Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas on September 2, 2014
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / General, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / General
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
“I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn’t, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful, because I will always care what happens.”
“But death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.”
This novel is the second installment of the Throne of Glass series. The novel picks up right where the first left off of the story of Celaena right after she wins the fight to the death tournament and becomes 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. Then, one terrible night, Celaena’s world shatters, and she will be forced to decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie . . . and what she is willing to fight for.
There isn’t a whole lot different about this book, such as the writing style, world building and characters are nearly identical to the first, and it moves along to the same plot. The first half did make me think this second book was not going to get better than compared to the first. Then suddenly, right around the halfway point, an incident completely changed things, which led to a highly eventful, and entertaining second half. The foreshadowing, the subtle hints at what’s the come, the relationships between the characters. It’s a delicate balance between dark and playful, bright and grey, lonely and vibrant.
I gave this novel a 3.5-star rating. It is not without a lot of flaws, but overall, my enjoyment of the plot propelled it into a highly satisfying read. I love being surprised, and I love being proved wrong in my prediction about a book. Such as, I thought a certain character was going to be or do something, only to be blindsided by who actually did it.