Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Written By Steph Schrader

  • MAIN THEMES:

    • Deadly Assassin Protagonist (morally grey FMC)

    • Survival Tournament

    • Secret Identity

    • Political Intrigue

    • Love Triangle

    • Murder Mystery

When I started reading the ACOTAR series, I kept hearing that Throne of Glass was the superior series from Sarah J. Maas. I wasn't sure what to think diving in; was this going to be over-hyped given how much online content and clout is currently surrounding ACOTAR? Or had my fyp influenced me to start with the "meh" series and not the best one? I knew that ACOTAR, TOG and Crescent City series were all related, so I was at least excited to learn another timeline in Massverse.

Well... they weren't lying. Everything that frustrated me about Feyre, I found in Celaena - she's fierce, unstoppable, insufferably confident, and REFUSES to lose (I'm convinced she's a double fire sign - maybe an Aries sun, Leo rising?). 

This book centers around Celaena, the once feared Adarlan Assassin, being "freed" from the slave camps by Prince Dorian of Adarlan to be his champion in an almost Hunger Games-style competition to become the King's Champion and earn her freedom. Celaena hides her identity from the other competitors and is clearly the underdog going into the competition with her being the only woman and severly malnourished upon her arrival. 

As time goes on, other champions are found murdered and mutilated and it becomes clear that something or someone is hunting them. Throne of Glass is a tale of survival, resilience, secrets, and magical mysteries that had me surprised with plot twists throughout the book. The love triangle between Dorian, Celaena, and Chaol was also extremely fun as there are a lot of dynamics in play (best friends, Captain of the Guard and his Crown Prince, Champion, Investor, and Trainer...). There isn't really any spice, however. Just some suggestive language here and there, but I think it was perfect. While the love story within the survival story is an imperative plot point, it didn't distract from everything else going on. There is a lot of blood and gore though, which makes me hesitate to say this could almost be labeled YA. Maybe for older young readers, like 16+. I haven't finished the rest of the series, obviously, so I don't know if they become more explicit or not - TBD on that. 

The book moved swiftly and I found it hard to put down. I actually finished it in 2.5 days! In fact, I loved the plot and strong FMC sooo much, that this is getting crowned my Favorite Mainstream Read of 2026 so far!

Also, can we PLEASE talk about how STUNNING this 3D Special Edition of Throne of Glass is by AcryliPicsBookishNook is?! They use this technology to create 3D designs on the page edges, the paper feels like you're reading an old and well-loved book, and the dust jacket is velvety soft. They have the first 4 books in the TOG series, as well as most of the ACOTAR and series by other authors. Fully and utterly completely worth the money. This isn’t a sponsored post, btw… I bought this with my own money AND the next 3 books because it was so stunning.

Moral of the story: TOG IS superior to ACOTAR and I kind of wish I had started with it, however, I may not have made it past book 1 of ACOTAR if I had.

Trigger Warnings:

  • Imprisonment/Slavery

  • Physical Abuse

  • Violence & Murder

  • Blood, Gore, and Torture References

  • Grief & Trauma

  • Oppression & Tyranny

  • Animal Violence

  • Alcohol Consumption

  • Romantic Jealousy

Steph Schrader
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A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas