Synopsis (From GoodReads):
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Review:
With the release of Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J. Maas, there has been a lot of hoopla this month over the Throne of Glass series.  Isn't hoopla a fun word?  Well I think it is.  I looked up the definition of hoopla and the dictionary said it was defined as, "excitement surrounding an event or situation, especially when considered to be unnecessary fuss".  Well if that is what the word means then I would say there hasn't been ENOUGH hoopla about these books!  I loved it!

Technically, Throne of Glass was written before The Assassin's Blade (the latter of which is a compilation of novellas that explore the early life of the main character Celaena Sardothien).  I'm glad I read The Assassin's Blade first as there were many references to events in that book throughout Throne of Glass.  Throne of Glass follows Celaena from the Salt Mines of Endovier to the capitol of the kingdom to participate in a competition of soldiers, thieves, and killers for the "honor" of becoming the king's official assassin.  If she can win the contest, she will serve as the king's blade for some years and be on her way to eventual freedom.

Part of the fun of the book is that Celaena is the only female in the contest so, at first, everyone discounts what she is capable of.  It is deeply satisfying to see Celaena kicking butt and outsmarting her opponents.  While she may already be a killer, time and time again she shows her humanity as she tries to balance being ruthless with having a conscience.  She must also come to terms with her growing attraction to the Crown Prince Dorian.  His father, the king, has been the heartless oppressor of countless countries (including where she came from).  With her parents killed by the king's army when he invaded her homeland, Celaena barely survived.  Can she become involved with his son without feelings of shame and guilt?

I enjoyed the action and the mystery throughout the book concerning who could be killing off the contestants.  There are several suspects and the murders become more gruesome as the book progresses.  While I figured out who was the killer fairly quickly, I liked how that plot point was resolved.  There were a few plausible suspects, and I understood why she thought one of them, in particular, might be the cause of all the deaths.  There are some fantasy elements in the story that I think will come into play in later books.  I can't wait for that!

I think this was a great start to the series.  There were complex male and female characters, action, mystery, and romance.  It was also a great setup for the books to come.  How will Celaena deal with being ordered to kill at the king's command?  Will she still want to be with the Prince or will the Captain of the Guard capture her heart?  What are the real plans of the King and the Duke?  So many questions yet to be answered.  If you enjoy royal intrigue and romance, then you will want to buy into the hoopla and run out to get these books.

Synopsis:

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out

Review:
I have heard so much about this series, particularly due to the recent release of Queen of Shadows.  I have already read Sarah J. Maas's book A Court of Thorns and Roses, so I knew I would like this series, as well.  Since I seem to be the last to discover these books, I took a leap of faith and bought all five of them.  Although The Assassin's Blade was written after Throne of Glass, it is actually a prequel.  I wondered if a newbie like me would appreciate this backstory, since I haven't really invested in the series's characters yet.  But I found myself to be quickly immersed in this world of intrigue, danger, and romance.  Each story is connected and builds upon each other.  I had a feeling about the ending from about the fourth story, and sadly it proved to come true.  This did nothing to detract from the overall experience.  But I have a feeling that this information will be a vital part of Celaena's motivation in the next books.

Sarah J. Maas does a wonderful job of creating an original world filled with societies that resemble Europe in the middle ages.  The poverty and desperation of the lower classes are in sharp contrast to the luxury of the nobility and the Assassin's Guild.  Celaena has little choice but to become an assassin when she is orphaned following the invasion of her hometown by the king of Adarlan.  But in spite of her murderous  occupation, Celaena still has a sense of right and wrong.  She is not totally ruthless and cold.  This gets her into trouble with her mentor, Arobynn Hamel.  I loved how complicated their relationship was.  I hope it will be explored further in the next books.

At times, I could see an upcoming plot twist, and wanted to scream at Celaena for not seeing what was coming.  But, I needed to remember how young she actually was to put it in perspective.  Other than that, this was a great introduction to the world of the Assassin's Guild and Celaena Sardothien.  I can't wait to start the next book in the series.

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