Synopsis: An assassin’s loyalties are
always in doubt.But her heart never wavers.
After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.
Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.
Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?
Rating: 5+/5 Stars
Genres: High Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Previous books in the series: 
Recommended for: fans of Shadow
& Bone, Hunger Games, Grave Mercy, The Girl of Fire & Thorns, Cinder,
Graceling, Game of Thrones
Book Trailer:My opinions:
Holy mother
of all Gods! I'm starstruck. This is what I'd like to call a gorgeous sequel.
Dare I say it, it might even top Throne
of Glass!
Celaena
Sardothien is doing her job as King's Champion, meaning she's killing people
that stepped on the king's toes. And now she's got a new target: Archer Finn,
former crush and friend from the time when she was within the Assassin’s Guild.
Turns out, she's not killing her targets, but faking their deaths, so she's in
a lot of danger if someone discovers her secret. The stakes are higher now that
Archer is a well-known figure in Rifthold and that he might be involved in a
rebel group. To make events even more complicated, the half-Fae and long-dead
Queen, Elena, is asking Celaena to find the source behind the King's power.
“Everything in this world is magic. Thank you ever so kindly for stating
the obvious.”
Celaena was
a goddamn badass. I wouldn't mess with her in a thousand years. We finally see
her wild and deadly side, the one that I've grown accustomed to in the prequel
e-novellas and that wasn't fully explored in Throne of Glass. Sure, she's still that sassy, arrogant and
sarcastic girl, but above all, she's an assassin. A ruthless killer. And when
the ones she loves are in danger or threatened, she's unforgiving. That part of
her really gives you goosebumps. Oh, and let's not forget when she's in for
revenge. One word: lethal.
She was a whirlwind of steel and blood. As
he watched her cut through the men like they were stalks of wheat in a field,
he understood how she had gotten so close to touching Endovier’s wall that day.
And at last—after all these months—he saw the lethal predator he’d expected to
find in the mines. There was nothing human in her eyes, nothing remotely
merciful. It froze his heart.
Dorian
Havilliard. Chaol Westfall. Dorian, Chaol, Chaol, Dorian. Chaol is the same
sweet, loyal, funny, protective and fierce warrior. I loved his easy banter
with Celaena and his alpha-male demeanor. Prince Dorian Havilliard is still the
same passionate, kind, intelligent young man that is slowly transforming into a
great ruler. And they’re best friends! How can I choose?! *crying*
“I worry because I care. Gods
help me, I know I shouldn't, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful,
because I will always care what happens.”
In Crown of Midnight, Chaol and Celaena are
getting close. Like really close. And because of that, both of their
relationships with Dorian become more strained, awkward and tense. And that's
kind of the single thing that bothered me at Celaena: in Throne of Glass, she was all over Dorian... and now? She doesn't
care about his feelings when he clearly loves her. And that just got me going
mad. I wanted to hug Dorian several times and give him cookies.
Still,
things evolve a little bit between them on a platonic level when a
heartbreaking twist makes Celaena not trust Chaol anymore. And another
unexpected twist involving Dorian makes things one hundred times more
interesting.
“When you do, I want you to remember that
it wouldn’t have made any difference to me. It’s never made any difference to
me when it came to you. I’d still pick you. I’ll always pick you.”
I've read
some reviews that say that the love triangle's fate is sealed after the first
quarter of the book. But now, after reading it, I'm not so sure. Especially
after that second half and killer ending. I love Chaol with all my heart, but I
can't help but hope that Celaena will end up with Dorian. Now, now, don't throw
stones at me! It’s still a Cinderella
inspired book! They're both swoony guys, but I've always loved Dorian a bit
more. Might be because of the dark-haired, blue-eyed appearance. And possibly
the arrogance. And the bookish and funny personality. Perhaps even the fact
that he's a freaking prince. *dreamy
sigh*
“If you are captured, if you are hurt, you are beyond our reach. You
will be entirely on your own.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“But I
won’t be. Every day that you’re there, I will wonder what has become of
you. I won’t.... I won’t forget you. Not for one hour.”
Nehemia was
such a great support and friend for Celaena, even if she had her own agenda. The princess
is one of those selfless characters that would give everything up for the sake
of her people. She's fair, ambitious and dedicated. And she's the key-player
that sets things in motion in this sequel. But in a gut-wrenching method that
will surely have you shedding a few tears.
The villain
we love to hate: the King of Adarlan, Dorian's father. His plans turn out to be
down-right evil and unnatural. I loathe that guy because he's so willing to
exploit everyone around him for his own sake. I want him D.E.A.D. *guilty smile*
As it was
to be expected, we meet new characters. My favorite was Mort. Why? First of
all, he's an ancient talking door knocker. Second of all,
he's hilarious!
When they left, Nehemia spent a few
minutes studying Mort— mostly asking him questions about his creation spell,
which he claimed to have forgotten, then claimed was too private, then claimed
she had no business hearing.
Archer Finn
was hard to read, but I never trusted him behind all those pretty smiles and
coward-like behavior. Never trust a courtesan. Oh, and of course, there's Baba
Yellowlegs. Even the name gives you creeps. She's an old, manipulative witch
whose favorite meal is consisted of young girls. Told you: creepy.
The
character development is really spectacular. You can see how Celaena, Chaol and
Dorian grow. By the end of the novel, our heroine is not running from her past
anymore; the Captain of the Guard is ready to sacrifice himself and face his
father; and the Crown Prince starts to stand up to the King no matter the
consequences.
“Thank you for all that you have done for
me, Dorian. Thank you for being my friend. For not being like the others.”
The pace
was definitely action driven. I'm not kidding when I'm saying that sooo much
happened and some many plots started to unfold between my eyes. Crown of Midnight was a page-turner
through and through and there was never a dull moment.
“How long
will you keep her here?” Dorian said, looking down the stairs.
She had
attacked the Captain of the Guard in front of his men. Worse than attacked.
“As long as
it takes,” Chaol said quietly.
"For
what?”
“For her to decide not to kill us all.”
“For her to decide not to kill us all.”
Another
think that surprised me was the fact that Celaena is keeping so many secrets I
can't even keep count. There were two revelations regarding her: I suspected
the one revealed in the end, but the other one totally caught me unprepared.
Both are jaw-dropping twists that will completely change the outcome of her
adventures.
“I’ll come back,” she said quietly. “I’ll
come back for you.”
The
world-building was exquisite! We learn so much more about Erilea, Adarlan and
the history of the country. We delve deeper into the Fae magic. It's a
top-notch high fantasy world, coupled with a darker atmosphere, mistery, magic
and amazing characters. The result is a certain recipe for epicness, one that
Sarah J. Mass gorgeously created with her mad writing skills.
If you
haven't started this series, I'm begging you -- pick it up ASAP. It's complex,
emotional and completely captivating. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll swoon,
you'll gasp in shock and you'll fall in love with the story. Crown of Midnight was an excellent
follow-up that might not end in a claw-your-yes-out sort of cliffhanger, but it
will make you crave the next installment like air. And man, what a ride that
will be! *wink*
ENJOY! ©
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