Audio Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
Narrator: Elizabeth Evans
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Published by Bloomsbury on 2012-08-07
Length: 428 pages
Length: 13 hours and 3 minutes
Listening Speed: 2x
Reviewing Audiobook, Hardcover from My Book Shelf
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2025 Audiobook Challenge, 2025 Beat the Backlist

Lethal. Loyal. Legendary.

Enter the world of Throne of Glass with the first book in the #1 bestselling series by Sarah J. Maas.

In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion.

Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. And a princess from a faraway country will befriend her. But something rotten dwells in the castle, and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying mysteriously, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival-and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Thrilling and fierce, Throne of Glass is the first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that has captivated readers worldwide.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas is the first book in one of my all-time favorite series by the same name. You can see my original fangirl review here. By this point, I have read this book at least 7x, and yes, it is THAT good. The book opens with Celaena Sardothien being dragged through her prison to meet with the prince of Adarlan. He has a proposal for her: fight as his competitor to be the King’s assassin and earn her freedom. But there’s more than meets the eye, and Celaena soon finds herself hunted as the other competitors are dying one by one.

I love Celaena! When we first meet her, she is a famous assassin serving out her sentence in the salt mines of Endovier. Orphaned at a young age and then raised by the king of assassins, she doesn’t have much choice but to become one herself. She’s strong, quick-witted, and likes her dresses. When Prince Dorian shows up and saves her from the mines, she thinks it’s the best thing to happen to her, but he’s taking her to a Hunger Games style competition where she must win in order to gain her freedom. Winning however means she will be the King’s assassin, the very man who put her in the salt mines to die will be her boss.

Prince Dorian is the handsome prince who basically does everything he can to make his father mad. He’s rebellious, believes his father is evil incarnate, and is smitten by the assassin. I like that the author gives us a few scenes in his POV because I feel like I understand his actions a little better. He is one of my favorite characters of the series. He’s naive here, still believing he can save the kingdom with his little rebellious acts. His captain of the guard and best friend isn’t as optimistic.

Chaol Westfall is the captain of the guard, the prince’s best friend, and a thorn in Celaena’s side. He is tasked with getting the assassin in shape after her year in the mine. While he trains her, he quickly learns that what he thought about the assassin doesn’t line up with who she really is. It’s fairly obvious that Chaol is falling for her, but doing everything in his power to not act on it.

The plot revolves around the competition and other competitors. No one except the prince and Chaol know Celaena’s true identity as it wasn’t released when she was caught and sent to the mines. This is an advantage for her but also a blow to her ego. She’s been instructed to stay in the middle of the pack and not draw too much attention to herself, but that just isn’t her style. When the competitors start turning up brutally murdered, Celaena’s curiosity gets the best of her. She wants to find out what is happening, why these strange Wyrd marks are showing up, and who is behind it.

Overall, I loved Throne of Glass this read as much as I did the first time. It never gets old! I find something new every time I read it. The world building, the characters, the competition, just all of it, creates a fascinating, addictive read. This is a must-read for fantasy fans.

Audiobook Note: I opted to listen during this reread. I love Elizabeth Evans. I’ve actually bought audiobooks without knowing anything other than that she narrates it. She is easy to follow, and I got lost in her storytelling. Lost in a good way 😉 If you are a fan of audio, I highly recommend this one.

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