Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Release date: August 15
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 1408834944
Pages: 418
Goodreads || Book Depository

Crown of Midnight is the sequel to Throne of Glass, so if you haven’t read Throne of Glass, you should leave now and check out my review of Throne of Glass. Also, if you haven’t yet read the prequel novellas, The Assassin’s Blade, I would recommend you read those first before proceeding because the events in those novellas are alluded to very often in Crown of Midnight. You definitely don’t have to read those first and you can definitely understand what happens in the series without reading the prequel novellas… but knowing about Celaena’s past definitely added to my reading experience and I was better able to understand her actions and her thought processes.

Crowned by Evil.
Bound by Duty.
Divided by Love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan’s deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies’ blood – but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, put those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors – a captain and a prince – and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom…

MY THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed this sequel to Throne of Glass and I liked it more than the first book. This second instalment gives you a really good idea of where the series is going to go. With Throne of Glass, the story was focused on Celaena winning the tournament, but now that she is the King’s Champion, we’re able to see more of the magic system and the direction that the series is going to take.

Crown of Midnight was action-packed from the very first page and had such great story and character development. We were able to see so many different sides of Celaena and Chaol. I did wish that there was more Dorian in this book though. I was Team Dorian when I read Throne of Glass, but the beginning of Crown of Midnight really converted me to Team Chaol. By the end of the book, I was conflicted because Chaol was kind of frustrating. It seemed like he was torn between his loyalty to the King/empire and his loyalty towards Celaena and doing the right thing, and the constant internal struggle within him put me off. Also, Celaena and Dorian working together was fantastic… I don’t know. I think Chaolaena might be endgame though.

While I really liked this second book in the series, I didn’t like it as much as some other people in the book community did. I thought bits of it were kind of predictable, especially the big reveal at the end. But there were definitely other things that I didn’t see coming (although I had my suspicions), and I really appreciate how Sarah J. Maas is still able to shock her readers, even though there are hints dropped throughout the book. I loved all of the action scenes and how ruthless Celaena can be. Those scenes were exciting to read and had me at the edge of my seat and now I’m really excited to see more of Celaena in action.