Throne of Glass is an epic fantasy novel series by American author Sarah J. Maas, beginning with the entry of the same name, released on August 2, 2012. The story follows the journey of Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assassin in a corrupt kingdom with a tyrannical ruler, the King of Adarlan. As the story progresses, Celaena forms unexpected bonds and uncovers a conspiracy amidst her adventures. The series concluded with the eighth book in October 2018.
The series appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list, and was optioned by Hulu and Disney-ABC Domestic Television for a television series adaptation by Mark Gordon in 2016, but nothing came forward and the rights went back to the author.
Contents
Overview
Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin in the Kingdom of Adarlan. After a year of suffering for her crimes in a slave camp called Endovier, she accepts the offer of Crown Prince Dorian Haviliard, the King of Adarlan's son, to compete with other assassins and thieves for a chance to serve as the King's Champion, and eventually gain her freedom after six years in the King's service. This leads her to form unexpected bonds with both Dorian and Chaol, the Captain of the Guard. Over time, Celaena is drawn into a conspiracy and a series of battles, leading to discoveries surrounding both the Kingdom and herself.
Books
Companion books
Throne of Glass Coloring Book (2016)
Companion game
Embers of Memory, a two-person card game based on the Throne of Glass book series, was released in October 2019 by Osprey Games. It is set during the events of the final book in the series, Kingdom of Ash. The players are tasked with helping Aelin survive her imprisonment and ordeal at the hands of Maeve, diving with her into her memories and helping her find the way back out.
Reading order
The order in which to read the Throne of Glass series is discussed within the community due to the publication date of Assassin's Blade differing from when it occurs chronologically within the story. While the book's events are a prequel to the rest of the series, its publication occurred in 2014, after the publication of Crown of Midnight in 2013. Bloomsbury Publishing and Sarah J. Maas's publication site suggest reading in order of publication date, with Assassin's Blade listed after Crown of Midnight.
Additionally, Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn overlap in their chronological events, which has sparked several 'tandem read' guides, which suggest the order in which to read each chapter of each book, concurrently.
Characters
Main characters
Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, also known as Celaena Sardothien, is the main protagonist of the series. When she was young, her parents were murdered, and she trained to become an assassin.
Rowan Whitethorn: A full-blooded Fae who is over three centuries old; one of six elite warriors originally in Maeve's Cadre.
Dorian Havilliard II: The king and formerly the Crown Prince of Adarlan.
Manon Blackbeak: A witch and heir to the Blackbeak clan.
Chaol Westfall: Captain of the Guard.
Supporting characters
Elide Lochan: A human with Blackbeak blood.
Yrene Towers: A Torre Cesme healer.
Lorcan Salvaterre: Demi Fae; one of six elite warriors originally in Maeve's Cadre.
Lysandra Ennar: A former courtesan who worked with Arobynn Hamel.
Aedion Ashryver: Aelin's cousin, demi-fae with enhanced senses but no magic.
Maeve: Fae Queen of Doranelle.
Gavriel: Fae; one of six elite warriors originally in Maeve's Cadre.
Fenrys Moonbeam: Fae; one of six elite warriors originally in Maeve's Cadre.
Elena Galathynius Havilliard: Demi Fae; First Queen of Adarlan.
Princess Nehemia Ytger: A princess of the kingdom of Eyllwe.
Sam Cortland: An Assassin of Arobynn Hamel's Assassin's Guild.
Kaltain Rompier: A young lady who comes from a fairly rich family.
Dorian Havilliard I: King of Adarlan.
Arobynn Hamel: Head of the Assassin's Guild
Nesryn Faliq: Former city guard of Rifthold.
Asterin Blackbeak: Second in Manon's coven of 13 witches.
Development
Background
Sarah J. Maas has cited Disney's Cinderella as an inspiration for writing Throne of Glass. While viewing the scene in which the heroine flees the ball, Maas found the soundtrack "way too dark and intense". This led her to re-imagine a number of details. "The music fit much better when I imagined a thief—no, an assassin!—fleeing the palace," she said. "But who was she? Who had sent her to kill the prince? Who might the prince's enemies be? A powerful, corrupt empire, perhaps?"
Originally known as Queen of Glass, the story initially appeared on FictionPress.com. Bloomsbury acquired the novel in 2010, and purchased two additional Throne of Glass novels in 2012. Publicist Emma Bradshaw noted Maas' "huge online following, particularly in the US". Additionally, Throne of Glass became the first Bloomsbury children's novel to be featured on Netgalley.com, attracting requests "from all over the world."
Following its acquisition by Bloomsbury, the story went through a number of revisions prior to publication. Regarding the tale's development, Maas stated, "In the 10 years that I've been working on the series, Throne of Glass has become more of an original epic fantasy than a Cinderella retelling, but you can still find a few nods to the legend here and there."
Sarah J. Maas began writing the Throne of Glass Series in 2002 when she was 16 years old.
Characters
In an interview prior to the series' debut, Maas discussed the process of creating her protagonist:
I grew up reading books like Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown and Garth Nix's Sabriel—both of which feature strong heroines, and both of which profoundly shaped my identity and empowered me. I started writing knowing I wanted to create books like that—mostly because that's what interests me and where my passion lies, but also because I'd love for some young woman to read [Throne of Glass] and feel empowered, too.
The story's teenage heroine, Celaena Sardothien, is introduced as an orphan who was raised and trained by an assassin. She is characterized as skilled, arrogant, and witty. While shaping her protagonist, Maas was inspired by the heroism of Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings, and by the characterization of Velma Kelly from Chicago. Maas has stated that the latter's "arrogance and fierceness made me want to write about a woman like her—about a woman who never once said sorry for being talented and determined and utterly in love with herself."
The author ultimately designed Celaena as a highly capable character whose talents also form a basis for numerous faults. In interviews preceding the series' release, Maas noted her heroine's issues with "impatience" and "vanity". She also suggested that Celaena would grow while adjusting to her new role. In addition to Celaena's skills as an assassin, Maas wanted the character to have several traits and hobbies befitting her age, including a fondness for "shopping, books, and fine dining", as well as a "penchant for getting into trouble."
In creating the friendship between Celaena and Chaol, Maas gave the characters a number of differences. As the story begins, Chaol is introduced as a strict and ethical captain, while Celaena is presented as a morally ambiguous assassin. According to the author, this contrast contributes to Chaol's character development as his bond with Celaena grows. Amidst their experiences, Chaol eventually comes to view her not just as a captive criminal, but also "as a human being." While writing the novel, Maas envisioned Chaol as a character who had "always seen the world in black and white," and concluded that "Celaena just throws a wrench in that."
Prince Dorian is presented as a suitor for Celaena as well. However, their relationship is complicated by his status as the crown prince.
Release
Publicity
In anticipation of the series' debut, Bloomsbury released e-book editions of four prequel novellas—The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld, and The Assassin and the Empire—between January and July 2012. Throne of Glass was previewed by Publishers Weekly in February, while the book trailer premiered on MTV.com in May. Additionally, film option rights were acquired by Creative Artists Agency.
Reception
Throne of Glass has received generally positive reviews, making its debut on the New York Times Best Seller list with the release of the second novel, Crown of Midnight. A review from Publishers Weekly lauded the series' opening as a "strong debut novel." The review went on to state, "This is not cuddly romance, but neither is it grim. Celaena is trained to murder, yet she hasn’t lost her taste for pretty dresses or good books, and a gleam of optimism tinges her outlook. Maas tends toward overdescription, but the verve and freshness of the narration make for a thrilling read." The Guardian gave it 5 stars out of 5 with the author of the review stating that the main character, Celaena, was more "relatable" than most other female protagonists. In her review for USA Today, Serena Chase called Celaena a "next-level Cinderella".
Kirkus stated, "A teenage assassin, a rebel princess, menacing gargoyles, supernatural portals and a glass castle prove to be as thrilling as they sound." With regard to the protagonist, Kirkus noted that "Celaena is still just a teenager trying to forge her way, giving the story timelessness. She might be in the throes of a bloodthirsty competition, but that doesn't mean she's not in turmoil over which tall, dark and handsomely titled man of the royal court should be her boyfriend—and which fancy gown she should wear to a costume party." The review concluded that the story's "commingling of comedy, brutality and fantasy evokes a rich alternate universe with a spitfire young woman as its brightest star."
Throne of Glass was named Amazon.com's "Best Book of the Month for Kids & Teens" in August 2012. Whitney Kate Sullivan of Romantic Times stated that "Maas' YA fantasy world is one of the most compelling that this reviewer has visited all year. The assassin heroine's growth and the multilayered secondary characters are amazing." Serena Chase of USA Today applauded the story's love triangle, and noted that "Maas excels at world building, spicing up this unusual take on the Cinderella story by injecting myths, fairy tales and religious traditions with the magic of a fresh and faulted world. Whereas many authors rely on geographic detail to build their worlds, Maas' environment is more politically driven and her characterizations are deftly drawn to support that sort of structure." Chase also commended Maas for creating "a truly remarkable heroine who doesn't sacrifice the grit that makes her real in order to do what's right in the end."
In 2024, Empire of Storms was one of 13 books banned from all Utah public schools by the state school board for allegedly containing "objective sensitive material." Five other books by Maas, all in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, were also among the banned books.
Television adaptation
In September 2016, it was announced that the Throne of Glass series had been opted for a television adaptation by Hulu and Disney-ABC Domestic Television. The series was set to be titled Queen of Shadows, named after the fifth novel in the series, with The Mark Gordon Company serving as the main project studio. The adaptation was to be written by Kira Snyder, who also wrote The 100, with the pilot potentially to be directed by Anna Foerster.