Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication date: August 2012
Pages: 416
Source: e-book from Netgalley
For: Review
Series: Throne of Glass, Book 1
Things I Liked:
There are many good things about this book. I liked seeing a Cinderella retelling that was unique but still retained some of the iconic elements of the fairy tale. I especially liked the strong girl assassin who could take care of herself. Celeana was an interesting character, but not one I'd say I actually like. The story kept me interested through most of the book, though at the end I was more disappointed than anything. I think I liked the idea of the book more than its execution, unfortunately.
Things I Didn't Like:
I really had a hard time finishing this one. I struggled with it for months, persisting only to see why so many people loved it. I got pretty sick of Celeana. She seemed rather smart and strong at times, vulnerable and afraid occasionally, but most annoying when she'd get so angry about stupid things like not playing billiards well. Her desire to kill or injure people who bothered her was somewhat inconsistent with her conscience about killing and her desire to save people. She has a temper, which is refreshing to see, but it came and went sometimes at random. The ending was a bit out there for me, but fairly satisfying. I was unimpressed with the writing, which was awkward at times and included random details that seemed to be there for no reason. I'm the first to admit some of these problems might be with the ARC I was reading, but I don't care enough to check out the finished copy and find out. I'm not entirely sure if I want to read a sequel or not, we'll see.
Read-alikes:
Reminded me of Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, for the female assassin angle
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott for the unique Cinderella retelling
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
A few
mrg-factor: X
Mostly implied, nothing on page
v-factor: ->->
Some fairly gory, but not overwhelming
Overall rating: **
What did you think of this one?
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Posts
I'm sorry you didn't like it...I loved it, but I've heard a lot of the same criticisms, and I can totally see why you didn't really like it. Sometimes it seemed like Celaena was too perfect: attractive, smart, witty, good at fighting, a reader, musical, etc... I personally liked the writing, but I do agree with some of your criticisms.
ReplyDeleteThanks for disagreeing so nicely with me :) I like to hear opinions from people who felt differently. I can see the draw and appeal that the book has for many people, but ultimately felt disappointed.
DeleteI remember really enjoying this one. Sorry you didn't love it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I feel kind of in the minority, but that's ok. Glad it found plenty of folks to love it :)
DeleteI always hate it when I struggle through a book hoping that it eventually will get better (usually for book club reads).
ReplyDeleteHope your next read is wonderful.
Ann
I know, it's always a good thing when you aren't disappointed, but super sad when you are!
DeleteUgh! Sorry I hate when a book is so horribly slow and hard to get into. I can't decide if I'll read this one or not.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in whether you like it or not. It's been kind of hit and miss with people, I think.
DeleteThorne of Glass has a lot going for it. It's packed full of action, mystery, likable characters and fun dialogue. On the flip side, it also has a few tropes that I usually make me want to rip my hair out strand by strand: the love triangle, semi-insta love and predictable plot twists. That by no means makes this a bad book, because despite those annoyances, I was fully engrossed in Throne of Glass.
ReplyDeleteCleo Rogers (Bankruptcy Chicago)