Heir of Fire - Reread Review

Author: Sarah J Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Source: Purchased

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Summary from Goodreads: She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.
Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.
The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

So, most of this review is a restatement of my first review.

While I was blown away by this book for the second time, I think the thing that stood out to me the most as Celaena. I can't believe how much she grows into herself; her essence remained the same, but she grew and developed into a stronger, more bad-ass version of herself. While Celaena obviously experiences the most growth, the other characters also experience a lot of growth and have challenges to overcome. Again, I feel like I can't believe that I missed so many revelations of certain characters' true colors. The new characters were perfection. I wish I could talk more about them without giving away spoilers. I mean there is the obvious addition who I love to whatever end (see what I did there?) but there are also the minor characters who I love and think had a specific influence on Celaena and I hope they appear in future books. I wasn't crazy about the witches, to be honest I usually took a little break whenever  got to their portion of the story,but again, I can feel their importance.

I loved the plot of this book and feel like we learned a lot about the world that Celaena lives in. There is a heavier influence of fantasy elements in this book; given that this is my second time reading the books, I felt like this was the direction the series was meant to move in. I am also so grateful that we finally get the whole story about what happened 10 years ago. I am just blown away by the intricate weaving of details - I am amazed by Sarah J Maas' ability to write such a complex series.

Crown of Midnight - Reread Review

Author: Sarah J Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Source: Purchased

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Summary from Goodreads:"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

For the second time, this book left me speechless. Celaena as the King's Champion is intense. While she is still true to herself, you can tell that she has built this wall in order to cope with her current job. She is so human to me. Celaena's relationships with Dorian, Chaol, and Nehemia change, develop, and grow. Since, I had already read this book and Heir of Fire, I knew the direction that these relationships were heading, however I found so much more depth with them this time around. In terms of character development, I can't believe how much I missed the first time around. I was so head over heels for Chaol that I missed so much that was revealed about who he is deep down. The development with Dorian and Nehemia were much more obvious.

The plot was intense and fast paced. Honestly, I felt like I enjoyed this plot more than that of Throne of Glass. There are SO SO SO many feelings that I have. So much happens in this book that is extremely important. And then the ending, I am so relieved that this time around, I was able to pick up Heir of Fire right away because that ending is like the ultimate cliffhanger.

Throne of Glass - Reread Review

Author: Sarah J Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Source: Purchased

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Summary from Goodreads: In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.
The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

I loved this book just as much, if not more, the second time around. As with the first time I read this book, I immediately liked Celaena. She is fierce, strong, and flawed. There are times where I felt like she truly was an 18 year old girl and there were times that I felt like maybe she was older, but I felt like given her history this inconsistent behavior would be expected of any real person who lived Celaena's life. A lot of readers dislike Celaena because she knows she is beautiful, I actually find this refreshing about her. I love that she is who she is and doesn't apologize for it. The other key characters are fabulous. Dorien is a well developed character with lots of room for growth. You can't help but enjoy his company. Chaol is broody and difficult to read, but he is intriguing and totally the guy I would fall for if he was real. I loved Nehemia so much more with this read, she is interesting and her friendship is touching.

It has been quite a while since I read this book the first time around, I honestly couldn't believe how much I had forgotten about the plot. The plot moves at an excellent pace and has all the required elements to be a fabulous fantasy.

I also picked up on SO many details I missed the first read through that were immensely important for the books that follow. I couldn't believe how many hints were dropped early in the series. I highly recommend rereading the books!