There are some books where I look at them and imagine there is a badass background theme song coming right out of the pages. Like, when I look at Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas and see the image of Celaena wielding some swords, I can kind of hear the song Boom by POD – especially the part where they’re like ‘here comes THE BOOM. THE BOOM. THE BOOM.’ You guys, Celaena totally brings THE BOOM in the second of Maas’s trilogy and it is totally more badass than Throne Of Glass. For once, the tone of the cover actually matches the contents of the book. Seriously, girl in the book is just as fierce as girl on the cover.
Celaena is now the King’s Champion – which basically means she is the evil king’s assassin. However, she’s just biding her time. She’ll do his kills until she is able to have what she has been longing for, for so long, her freedom. Lest you think Celaena is a cold-blooded killer, she doesn’t actually kill the people the king names. Instead, she helps them fake their deaths and brings back body parts obtained from the sick room. She hopes her farce will last as long as it needs to. Unfortunately, it’s not just the King who has plans for her, but the long dead Elena has entreated her to find the source of the King’s power. And so, there’s a bit of a knowledge gathering quest as Celaena begins to uncover secrets about Adarlan. Nehemia, Fleetfoot, Dorian, and Chaol are back in Crown Of Midnight. I won’t state the roles that each is to play, except to say that there’s some tangled webs being woven. And tragedy.
It’s been like a year since I’ve read Throne Of Glass, so in a way I feel a little bit unqualified to tell you all about how Celaena develops as a character from book to book, because sometimes I forget things. I’ll just tell you what I thought of her in Crown Of Midnight. You all know that my favorite type of character is kickass heroine. Straight up, Celaena fits the bill. She has cool weapons. She’s someone who LOVES books and dogs – like any decent human being. She blows her money on pretty clothes. She’s also stubborn and holds her cards close to her chest. I liked that she wasn’t perfect or unstopable but at the same time was a character I could actually respect. Sure, she gets a bit misled, but it is what it is. Also, she totally does not treat Mort very well, hahahaha. You’ll see is all I will say.
If you read strictly for the sexytimes because you are a total perv, you’ll like Crown Of Midnight. There are sexytimes, but they aren’t graphic or anything but they are sweet. ALSO. People who enjoy sex! Yay! Okay, so I will stop before I get all inappropriate on you. Celaena makes her love triangle choice and it’s the dude we’ve been rooting for this whole time. If you’re a fan of Hector from The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson, you’ll be a fan of THIS book’s romance. I will say there are feelings and kissing and drama and it’s awesome. The scenes between Celaena and her lover were totally my favorite.
My thing with Throne Of Glass, was that I liked the plot and the characters and the action but I wasn’t in love with the writing style. I think that the writing style improves in Crown Of Midnight, BUT it is not quite as well written as a Rothfuss book or a Carson book. I mean, I overlooked that for how much I just enjoyed the story though. I think that it’s compelling and interesting. What really appealed to me about Crown Of Midnight was that it appeals to my revolution/uprising love. I will always love books where the characters plot against a despot, and well you get that here. You also get rune-based magic. You get the fae as well as a few other magical creatures. You get an awesome dog that does NOT die. Yes. So don’t skip out on this one over dog fears. Other cool things that might entice you to pick up Sarah J. Maas’s sequel: a magical book, healthy girl friendships, a romance that makes sense, fight scenes, and a revealing of SECRETS! Note: there is a cliffhanger, so be prepared because once you finish this you will start hounding goodreads for the next book. Yo, I can’t wait to see what’s next in Celaena’s world.
Disclosure: Review Copy provided by publisher.
Other reviews of Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas:
Books Of Love – “Sarah J. Mass delivers another fantastic installment”
Jenna Does Books – “beautifully-written, thrilling and mysterious”
Catching Books – “ I would recommend this series to anyone who loves strong female protagonists”
Books by Sarah J. Maas:
Throne Of Glass
Latest posts by April (Books&Wine) (see all)
- Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown | Book Review - November 9, 2024
- A Werewolf’s Guide To Seducing A Vampire by Sarah Hawley | Book Review - October 12, 2024
- Four Witch Books For Autumn Vibes - September 22, 2024
Yes! I loved CoM more than Throne of Glass. And I agree with you on Celaena. She’s one awesome character. And is Carson really more well-written? I enjoyed the writing in CoM, but if Carson is better, then I’m really missing out.
Great review, April!
I just began this one last night and I’m really freaking excited. I am so glad things get a little more serious with the sexytimes. Time to spice things up a bit! I’m so glad you liked this one because I’m in need of an absolute WIN book.
OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK!!! It’s phenomenal!! Great review, April! 😀
-Brad @ BookYAReview
Sounds great, and would you just look at that cover art! this is the first I’ve heard of this series, and do I love me a kick-ass heroine. some hot sexytimes doesn’t hurt either. 😉
Would you blurb your review over at Bookstore Bookblogger Connection, so we can help promote this series? and if you reviewed the first book, we’d love to have your review blurb of Throne of Glass too!
I keep hearing great things about this series and I have the 1st book, just need time to read it. I actually don’t mind okay writing as long as the plot & characters are good. I’m a character person, myself. Still need to read Carson’s books, too, lol. Great review!
This book! Oh, this book! I was beside myself reading it. I actually reread Throne of Glass before reading Crown of Midnight… lemme just say this: Celeana’s development was PHENOMENAL. Like that moment when she went from girl to assassin was… my heart was racing. Okay, I’ll stop going on and on ,but seriously, this series is one of my faves! And holla for the shout out to Hector! 🙂
I think it’s fairly obvious, based on how often I mention/discuss/swoon over it on Twitter, that I loved this book. I already had a soft spot for the series, but this book seriously cemented my love for it. I think Maas’ writing has definitely improved, and I loved the way each character was developed even more. Plus, the romance was PERFECT. So glad you enjoyed it!