Crown of Midnight: Sarah J. Maas: 2 (Throne of Glass)

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In conclusion, Sarah J. Maas took all the good stuff from Throne of Glass like action and romance, increased them dramatically and added great insight into characters and elaborated on previously hinted history of fae ancestors and magic abilities. A definite 5*. And he had just sent her into the arms of her strongest potential allies: to the homeland of her mother, the kingdom of her cousin, and the domain of her aunt, Queen Maeve of the Fae. Lightning flashed, illuminating the hallway. The assassin took a long breath, going over the plans she’d painstakingly memorized in the three days she’d been watching the manor house on the outskirts of Bellhaven. Five doors on each side. Lord Nirall’s bedroom was the third on the left. Dorian Havilliard stood beside his father’s throne—and she could feel his sapphire eyes fixed on her. At the foot of the dais, always between her and the royal family, stood Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Guard. She looked up at him from the shadows of her hood, taking in the lines of his face. For all the expression he showed, she might as well have been a stranger. But that was expected, and it was just part of the game they’d become so skilled at playing these past few months. Chaol might be her friend, might be someone she’d somehow come to trust, but he was still captain—still responsible for the royal lives in this room above all others. The king spoke.

He wouldn't let his servants change the sheets on his bed because they still smelled like her, because he went to sleep dreaming that she was still lying beside him.” 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 Celaena learns that Lady Kaltain, the one who poisoned her during her final battle in Throne of Glass, is imprisoned and she goes for a visit. Kaltain says that something is coming and that she hears the sound of wings in her dreams, and she seems to have lost it a little, but Kaltain also wonders whether the King and Perrington brought her to the castle not just to marry Perrington, but for a bigger purpose. Later, Celaena finds out that Kaltain’s family used to have magic, or at least some kind of power, and that that might be the reason the King has brought her to Rifthold.

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He would move on. Because he would not be like the ancient kings in the song and keep her for himself. She deserved a loyal, brave knight who saw her for what she was and did not fear her. And he deserved someone who would look at him like that, even if the love wouldn't be the same, even if the girl wouldn't be her.

When Celaena is released, she is completely numb. Her only plan is avenging Nehemia’s death and murder her assassin. From the way Nehemia was butchered, she figures out she was killed by Grave, the asshole assassin she beat in the finale of the Champion competition. She goes to find Grave and slaughters him, but not before learning that Minister Mullison, whose Champion he was, paid him to kill Nehemia, because she was against his idea of making more room for more slaves in the salt mines of Calculla. Celaena brings Grave’s head to Minister Mullison, and he is imprisoned by the King. Celaena cleans out Nehemia’s room (poor baby) and finds out more about the riddle. Mainly, she realizes that “It is only with the eye that one can see rightly” applies not to the Eye of Elena, but to Damaris, the sword that belonged to Gavin, the first King of Adarlan and Elena’s husband. She uses the sword to look through the other eye, and finds another riddle. This riddle talks about three things hidden in different places (one in a starry cell, one in a volcano, and one hidden completely). Yay more riddles. Also, Nehemia knew about the tomb even before Celaena brought her there. Mort tells her that it was Nehemia getting rid of the ridderak’s body all those months ago. Nehemia accuses Celaena of becoming the king’s puppet, so Celaena tells Nehemia she hasn’t actually killed anyone. She also tells her about the riddle in Davis’s book and shows her Elena’s chamber. They try to figure out the riddle but they can’t, but at least Nehemia can figure it out with her. They find an eye shaped Wyrdmark in the wall which you can only see from a certain angle, but when they look through it, they only see another wall. Hmmm.Chaol decides the safest place for Celaena is away from the king and Adarlan. He goes to his father, who has been at the castle counseling the king, and works out a deal. He says he wants to send Celaena to the rival country of Wendlyn to dispatch the royal family and learn about their military plans. In exchange for his father’s help and vote in the matter when it’s brought before the king, Chaol says he will leave his position as captain of the guard and return home to Anielle, as his father has wanted for so long. The king ultimately agrees to this plan. Celaena goes to visit Baba Yellowlegs to talk about the second riddle. Yellowlegs threatens to tell her what Dorian came to ask her, so Celaena realizes she has to kill the witch. But first, answers. It turns out the three things in the riddle are three Wyrdkeys to open the Wyrdgate (to other realms). All realms have a foundation in the Wyrd, and ages ago, three demons slipped through, the Valg. Thse Valg destroyed part of the Gate to create three keys, which meant they could control the evil within. The Fae found out, and they hid the keys. According to the witch, the King of Adarlan has at least one key, which makes sense because how else could he have destroyed magic? The witch then ruins everything by trying to kill Celaena, but Celaena manages to cut off her head. Vivid Celaena, loving and brutally violent in turn, is a fully realized heroine… An epic fantasy readers will immerse themselves in and never want to leave.” Chaol stiffened at that, but the king waved his hand and the captain approached her, his face still blank as he extended a piece of paper to Celaena.

Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become the King’s Champion. But she is far from loyal to the crown. Though she goes to great lengths to hide her secret, her deadly charade becomes more difficult when she realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. Her search for answers ensnares those closest to her, and no one is safe from suspicion-not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a princess with a rebel heart. Who said anything about shame?" She gestured down to her naked body, even though it was covered by the blanket. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're not strutting about, boasting to everyone. I certainly would be if I'd tumbled me. The king waved a hand at her, the obsidian ring on his finger gleaming in the afternoon light. “Is it done?”Celaena hides a secret from everyone, and she is actually a princess from the Land of the Lilies, a country that is being destroyed by the King of Adarlan. If Celaena wins the competition, she will be able to save her people and restore her kingdom. Then Celaena goes to pay her respects to Nehemia, and sings her an ancient song. Chaol overhears, and he starts wondering about Celaena’s past. She’d heard whispers of rebel forces before she’d gone to Endovier—she’d met fallen rebels in the salt mines. But to have an actual movement growing in the heart of the capital; to have her be the one to dispatch them one by one … And plans—what plans? What did the rebels know of the king’s maneuverings? She shoved the questions down, down, down, until there was no possibility of his reading them on her face. Celaena is hanging out in Chaol’s room and they start talking about people they loved. Celaena tells him about Sam and Chaol tells her about a girl he used to love that Roland stole from him. Then they also talk about Rourke Farran, the asshole who killed Sam in The Assassin’s Blade, and how Farran has been dead for nine months. Chaol tells her that Farran was murdered by Wesley (PRECIOUS WESLEY), Arobynn Hamel’s former bodyguard who tried to warn Celaena that getting revenge on Farran was a trap, a trap which lead to her being sent to Endovier. Then Chaol tells her that Wesley is dead as well, murdered by Arobynn and spiked on the gates of Farran’s house. Celaena finally lets herself consider the fact that it was Arobynn who betrayed her over a year ago (duh). She crept to the edge of the bed. It wasn’t her place to ask questions. Her job was to obey. Her freedom depended on it. With each step toward Lord Nirall, she ran through the plan again.