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Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass

Dark FantasyHigh Fantasy
Pages
416
Published
2012
Language
English

Synopsis

After a year of brutal imprisonment in the salt mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is offered a chance at freedom. The Crown Prince of Adarlan, Dorian Havilliard, and his Captain of the Guard, Chaol Westfall, pull her from the mines with a proposition: compete in the king's tournament to become the royal champion, and if she wins — and serves the king for four years — she goes free. What follows is part competition, part murder mystery, as the other competitors begin dying in strange and violent ways. Celaena must identify the killer while surviving a court designed to destroy her, managing two very different men who are drawn to her in very different ways, and concealing the full scope of who and what she is. Set in a world where magic has been outlawed and its users brutally suppressed, Throne of Glass establishes the foundations of a war that will take seven books and an entire continent to resolve.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

AdventurousTenseRomanticDark
Court IntrigueLove TriangleMystery BoxMorally Grey

Genres

Dark Fantasy High Fantasy Romantasy YA Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy Epic Fantasy Adventure Romance

About the author

S
Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is a #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author known for her epic fantasy novels and their devoted global readership. She began writing what would become the Throne of Glass series as a teenager, posting early chapters online before the series was acquired by Bloomsbury. Her three interconnected fantasy universes — Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City — have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and been translated into dozens of langua...

Characters

Celaena SardothienProtagonist

An imprisoned assassin offered freedom if she wins the king's tournament and serves him for four years.

Nehemia YtgerSupporting

Princess of Eyllwe and Celaena's closest friend at court; her political mission in Adarlan conceals a deeper commitment to her people's freedom that runs parallel to Celaena's own hidden purpose.

Kaltain RompierSupporting

A courtier whose social ambitions make her an adversary to Celaena; her arc becomes considerably darker in later books.

Dorian HavilliardSupporting

The Crown Prince of Adarlan, who sponsors Celaena as his champion in the tournament and is drawn to her.

Chaol WestfallSupporting

Captain of the Royal Guard, responsible for Celaena's training and confinement, and drawn to her in a different way.

All characters in Throne of Glass

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the reading order for the Throne of Glass series?

    The seven-book main series runs: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, Kingdom of Ash. The Assassin's Blade prequel novellas can be read before the series or after Throne of Glass. Tower of Dawn and Empire of Storms are set simultaneously and can be read in either order, though many readers alternate chapters.

  • What happened to Celaena before the book begins?

    Celaena spent a year in the salt mines of Endovier following her betrayal and capture — events depicted in The Assassin's Blade novellas. She was sold to the mines after her master, Arobynn Ahamar, tipped off a crime lord about Sam Cortland's location. Sam was killed, Celaena was captured, and she was sentenced to Endovier — a death sentence most prisoners don't survive for a year.

  • Is Throne of Glass based on a fairy tale or existing story?

    The series draws loosely on Cinderella — the assassin-at-court setup echoes the premise of a young woman forced into servitude who must compete for a place at a powerful person's side. Maas has described this as the kernel of the original concept, though the series diverges from its fairy-tale roots very quickly and substantially.

  • What is the magic system in this world, and why is it banned?

    Magic in Erilea operates through an individual's innate power and manifests differently per person (fire, healing, shadows, etc.). The King of Adarlan outlawed magic approximately ten years before the story begins, using mysterious black stone to suppress it. The reason behind his suppression and its true mechanism are central mysteries the series develops across multiple books.

  • Is Throne of Glass the weakest entry in the series?

    Many readers consider it the most conventional of the seven books — it functions as a relatively self-contained competition story before the series expands dramatically in scope. Maas has acknowledged in interviews that the series finds its full voice in Crown of Midnight. Readers who bounce off Throne of Glass are often advised to continue to book two before deciding.

  • Who is the assassin competitor killing the other contestants?
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