Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."
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

Oh my.
I read Throne of Glass in July. Hah. Last year! But this didn't have to be read right after. It still follows the story but isn't so packed with information from the first one that leaves you trying to figure everything out. 
This is a really good story. I liked the first one but wasn't really gushing about how I love all the characters or anything. It's just a really good and well written story. 
In this one however, I've come to love the characters. I adore Celaena. She is such a badass and such a troubled soul. My heart broke because of everything she went through. Especially in this book. Why did you do what you did Sarah J. Maas? Why? Do you enjoy sipping on the tears of your readers? I didn't actually cry but I was sobbing on the inside. 
Ugh. All the angst in this one? And after I get the couple I want together. (I don't do "Teams" but, come on, you still root for a certain couple. But Celaena can take care of herself. I just want her to be happy. For once.) 
On that note: Chaol, just say "I understand". PLEASE. Ugh. Boys.
I really love Celaena. She's the heroine but she's so morally ambiguous. I love it. It kind of redefines what it means to be a hero and what makes a hero. Also the parallels between her and the king. I love it when hero and villain have parallels. It makes the balance between "good" and "evil" seem even more slim.
I'm surprised the media/hollywood hasn't gobbled this series up. I'm happy that they haven't destroyed them, but they're so good that they would normally be made into movies by now. They have the whole Game of Thrones vibe about them. Both in that it's a game of thrones and that it does what Game of Thrones does best. Then there's the "love triangle". Which is bull. Sort of. Both boys love her. She loves both boys. 
Obviously 10/10 would recommend. Seriously. Go read them now. I can't wait to read the next one. I'll be watching this series closely. 

Read: March 2015
My Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars