Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass
The covers of the prequel novella collection and first five books
  • The Assassin's Blade
  • Throne of Glass
  • Crown of Midnight
  • Heir of Fire
  • Queen of Shadows
  • Empire of Storms
  • Tower of Dawn
  • Kingdom of Ash
Author Sarah J. Maas
Country United States
Language English
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Published August 2, 2012 – present
Media type Print

Throne of Glass is a young adult high fantasy novel series by American author Sarah J. Maas, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name, released in August 2012. The story follows the journey of Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assassin in a corrupted kingdom with a tyrannical ruler. As the tale progresses, Celaena forms unexpected bonds and uncovers a conspiracy amidst her adventures. The series is set to conclude with the seventh book in October 2018.

The series has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list, and has been optioned for a television series adaptation by Mark Gordon and will premiere on Hulu.

Overview

Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin in the kingdom of Adarlan. After being imprisoned for a year by the king, she accepts his son's offer to compete with other assassins and thieves for a chance to serve as the king's champion, after four years of which, she would be granted freedom. This leads her to form unexpected bonds with Chaol, the captain of the guard, and Dorian, the crown prince of Adarlan. Over time, Celaena is drawn into a conspiracy and a series of battles, leading to discoveries surrounding both the kingdom and herself.[1]

Books of the series

No.TitlePublication dateCountsISBN
–The Assassin's BladeMarch 13, 2014118,431 words / 435 pages[2] ISBN 9781619635173
A collection of stories set prior to the Throne of Glass series, including four novellas previously published in e-book format: 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.[3] 
1Throne of GlassAugust 2, 2012113,655 words / 406 pages[4] ISBN 9781619630345
After a year of slavery, an infamous teenage assassin named Celaena is given the chance to become the tyrannical king's personal assassin by representing Prince Dorian in a competition against the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. She must survive every test and trial in order to proceed to the final, in which she has to fight her remaining opponents to the death. As candidates are found dead in the castle, their bodies ruptured, Celaena finds herself delving deep into mysteries concerning not only her, but her very own ancestors. 
2Crown of MidnightAugust 27, 2013114,494 words / 420 pages[5] ISBN 9781619630642
Celaena, the King's Champion, must win her freedom by butchering every person the king asks her to, but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. With every death she fakes, she puts her close friends at risk. Celaena must choose between a captain and a prince, and battle forces more threatening than the king. She also reunites with an old colleague, becomes obsessed with a rebel movement, and learns more about the king's source of power. 
3Heir of FireSeptember 2, 2014163,266 words / 569 pages[6] ISBN 9781619630673
Celaena travels to Wendlyn, where she must train as a Fae with the immortal warrior Rowan Whitethorn. Tensions high between them, the pair have to work together to stop evil forces from rising, as well as learning to accept herself as the Queen of Terrasen. Meanwhile, in Adarlan, Chaol teams with General Aedion Ashryver to rebel against the king. Manon Blackbeak, an immortal witch, competes in a competition against other witches in order to become the leader of the clan. 
4Queen of ShadowsSeptember 1, 2015183,840 words / 648 pages[7] ISBN 9781619636064
Stronger than ever, Aelin Galathynius returns to Adarlan, but this time she is free. She teams up with Chaol and the King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel, determined to get her revenge for over ten years of pain. Manon is forced to use her witches to produce evil monsters as weapons. She befriends Elide Lochan, a servant girl who is the rightful lady of Perranth. 
5Empire of StormsSeptember 6, 2016195,332 words / 689 pages[8] ISBN 9781619636071
Aelin is determined to never turn her back on her kingdom again. Cashing in debts to raise an army, Aelin and her court travel around Erilea in an attempt to stop Lord Erawan of the Valg from destroying the world, but with so many sworn enemies in want of revenge, including Queen Maeve of the Fae, survival seems unlikely. Aelin begins to realise that there are events in her life which may not have happened by coincidence; in fact, many have been pulling strings in the background long before she was born. 
6Tower of DawnSeptember 5, 2017191,282 words / 660 pages[9] ISBN 9781681195773
Taking place around the same time as Empire of Storms, Chaol Westfall travels to the Southern Continent with Nesryn Faliq to receive treatment from the gifted healers there, and to raise a powerful army against the Valg. Yrene Towers' attempts of healing him lead to her becoming entangled in Chaol's past. Meanwhile, Nesryn improves relations with her family during her stay, and befriends Prince Sartaq. 
7Kingdom of Ash[10]October 23, 2018[10]TBA ISBN 9781619636101

Characters of the series

  • Celaena Sardothien - Eighteen years old, trained from childhood to become an assassin, she was betrayed by her master and imprisoned in the salt mines of Endovier with the expectation that she would die, and ended up surviving for an entire year. Before her capture, she was known to most as Adarlan's Assassin. Due to this, she gets offered an opportunity to participate in a competition to become the King's Champion, an assassin in service to the King of Adarlan. If she wins she must remain in the King's service for four years and then she will be granted her freedom and a full pardon. During the contest, she adopts the persona of Lillian Gordaina, a jewel thief from Bellhaven, to avoid her identity being revealed and a target painted on her back because of it.
  • Prince Dorian Havilliard - He is the Crown Prince of Adarlan. He chooses Celaena to be his contender for the competition to become his father's champion. He tries at times to stand up against his father, especially when it comes to Celaena, but he is never fully able to defy his father. He is a real lady's man and some ladies are after him so that they can become queen when he attains the throne. He is also good-looking and tries to charm Celaena who is at times charmed by him. His best friend is the Captain of the Guard Chaol Westfall. In the novel it seems that he too has some feelings for Celaena. In the first book, he has a brief affair with Celaena, but she quickly ends it.
  • Chaol Westfall - He is the Captain of the Guard and is very wary of Celaena throughout the book because he knows very well how big a threat she is to the kingdom. He is very close to Dorian and is willing to sacrifice his life for Dorian. Throughout the book he helps Celaena get back into shape during the tournament and trains diligently with her every morning. In the second book, he enters into a love affair with Celaena. This is ended after the murder of Nehemia; Celaena blamed Chaol for it.
  • Princess Nehemia Ytger - She is a princess of the kingdom of Eyllwe. Eyllwe is deciding to rely on Adarlan so that they won't be killed. She pretends that she can only speak in her native tongue and doesn't understand what people say when they are speaking. She is a very strong-willed person and refuses to be looked down upon. Her weapon is her staff that the people from her kingdom produce. She is able to communicate with Celaena because Celaena can speak in Nehemia's language although not perfectly. She has Celaena teach her how to speak the common tongue.
  • Nox Owens- He is a young thief who is also participating in the competition to become the King's champion. He doesn't know who Celeana really is because Dorian had her pose as a young lady from a merchant family in Bellhaven. He befriends Celaena and decides to team up with her for practice when Chaol is too busy or he can't participate. He seems to have an idea that 'Lillian' is not who she says she is the entire way through the book. Celaena helps him to improve his fighting technique too.
  • Kaltain Rompier - Kaltain is a young lady who comes from a family that is rich, but not so rich that they are widely known or have as many privileges as those in the King's court. She came to the palace as the guest of Duke Perrington so that she could get close to Dorian because she wanted to become his bride. She is addicted to opium because she has frequent headaches. She is also willing to do anything to become Dorian's bride and to be in a position of power.[11]
  • Cain - Cain is Duke Perrington's Champion in the king's competition. He is a hulking brute who is everyone's favorite to win. He comes from the White Fang Mountains and was in the king's army.
  • The King of Adarlan - Dorian's unnamed father and the ruler of the Adarlanian Empire. He is the current monarch of the Empire and Head of House Havilliard.

Development

Background

Sarah J. Maas has cited Disney's Cinderella as an inspiration for writing Throne of Glass. While viewing the scene in which the heroine flees the ball, Maas found the soundtrack "way too dark and intense". This led her to re-imagine a number of details. "The music fit much better when I imagined a thief—no, an assassin!—fleeing the palace," she said. "But who was she? Who had sent her to kill the prince? Who might the prince's enemies be? A powerful, corrupt empire, perhaps?"[12]

Originally known as Queen of Glass, the story initially appeared on FictionPress.com.[12] Bloomsbury acquired the novel in 2010, and purchased two additional Throne of Glass novels in 2012.[13] Publicist Emma Bradshaw noted Maas' "huge online following, particularly in the US".[14] Additionally, Throne of Glass became the first Bloomsbury children's novel to be featured on Netgalley.com, attracting requests "from all over the world."[14] During the story's time on FictionPress.com, artist Kelly de Groot drew a map of the tale's world, Erilea, and shared it with Maas. Bloomsbury later hired de Groot to draw the map which appears in the opening novel.[15]

Following its acquisition by Bloomsbury, the story went through a number of revisions prior to publication. Regarding the tale's development, Maas stated, "In the 10 years that I've been working on the series, Throne of Glass has become more of an original epic fantasy than a Cinderella retelling, but you can still find a few nods to the legend here and there."[14]

Characters

Maas envisioned Celaena Sardothien as a strong and capable heroine, and was inspired by both male and female protagonists.[16]

In an interview prior to the series' debut, Maas discussed the process of creating her protagonist:[17]

The story's teenage heroine, Celaena Sardothien, is introduced as an orphan who was raised and trained by an assassin. She is characterized as skilled, arrogant, and witty. While shaping her protagonist, Maas was inspired by the heroism of Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings, and by the characterization of Velma Kelly from Chicago. Maas has stated that the latter's "arrogance and fierceness made me want to write about a woman like her—about a woman who never once said sorry for being talented and determined and utterly in love with herself."[18]

The author ultimately designed Celaena as a highly capable character whose talents also form a basis for numerous faults. In interviews preceding the series' release, Maas noted her heroine's issues with "impatience" and "vanity".[17] She also suggested that Celaena would grow while adjusting to her new role.[16] In addition to Celaena's skills as an assassin, Maas wanted the character to have several traits and hobbies befitting her age,[19] including a fondness for "shopping, books, and fine dining", as well as a "penchant for getting into trouble."[20]

In creating the friendship between Celaena and Chaol, Maas gave the characters a number of differences. As the story begins, Chaol is introduced as a strict and ethical captain, while Celaena is presented as a morally ambiguous assassin. According to the author, this contrast contributes to Chaol's character development as his bond with Celaena grows. Amidst their experiences, Chaol eventually comes to view her not just as a captive criminal, but also "as a human being."[21] While writing the novel, Maas envisioned Chaol as a character who had "always seen the world in black and white," and concluded that "Celaena just throws a wrench in that."[21]

Prince Dorian is presented as a suitor for Celaena as well. However, their relationship is complicated by his status as the crown prince.[22]

Release

Publicity

In anticipation of the series' debut, Bloomsbury released e-book editions of four prequel novellas—The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld, and The Assassin and the Empire—between January and July 2012.[23] Throne of Glass was previewed by Publishers Weekly in February, while the book trailer premiered on MTV.com in May.[24][25] Additionally, film option rights were acquired by Creative Artists Agency.[26]

Reception

Throne of Glass has received generally positive reviews, making its debut on the New York Times Best Seller list with the release of the second novel, Crown of Midnight.[27] A review from Publishers Weekly lauded the series' opening as a "strong debut novel." The review went on to state, "This is not cuddly romance, but neither is it grim. Celaena is trained to murder, yet she hasn’t lost her taste for pretty dresses or good books, and a gleam of optimism tinges her outlook. Maas tends toward overdescription, but the verve and freshness of the narration make for a thrilling read."[28] The Guardian gave it 5 stars out of 5 with the author of the review stating that the main character, Celaena, was more "relatable" than most other female protagonists.[29] In her review for USA Today, Serena Chase called Celaena a "next-level Cinderella".[11]

Kirkus stated, "A teenage assassin, a rebel princess, menacing gargoyles, supernatural portals and a glass castle prove to be as thrilling as they sound." With regard to the protagonist, Kirkus noted that "Celaena is still just a teenager trying to forge her way, giving the story timelessness. She might be in the throes of a bloodthirsty competition, but that doesn't mean she's not in turmoil over which tall, dark and handsomely titled man of the royal court should be her boyfriend—and which fancy gown she should wear to a costume party." The review concluded that the story's "commingling of comedy, brutality and fantasy evokes a rich alternate universe with a spitfire young woman as its brightest star."[19]

Throne of Glass was named Amazon.com's "Best Book of the Month for Kids & Teens" in August 2012.[30] Whitney Kate Sullivan of Romantic Times stated that "Maas' YA fantasy world is one of the most compelling that this reviewer has visited all year. The assassin heroine's growth and the multilayered secondary characters are amazing."[31] Serena Chase of USA Today applauded the story's love triangle, and noted that "Maas excels at world building, spicing up this unusual take on the Cinderella story by injecting myths, fairy tales and religious traditions with the magic of a fresh and faulted world. Whereas many authors rely on geographic detail to build their worlds, Maas' environment is more politically driven and her characterizations are deftly drawn to support that sort of structure." Chase also commended Maas for creating "a truly remarkable heroine who doesn't sacrifice the grit that makes her real in order to do what's right in the end."[32]

Television adaptation

In September 2016, it was announced that the Throne of Glass series had been opted for a television adaptation produced by Hulu. The series is set to be titled Queen of Shadows, named after the fourth novel in the series, with the Mark Gordon Company serving as the main project studio. The adaptation will be written by Kira Snyder from The 100, with the pilot potentially being directed by Anna Foerster from Underworld: Blood Wars.[33]

References

  1. ↑ "Throne of Glass". goodreads.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  2. ↑ "The Assassin's Blade". Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. ↑ Sarah, Maas (August 12, 2013). "Big News: Announcing The THRONE OF GLASS Novella Collection". goodreads.com. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Throne of Glass". Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Crown of Midnight". Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Heir of Fire". Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Queen of Shadows". Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Empire of Storms". Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Tower of Dawn". Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Maas, Sarah J. (April 4, 2018). "Just a liiiiiittle surprise for you guys today!!! 😎😁💕 I'm knee-deep in edits for this baby (such a relief/joy to finally be able to call it KINGDOM OF ASH!), and can't wait for you guys to read it this October (note the date change! It's now coming out a full week earlier than we'd initially announced)!! Eeeeee!!! 💖💖💖 #kingdomofash #throneofglass #crownofmidnight #heiroffire #queenofshadows #empireofstorms #theassassinsblade #towerofdawn". Instagram. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Chase, Serena (16 August 2012). "Review: 'Throne of Glass' by Sarah J. Maas". USA Today.
  12. 1 2 Maas, Sarah (April 14, 2011). "I hear music…Mighty fine music…". Let The Words Flow. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  13. ↑ Maas, Sarah (January 16, 2012). "Big News Reveal (Part 2)". goodreads.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 Page, Benedicte (July 27, 2012). "Free Prequels For Bloomsbury's Assassin". bookseller.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  15. ↑ Maas, Sarah (July 31, 2012). "The Story Behind the Map in Throne of Glass". sjmaas.livejournal.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Interview With Sarah J. Maas". hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy.com. July 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  17. 1 2 "Interview with Sarah J. Maas". yabookreads.com. December 8, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  18. ↑ Cypess, Leah (August 8, 2012). "Interview With Sarah J. Maas, author of Throne of Glass". Enchanted Inkpot. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Throne of Glass review". Kirkus Reviews. May 2, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  20. ↑ Maas, Sarah (August 18, 2010). "Celaena Through The Years". sjmaas.livejournal.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  21. 1 2 Maas, Sarah (February 5, 2009). "Long Entry About Writing and Inspiration". sjmaas.livejournal.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  22. ↑ Maas, Sarah (December 15, 2008). "What I'd Write, Dogs". sjmaas.livejournal.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  23. ↑ Dennard, Susan (January 21, 2012). "The Assassin and the Pirate Lord". publishingcrawl.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Fall 2012 Sneak Previews". Publishers Weekly. February 20, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  25. ↑ Rosenfield, Kat (May 14, 2012). "Peep The EXCLUSIVE Trailer For Throne Of Glass". MTV. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  26. ↑ "I Have A Film Agent". goodreads.com. January 21, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Heir of Fire". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Children's Review: Throne of Glass". Publishers Weekly. June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas - review". The Guardian. 4 January 2015.
  30. ↑ "Best Books of the Month for Kids & Teens". Amazon.com. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  31. ↑ Sullivan, Whitney. "Book Review: Throne of Glass". Romantic Times. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  32. ↑ Chase, Serena (August 16, 2012). "Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas". USA Today. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  33. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (2016-09-07). "TV Series Adaptation Of 'Throne of Glass' Books From Mark Gordon Co. Set at Hulu". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
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