I have to say that I genuinely enjoy the overall storyline and world-building of Throne of Glass. The political intrigue, the different kingdoms, the mysteries, and even the side characters are what kept me invested. Just like with the first book, I found myself flying through the chapters whenever I sat down to read, which is always a good sign. *** don’t read further if you don’t want to have soft spoilers That being said, I still can’t bring myself to like Celaena as a protagonist. I’ve read countless Reddit posts where people criticize anyone who says they can’t connect with her, arguing that she’s only nineteen, deeply traumatized, and that you need to read The Assassin’s Blade first to truly understand her. The thing is, I did read The Assassin’s Blade first. In fact, it was my introduction to the series. And honestly? I already found her incredibly arrogant there. In Throne of Glass, it got a little better. She still wasn’t perfect, but that’s not my issue. I don’t want a flawless FMC. I actually enjoy protagonists with flaws because they feel more human. However, in the second half of Crown of Midnight, she became almost unbearable to me. One of the biggest issues was how she treated Chaol after Nehemia’s death. Throughout the first book, there was this constant back-and-forth between Dorian and Celaena, only for the story to establish that Chaol was the one she truly had feelings for. They finally become something close to a couple and then everything falls apart. When Celaena realizes that Chaol knew the king believed someone was targeting Nehemia, she completely turns on him. She blames him for Nehemia’s death and is so consumed by rage that she nearly kills him before Dorian intervenes. But… why? Chaol serves the king. That’s literally his job. As Captain of the Guard, he can’t simply reveal classified information whenever he feels like it. Doing so would be treason and could easily cost him his life. More importantly, he didn’t actually lie to her. He simply didn’t tell her about confidential orders because he wasn’t allowed to. And despite that, he still tried to protect Nehemia. When he learned she might be in danger, he assigned extra guards to her, hoping it would be enough. He made the best decision he could while balancing his loyalty to the crown and his own conscience. So what exactly was his unforgivable crime? Not telling Celaena everything? That’s where I think her behavior becomes incredibly hypocritical. Throughout the series so far, Celaena constantly keeps enormous secrets from the people closest to her… far bigger secrets than Chaol ever kept or anyone else around her. She hides who she really is, her past, her abilities, her magic, and countless other things. She lies and manipulates people whenever it benefits her goals, she hurts and kills whoever she wants and the narrative generally justifies it because she believes she’s protecting herself or serving a greater purpose. Yet the moment someone else doesn’t tell her absolutely everything, she reacts as if they’ve committed the ultimate betrayal. The double standard is what bothers me. Chaol doesn’t try to kill her when he discovers she has been hiding life-changing secrets from him. Even after learning what she truly is and realizing the danger surrounding her, he continues to protect her. He ultimately gives up his position and sacrifices everything he has known in order to help keep her safe. Meanwhile, Celaena is ready to kill him because he withheld information he legally and morally wasn’t free to share. I completely understand that trauma influences people’s reactions, and I agree that her age and experiences explain why she’s emotionally volatile. But for me, trauma explains behavior, it doesn’t automatically justify it. I think that’s what a lot of people do get wrong here and where I do not agree with this protagonist at all. At that point, her actions stopped feeling like realistic flaws and started feeling hypocritical. She expects complete honesty and unwavering loyalty from everyone around her, sacrificing themselves and their loyalty towards her while she herself repeatedly refusing to offer the same in return. She has never been 100% honest and she always withholds information, even in the end of the second book. That’s why I struggle to connect with her, and “she’s traumatized” simply isn’t enough of an explanation for me in this particular situation at all. You can’t expect people around you to be honest and loyal towards you while you’re the most dishonest person in the room. It’s ridiculous to me. Ironically, my favorite characters so far are Dorian and Chaol. I find both of them far more compelling because they constantly struggle with impossible responsibilities while still trying to do the right thing. They make mistakes, but they also reflect on those mistakes and genuinely try to become better people, I don’t see that part for Celaena yet at all. Their development has felt much more believable to me compared to hers. I’m still early in the series, though, and I sincerely hope Celaena grows as a character. I don’t expect her to become perfect, but I do hope she becomes more self-aware, less self-centered, and learns that trust and loyalty go both ways. Right now, too much of her worldview feels centered around herself, where her own secrets and ways are always justified even if they cost the life of her friends and people around her, but everyone else’s mistakes or actions are treated as unforgivable betrayals. I’m hoping that’s an intentional starting point for her character arc rather than simply who she remains throughout the series. That’s why only 3,5 stars.

Ist ein bisschen langwierig und ich bin gespannt, was die Geschichte noch so bringt. Das Ende ist natürlich unfassbar gut geschrieben und macht wirklich Lust weiterzulesen.

So, so spannend. Die Geschichte nimmt jetzt richtig Fahrt auf. Endlich erfahren wir, wer Celaena wirklich ist. Ich bin einfach immer noch Team Dorian auch wenn ich weiß, wie es endet. Ich verstehe absolut, warum es eine der meist gehypten Fantasy-Serien ist. Ich kann es absolut empfehlen. Ein Must-Read !

einer meiner absoluten lieblings teile der reihe!! kann ich zu 1000% empfehlen (auch wenn es ein must ist vorher die anderen gelesen zu haben) - man lernt die charaktere kennen die eigentlich ausschlaggebend für die ganzen anderen reihen sind & ich finde sarah j maas hat es richtig gut geschafft auch komplizierte charaktere mit vielen schatten & guten seiten darzustellen 🤌🏼

Enjoyed it really, couldn't put it down. The only thing, that annoyed me so very much (also in the previous book) is, that Celaena is supposed to be the best assassin in the world, but fucks up so often?? Some of her decisions are so stupid, like how is she still alive?