Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

the basics

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
- Throne of Glass (August 2012)
- Crown of Midnight (August 2013)
- Heir of Fire (September 2014)
- Untitled
- Untitled
- Untitled (mysterious!)
Add it: Goodreads

goodreads summary

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

In short

Celaena Sardothien is an assassin who got imprisoned, but is offered a way out to fight for the Prince to become the King's Champion. She goes to the Glass Castle where she trains and fights 24 other Champions until one becomes the winner. Not in a Hunger Games way though. It all takes weeks of training and multiple battles. However, then Champions start showing up dead and there seems to be a monster in the castle. Celaena studies this and eventually manages to kill the monster AND become the King's Champion. This is a very, very short summary.

What went down

• Celaena Sardothien is the most notorious assassin of Adarlan, but she got caught and was imprisoned in the Salt Mines of Endovier for a year. Then, the Crown Prince offers her a way out: she has to fight to become the King's Champion, and after a few years, she'll be free.
• Of course, she accepts. Together with Prince Dorian (YUM) and Captain of the Guard Chaol (DOUBLE YUM) she travels to the Glass Palace. However, no one knows she's Adarlan's Assassin, so they call her Lady Lillian.
• Celaena finds the library and asks Dorian to let her borrow books. Yes, this is an important fact. SHE LIKES TO READ. *pats Celaena*
• C meets the other competing Champions (murderers, thieves, all kinds of fun people) and also Lady Kaltain, who everyone hates except for Lord Perrington. Perrington's Champion is called Cain and he's a total jerk as well. We do not like him. Anyway, Kaltain is engaged (?) to Perrington but secretly wants Dorian.
• The Champions train in a big room together. They start their official training with a test (basically just testing their stamina), Celaena vomits because she's been in the mines for a year and has basically no strength anymore. Luckily, there's Chaol (*swoon*) to train her.
• C and Chaol meet Nehemia, Princess of Eyllwe. Celaena speaks her language and they get along perfectly.
• But THEN things get weird as one of the Champions is found dead.
• The first test arrives, and is an archery test. Celaena passes, because she's awesome.
• Then during the training one Champion tries to flee, but is killed only moments later. Well then.
• Meanwhile, Dorian's mother, the Queen, has decided he needs to marry and is looking for a bride. Dorian doesn't like this one bit.
• Dorian visits Celaena in her chambers and finds her playing beautiful music on the piano, one of her vulnerable moments. They talk, but C eventually sends him away. She does tell him about this guy Sam, who she used to be in love with.
• The second test involves the Champions climbing a very high wall to get a flag. While getting to the top, Nox - a Champion who's sort of become Celaena's friend - is nearly thrown off the wall, but she saves him just in time and still place in time. Phew.
• THEN Celaena finds a secret doorway in her room, and goes to investigate the passage after. She is first lead outside and is almost tempted to run away but doesn't. She then sees a dinner where all the Champions are invited but her, and sees Chaol leaving. She hurries back because he'll probably come for her.
• But what she didn't know was that FIRST Dorian came to see her, Chaol sends him away, and then Chaol gives her a ring. Both of these guys... a ring... *sigh*
• Celaena dreams of another passage and a tomb, where she sees the ghost (?) of Elena Havilliard, first Queen of Adarlan and part Fae. Elena tells C that there's evil in the castle (that has been killing the Champions) and that Celaena must win and become Champion to defeat the evil. Elena gives C this special protective amulet.
• Another Champion is found dead and half eaten. This is getting out of hand.
• Nehemia and C go for a walk and find Wyrdmarks near the clocktower (these are apparently signs of magic, which has  been banned from Adarlan). Nehemia doesn't want to talk about them but obviously knows more. Nevertheless, C gets books from the library to investigate it.
• When another body is discovered, Chaol as C to help him and she finds out that whatever has been killing the Champions is a monster, but also helped by a human. Uh oh. (Chamber of Secrets, anyone?)
• Dorian gives Celaena a puppy! (Important facts here, people.) They kind of really have feelings for each other by now.
• In the library, Celaena finds Nehemia reading a book that she's not supposed to be able to read at all. (Oh, C has been giving Nehemia lessons to learn the common language, because she speaks Eyllwe as well.) Huh?! C then suspects Nehemia from controlling the evil monster to avenge her people (who have been enslaved by the King of Adarlan).
• There's a ball and Celaena is not invited, but who cares, right? She dresses up fabulously and goes anyway. Mostly to make sure Nehemia doesn't attack anyone, but oh well. Chaol does not approve, but Dorian does and they dance and dance and dance all night. Nehemia does nothing.
• After the ball DORIAN AND CELAENA KISS.
• Perrington and Kaltain plan to drug Celaena during the final battle so Cain can finish her off. Apparently they're scared of a little girl. Pfffft.
• C finds out that the monster is a ridderak, who has come from another world (the world of the dead) with magic. She suspects Nehemia to be controlling it. However, when she goes in the tunnel that leads from her room to the tomb where she found Elena, she finds Cain and the monster there. Surprise surprise!
• C defeats the ridderak and almost dies from its venom, but in her room, NEHEMIA shows up to heal her. It turns out Nehemia knows her magic and has been protecting C all along and everything is wonderful. Except, you know, for Cain killing the Champions. Also, this is where Nehemia finds out that Celaena is not Lady Lillian, but Celaena Sardothien. Now they're besties.
• Final battle time! Celaena and Cain both defeat the other Champions, and then have a victory drink before the finale. However, Kaltain (stupid brat) has drugged C's drink and this makes C very much suck at the fight.
• Cain almost beats her and the drug makes her see all kinds of dead people. In fact, there's an army of them waiting to kill her, and Cain has beaten her up and everything is awful. BUT then Nehemia calls for help with magic and Elena comes and heals C. C then beats Cain. Bastard.
• BUT Cain is not happy and tries to kill Celaena. Chaol, dear Chaol, doesn't let this happen and murders Cain. Wooo! This leaves Chaol very upset and confused, but he'll be fine.s

How did it end?

Celaena "breaks up" with Dorian because she's now the King's Champion and he is the Prince. He doesn't like this, but whatever. Celaena has to get with Chaol, so it's all good. *cough* Sorry, I was getting distracted there. Anyway, C becomes the King's Champion, but not before the King threatens her that if she doesn't listen to what he says, he'll murder Chaol and Nehemia and everyone. He's not that nice, really. But we'll see more of that in... Crown of Midnight!

anything else

Wyrdmarks: magical signs that do magic. Honestly, they're not really explained, but we'll see.