
Genre: YA / Fantasy |Written by: Sarah J. Maas |Pages: 406 |Publication: Bloomsbury |Book Type: Series (7 books)
Rating: 4 stars
Blurb at the back of the book:
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen year old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.
Young captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament – fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or Lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But, will her assassin’s heart be melted?
Characters in the book:
Main protagonist: Celaena: The Assassin. Prince Dorian: Crown Prince of Adralan.
Main Side Characters: Chaol Westfall: The Captain of the Guard. Nehemia: Princess of Ellewye.
Some notable characters: Duke Perrington. King of Adralan. Kaltain Rompier. Cain (Duke Perrington’s Assassin). Nox (a thief who is Celeana’s friend), Elena (the former queen of Adralan).
TW: Murder, Torture.
My thoughts on the book:
I was quite intimated by this series. It is definitely a huge commitment. However, I would say you if you are in for a treat.
Celaena is one of the best badass character I have read in a while. She is a girl who loves books and wields a blade! I really wanted to trade lives with her. I would say that, this book has a lot of mystery in store which will compel you to read further. I was hooked from the first page. I was a bit confused about the love interest of Celaena but, it mentioned a teenage character so, what else can I expect? *laughs*. This book gives you subtle drama, thrill and a perfect hint of Romance. I loved the character Dorian (crown prince of Adralan). As the book proceeds you feel more attached to the characters and storyline. I felt like I was living the world of Erilea. Imagining the world was not difficult as the writing was real lucid. There are a lot of subtle cliff-hangers in the book, which I think has a lot of material for the upcoming books. I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.
I have a few complaints:
- To be honest, while reading the blurb of the book it mentioned an Assassin, this made me expect a lot of action, which I did not get.
- I had a tough time pronouncing names.
- I expected a lot of revelations about Celena’s hidden identity. The book gives you tiny hints of how Celeana keeps certain doors locked about her past.
Also, in the beginning of the book, there was an event in the forest, which I expected to see more of, however, I did not – which I think is something to be covered in the upcoming books so, not much of a complaint.
Quotes that I loved from the book:
- “Names are not important. It’s what lies inside of you that matters.”
- “We all bear scars … Mine just happen to be more visible than most.”
- “Libraries were full of ideas—perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.”
- “We each survive in our own way.”
- “Second place is a nice title for the first loser.”