My Life in YA

Throne of Glass is one of 2012’s most hyped up debuts and I saw buzz about it all around the blogosphere, including raving reviews. By that time I had really hyped it up in my mind as well (including a pre-order of it months in advance) and you know that’s almost never a good thing. Alas, Throne of Glass turned out to be not exactly what I thought it would be.The reason why Throne of Glass disappointed me was the beginning. It starts good, with Celaena being brought to Prince Dorian by the Captain of the Guard, Chaol. I couldn’t wait for action to start, but unfortunately for me, this book is not a typical action type of book and it is also not a fast-paced one. The beginning dragged. It bored me. I wanted to DNF it, but I never DNF and especially not one I couldn’t wait to read, so I read on. After endless descriptions and a bit boring parts about training and dresses and a whining Caleana, it finally picked up steam and by then I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. By that stage the mystery aspect of the book kicks in, and that was very exciting!Something that I felt was missing were the fantasy elements. There is some magic and some evil creatures, but that magical feeling of fantasy novels was missing. It could as well have been a book set in the middle ages. This is also due to the fact that there is not a lot information given about the history of the world, but since it is part of a series, I think (and hope!) that that is going to be more explored in the next books in the series. The thing that really made this book, apart from the mystery, is the great set of characters. While Caleana came across to me in the beginning as whiny and arrogant, she redeemed herself later in the book. I do hope we get to learn more about her personality in later books. I think the villains are very well crafted, I understood their motivations (always important!), especially that of Kaltain. Besides the villains, I loved the other characters. I think they all stand out from each other and have distinct personalities and motivations. Although Prince Dorian becomes nicer later on in the book, I am all for Chaol. Throne of Glass is a debut that will be devoured by readers looking for a great YA fantasy and who prefer characters and court intrigues and a slow pace above action and adventure. Although the main character is an assassin, she is also sweet and vulnerable and open to love. I can’t wait to learn more about her in the next book in this series. Also, I want more Chaol. Please.Actual rating 3.5