Crown of Midnight (A Throne of Glass Novel #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Page Count: 418
Rating: A
Keywords: Magic, Assassin, Kingdom
Genre: YA Fantasy
Younger Readers: Language is not extreme, fairly standard for YA genre

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

Review:

This book was amazing! Of course the cover is absolutely beautiful but there is much more than a pretty face to this series. If you loved the first book in the series then this sequel will not disappoint. There are more of the fun fight scenes and creeping mystery in this installment that readers will recognize from the first novel. A strong continuation that really builds on the epic fantasy feel touched upon previously.
While looking back I did love this book, I will have to admit that it took me a very long time to get through the first 100 pages...about a year. I'm not sure if it was that I was in a reading slump or if the story was just slow to start but it did take me a very long time. With that being said, the last 300 pages only took a day and a half to finish.
Maas is a master storyteller, there is no denying this. The reader feels the story building and moving towards a massive shock but the direction the tale will take is not immediately clear. I will not spoil the plot, but that was an impressive ending that I did not predict. Not knowing which direction a twist is going to go is always enjoyable in its shocking nature.
One aspect that I liked was the simplicity with which Chaol and Celaena fall in love. Their story is sweet in a way that she and Dorian never were. There is something tragic and beautiful in it...especially if you read to the end.
Absolutely recommend. Already finished Heir of Fire and it was amazing also! I'll post that review soon.