Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Publication Details: August 27th 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Link: Goodreads
Crown of Midnight follows Celaena as she fulfills her duty as the king's Champion. Threatened with the lives of people she learned to care for and love, she must win the approval of the king without compromising her values. Until the truth reveals itself, and Celaena found herself again in the pit of betrayal, making her leave behind the future she is hoping for.
Plot
It was a rollercoaster of emotions. The first half of the book gave a happy atmosphere where Celaena finally had her chance to freedom, and a hope for a happy future. The second half, however, was when things went down the drain. Calaena, broken but determined, must now confront the truth, and try to right the wrongs of the King of Adarlan.
I liked the balanced mix of action and emotional interaction between characters. Each scene contributed to the depth of the story, as well as of the characters. The pacing varied but my reading experience never got dragging. I did put down the book for a while because of the emotional turmoil (lol) but overall, I liked how the scenes bled together creating a quite complicated yet exciting plot.
I still need to emotionally accept some things before continuing with the series, but I'm getting there. Haha!
Characters
My dear Celaena. From The Assassin's Blade and Throne of Glass, I saw how she always goes back and forth between trusting people or not, how she builds a wall around her, but eventually tears it down and allows herself to bond with other people. So when her world was again shaken, I couldn't help but feel sad.
Her circumstances might have changed her, might have made her more fatal, resigned to her happy ending, but I know that somewhere deep down she still believes that she will get the freedom she longs to have.
As for Dorian, I did not expect what was revealed of him. He somehow took a backseat in Crown of Midnight, but I believe he will be a major player in the next books. Also, he has quite a lot of character development to go through, but I'm looking forward to that.
And my dear Chaol. My dear, dear Chaol. He could really use a tight hug. Haha! I don't want to say anything anymore except that he's a sweet, gentle, caring and protective being. :D
Writing
Unlike The Assassin's Blade and Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight also included Dorian's and Chaol's POV in third person perspective. This gave me a wider view of what is happening, and made me invest more emotions. Haha!
Same comments on the author's writing style. I liked that the events are easy to follow and understand. And the author was also able to keep an interesting flow of events.
-o-
Overall, Crown of Midnight was a good read. Again, I will have to accept some things but I'm very much looking forward to Celaena's next adventures.
Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series, as well as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Sarah lives in Bucks County, PA, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much tea, and watches an ungodly amount of TV. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the historic and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with her husband and canine companion.