Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit I came into this series feeling a bit grudgy, a bit squinty, and a bit tapped out on the whole YA Mary Sue kick-butt fantasy angle. Of course, I probably should have started HERE with that and saved myself a lot of hassle.

So, yeah. I read it. Was constantly annoyed with the old, super-tired tropes trotted out for the runway, or rather, the clown prince's ball, and here I am, nit-picking the whole "how the hell is an 18-year-old gorgeous woman who has been in back-breaking prison for a year considered to be the MOST SUCCESSFUL ASSASSIN"? You would think that the most successful assassin would have a few years on her and WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN CAUGHT in the first place. But I'm setting that whole thing aside for now. Perhaps permanently. I will hand-wave it away.

Why?

Because the text is fun. The whole thing about being the clown prince's champion in this big incomprehensible but visually spectacular contest of assassins and thieves IS FUN. Getting cool digs and even a CUTE PUPPY from the clown prince and having the obligatory romantic triad between our uber-assassin and the clown prince and the captain of the guard might SOUND trite, but Maas writes it so it IS fun.

Total popcorn UF-style. And it doesn't hurt that all these gruesome murders are taking out the contestants. Or that friendship is sooo key, or that a big magical evil is on the rise. I even mentioned to a friend that it had that FEEL of early Harry Potter. You just want to see what horrible, albeit mild, thing is going to happen next... and will the clown prince kiss her?

lol

I ADMIT I had a FUN TIME. I don't LIKE to admit it. I can't see WHY I should have had a fun time. But I did.

*hangs his head in shame*
*picks up the next book in the series*
*salivates a little*

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