Throne of Glass: Thoughts on the First 3 Books

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I finally started the Throne of Glass series and having finished the first three books, I’ve developed some strong opinions. 

This is an overview of the first three books, and my personal recommended reading order. 

I’ll tag each review for the individual books in case you’re interested. 

This will be as spoiler free as I can keep it, but if there are minor spoilers, I will tag them ahead of time so you can skip over them. (They are primarily in the summaries; Sarah doesn’t seem to worry about spoilers.)

The order I started the series: 

• Throne of Glass

• Crown of Midnight

• The Assassin’s Blade

So let’s dive right in! 

Throne of Glass

Goodreads / Storygraph

Summary

In a world where magic has been banished and a tyrant king determined to keep it away, an assassin is summoned. She does not come to kill the King, but to win her freedom in a competition against twenty-three other deadly assassins, criminals, and thieves. 

If she can beat them and serve the crown, she will eventually be granted her freedom. But with a charming prince, a thorn in her side, Captain of the Guard, and an evil looming within the castle walls, our main character, Celaena, has a lot of obstacles. 

But there is more to Celaena than meets the eye. 

Overall Thoughts

To be honest, I’m kind of glad I read this book first. It was a nice introduction to the series and while I am sure there is a ton more to be expanded on, this is a nice start. 

(My mind has changed a lot about this point as I’ve continued the series.)

The banter between Celaena and Dorian 100% had me giggling and I also 100% teared up when Nehemia gives Celaena the Ellwye name of Elentiya.

It just pulled on my heartstring; what can I say?

I’d give Throne of Glass 4 stars out of 5 stars. Although 3.5 out of 5 is probably end up being the final rating as I continue on with the series. 

While I liked this book, I did want more. A lot of aspects that could have been done well ended up feeling rather lackluster. 

Full review of Throne of Glass here

Crown of Midnight

Goodreads / Storygraph

Summary

Celaena Sardothien has won the brutal contest and has become the King’s champion.

But not all of her loyalties lie with the crown and she hides her secret vigilante from everyone around her. 

Keeping up her deadly charade only becomes more difficult when Calaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. 

As she tries to untangle the secrets of the glass castle, her closest relationships begin to sour. Everyone begins to question her. 

One terrible night, all the secrets that have been kept well hidden lead to an unspeakable tragedy. 

Celaena’s world shatters and she will be forced to decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie and who she is willing to fight for. 

Overall Thoughts

I wish this series would stop being so boring in the first half. 

I enjoyed Celaena’s growth and the snippets we do begin to learn about her. It makes me even more interested in this series because I can feel it’s going to take a completely different turn. 

The romance didn’t hold my attention in this book, primarily because I was not a fan of who the love interest was. 

A good read, but I feel like this book is just a drop in the bucket that is all that’s to happen in this series. 

So a solid 4 stars out of 5 stars from me. 

Full Crown of Midnight review here

The Assassin’s Blade

Goodreads / Storygraph

Summary

Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless assassin’s guild, she yields and trusts no one except her fellow assassin, Sam. 

When Arobynn Hamel, Celaena’s master, sends her on a mission that takes her to remote islands, she finds herself acting independently from Arobynn’s wishes. 

But defying Arobynn comes with a harsh punishment and puts Celaena’s closest friend, Sam, directly in danger. 

This prequel to Throne of Glass features five novellas that weave together Celaena’s early years.

Novellas included are:

• The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

• The Assassin and the Healer

• The Assassin and the Desert

• The Assassin and the Underworld

• The Assassin and the Empire

Overall Thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, so far in the series, I would have read this one first instead of third. 

I just disliked interrupting the series to go back and I feel like Throne of Glass would have had more of an impact. 

These stories were woven together so cleverly, it truly felt like one long story, rather than 5 short ones. 

This is definitely a required read, and I would not skip it by any means. I have a feeling we are going to see a lot of the characters introduced in this series soon in future books. 

This one gets another 4 stars out of 5 stars. 

Full The Assassin’s Blade review here

Overall Takeaway

I’m beginning to see why everyone loves this series. I also truly think this series is Sarah J Maas’s best writing. 

I absolutely loved ACOTAR, but I could feel the decline as the series continued. Not just in the writing, but the plot and characters as well. 

But back to this series, having now read the first three books, I don’t agree with the reading order I chose. 

All three were a slog to get through the first half, I might as well have saved myself the added torture and read The Assassin’s Blade first.

Reading Throne of Glass first is considered the more “romantic” reading order, but I would have to disagree.

Reading Throne of Glass second would have made a bigger impact on the story overall.

There were so many little instances that would have felt more solid if I knew the context from The Assassin’s Blade first. 

As for the question of whether or not the series is worth continuing?

Absolutely! 

The first three books do a great job of setting up the world, helping us understand Celaena and her history/motivations. 

There is still so much more to learn and characters to meet and I am beyond excited to continue the series.

The first three books are definitely interesting in their own right. But I really hope the rest of the series 

Have you read the first three books in the Throne of Glass series? What are your thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments! 

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