To her dismay, Calaena has become the King’s assassin. In this new role she can’t help but secretly defy his horrific demands and in doing so puts those closest to her at risk. Even with all the perils that an assassin must face, Calaena finds herself in the middle of the sweetest yet unlikely love story that you hope will conclude with “…and they lived happily ever after”. Sarah Maas, however, has different plans for Calaena. Magic and secrets abound in this book and just when you think you know how the story will go, a new bombshell explodes onto the pages. This is especially true in the end when a shocking secret is revealed. I really enjoyed Throne of Glass, but book two, Crown of Midnight, is even better and there will most definitely be another book. I highly recommend this five-star book to both male and female audiences who enjoy fantasy with a little romance.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 27 religious exclamations; 46 mild obscenities; 7 derogatory names; 3 scatalogical words; 8 anatomical terms.
Violence/Gore: Many (64) brief incidents including but not limited to verbal threats to fantasy and human; character thinking about potential violence that may occur; second hand reports of human and fantasy characters killed during war and otherwise; character wanting to hurt someone; character thinking about people she’s killed; second hand report of characters being captured and tortured then killed; character recalling that friend nearly killed her; finding scratch marks and bones in a jail cell; character punched; character poisoned; scary dreams about fantasy characters; thinking about spells that could torture someone; character captured and tortured; characters fighting; second hand report of character seeing a ghost; character punches wall and window shatters; beheadings; graphic (but brief) depiction of characters being attacked and killed. One extended incident of character fighting and killing human and non-human characters.
Sex/Nudity: Many (43) brief incidents including holding hands and arm; touching back and shoulders; hugging; remembering a kiss; walking closely enough together to touch; characters lips touching another’s neck; kissed hand; male character rips off female characters dress to look at wounds after she was hurt; reference to character being naked while changing clothes; innuendo; mention that animals mate; second hand report of character getting “caught in bed”; character wears revealing clothing; character looks another up and down with innuendo; reference to someone’s virginity and losing it; reference to character being a courtesan; character having sexual thoughts about other characters; the word harlot said; reference to whores; mention of character possibly being homosexual; rape insinuated; implied sexual activity; touching areas normally covered by bathing suit (while clothed); male character naked in female character’s bed.
Mature Subject Matter:
Slavery; murder; war; implied sexual activity.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Character poisoned; reference to character’s former opium addiction; characters drinking wine at dinner and a party; reference to drunks at taverns; character smokes a pipe; dog given sedative.
