Last week, I wrote a review on the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” book series by Sara J. Maas, so this week I decided to tackle another one of Maas’ popular series. 

“Throne of Glass” is the first book that Sara J. Maas began writing at 16 years old. Maas was 26 years old when “Throne of Glass” was officially published. 

The series follows a young female assassin who is released from slavery to earn her freedom and become the king’s champion. As she competes, she learns the biggest evil isn’t the king she’s fighting to serve, but it is something much more sinister. 

The young assassin is faced with trials and an ominous prophecy that looms over her head as she fights to save the continent. 

The book series has multiple orders and ways that you can read it, so I’ll be reviewing it in the order that I chose to read it. 

“Throne of Glass” is the first book I read. It grabbed my attention from the very beginning, especially with how the main character was introduced. The book itself also did a great job with world building. It was easy to feel completely immersed in the world and the characters. However, for those that don’t typically read fantasy it can be a little daunting at first, but it is worth it. 

“Crown of Midnight” is the next book. “Crown of Midnight” continued to build the world and the characters as well as introduce new ones. “Crown of Midnight” felt a bit slower paced than “Throne of Glass,” but was still easy to adore. The ending of the book made me want to read the next one right away. 

The next one I read was “Assassin’s Blade”. This book chronologically happens before the events of “Throne of Glass”, but it is recommended to read it after “Crown of Midnight”.

It is completely agreeable with other opinions to not read it first. If I read it first, I don’t think “Assassin’s Blade” would have made me interested in the rest of the series. “Assassin’s Blade” allows more insight into the main character’s past while also giving foreshadowing to events that occur later on in the series.

The book that picks up where “Crown of Midnight” left off is “Heir of Fire”. “Heir of Fire” was a hard read for me. “Heir of Fire” introduced more consistent switching of point of view from character to character. 

The point of view changes made it hard to get into the book because it was easy to get invested in one plot line just for the book to focus on another part of the story. Additionally, it was a rough read because of the emotional healing the main character went through. It pulled on my heart strings You simply have to be in the right state of mind to read it. 

“Queen of Shadows” is the next book that follows “Heir of Fire”. I read “Queen of Shadows” fast because I missed a character that didn’t show up till about 250 pages in. Also, the plot progressed fast which made it incredibly hard to put down. Even though it wasn’t my favorite book in the series it had some of my favorite moments. 

“Empire of Storms” is the next book. This book had so many big twists and turns that it kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end. It also brought back many characters from earlier in the series that didn’t make an appearance until this book. It really brought a lot of little plot lines that would’ve normally felt insignificant and made them into something incredibly important as a whole. 

“Tower of Dawn” takes place during the same time as “Empire of Storms” which is why many do a tandem read of the two books. I decided not to do the tandem read. I’m glad I didn’t honestly. 

The books have two different vibes which could be overshadowed if they are read at the same time. While “Empire of Storms” is an action pact tale, “Tower of Dawn” is a story centered around healing both physically and mentally. Because of the cliff hanger at the end of “Empire of Storms” it was easy to look forward to finishing “Tower of Dawn” to read “Kingdom of Ash” next. 

I went into this “Tower of Dawn” with a hatred for it because it was about a character in the series I incredibly disliked, but no book has changed my mind like “Tower of Dawn”. This book broke my heart and put it back together all in one go. Plus, the theme of hate, especially for yourself, is a parasite is so incredibly impactful. If I had done the tandem read, the book would have had the same impact. 

Lastly, “Kingdom of Ash” is the last book in the series. When I started “Kingdom of Ash” it felt extremely intimidating because of how long it was. “Kingdom of Ash” has nearly 1,000 pages, and I couldn’t imagine it being any less than that.

The tension, the love, the sadness, and the joy this book allowed me to experience was absolutely incredible. “Kingdom of Ash” was an amazing way to end this series. It was truly unforgettable. The plot was filled with not only emotions, but just so many twists and turns. Sara J Maas is an incredible writer, and this book does a great job showing that. 

Overall, this world and characters are something I will not soon forget.