Review: Crown of Midnight

Author: Sarah J. Mass
Date of Publication: August 27,2013
Pages: 420
Source: Bought

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. 

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

AMAZON / GOODREADS

Review:
"Ms. Maas you had me scared there. Never mind, now you have me terrified." That was my reaction throughout the novel and just when I thought she was giving me a break, we were on another hell of a ride. Needless to say, I thought Crown of Midnight was fabulous. 

The book starts out with a bang. It's now only a few months after the events of the previous novel and Celaena is going out on missions as the King's official Champion. Everything is dark and mysterious; dangers lie at every twist and turn. It's next to impossible to peel your eyes off the pages in fear that something will happen and you'll miss it

The characters in Crown of Midnight really impressed me. We got to know and fall in love with and hate many of the characters in Throne of Glass, but in Crown of Midnight we start seeing the grey streaks in all their personalities. A lot of that is due to the multiple narratives in Crown of Midnight. Through it we got to see more of Chaol. *Swoons* Chivalry anyone? Chaol is the definition of the right and honourable man. In this book, we get to see more of him and his growing relationship with Celaena. It's really nice to see the fun young man behind the Captain of the Guard's uniform. And as the plot progresses we get to see more of him and the extent of his honour and loyalty; he is really lovable. 

I also liked Celaena. Going into Throne of Glass I was expecting a strong and kickass female assassin deserving of the title, Adarlan's Assassin. What I found was a strong and courageous girl but I felt like she pranced around in pretty dresses more than I would've liked for a deadly assassin. The dresses are still around in Crown of Midnight but we also get to see more of her as an assassin. We get to see more of her past and started to see more about how Celaena earned her reputation as Adarlan's Assassin. After finishing the book, Celaena has officially joined my list of kickass protagonists. 

One of the greatest components of fantasy books are the incredible worlds built by the authors. Ms. Maas has done a phenomenal job with this one. If I had any artistic ability whatsoever, I would draw Adarlan and hang it on my wall. Everything from the castle to the crypts underneath and the city, was so enchanting. I was always looking forward to the next time Celaena ventured into the city or even outside her room. 

Evidently, world building was a big part of Crown of Midnight, the places introduced in the first book were explored in this one to a fulfilling degree. I can't wait to see what else is brought to the table in the next four installments.

Overall, if you haven't noticed yet, I recommend this book and series. It's fun, exciting, and suspenseful. You can count on it to keep you on the edge of your seat. My only problem was that the suspense was sometimes dragged to an unnecessary amount. There were half truths told only to end up telling all of it once everything blew up in their face. However, as an action adventure junkie, Crown of Midnight kept me happy and interested so I don't have much to complain about. I loved it from start to finish. 

-MARI