May 20, 2015

Mini Reviews - Throne of Glass & Cinder

May 20, 2015
Throne of Glass
by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass
Publication: Bloomsbury on August 7, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 406 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Fiction

Jacket copy: 
When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle.  She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom.  If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the King's Champion and be released from prison.
Her name is Celaena Sardothien.  The Crown Prince will provoke her.  The Captain of the Guard will protect her.  And a princess from a foreign land will become the one thing Celaena never thought she'd have again: a friend.
But something evil dwells in the castle - and it's there to kill.  When her competitors start dying, horribly, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival - and a desperate quest to root out the source of evil before it destroys her world.

This was the very first Sarah J. Maas book I've read.  I honestly don't know how I went so long without reading Throne of Glass, one of the book blogosphere's greatest loves.  Prior to reading, I had only heard good things about Sarah J. Maas and her writing, so I entered the Throne of Glass realm with fingers crossed for a good read that wouldn't disappoint.

And it didn't!  Throne of Glass was a book filled with excitement and thrill, and that for the most part, kept readers on their toes.

My favorite part of the book?

Celaena Sardothein herself.  I totally appreciated how different Celaena was from other main characters.  After reading a lot of similar books with similar characters and plots in the genre, everything just begins to blur together.  Sarah J. Maas created a character, Celaena, who really stands out above the rest.  Celaena is an assassin.  She's such a kick-ass main character with loads of personality and wit, one that I loved to read about.  Celaena was strong, fierce, and independent - qualities we all try to strive for.

And though there was that love triangle we've come to slightly despise over the years, it thankfully wasn't written terribly.  There was no annoying drama or cheating - nothing like that.  This book focuses on Celaena's relationship with The Crown Prince, Dorian, for most of the story, but begins to shift more in favor of The Captain of the Guard, Chaol, towards the end.  (This love triangle totally reminded me of The Selection, though.)

All in all, Throne of Glass lived up to its praise!




Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Publication: Feiwel and Friends on January 3, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 387 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fairy Tales, Romance

Jacket copy:
Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time . . .
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing.  A deadly plague ravages the population.  From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move.  No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl . . .
Sixteen-year-old Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.  She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past and is reviled by her stepmother.  But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.  Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.  Because there is something unusual about Cinder, something that others would kill for.

Cinder, the first book in The Lunar Chronicles, is a book practically everyone has both read and raved about.

However, before I get into the review, I have to apologize if you're a fan, because I've taken up the unpopular opinion here.

Unfortunately, Cinder just wasn't for me.  Cyborgs and lunar people sound interesting and all, but I didn't enjoy the story Marissa Meyer pieced together.  Prior to reading, I heard it took a few chapters to really get immersed in the book, but it took me, honestly, the entire book.  The ending was pretty much the only part that interested me.

What bothered me most about this book was the "jaw dropper."  Like all other readers, I want to actually be surprised.  Just because Cinder is a fairy tale retelling, it doesn't mean the entire plot has to be see through.  And . . . it was.  Only a couple chapters into the book, I honestly read this one sentence and knew exactly what the jaw dropper was.  That was just disappointing for me.  Knowing the jaw dropper only a handful of pages in really inhibited me from being able to enjoy the story.

I still stoically read on until the end, and fortunately, the story improved.  However, even though Cinder was able to leave off on an exciting note, I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series.


author image

Julia Anne

I'm a teen with a refined taste for good books and great writing, currently living in Honolulu, HI. I'm a reader. A dreamer. And an aspirant writer. One day I have hopes to travel the world, but for now, I'll settle with venturing through the written works I read.

18 comments :

  1. Ahhahaha for Cinder. I love the book but I totally knew the "jaw dropper" to be honest, a lot of people said that it was predictable and I don't really think it got anyone XD

    It's Marissa's debut so I was pretty impressed and decided to read the second one. It sucks that you didn't like it but I definitely think the second one is my favorite [especially if you couldn't connect with Cinder's character. Since it switches to another MC - Scarlet, you might have a second chance!]

    IDK about TOG. I haven't read it either but I'm afraid because I'm afraid to NOT LIKE IT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm I wasn't interested in continuing on with The Lunar Chronicles, but since you seem to have really enjoyed the second book, maybe I'll give the series another chance! And yeah . . . the twister was pretty obvious I guess. Haha.

      I suggest you give Throne of Glass a chance! I'd say it's worth it. I'm currently reading the second book, Crown of Midnight.

      Thanks so much for the comment, Nova!

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  2. Great reviews! I absolutely love Throne of Glass so I'm glad you liked it. The series gets so, so much better as it goes along and I genuinely think that Sarah J Maas is one of the best YA Fantasy writers out there.

    I really liked Cinder but I can see exactly where you're coming from. I guess it just isn't for everyone. :)

    Emma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everyone does seem to love Sarah J. Maas! I just borrowed the second book in the ToG series so I'm excited to get into reading.

      As for Cinder, I was originally not going to continue on with the story, but I suppose it isn't wise to base the entire series off of just one book. Perhaps I'll check out Scarlet when I have the time.

      Thanks for the comment, Emma! :)

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  3. LOL...I was actually completely opposite here: I felt a bit meh about Throne of Glass, but I absolutely adored Cinder. But I can completely see where you're coming from - as much as I loved Cinder, it was definitely a bit overly predictable at times. (Although, I must say the series gets better as it goes on - so don't give up quite yet!) Thanks for sharing Julia Anne and, as always, fabulous reviews! ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, it IS pretty hilarious we had the exact opposite opinion, Zoe. I think I will give The Lunar Chronicles a second chance. I really wanted to love Cinder more than I did, so I'm hoping for better luck with Scarlet. Perhaps my opinion will change for both series as I continue reading on.

      Thanks for the comment, Zoe!

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  4. I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY! Throne of Glass was SUCH a good book - the plot was quite basic, but the characters were so vivid that they MADE it. But Cinder... it didn't work for me. I would recommend that you continue with the series though - it definitely improves.
    Beth x
    www.thequietpeople.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YAY! I'm glad to have met another person with the same opinion as mine. :) And yes, I think I will give The Lunar Chronicles a second chance. Everyone has been saying it's worth the read.

      Thanks for visiting the blog, Beth!

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  5. I love your reviews, I'm glad you managed to enjoy at least one of these raved about series at least. I'm surprised, though, I normally expect people to enjoy The Lunar Chronicles more than Throne of Glass simply because I found Cinder to be a better first book than Throne of Glass. I found ToG to be a series that gets better with each book, whilst The Lunar Chronicles is pretty consistent throughout.

    We all have our own opinions on things, though. Like I simply cannot gel with the Grisha series, I don't like it and I can't understand why because it has all the elements of something I would normally enjoy, but thems the breaks.

    Love your reviews, though, I hope you enjoy the rest of the Throne of Glass series if you don't continue with the Lunar Chronicles :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Becky! It's been interesting to hear what everyone else thought about these two very popular series. Most people seem to think both ToG and The Lunar Chronicles improve as the series progress. For that reason, I think I will continue with both. It's always possible that my opinions may change.

      Thanks for visiting the blog!

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  6. Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed this book!! Throne of Glass is my favorite series. Book #2, Crown of Midnight is even better and forms a great plot. And the love triangle is resolved :) Lovely review!!

    Cinder's cyborgs and the worlds techy-ness irked me a bit too. It is kind of predictable, but I loved the retelling aspect. Sorry you didn't enjoy this one! Awesome review :)

    Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Rachel! Thanks for the comment. I'm currently in the middle of book two in the ToG series, so I may review that one later. :)

      Cyborgs were just not for me. Hopefully I'll have better luck with Scarlet!

      Thanks for the comment.

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  7. I really glad that you enjoyed Throne of Glass! I'm reading it next week for a read-a-thon so I'm super pumped! It sucks that you didn't enjoy Cinder that much. I love the Lunar Chronicles and think they get better every book, but I can totally see where you are coming from. The cyborg stuff intimidated me at first but I got used to it. Great review though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Katie! I hope you'll enjoy Throne of Glass. (I'm pretty sure you will!) And like you, everyone's been saying the Lunar Chronicles gets better with each book, so even though Cinder wasn't my taste, I think I'll give the series another try.

      Thanks for visiting the blog.

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  8. Awww, I'm sorry you didn't love Cinder. :( For what it's worth, I know quite a few people who weren't that crazy about it but ended up loving Scarlet, if you still want to give the series another try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Danielle. Yeah, surprisingly, Cinder wasn't for me! However, I think I'll pick up Scarlet when I have the chance. Thankfully it's summer now, so there's a lot more time for recreational reading. :)

      Thank you for the comment!

      Julia Anne

      Delete
  9. I'm glad you enjoyed Throne of Glass. I haven't read Cinder yet but it's on my TBR for this month.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting the blog, Karen! I look forward to hearing what you think. :)

      Julia Anne

      Delete

peach print | BLOG DESIGN BY Labinastudio | Header Illustration by Freepik.