in the Bestselling, YA Throne of Glass series!

This review contains lots of SPOILERS!

“From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie… and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.“

With this next installment of Celaena’s journey as a King’s Champion, we get to dive deeper into the dark, magical world. And we don’t have to wait long to get a peek at what’s coming..

The beginning chapters are jam-packed with the moral dilemma that is Celaena. Even though she is deeply under cover, to doesn’t stop her from pulling the dangerous trick on the mighty King into believing she has successfully killed his enemies. But as she is the clever and sly assassin that we love to read about, we also get a rather gruesome, eye-popping look into her deceitful tactics.

For all those who love the faithful Captain of the Guard this book becomes that tearful, bittersweet moment that we, again, wish never happened. Is it just me or is she having the hardest time in men??

Saying that this series is the most loosely woven love-triangle-but-not-really scenario is an understatement. Now, I am not a fan of this king of trope, BUT the way it’s written here creates a story that you feel like needs this romantic dilemma nuzzled in. I really enjoyed reading the heartbreak and the intense moments between the three characters and how they each have their own fire to deal with. It’s a love triangle that never happens at the same time, and they all seem so laid-back about it.

Overall, I feel like this book is the puzzle that helps to piece together the assassin part of the story to the magic side.

And not to mention that Dorian is now involved!

Sarah J. Maas is an absolute pro when it comes to creating complex layers that take us readers for a spin. From the discovery of Dorian and his struggles with being so close to the King while also having the forbidden magical abilities took me for a loop. You can’t get a character more in a corner than that! I really enjoyed reading as he grew into his role as the Prince. He learns more about himself and comes to realize that he may one day have to own up to his decisions.

But it was fun to also look into the world outside the glass castle. The minor rebellions are beginning to pile up and the getting to read instances such as the harpist’s song brought the broader spectrum to this series. You get to feel the drive from the society against the King, and we aren’t just honed in on what’s going inside the castle. There is definitely a more political vibe to the story now than in the previous books.

Nehemiah. The girl who starts it all. The heartbreaking, gut-wrenching moment that she leaves between Celaena and Chaol is so captivating and raw that you can’t help but flinch. We get to see the power and emotional turmoil all of the characters suffer following her death. The chapters following left me immobilized.

But with their separation comes a realization for Chaol:

“It made her the greatest threat he’d ever encountered”

– Chaol, pg 294

I think one of the saddest moments was when Chaol went into the broom closet after she kicked him out of her room. If you didn’t feel something after reading that then I don’t know what could.

But, she after her physical recovery, her determination in figuring out who was behind the treachery drives her into more darkness that lies beneath the library. We discover more hidden secrets from her world and the ultimate secret that even she kept from us readers: she is royalty.

She isn’t just the assassin that she led us and the rest of her world to believe, she is the long-lost survivor of the Terrasen throne. Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is alive.

And Chaol is the only one who knows after he ships her off to Wendyln.

Throughout this book, there is so much depth and soul to the characters and the complex world they live in. Every chapter is full of resourceful information that leaves you begging for answers. The twist and turns through the deception completely engulfs you as you read further and further. You can’t tell who to trust and you’re always left with your jaw to the floor.

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. After finishing this book, I knew there was so much more potential for the series. We learn crucial information from Celaena and the consequences left from the King’s rule and Nehemiah’s death.

Just when you thought this series couldn’t get any better, it surely does!

Published: 27 August 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 418

How I Read It: Paperback

Want to join in on finishing the Throne of Glass series?

Currently, we are reading Tower of Dawn (#6) which is the last installment before the epic release of Kingdom of Ash!!

Have you read my review of The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) and Throne of Glass (#1)?

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