Early Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas+Giveaway!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #1)

ARC courtesy of Bloomsbury UK


Synopsis from Goodreads
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 exhilirating. 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.

UK Release date: August 2nd 2012
US Release date: August 7th 2012

 Amazon  US/UK(£4.12!) | Amazon kindle US/UK | The Book Depository US/UK | Fishpond(£5.98)

10/10

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This is me all frenzied and super excited about pure kick-assery of all things Celaena Sardothien. Yep, only Trent Reznor and Karen O could get close enough to describe my feelings after reading TOG.

Peeps, I suggest you pre-order or pester the hell out of your local library to pre-order this book ASAP, because Ms Maas managed to write something which undoubtedly will end up one of the reading highlights of 2012.

This book is EPIC.

 Celaena is one of those kick-ass ladies who manage a tricky combination of cocky, charming, kind, lonely, jaded and in a lot of ways wise beyond her years.

You do need to read 4 novellas before reading TOG because the transformation of a young brilliant showoff after a year of hard labour in the mines into someone who is quietly determined to survive and be free again, someone who appreciates the small pleasures in life, is staggering.

I liked Celaena before the mines, but Celaena after , - I loved. She is humanised, reachable, she is someone we can all relate to.

There are no moments of TSTL in this book. There is insane bravery, tentative friendships and flirtations. Despite her hardships, Celaena is very young and she allows herself to have fun, to be frivolous and impulsive. However, she doesn't commit to some sort of love until death to Dorian whom she really sees for who he is or to his captain, Chaol, who sees her for who she is.

"You do know that you are now a slave, don't you? Has your sentence taught you nothing?"
"I don't see how working in a mine can teach anything beyond how to use a pickax."
"And you never tried to escape?"
A slow, wicked smile spread across her lips. "Once."
The prince's brows rose, and he turned to Captain Westfall. "I wasn't told that."
....
"What happened?" Dorian asked.
Her eyes turned cold and hard. "I snapped."
"That's all you have to offer as an explanation for what you did?" Captain Westfall demanded. "She killed her overseer and twenty-three sentries before they caught her. She was a finger's tip from the wall before the guards knocked her unconscious."

You never get bored with TOG, there is just so much going on. The competition is only a part of the story. There is training with Chaol, friendship with Eyllwe princess Nehemia, flirtation with Dorian, gruesome magical murders connected to the wyrdmarks and portals all over the palace. Celaena somehow becomes entangled in the magical battle for her country and becomes The Chosen one. *grin*

She is asked by higher powers to win the competition and keep an eye on strange happenings in the palace. Even by the end of the book I'm not exactly clear on what is going in. There is this hidden game, evil lurking in the palace... which we'll find out more about in the next book.

The whole experience of TOG is absolutely fantastic, and I have to say UK cover is far more suitable for the plot than US one. Celaena just got out of the mines, she is ghostly pale and emaciated, she is like a wrath, not a well-fed, healthy looking girl with glossy hair. No, just no.

Giveaway

Because I loved this book so much, I'm offering a pre-order of Throne of Glass (UK cover) to one lucky winner anywhere in the world with a valid mailing address!

Just answer a question Who is your favourite assassin in literature/movies? and fill in the Rafflecopter.

Giveaway will end 18th of June 2012. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 Офигительное фэнтэзи! У меня море эмоций... Давно я с таким энтузиазмом книгу не проглатывала, наверное со времён Джанги Пехова и первой Марии Снайдер...

Совершенно эпичное произведение, и да, очень даже видно, что девушка этот мир и свои характеры разрабатывала в течение 10 лет пока писала для Фикшн Пресс.

Юная Селаэна, лучший ассассин в мире, это что с чем-то. После года в шахтах Эндовьер, куда король Андовина сажает всех мятежников,  её находит принц Дориан и предлагает ей стать его чемпионом в соревновании за призвание Чемпиона Короля. После 5 лет службы, Селаэна получит свободу, и наша девушка соглашается на всё, чтобы выбраться из Эндовьера.

Диалоги между ею, Дорианом и капитаном его охраны, Чаолом, просто бесценны.

Когда Дориан спрашивает, что произошло, почему она попыталась сбежать из шахт несколько месяцев назад, Селаэна отвечает "Я сорвалась".
Чаол взрывается. "Сорвалась? Она убила своего смотрителя и 23 снайпера, и чуть ли не дотронулась до наружной стены!"

Глупо Селаэна себя никогда не ведёт, зато юный ассассин - причудливая смесь мудрости, цинизма, безумной храбрости, ребячьего восторга и показушности (а такое слово на самом деле есть или я его только что придумала?). Она ничего не обещает кроме конечно моментов Брюса Уиллиса (типа "дотронься до меня ещё раз и я тебя убью"), видит сквозь флирт Дориана и чувства Чаола и отвечает им так, как считает нужным по ситуации, то есть постоянно анализирует возможные последствия своих шагов.

Кроме самого соревнования, в книге происходит куча всего другого, включая зверские убийства чемпионов с помощью магии, странное зло, бродящее по коридорам дворца, древнее волшебство и дворцовые интриги. Я не скучала ни минуты.

В целом, книга до жути эпичная, и я её всем чрезвычайно советую! Плюс, пожалуйста, не стесняйтесь участвовать в моём контесте, чтобы выиграть свою собственную бумажную копию.