Read Along: Throne of Glass – Part Three

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| Part Three |

Chapters 28 – 39

Welcome to the read along of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, organised by Rinn Reads.

As one of the few people to have not read Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series, I couldn’t resist the opportunity of a read along, despite having heard very mixed opinions – ranging from extreme love to extreme hate! From the 8th – 18th January I will be reading Throne of Glass and posting my thoughts for discussion. Here’s what the schedule would look like if I could actually manage to keep to it:

8th January

Discussion of chapters 1 – 13

11th January

Discussion of chapters 14 – 27

14th January

Discussion of chapters 28 – 39

18th January

Discussion of chapters 40 – end

Feel free to join in with the read along at any point and all discussion points are welcome (but no spoilers!!)… which reminds me:

 There will be spoilers for chapters 28-39!

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| Part Three Rating |

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| The Story So Far |

As the threat against the castle continues to grow and the life of yet another contestant is prematurely snuffed out, and suspicion is cast on both reputable and disreputable characters alike, Celaena must remain on her guard whilst competing for victory in the ongoing trial. But all is not dark in the castle of Rifthold; as her friendships continue to grow, and with two men vying for her favour, Celaena is intent upon enjoying the Yulemas festivities – whilst remaining vigilant in case of threat, of course – and this time no one is going to stop her.

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| The Discussion |

Throne of Glass continues to entertain and surprise with its intriguing storyline and compelling characters. This is definitely a book where, if you can accept it for what it is and don’t question the narrative too much, you’ll likely be swept away by a storyline laced with magic and the dance of blades. Celaena continues to grow on me as a character and adds some quite endearing moments to her repertoire in this section of the novel. However there is a growing disparity between Celaena the intelligent and feisty young woman and Celaena the cold assassin. Whether we will see the two sides of her personality truly merge remains to be seen… but overall, a very enjoyable third part to this tale!

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| The Highlights |

Events surrounding the mysterious threat within the castle continue to progress and, with the murder of another contestant and the trail of enigmatic Wyrdmarks and with the very real prospect that Nehemia could be involved, this novel has the potential of becoming very exciting. Somehow I can’t quite believe that Nehemia is responsible for the attacks. Her concerns obviously lie elsewhere and, whilst her behaviour might seem suspicious, whatever threat she poses will likely be concentrated on the hateful King of Adarlan and not on a contest of soldiers, prisoners and assassins.This section of the novel contains quite a number of humorous and endearing moments which can’t help but make you warm to Celaena. Her tantrum whilst playing billiards was particularly amusing and, as she continues to befriend the other characters, she continues to engage the reader with her sense of humour as the new side to her personality becomes ever more apparent.

Chaol’s reaction to Celaena’s time of the month was likewise a very humorous moment. It has such an element of truth about it, and is used so well as a light-hearted diversion, that it can’t help but make you laugh. Like Celaena, Chaol continues to reveal more dimensions to his personality, has a very honest and stark voice and is remains one of my favourite characters.

When Celaena is confronted with a whole bag of sweets, she proceeds to devour the majority before breakfast, staining her teeth red in the process. This is an entertaining and sweet (sorry) moment which yet again highlights the duality in her personality. In fact, despite her obvious skill when competing in the tests, we’re seeing something less of the assassin, and almost nothing of the cutthroat killer. Which moves us on to the low points…

Did you have any favourite moments or highlights during this stage in the novel??

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| The Low Points |

I like Celaena the assassin. I don’t want her to lose that cold side that has made her what she is today. I don’t want her to lose that foundation of suspicion and distrust which must have permeated every moment in her life before her release from Endovier. The funny and endearing moments are enjoyable but there needs to be a little more cohesion in her two quite disparate sides.

Poor, poor Chaol. He just has to watch from the sidelines as Dorian sweeps Celaena off her feet. Dorian, whilst essentially likeable, seems to be missing something which would truly make me like him – or perhaps trust him. Perhaps he comes across as a little fickle, or flighty, or something… or maybe I just prefer Chaol. 

During this section, the contest plays second fiddle to Celaena’s personal life. Though enjoyable in their own right, I would definitely prefer the contest, along with the murders and levels of suspicion between contestants to take centre stage.

“Celaena realized with a jolt that perhaps the Champions’ killer and Elena’s mysterious evil force might be one and the same.”  

Really? Only just? This is possibly the moment that irritated me most throughout the entirety of the novel so far. Maas has consistently portrayed Celaena as highly intelligent and quick off the mark, yet this somewhat ridiculous moment of dawning realisation came entirely too late. I’m almost certain most readers would have assumed this from the moment Elena popped out of the ether. Perhaps Celaena is too familiar with death and destruction to put the two together…

At this stage in the novel, what were the low points of the story for you?

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Stay tuned for the next instalment of this Read Along on 18^th January