**spoiler alert** I’m so sad this book ended. It was my special friend when I was stuck in the cold and rainy French countryside. If it hadn’t been fo**spoiler alert** I’m so sad this book ended. It was my special friend when I was stuck in the cold and rainy French countryside. If it hadn’t been for Eona, I would have lost my mind with boredom.
The great thing about this book is that there’s no excessive world building like there had been in Eon. The book went straight into the action without having to stop and explain stuff in the middle of a fight. That made it much more exiting. I approve.
Eona, herself is much more likable. I felt she was too timid and quiet during Eon even though I understood her fear of being caught. She made up for it though. I liked how she stood her ground against the emperor and all the lords, I’m glad her gender didn’t stop her from voicing her opinions and delivering hard facts. It’s good to see her view her femininity as a gift rather than a curse.
Eona’s short meeting with her mother ticked me off a bit. Maybe it’s just me but I felt Eona was too quick to forgive her mother. She calls Lilia a “good woman” yet this is the same woman who allowed her 6 year old daughter to be sold into slave labour where she got beaten and starved. There are many words I could use to describe that sort of mother and “good woman” is NOT one of them.
Ah Ido. I know I’m not the only reader who really believed he could change. That only made his stance as the villain so much better because you never know what he’s thinking or what his plans are. I kinda suspected he was up to something but still couldn’t separate his words into truth or lies. Still, I loved reading about him. He’s one of my favourite villains ever.
I was sooooo sad when Eona lost her bond with the Mirror Dragon. Her position as a Dragoneye was a vital part of her, it was the reason the whole story started and ended. It was like Eona lost a piece of herself when the Mirror Dragon left her. You could really feel Eona’s pain when she was severing the bond even though she knew it was the right thing to do. I teared up a little when the Mirror Dragon didn’t respond to Eona’s calls anymore. This made me feel a bit better though :
“High above us the Circle of Twelve was complete, all the dragons in their celestial domains. As if she recognized my presence, the new Mirror Dragon turned her huge crimson head toward me. I felt her curious spirit brush against mine, and within it was the soft cinnamon joy of a remembered bond”.
I still wish Eona could’ve somehow kept her bond but I was happy that they are still connected through their memories.
Throne of Glass is an excellent debut to a promising series. I’m very glad I took the time to read this, it kept me glued to pages for many hours.
CalThrone of Glass is an excellent debut to a promising series. I’m very glad I took the time to read this, it kept me glued to pages for many hours.
Caleana, an infamous assassin is serving time at a slave camp until she is dragged out and given an offer she can’t refuse : a chance to win her freedom. But there’s a catch, she must first participate in a competition to become the king’s champion and if she wins, serve him for four years.
Although this is a high fantasy novel there’s not a lot of info dumping which give the plot a nice clear flow. And though the beginning was very slow the overall book had a quick pace so I never got bored or started skimming pages. I do wish we could’ve been given more information about Caleana’s world in terms of traditions and various cultures of the kingdoms - like the celebration of Yulemas. It would’ve made the world building more sturdy.
Caleana made a good protagonist. I thought she was way to cocky at times but I guess that’s just part of her character and I’m glad she actually has a backbone unlike most female protagonists in the YA genre. She’s witty, funny and isn’t a timid, proper lady that society expects her to be. I loved how she behaved around the condescending men who try so hard to put her down :
“Here’s a lesson for you Weapons Master”, she said stalking past him. “Give me real men to fight . Then maybe I’ll bother trying.”
Haha, you just got pwned. And although Caleana is a great fighter, she isn’t a brainless thug and spends as much time researching in the library as she does training in the weapons room. I was really happy that she was a bookworm, I could easily identify with her when she says stuff like “All those books, with no one to read them” So very true, Caleana . It’s great when a main character actually used their brain as well as their physical strength.
She was ,however, very slow in figuring out the mysteries of the champions deaths. It annoyed me that she was so quick to suspect Nehemia when Cain is the one who’s had it in for her since the very beginning. It just seemed so obvious to me he was the culprit. But even though the plot was predictable, I still had fun reading it.
I wasn’t so keen on the whole romance thing between Caleana and Dorian. It wasn’t that he was a jerk or anything it’s just that I failed to see what attracted them to each other. They have next to nothing in common and I found some scenes between them overly cheesy and forced.
But that aside, Throne of Glass was an entertaining read. I’m sure many readers will love this as much as I did. I hope the sequel is released quickly because I’m dying to know what happens next. ...more
Firstly I'd like to say, I would've given this a much higher rating if the book had been half it's length. There was too much travel 3.5 stars really
Firstly I'd like to say, I would've given this a much higher rating if the book had been half it's length. There was too much travelling and not enough action and confrontations. I think over half the book is spent going to and from places which was okay at first but then got really repetitive and very boring especially around the mid way point. It really brought the book down which is a shame since the other half was really interesting and well written.
(view spoiler)[ I was disappointed with the way the whole King Leck thing was played out. He was the villain, I think, but that never got developed. Po and Katsa discover what his Grace is and I though that would be the catalyst for a war between the Kingdoms or something but a few chapters later Leck is dead and I was left feeling deflated because I was expecting so much more. We never even got find out what he wanted from Bitterblue. The second half of the book is spent protecting Bitterblue and keeping her hidden but from what ? I really wanted to know. (hide spoiler)]
I'm not sure if I'll continue this series. I'll wait and see how I feel. ...more
I read this through the night, it was just so addictive. I particularly loved the Slavic touch in Shadow and Bone, you don't see that a lot in YA thouI read this through the night, it was just so addictive. I particularly loved the Slavic touch in Shadow and Bone, you don't see that a lot in YA though I did laugh out loud when the characters were getting drunk on kvas. Kvas is a soft drink for children, I drank lots of it when I lived in Ukraine and trust me when I say, you cannot get drunk on kvas, it'd be like trying to get drunk on Coca Cola.
Cultural errors aside, the book was great, really great. Alina annoyed me at first because she was weak and very vain but she got better in the second half when she learned to use her power and started taking charge. No insta love here - hooray. I totally get the romance between Mal and Alina, they've been friends since childhood and have always been there for each other since, as orphans, they never had anyone else. It's easy to see why they'd love each other. It's really fluffy story but a good one at that.
Really surprised by how good this turned out to be. The start was slow but the rest of the book was amazing. I really love how this YA novel was not sReally surprised by how good this turned out to be. The start was slow but the rest of the book was amazing. I really love how this YA novel was not set in modern day high school complete with blonde cheerleader bitches but in an Asian themed world complete with dragons and wonderfully evil villains.
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