The time I reviewed a book -- 1

Okay. So we all know that this blog is about author events and the random shenanigans that seem to always happen to me. Well, I thought I'd shake it up a bit and every once in a while share a book that I loved so much that can't stop thinking about it.

It's certainly not going to be every book, I wouldn't do that to you. :D

So. With that being said, the first book I've been a flailing mess over is Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas.

As I mentioned in my GoodReads review, this book was given to me by a friend. The lovely LeAnna [yes, the sole reason for the start of this blog] gave me an ARC of it the last time I was up at MGRB. She told me that if I liked Daughter of Smoke and Bone that I would like it. I read the back, it sounded interesting, so I took it.

And it sat in my TBR stack for a while.

I don't know what compelled me to finally pick it up, but once I did, I didn't want to put it down.

Without getting into a serious synopsis summary, here are my reasons for why I think you should read this book:

1. Celaena

She could be my favorite heroine out there. She's been trained to be an assassin since she was orphaned at 8 years old. At the start of the book, she's been a prisoner at a salt mine for the past year. She's only 18 and is the most well known assassin, yet she hasn't lost her femininity. She wants to be clean [who doesn't?] and likes the look of herself before she wasted away, but she isn't all, "I'm so amazingly gorgeous, check me out, yo!". She'd rather lure you in to kill you than kiss you and if she can do both while in a pretty dress, that's an added bonus.

Celaena is fierce. Like Beyonce fierce. She's smart and witty and charming and unlike every other girl that I've read. You can't help but fall in love with her and be rooting for her from the very beginning.

2. Chaol and Dorian

Let's get down to serious business now. There are TWO swoony boys to choose from. Yes, you read that correctly.  Two. Usually, I can pick a boy to root for within the first couple of pages of the characters interacting. With Chaol and Dorian, I was going back and forth until the very end.

Chaol is the captain of the guard for the King and is srs bsns all the time. He's in charge of training Celaena. He is gruff and hard headed and he definitely has his reasons as to why he's that way.

However, whenever Celaena is around, we see those defensive walls loosen up, just a bit. We get glittering eyes and shy smiles from him and it's all perfection [but he's not a hot mess about it, he comes across as unsure]. He seems to be the best pick for Celaena because he can relate to the warrior side of her and doesn't discount her ability because she's a girl.

Dorian is the crown prince. He's charming without being skeevy, always has a smile on his face, always looking for a fun time and always always always gets his way. Until Celaena. She makes him realize that he wants to be a better man. And it's fun to see him struggle with what that entails.

Chaol and Dorian are close, best friends if you will. Watching them both of them come apart individually is delightful, but each of their reactions to the other as they interact with Celaena could be some of the best scenes in the book.

3. The Plot

A wicked battle of champions? Check. Magic? Check. Insipid girls from court who want the Prince? Check. Macho boys who underestimate my girl? Check.  In other words, this book has it all, but not in an overwhelming way. Maas has a fluid way of writing and I found myself always wanting to go back to whatever scene I was just finished with.

Throne of Glass is the first book that I wanted to start over immediately after finishing it. It's the first book that I snuck away at work whenever I could to read a paragraph, a page, a chapter. It's the first book that is still on my mind one week and four books later.

I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy as soon as possible. When August 7th comes around, I'll be getting the hardcover and e-book version. Meanwhile, I'm going to pet the ARC that I have.