Throne of Glass Series Predictions

Img credited to Tumblr So I kind of dropped the ball with the blog tour post for this week, but that's because I was getting all my faculties in order. Which is code for being obsessed with filming and editing for my new youtube channel. Can't help myself! But on the bright side it's been helping me work through my reading slump and has gotten me to read a bit more than I have been.

And it's also helped me appreciate the value of getting to the point quickly, so let's apply what we've learned here shall we?

Now, initially when I first mapped out this post I was preparing for talking about my predictions for the series' conclusion. That was until I discovered this:



Holy flucking what. WHAT? What is the meaning of this?!

I'm sorry but did I miss the part when this was announced to be Not A Trilogy? A chucklehead like me could have easily overlooked a detail like that, certainly, but I'm miffed I didn't know about this sooner. (Okay, so maybe she warned me but I didn't listen.)

Consequently, I'm torn between exasperation (they've expanded, perhaps unnecessarily, another trilogy), fear (this is my favorite series being tampered with here), and cautious joy (because really I'm still being offered more Celaena, Chaol, and all sorts of cool stuff -- probably, if all goes well).

So, yes, I know about this, and must adjust accordingly. With that said.

Prediction #1:
Celaena's going to get more bad-A. Like triple A, and I don't mean for your roadside convenience.

That was evident in this last book, Crown of Midnight, because all that has happened has turned her to her dark self, which still has room to grow darker. Dark is not darkest after all.

At the same time, she's also rapidly gone to weary, sad, and scarred underneath it all, and it was so heart-wrenching to see her in that state by the end. I have a feeling, especially with the series elongated, that it's only going to get unfathomably worse.

Prediction #2:
The love triangle may not have been an actual Thing To Worry About before, but I suspect Dorian is going to cause me some problems.

There were -- without being too spoilery -- some hints being dropped about Dorian having to marry a certain princess from a certain family, or he would have had terrible things not befallen her. I'd HATE to see that tiny detail resurface in a very painful way which will be unbearably agonizing for, oh, I don't know...

ME.

Prediction #3:
As for my complicated romance between my favorite Captain and my most beloved assassin, things are going to get a lot worse before things head back to the broom closet.

Sarah has proven herself to be a sufficient captor and torturer of the soul. I have no doubt she's had and will continue to have time to strengthen her skillz to levels that would rival that of *shudders* Sarah Rees Brennan. I couldn't possibly threaten the woman the same way I have Brennan, BUT that doesn't mean I'll give her a free pass or pretend this rising power doesn't worry me.

All I'll say for now is Miss Maas, I, your loyal and humble reader/obsessed fangirl, plead with you to be gentle with my heart. I'm so young. There's still so much I haven't yet lived. So please, HAVE MERCY.

And that concludes the ramblings of a cyber-addict young adult who's still lurking on the interwebs at 3am.

CROWN OF MIDNIGHT GIVEAWAY: 5 COPIES (US ONLY)

WHERE YOU CAN ENTER

Reaction to... Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas [No spoilers!]

I’ve waited long for this day. I would’ve posted about this sooner, my friends, but I confess irresponsibility and absent-mindedness. I’m on vacation! But that’s neither here nor there when we’re about to discuss a little delight presented to us by Sarah J. Maas. First of all, though it’s no secret, I’d like to preface this post by professing an incessant admiration for Sarah and a disturbing obsession with this series. Not sure if that necessarily makes me bias considering I have MANY reasons to feel the way I do about this series—because it is truly wonderful. Throne of Glass is absolutely a phenomenal work, a beginning to the chronicles of a young deadly assassin with a big heart torn between loyalties, prophecy, and politics, but it’s sequel I might love even deeper.

Throughout book one we spent our time getting to know Celaena and the players to be involved in her life. It was the characters that cemented my connection to this story, the action, plot, and sleuthing falling just below that important aspect but still ranking highly among those I’ve read of the same caliber. But what makes Crown of Midnight so lovely, and perhaps better than it’s predecessor, is that taking of what we already know of the characters and deepening it, darkening it. In spite of the atmosphere of the last book—with a cutthroat competition taking place—there wasn’t nearly as much of a sense of urgency and danger as in this one. The urgency in blocking the king from further spreading his evil, in the prophecy that’s slowly arising, and the danger in the part of Celaena her enemies fail to remember and, frankly, foolishly underestimate. It’s these two components that make this read incredibly compelling, and sets the tone darker than I thought possible.

Both slyly torturous and proportionately thrilling, the events of Crown of Midnight take the slight joyous air that builds for a while in the beginning and dips it straight into Celaena’s personal hell. More than that, there are some amazing revelations provided—secrets of not only Celaena’s past but of her origins and capabilities that I only vaguely guessed at—and was unsurprisingly astounded by them. Maas seemed to have a firmer grip over the pacing and a much more solid control over the plot’s consistency making the story that much more enjoyable. I recommend savoring Crown of Midnight, guys, so that you can appreciate every nuance, every miniscule detail stunningly put together.

Notice how I very carefully avoid the subject of the romance—not because it wasn’t so freaking satisfying I want to shout to the rooftops, nay that isn’t the reason. I just don’t want to spoil anything. But let’s just say that it’s as beautifully written and has so far been as agonizing as the goings-on throughout. I only hope that it ends up far better than the dreadful picture that’s already been mapped out. Every inch of this story brings you so much closer to the end of this trilogy and yet takes you so far away—I NEED the last book in this series. Need. But, yes, though the fate of Celaena’s romance hanging in the balance is a drive, it’s definitely not the only reason to beg for the final act.

I wasn’t shocked that Sarah had overcome the Sophomore Slump and thumbed her nose in victory because this series is just too fantastic, but I am surprised by the scope, depth, and wonder within this sequel. After this book, I don’t think there will EVER be reason to doubt Sarah J Maas and her affinity for storytelling—she’s written a set of soul books, books that seem to have been written with me in mind, and I’ll be forever grateful to her for it.

Hardcover / 432 pgs / Aug 27th 2013 / Bloomsbury / Goodreads / $17.99

I picked this one up at Sarah's signing during Book Expo America.