- Location
- Finland
Lord of the Rings is not The Hobbit.
Let's Read "Throne of Glass" by Sarah Maas
- Thread starter The Victorian
- Start date
- Books
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- Tags
- fantasy let's read young adult
- Location
- USA
That's true, but my point was that it wasn't vague at all.Lord of the Rings is not The Hobbit.
Of course, it happened in 2850, which is supposed to be out of range of The Hobbit, which I think takes place a hundred years later...
Wasn't it also mentioned in the book proper at the council at Rivendell?
Chapter 51, 52
The Victorian
Elven Supremacist
- Location
- Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well, it's almost over folks. Soon, the suffering will finally be at an end. Cain has been defeated, Kaltain has been exposed, and I suppose all that's left to do is wrap up the awful love triangle (assuming this book has the courtesy to do so).
Chapter 51 opens with Dorian speaking to his father, who is pondering if Chaol should be punished for killing Cain:
Once again, we have a glimpse into the mind of this incredibly complex and nuanced character. Normally, he kills a kitten every day, but sometimes he doesn't, which means he is now "morally grey."
That said, the king goes on to point out that Celaena is, after all a murderer by trade, which isn't exactly the most noble or honourable profession out there. During the subsequent conversation, Dorian lets slip his greatest fear - the Celaena will be taken away from her - thus giving his father something he can use against him...which means I can re-use this:
The conversation shifts to the Ellywe rebels, and Dorian tells his father that Perrington wants to use Nehemia as a hostage to "make the rebels obey." I'm not sure that a band of rebels willing to fight to the death for their independence would consider the life of a princess worth their struggle, but then again I don't know anything about feudal politics besides the wacky shit I get up to in Crusader Kings 3.
Cut to Celaena, who wakes up covered in bandages. And since she's in bed, that means...you guessed it!
Nehemia explains that her "powers" allowed her to see all the crazy things that Celaena saw during her duel. Specifically, the bloodbane poison allows one to see "beyond the veil of the world." Normally it doesn't do this, she says, but it reacted to something in her blood, saying "Magic calls to magic." Which is more support for my prediction that Celaena has some kind of Fae ancestry, or something else to mark her as "special."
She goes on to explain that she lied about having no knowledge of wyrdmarks:
She also reveals that Cain has been using Wyrdmarks to summon demons from the "Otherworld." For a second I read that as "Outworld" and thought that maybe we were doing a crossover with Mortal Kombat. The truth, alas, is far less interesting. The reason that Nehemia has been absent so often is that she's been banishing the creatures Cain has summoned (since he doesn't know enough about demon summoning to put down that which he calls forth). Gee, that sounds much more interesting than what Celaena got up during that period! Why couldn't this story have been about that?
Oh god...the ellipsis abuse...it's too much...someone call an editor...
So essentially, this entire chapter has been on big infodump. Not exactly David Weber sized, but sizable nonetheless.
Chapter 52 opens with...oh come on, you KNOW what's going to happen:
Note that he knocks, and then enters without even waiting for a response. That's, uh, not how knocking on doors is supposed to work, my dude.
He feels guilty that he didn't stop the duel when it become apparent that she had been poisoned, and he's all like, "Damn it, I should have cut him open the moment he started get all demon-y!"
This whole conversation feels...off. It's hard to point to one specific thing, but the way Dorian talks and thinks just doesn't ring true from a male perspective. It feels like r/WomenWritingMen material, to be honest.
Well, at least Celaena wasn't injured in any way that might affect her looks. That's the important thing, right?
*giggle* *snort*
Heh-heh, stroked his pommel.
So the fact that his son got pissed when he threatened to send his girlfriend away means that "he could be a strong general"? Excuse me, but what? How does that indicate anything about his suitability to lead troops into battle? Has Dorian even studied military theory? On top of that, it doesn't seem terribly wise for the king put his only heir on the battlefront.
(Damn, you know the politics of a story are bad when even *I* can find problems with them). And there's the fact that the king still thinks that he can "trust" Celaena even though he has absolutely zero reason to.
He decides that no, she's not going to die right away...at least not until he learns the meaning of the Wyrdmark that appeared on her forehead during the battle. It's then revealed that he's been talking with Perrington, revealing that they've been dabbling in dark magic themselves:
Perrington suggests that, after Kaltain has spent some time in the dungeon, they will "make her an offer she can't refuse," the nature of which is not revealed. Obviously, this whole bit is setting up for the next novel in the series, and with that we end the chapter. Only three more to go after this, folks!
Chapter 51 opens with Dorian speaking to his father, who is pondering if Chaol should be punished for killing Cain:
Once again, we have a glimpse into the mind of this incredibly complex and nuanced character. Normally, he kills a kitten every day, but sometimes he doesn't, which means he is now "morally grey."
That said, the king goes on to point out that Celaena is, after all a murderer by trade, which isn't exactly the most noble or honourable profession out there. During the subsequent conversation, Dorian lets slip his greatest fear - the Celaena will be taken away from her - thus giving his father something he can use against him...which means I can re-use this:
The conversation shifts to the Ellywe rebels, and Dorian tells his father that Perrington wants to use Nehemia as a hostage to "make the rebels obey." I'm not sure that a band of rebels willing to fight to the death for their independence would consider the life of a princess worth their struggle, but then again I don't know anything about feudal politics besides the wacky shit I get up to in Crusader Kings 3.
Cut to Celaena, who wakes up covered in bandages. And since she's in bed, that means...you guessed it!
Nehemia explains that her "powers" allowed her to see all the crazy things that Celaena saw during her duel. Specifically, the bloodbane poison allows one to see "beyond the veil of the world." Normally it doesn't do this, she says, but it reacted to something in her blood, saying "Magic calls to magic." Which is more support for my prediction that Celaena has some kind of Fae ancestry, or something else to mark her as "special."
She goes on to explain that she lied about having no knowledge of wyrdmarks:
She also reveals that Cain has been using Wyrdmarks to summon demons from the "Otherworld." For a second I read that as "Outworld" and thought that maybe we were doing a crossover with Mortal Kombat. The truth, alas, is far less interesting. The reason that Nehemia has been absent so often is that she's been banishing the creatures Cain has summoned (since he doesn't know enough about demon summoning to put down that which he calls forth). Gee, that sounds much more interesting than what Celaena got up during that period! Why couldn't this story have been about that?
Oh god...the ellipsis abuse...it's too much...someone call an editor...
So essentially, this entire chapter has been on big infodump. Not exactly David Weber sized, but sizable nonetheless.
Chapter 52 opens with...oh come on, you KNOW what's going to happen:
Note that he knocks, and then enters without even waiting for a response. That's, uh, not how knocking on doors is supposed to work, my dude.
He feels guilty that he didn't stop the duel when it become apparent that she had been poisoned, and he's all like, "Damn it, I should have cut him open the moment he started get all demon-y!"
This whole conversation feels...off. It's hard to point to one specific thing, but the way Dorian talks and thinks just doesn't ring true from a male perspective. It feels like r/WomenWritingMen material, to be honest.
Well, at least Celaena wasn't injured in any way that might affect her looks. That's the important thing, right?
*giggle* *snort*
Heh-heh, stroked his pommel.
So the fact that his son got pissed when he threatened to send his girlfriend away means that "he could be a strong general"? Excuse me, but what? How does that indicate anything about his suitability to lead troops into battle? Has Dorian even studied military theory? On top of that, it doesn't seem terribly wise for the king put his only heir on the battlefront.
(Damn, you know the politics of a story are bad when even *I* can find problems with them). And there's the fact that the king still thinks that he can "trust" Celaena even though he has absolutely zero reason to.
He decides that no, she's not going to die right away...at least not until he learns the meaning of the Wyrdmark that appeared on her forehead during the battle. It's then revealed that he's been talking with Perrington, revealing that they've been dabbling in dark magic themselves:
Perrington suggests that, after Kaltain has spent some time in the dungeon, they will "make her an offer she can't refuse," the nature of which is not revealed. Obviously, this whole bit is setting up for the next novel in the series, and with that we end the chapter. Only three more to go after this, folks!
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- Pronouns
- He
Maybe not, but with the kind of kingdom this seems to be, a would-be king who hasn't gotten his sword bloody probably won't command respect from the nobility. Better the chance of death on the field than a near-certainty of a civil war.
Chapter 53, 54, 55
The Victorian
Elven Supremacist
- Location
- Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
All right, I'm going to finish this book in one post. I've already got another Let's Read planned...one that involves a novel that ought to be much more enjoyable (but whose author has, shall we day, very dubious opinions).
We pick up a week after the fateful duel. Celaena is still walking with a limp, but she's already planning to go out on a shopping spree. And of course, she's sitting alone in her room, which means...
KNOCK ON HER DOOR! KNOCK NEXT TIME!
They have a heart-to-heart about killing Cain, and his revelations about what happened to Celaena's parents. Remember, this is a YA fantasy, which means parents everywhere are dropping like flies. And then Dorian strolls into the room and ruins the moment:
Once again, it's bizarre that Celaena has never once, as far as I can recall, come to the realisation that, at some point, she's going to have to choose between one of these dudes.
He moves to kiss her, but she tells him that they can't be together now that she's the king's champion. I mean, being close to the prince might mean he'll start put all sorts of ideas in her head about hastening the succession process a bit. Of course, the king REALLY should have thought of that BEFORE he let his underlings chose his champion for him.
Welcome to the friendzone. Population: You.
Now we move on to Chapter 54, which begins with Chaol sitting in the dining room, brooding over the fact that he just killed a man. Given that he's a high-ranking member of militaristic, conquest-happy kingdom you'd think he'd be used to such things by now. At any rate, Celaena walks into the room reveals that she's ended things with Dorian.
We then cut Celaena as she visits Elena's ghost, who practically spells out the fact that Celaena is super-speshul.
Celaena thanks her for saving her life doing the duel, and Elena departs with the words "Blood ties can't be broken."
Is anyone surprised? Anyone at all?
All right, now on to chapter 55. THE LAST ONE!!!
It opens with Celaena approaching the titular throne of glass, preparing to sign the contract:
She tells herself that, for the next four years, she'll do whatever terrible deeds the king requires, and then she can tell this whole shitty kingdom to piss off. Of course, something tells me that the king would probably find some way of keeping her around indefinitely if she proved to be particularly good at her job.
I love how he demands gratitude in an extremely imperious manner, and then when said gratitude is given he's all like, "You're a goddamn liar, you are."
To ensure her loyalty, the king tells her that if she "forgets" to return from one of her missions, he'll have her "friend" Chaol killed. And if she still doesn't come back, she'll then have Nehemia killed. Then he'll kill her brothers...and then her mother. Once again, we are reminded that this incredibly nuanced and complex character is, in fact, a bit of a twat.
Celaena signs the contract, and the king tells her to bugger off until she's called for. And then, at long last, the final paragraph:
It's over...at long last it's OVER!
Now, I won't say that Throne of Glass is the worst fantasy novel I've read (that honour goes to Robert Newcomb's The Fifth Sorceress), but this book is...not good. Now, I will admit I'm probably not in its target audience (the author's books are extremely popular, so obviously they're appealing to SOMEONE), but there are two glaring flaws with this novel. The first is that it never establishes that Celaena is actually the badass assassin she claims she is. When a story continually builds up a character like, then the author is effectively writing IOUs to the reader. At some point those IOUs are going to come do, and if you can't actually make good on that promise then your readers are probably going to throw the book against the wall.
Furthermore, the protagonist of Throne of Glass is...unlikable, to say the least. Now, unlikable protagonists can work if they're interesting, but Celaena is just a whining narcissist who doesn't seem to realise that being a good assassin means not drawing attention to yourself. And that whole bit about finding a pile of candy on her bed and then scarfing it down without a thought was really dumb of her.
The second major issue is pacing...this novel takes bloody forever to get into the action, instead choosing to spin its wheels with an insipid love triangle. The supposed "contest of assassins" is largely glossed over, and it's not until the very end that something actually happens!
Needless to say, I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels.
We pick up a week after the fateful duel. Celaena is still walking with a limp, but she's already planning to go out on a shopping spree. And of course, she's sitting alone in her room, which means...
KNOCK ON HER DOOR! KNOCK NEXT TIME!
They have a heart-to-heart about killing Cain, and his revelations about what happened to Celaena's parents. Remember, this is a YA fantasy, which means parents everywhere are dropping like flies. And then Dorian strolls into the room and ruins the moment:
Once again, it's bizarre that Celaena has never once, as far as I can recall, come to the realisation that, at some point, she's going to have to choose between one of these dudes.
He moves to kiss her, but she tells him that they can't be together now that she's the king's champion. I mean, being close to the prince might mean he'll start put all sorts of ideas in her head about hastening the succession process a bit. Of course, the king REALLY should have thought of that BEFORE he let his underlings chose his champion for him.
Welcome to the friendzone. Population: You.
Now we move on to Chapter 54, which begins with Chaol sitting in the dining room, brooding over the fact that he just killed a man. Given that he's a high-ranking member of militaristic, conquest-happy kingdom you'd think he'd be used to such things by now. At any rate, Celaena walks into the room reveals that she's ended things with Dorian.
We then cut Celaena as she visits Elena's ghost, who practically spells out the fact that Celaena is super-speshul.
Celaena thanks her for saving her life doing the duel, and Elena departs with the words "Blood ties can't be broken."
Is anyone surprised? Anyone at all?
All right, now on to chapter 55. THE LAST ONE!!!
It opens with Celaena approaching the titular throne of glass, preparing to sign the contract:
She tells herself that, for the next four years, she'll do whatever terrible deeds the king requires, and then she can tell this whole shitty kingdom to piss off. Of course, something tells me that the king would probably find some way of keeping her around indefinitely if she proved to be particularly good at her job.
I love how he demands gratitude in an extremely imperious manner, and then when said gratitude is given he's all like, "You're a goddamn liar, you are."
To ensure her loyalty, the king tells her that if she "forgets" to return from one of her missions, he'll have her "friend" Chaol killed. And if she still doesn't come back, she'll then have Nehemia killed. Then he'll kill her brothers...and then her mother. Once again, we are reminded that this incredibly nuanced and complex character is, in fact, a bit of a twat.
Celaena signs the contract, and the king tells her to bugger off until she's called for. And then, at long last, the final paragraph:
It's over...at long last it's OVER!
Now, I won't say that Throne of Glass is the worst fantasy novel I've read (that honour goes to Robert Newcomb's The Fifth Sorceress), but this book is...not good. Now, I will admit I'm probably not in its target audience (the author's books are extremely popular, so obviously they're appealing to SOMEONE), but there are two glaring flaws with this novel. The first is that it never establishes that Celaena is actually the badass assassin she claims she is. When a story continually builds up a character like, then the author is effectively writing IOUs to the reader. At some point those IOUs are going to come do, and if you can't actually make good on that promise then your readers are probably going to throw the book against the wall.
Furthermore, the protagonist of Throne of Glass is...unlikable, to say the least. Now, unlikable protagonists can work if they're interesting, but Celaena is just a whining narcissist who doesn't seem to realise that being a good assassin means not drawing attention to yourself. And that whole bit about finding a pile of candy on her bed and then scarfing it down without a thought was really dumb of her.
The second major issue is pacing...this novel takes bloody forever to get into the action, instead choosing to spin its wheels with an insipid love triangle. The supposed "contest of assassins" is largely glossed over, and it's not until the very end that something actually happens!
Needless to say, I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels.
NNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
What about the stupid love triangle, and the [Redacted], [Redacted], and [Redacted]? And the part that ebony princess died? What about it?
The Victorian
Elven Supremacist
- Location
- Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So, Nehemia ends up dying? Why would the author kill off the only halfway-interesting character in the book?
Karyis
procrastinating as we speak
- Location
- Texas
- Pronouns
- He/Him
To motivate the main character and further her character arc. I heard that apparently even Nehemia literally says at one point while in some spirit world thing that she let herself die for Celaena's sake, but that was a bit farther than where I read.
So…basically the only black character up until that point got fridged to motivate a white woman and fuel her angst.