Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Note from VBC HQ: It’s Throwback Week at VBC, and we’re highlighting some of your favorite reviews from VBC. The VBC team is obsessed with all things Sarah J. Maas. We’re not alone. Our review of Crown of Midnight—from back in 2013!—was one of the top-read reviews on VBC in 2016. Are you a Throne of Glass fan?
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)
Sarah J. Maas
Published: August 27, 2013 (Bloomsbury)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review Source: Provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed by: Krista
Rating (out of 5): 5 stars
Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it does reference events from Throne of Glass (read the VBC review).
Throne of Glass was one of my favorite books of 2012. So I had high expectations for Crown of Midnight and I was almost scared to read it, in fear of being disappointed. But I have to say this was one of the best books I read this year, maybe ever. The entire time I was glued to the page and kept murmuring to myself how much I loved this book. I walked around for days telling everyone I met how much I adored it.
At the end of Throne of Glass Celaena had won the competition and was reluctantly crowned the King’s Champion. She had also chosen between the prince and the handsome captain of the guards. They both loved her equally and vice versa. Now she is the killing hand of the king’s whim. She’s also tentatively making process in her relationship with Chaol. He’s also trying to figure how he should feel about her and to justify his feelings. As an infamous assassin she is far and away from anyone he would have imagined falling in love with.
Normally I am not a fan of multiple points of view, but each POV enriches the text further. Sarah J. Maas fleshed out all the characters creating even more depth and detail that I only fell more deeply in love. She also delved into the history of the characters and land so we got more history on what birthed Celaena. Some of the questions we had from Throne of Glass were answered, but we only end up with new ones.
The action was even more spectacular than I expected. Not only do we get a detailed recounting of her attempted escape from the salt mines, but we also see Celaena let go of all the reins she keeps on herself. When one of the few people she loves is threatened we see her snap and become the weapon she was raised to be.
“It was late enough that the streets were mostly deserted, but the people that saw kept well out of her way as she sprinted past, her lungs near shattering. She pushed that pain away, willing strength into her legs, praying to whatever gods still cared to give her swiftness and strength. Who would the king use? If not Chaol, then who? She didn’t care if it was the king himself. She’d destroy them.”
I could go on and on about this book for hours. I fell in love with the characters in the first book, and Crown of Midnight only cemented their place in my heart. Maas took me on an intense emotional rollercoaster ride, so that I felt each of the characters ups and downs as if they were happening to me. There was never any lull in the pacing; each moment was crafted to pull the reader deeper into its pages. Maas is also a master of misdirection, just when I thought something was a foregone conclusion she pulled me in an entirely different direction.
I will be shocked if this book isn’t on everyone’s Best Of lists come the close of the year. If you are a fan of kick-ass female heroines, run out and buy Crown of Midnight.
Sexual content: Sex
this book was amazing and totally agree with your review 🙂
I am waiting eagerly for the library to send it to me. Great to know that the story still delivers.
This book was fantastic. Even better than the last one. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end.
“Vampire Book Club” has become a misnomer.
Ann Rice began The Vampire Chronicles in the 70s and literally revived the genre. Now many books being published and reviewed on this site, like “Crown of Midnight”, have nothing to do with vampires. Shape shifters of all kinds, the Fae, magic, other paranormals, fantasy and urban fantasy are in. Vampires seem to be out. I know that everything tends to go in cycles but as a “vampire fan” for more years than I want to admit, I tremendously regret this change.
Hi, Diana,
I’m not sure how long you’ve been reading VBC—we’ve been around for 7 years—but while we love vampires, the blog has always been about all forms of speculative fiction with our primary focus on urban fantasy. The name was actually an inside joke way back when, and it’s just stuck.
If you are looking for books we review that feature vampires, which are many, here’s a helpful link: http://vampirebookclub.net/tag/vampires/
I’d also suggest you check out the other books on the site. If you love vampires, you’d probably really connect with some of the fallen angel or shifter stories. The concept of “other” is translated in innumerable ways through genre fiction—and you may find books with and without vampires that hit similar emotional chords for you.
Hi Chelsea, it was kind of you to reply. I’ve been coming to this site for about 2 years. I didn’t know the VBC history you filled in for me, so thank you. I understand the site’s purpose in a way I didn’t before. I hope I didn’t offend VBC because you all do a great job and I rely on your reviews. Also, thanks for the link. Actually, I do read fallen angels, shifters, magic, Fae, urban fantasy and “other” paranormal books and I enjoy them. I just feel frustrated that more vampire fiction isn’t being published. Thanks for letting me sound off even if it wasn’t the appropriate place to do it.