Throne of Glass Box Set [paperback] Sarah J. Maas [Jun 29, 2023]

One of the best book series I have ever read, on a level with the Lord of the Rings. This series has it all, fantasy, magic, quests, romance, fairies, princesses, assassins, epic battles, major character growth, plot twists, multiple worlds, it even has aliens!!! I could not put this series down & I bet you won't be able too either! Worth every penny & this is series is a part of my permanent library now...if I ever get it back, I think it's on to the 7th or 8th person to borrow it at this point.

Giiiiirrrllll if you haven’t read this yet, lord have mercy. You need to. This is like a female version of LOTR for me. I literally think about this series all the time and it’s been years. It would be the most epic tv show or movie set. So many characters, so much depth, so much banter and emotion…. Everyone has their own tragic backstory and somehow led them all together. Journeys across land and sea. Epic slow burns, realistic relationship ebb and flow. So much love, so many tears. This is an EPIC journey in its own but it has ties to an even more EPIC multiverse. The Easter eggs and plot holes are amazing!!!! SJM is a genius. The only singular thing I have beef with, is how you go on this long amazing epic emotional journey where you discover there are 2 main villains in the end, and their fate was so short handed to them…..thats my only beef. I’d re read this series til the cows come home but I needed so much more for the villains ending. I needed it to be more epic and make more sense. Not that it didn’t “make sense” per se, but it felt so much more rushed than a lot of the story you read. I mean It took so much depth and calculation to get all those characters together for the final boss battle and the fate of the 2 villains was so swift and almost glossed over for me. It broke my heart how quick the ending was after the most epic of journeys. This took me literal months to read and I was left wanting more. But like I said I will re read this series til the cows come home. This is such a rich world and you explore damn near every part of it with such detail. Rich, beautiful, epic world. The SJM universe is my favorite of all time.

Best books: Assassins Blade Heir of Fire Queen of Shadows Empire of Storms Kingdom of Ash Boring/frustrating books: Throne of Glass Crown of Midnight Tower of Dawn General Plot for the Beginning of Series: Celaena Sordothien is Adarlan’s best assassin. After a series of misfortune befalls her, she ends up a slave in the salt mines of Endovier. Dorian Havillard frees Celaena with the catch that she will be his champion in the trials to see who becomes the king’s assassin. Her freedom and her life lie on the line as her competitors are out to get her and those around her. If she passes the trials, she is free with a three years service as an assassin. If she fails, she gets sent back to the salt mines for the rest of her life. The secrets of the glass castle call to her and have her uncover not only her lost legacy but also the future of Adarlan. How should it be read: Assassin’s Blade/Throne of Glass/ Crown of Midnight - as one book. Heir of Fire (Assassin’s Blade may also be read again or before Queen of Shadows as the events of Assassin’s Blade bring back many characters and unresolved storylines.) Queen of Shadows. Empire of Storms/Tower of Dawn - as one book. Tandem read. Alternate chapter. Reading Order for EOS/TOD Tandem Read: Empire of storms - Chapters 1-13 Tower of dawn - Chapters 1-2 - chapter 2 mentions something that happens in chapters 1-13 of Empire of Storms Empire of Storms - Chapters 14-18 (leaves on cliffhanger) Tower of Dawn - Chapters 3-4 (chaol wonders about character in cliffhanger high suits the wording in a different context.) Empire of storms - Chapter 19 TOD Chapter 5.6.7 EŌS Chapter 20.21.22.23 TOD Chapter 8.9.10. EŌS chapter 24.25. ToD chapter 11. 12.13. 14.15.16 EŌS chapter 26.27. TOD chapter 17.18.19.20.21.22. 23. 24. 25. EOS chapter 28.29.30.31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40.41.42.43.43. 44.45.46.47.48. TOD chapter 26.27.28.29.30.31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40. EOS Chapters 49.50.51.52.53.54.55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61.62. 63.64.65.66.67.68.69.70.71.72.73.74.75 TOD Chapters 41.42.43.44.45.46.47.48.49.50.51.52.53.54.55.56.57. 58.59.60.61.62.63.64.65.66.67.68.69. Kingdom of Ash - 1058 pages. Summaries for all of the books: Throne of Glass/Crown of Midnight - one story arc that builds the foundation for the main story. This story is about Caelenas rise after she has fallen from grace. She is rebuilding her reputation as the continents best assassin. She is still growing up and maturing. She starts off really immature and by the end of the second book she has grown significantly and will do anything to stop evil from disrupting Erilea. Heir of Fire - More characters come in to play and Celaena is learning how to use her abilities. Conflicts that were built in throne of glass/crown of midnight are built upon and elevated. We start exploring more of Erilea instead of just staying in rifthold. Mythical creatures are introduced. Subplots are put in place. The Assassins Blade - it is a prequel to throne of glass but it should be read as a sort of prologue to Queen of Shadows, Tower of Dawn, and Empire of Storms. Characters reappear from these short stories. You really see Caelena flourish as an assassin. This is the story of how Caelena fell from grace and we get to learn more about who the broke person we met at the beginning of the series in throne of glass is and why she was so angry and combative in throne of glass. Queen of Shadows - is a revenge story. Demons that caelena has been ignoring from the assassins blade and her past, are coming back to haunt her and she must now face them in this novel. Caelena goes full force and is scheming and playing a game of chess as the stakes in her survival are at the highest. Empire of Storms/ Tower of Dawn - these two books happen at the same time and should be read in tandem. They both are about Celaena and her friends recovering from the events of Queen of Shadows but also recovering from the events of the previous four novels, how they move on from this point, all while building an army against the looming darkness that is engulfing Erilea. Kingdom of Ash - the final installment to the Celaena’s story. Celaena and friends have to find the last Wyrdkey and forge the lock. Also, Celaena must defeat Maeve, Erawan, and their armies.

I enjoyed reading the whole Throne of Glass series. I liked it even better than ACOTAR. It is a good coming of age, young heroine story, set in a medieval type world, with some magical elements. The 8 book Kindle bundle is a convenient way to read the series, BUT two things really annoyed me about it: All 8 books are together as a single long kindle book of over 5000 pages, instead of a bundle of 8 kindle books, as some other bundles are. This means you can't choose which order you read the books in, at least if you use whispersync and switch between devices, as I do. This bundle shows "The Assassins Blade" as the 1st book, which it is chronologically, but it has that book last in the set, which is annoying. I would have much preferred it if Amazon included it 3rd, like it was published, or 1st, in chronological order. Putting it last just messed up the reading. Also having the books as 1 long book means I couldn't tandem read books 5&6, as many fan sights suggest doing.

Took a break from leisurely reading due to long hours in school and/or work. Came across Throne of Glass on tiktok but mostly ignored it until I came across a physical copy in 2023, at a bookstore in Estes Park, Colorado. It led me to meeting a wonderful friend who raved about the series. Although I stopped reading after book 2 due to scheduling issues, I returned to start the series anew a few weeks ago, opting for the ebook versions (although I highly recommend buying the physical ones too) so that I could read easier on the go. I have been reaching out to her every step of the way with my theories, thoughts, and reactions and although she read them way back when they were first being published, she felt she was reliving them right alongside me. Writing this now as I just finished up Kingdom of Ash with tears on my face (I read Assassin’s Blade as the third book in this series which I definitely recommend), it was so well written! All the characters are so well fleshed out, you’re hooked from the beginning to the end. I love looking for clues and foreshadowing and Sarah J. Maas was just so good at proper twists with proper clues that even if you had an idea, you still didn’t get the whole picture or doubted right along with the characters of the book and were equally as shocked when events would unfold. Please take some time to read this series and sit with its message and storyline. You won’t regret it. To a better world!

Hands down best series I have ever read. Obsessed.

Great stories and character development, great looking set, box makes it easy to keep books together. And sits nicely on my bookshelf.

Sarah J. Maas is a talented storyteller! The writing was even better in this series than in A Court of Thorns and Roses. I found myself silently begging for more romance… the romance was there, just not to the extreme like in ACOTAR. I liked that not everyone got a happy ending. You found yourself sitting on the edge of your seat cheering on certain characters because of that. I’ll be thinking of the stories in these books forever. Thanks, Ms. Maas!