Recommendation: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Before I get started with my review, I’ll give you a few minutes to request Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas.  I kind of feel like with a cover like that I don’t need to say anything more, but maybe there’s a tiny percentage of you who still need a little convincing, so here goes…

Calaena Sardothien ranks in my top five book characters of all time.  She is basically beyond awesome.  And you can’t hate her for being too amazing because she’s had a seriously rough deal having been imprisoned in a salt mine for years, and don’t forget the heart-break, betrayal etc etc.  She’s offered a deal by the Crown Prince of Adarlan, to act as his champion in a competition to find the new royal assassin.  This is a gritty to-the-death type of an affair in which Calaena gets to show her mettle (while still being beautiful and finding plenty of opportunities to wear gorgeous clothes).

Throne of Glass has loads of great fantasy components; comprehensive world-building, history, good guys, bad guys, cool weapons, fighting and a touch of mystery.  There’s also a hearty dose of romance; I almost want to say, unfortunately, romance in the form of a love triangle, but somehow it bothered me less than love triangles have in the past.

If you love kick-ass female fantasy fiction (like, Graceling, Alannah and Seraphina) then leave right now and request, request!