*Spoilers for the first two books in the Throne of Glass series

“All she knew was that whatever and whoever climbed out of that abyss of despair and grief would not be the same person who had plummeted in.” 

Celaena Sardonthien, Champion to the King of Ardalan, is battered and broken after unspeakable tragedy and the loss of one of her dearest friends. She has been sent across the sea to assassinate the royals of Wendlyn, this is also home to the fae Queen Maeve. Maeve has sent one of her fiercest warriors, Dornelle, to train Celaena before she can enter the realm of the fae. Celaena must find a way to face her heritage and dark secrets before the grief inside can drown her. Monstrous and horrifying forces are growing and she must find the strength inside herself to fight these dark forces before they can destroy everything that she holds dear. 

Manon Blackbeak is heir to the brutal Blackbeak witch clan. The witches have been scattered through the many kingdoms since the destruction of their ancestral home now known as the Wastes, and they hunt their blood enemies, the Crochan witches, as retribution for the loss. Now the King of Ardalan has enlisted the witches as riders in his new and corrupt army.

Dorian Hallivard is desperately keeping secrets from his cruel father, the King of Ardalan. After learning Celaena’s secret he desperately tries to keep a low profile from the King who’s terrifying plans are slowly revealing themselves.

Chaol Westfall continues to struggle with Celeana’s heritage after his shocking discovery. He must decide where he stands in this upcoming battle, is he willing to stand by and keep his head down or will he take a stand with the growing rebel force? His father also wants him to come back to Anielle with him and Chaol has to choose between family, friends and what is right.

Sarah J Maas’ third book in the Throne of Glass series will not disappoint. This is probably one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Seeing how Maas is able to give such unique stories and individual struggles to all the characters that still perfectly fit together is completely fantastic. Watching Celaena start out so broken in this book was heartbreaking; reading her perspective is so sad at first as she struggles with loss and her past. Watching her grow throughout this book with the help of Maeve’s warrior, Rowan, is so funny and emotional; they both push each other so much but help each other as well. Manon is a new character and one of my favourites in the series, she is tough and strong and so incredibly well-written. She struggles with the morals behind the King's army and her heritage as a witch who is supposed to be heartless and strong. You also get to see the struggles with her grandmother, leader of the Blackbeaks, and start to see that maybe witches need to change their ways. Dorian’s struggle throughout the book is so well-written; he tries to keep things from his father and deals with a lot of loss. Chaol’s struggle is also well-written, and though he was never my favourite character, he continues to improve throughout this book. Reading about his struggle with choosing the right thing to do and what he was willing to do for the people he cared about was so amazing. The whole book really comes together perfectly as you see all the characters grow and struggle, and all the plots slowly start to come together. It has elements of romance and violence as well (this not for those who aren’t a fan of the darker, more violent fantasy books). The worldbuilding is also amazing as you get see new places. All and all, this is one of the best books I have ever read and I would give it 10 out of 5 stars if I could. 

If you enjoyed this book try the rest of Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass series and her other series A Court of Thorns and Roses.