Throne of Glass

My Underwhelming Experience After ACOTAR

I have recently finished Sarah J. Maas’s ACOTAR saga, so I naturally had to start reading her Throne of Glass saga straight away.

ACOTAR has become one of my favourite fantasy sagas, so I had high hopes for Throne of Glass. Yet, the story felt blunt and underdeveloped, especially compared to Maas’s later works.

The first book of the Throne of Glass saga tells the story of Celaena Sardothien. Celaena is an assassin, the deadliest in the Kingdom of Adarlan. She was taught by the King of Assassins, living under his wing for most of her life. However, she has been enslaved in the Salt Mines of Endovier for the last year. Now, the prince of Adarlan, Dorian Havilliard, wants to sponsor her in the competition held by his father, the King of Adarlan.

As you can guess, Throne of Glass is an action novel. The plot is centered on the Royal competition, so there are many battles and mysteries throughout the book. Yet, the story seemed too blunt for me.

The idea is there, it’s good, but the execution lacked something. Maybe my expectations were shaped too heavily by ACOTAR, but I missed Maas’s signature detailed descriptions and softer, more immersive writing. I know I shouldn’t expect her first book to be better than the later ones, but sadly, I did.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked Throne of Glass. It’s a good book. But that’s it, you read it, and nothing changes in your life. I know that in this first book, we merely grasp an idea of what goes beyond it. At the end of the day, the Throne of Glass saga has eight books.

All in all, I know that Throne of Glass is just the beginning of a more complicated story, so I won’t say something negative yet. We’ll have to see by reading the following books if Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass saga is worth it.