Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 406
Goodreads Description:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
My Take:
I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed this book. With all the hype and everybody praising it so much, I was prepared to be disappointed but I wasn't. Instead I found myself spending most of a Sunday reading the book and disappointed to reach the end.
Celaena is a strong female character. She doesn't take anybody's crap. Even when she was a slave/prisoner in the salt mines, she kept her dignity and reputation. But she isn't just a cold, stone-hearted assassin. She loves fashion, candy, dogs and books. She's also smart and makes her own decisions. Calaena rationalizes things and knows what it will take to reach her goals and obtain the things she wants.
Dorian and Captain Westfall both make intriguing potential love interests. To be truthful, I think I would have a hard time deciding between the two at this point but I do know which way I'm leaning. I loved the way that Celaena had witty, fun and sarcastic conversations with both guys but she was also very open and honest with them at times.
I can tell that this story was started as online fiction. It has that same feel to it as The Mortal Instruments series does. That's not bad. It's just that every now and then things feel a little contrived or out of place. Maybe a little childish. But, overall, I loved the story and can't wait to read the next installment.
Celaena is a strong female character. She doesn't take anybody's crap. Even when she was a slave/prisoner in the salt mines, she kept her dignity and reputation. But she isn't just a cold, stone-hearted assassin. She loves fashion, candy, dogs and books. She's also smart and makes her own decisions. Calaena rationalizes things and knows what it will take to reach her goals and obtain the things she wants.
Dorian and Captain Westfall both make intriguing potential love interests. To be truthful, I think I would have a hard time deciding between the two at this point but I do know which way I'm leaning. I loved the way that Celaena had witty, fun and sarcastic conversations with both guys but she was also very open and honest with them at times.
I can tell that this story was started as online fiction. It has that same feel to it as The Mortal Instruments series does. That's not bad. It's just that every now and then things feel a little contrived or out of place. Maybe a little childish. But, overall, I loved the story and can't wait to read the next installment.
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