Alright, alright people! I finally know who this Rowan Whitethorn fellow is that everyone seems to be going on about all of the time. Now why we had to wait until Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) for him to show up, is beyond me. Get on the ball here, Maas!
Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak―but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life―and her future―forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?
The bestselling series that has captured readers all over the world reaches new heights in this sequel to the New York Times best-selling Crown of Midnight. Packed with heart-pounding action, fierce new characters, and swoon-worthy romance, this third book will enthrall readers from start to finish.
The Good
- Rowan – Okay, I get why people become so annoyed with the asshole guy cliché. However, I am not one of those people. I cannot get enough of them. I love their snark and sass, their antisocial behavior, and that they don’t fall in love with the MC as soon as they see them. I enjoy the buildup as we get to know more about them and learn their history. And if I’m being honest, I will always immediately choose them over the nice guy. I won’t apologize for the fact that nice guys bore me to tears in books. So basically Rowan has now replaced Chaol as my favorite. Sorry Chaol, I guess our love was never meant to last (kind of like yours and Celaena’s hahaha!… Too soon?).
- The Climax – I really enjoyed that dramatic ending. I think it was veryyyyyy much needed after nothing really happening for the majority of the book. I also think it was a really good catalyst to start the actual climax for the entire series. It needed to happen before the story could ever reach the beginning of the end, so to speak. Does that make sense?
- Aedion – Yeah, he’s a badass. I just wish his charm and cockiness wasn’t all an act though.
The Bad
- Info Dump – Guys, this book left me even more confused than I already was about all of the Fae history and mythology. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT! I feel like there’s just too much going on that it’s hard to keep track of who is who and what they did, etc. Is it just me who is suffering from WTF syndrome? Does it get any better? Is it going to get worse? Will I have completely lost my mind by the end of this series?! Stay tuned to find out!
- Pacing – This book could’ve definitely cut out at least 100 pages and been perfectly fine. There was too much of nothing really happening during Celaena’s training. Unfortunately, I feel like this is an issue for almost all of Maas’ books. They tend to be too long which can be a turnoff for some people. I love big books, don’t get me wrong, but in this case it’s just unnecessary.
- Chaol and Dorian – Their chapters in this book were just uninteresting to me. Chaol is suffering from some serious issues that I find completely annoying and stupid (kind of like Tamlin in ACOMAF). And I’m just bored by Dorian as a character in general, and have been since the first book. I like that he grew a backbone at the end of this book but I think it took to long to happen. And Chaol? Yeah, you did help out a bit but you need to get over yourself and stop whining!
All in all, this was not my favorite book in this series so far. In fact, if it had just been a whole book following the sarcastic and sassy conversations between Celaena and Rowan – it would’ve been a 5 star hit! #needmoreRowan
Final Verdict: 3/5 Stars
What are your thoughts on this book? Do you agree with my assessment? Which book is your favorite in the Throne of Glass series so far? Are you Team Dorian, Team Chaol, Team Rowan, or even Team Aedion?
Wonderfilled Reads 
FINE. More Chaol for me.
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Hahaha I used to love him too but he’s gone all whiny and I can’t handle it!
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This is why I haven’t read ACOMAF yet. I loveeed Tamlin. I’m not ready to not like both of my babies ;( Dammit Maas.
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Blahhhh, I didn’t care for Tamlin in ACOTAR. He was soooo boring and had like zero personality. I was a Rhys fan as soon as he showed up to that party. I love a smartass haha.
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lol and this is where we differ. Atleast we know we won’t ever fight over the same guy now hahha
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So true!!! 😂😂😂
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Haha! I’m actually glad to hear she didn’t just settle for the typically good guy. I only read the first one and Dorian was a whole lot more fun. She’s only 18 for goodness sake, no need to date a killjoy!
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Hahahaha I’m more upset that I actually really liked Chaol in the first two books and then Maas decides to do a 180 on him and turn him into this guy who’s only job is to bitch and moan about everything. I’m sensing a pattern in her writing……
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WAY TOO SOON! Poor Chaol!
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Hahaha! I couldn’t help myself, it was just too easy! And I really was rooting for those two in Crown of Midnight. I just feel like Maas purposefully wrote Chaol into a crappy character in this book, which ruined him for me.
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Love this review! I haven’t read the second book yet, much less this one, but the bits and pieces I’ve heard about Rowan have piqued my interest. Hell yes to guys who don’t immediately collapse into a puddle of adoring lust at the heroine’s feet.
That quote-picture is gorgeous and well chosen, by the way. If you made it yourself, major props. =)
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Thank you so much! Yeah, Rowan, and to a lesser extent Aedion, bring something much needed to this series I think. I like how they expanded the characters and brought some diversity to the group personality-wise. I was getting a little tired of all of the good boys lol… And thank you! I do use Canva for all of my images since I’m too cheap to buy Photoshop haha, but they all are my own! They’re probably what takes me the longest to do when it comes to my reviews haha. 😊
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It’s important to have a diverse personality set in your reverse harem, for sure. Otherwise, what’s the point? =)
Making images is definitely time-consuming. Yours are always gorgeous, though. *Thumbs up.*
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Exactly!!
Awww, thank you so much! It’s nice to know that someone enjoys them! ☺️
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I was holding the second book in my hand today at BAM. I hate info dumps and the pacing was horribly slow and then had an abrupt ending with ToG. This series… 😂 Nice review! 🙂
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Hahaha the second book is the best so far in my opinion and I know a ton of people enjoyed this one as well. I definitely think you should finish this series though so I can read your reviews lol!
As for the info dump, I feel like I’m the only one who’s having trouble understanding all of the lore. Maybe I’m just too stupid to understand hahaha! 😂
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Haha! Just so you can read my reviews. lol I plan to finish it, most likely in 2017. My TBR is stacked with ARCs. My focus is 80% ARCs and 20% purchased books. I thought ToG was info dump and slow paced. I’m not at all surprised this one had it. It’s not you. I have no doubt it’s the book. 😂
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Ahhhh, well I can totally understand that then. I think I’m over ARCs. I hate reading books on my Kindle so unless I’m getting a physical copy – I just can’t lol… Haha well I can’t wait for when you do read them. I think you’ll enjoy Rowan too. 😉😂
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Welcome to the Rowaelin ship!
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I never understood it… Until now. 😂😍
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I agree the pacing in this book was very slow and it did had too much info dump and not enough action. Queen of Shadows actually fixed that problem and you begin to like the Rowan and Cealena/Aelin ship, and I know that disappointed a lot of Chaol girls. Great review!
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Ah, good! I’m glad to know I wasn’t the only one who was having a hard time with all of the new information!.. And I’m already 100% onboard this ship. I can totally dig it. 😂
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Excellent review! I really enjoyed book one but am so torn about continuing this story after DNF’ing book two. I’d wanted more of Princess Nehemia and her friendship with Caelena but then couldn’t get past all the romantic fixation of the opening.
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Thank you! Yeah, it definitely starts out focusing on the romance until you get deeper into the mystery. But I have to say that I was never a fan of Nehemia so I didn’t have that problem! I felt like I was supposed to like her so it had the opposite effect on me haha. I definitely recommend trying it again at some point as their friendship has major implications going forward.
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I never liked chaol not even in book 1
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Really? See I was never a huge Dorian fan. I thought he was okay for a side character but then he lost what charm he did have by the second book.
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I was the exact opposite lmao
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Hahahaha! 😂
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WELCOME WELCOME. So, you’ve read Heir of Fire! Is Queen of Shadows next?
I have to agree that the length of HoF was a tad too long. But can we agree on the fact that Aelin slayed like a queen at the end?!
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Yeah, I’m going to get to it eventually. Im taking a mini break though and reading some other books before I get back to it, probably towards the end of next month. And yessss, she totally went badass at the end!!
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