REVIEW: Crown of Midnight - Sarah J Maas

(Goodreads) (Amazon UK)

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.

Love or loathe Celaena, she will slice open your heart with her dagger and leave you bleeding long after the last page of the highly anticipated sequel in what is undeniably THE hottest new fantasy series.

My Review of Crown of Midnight:

Crown of Midnight had me completely captivated from the first page and I thoroughly adored each and every bit of it from start to finish. After being blown away by Throne of Glass I had extremely high expectations going into this book. After finishing it I have to admit – and it surprised me – Crown of Midnight is even better than its predecessor; it was that good. The story was so beautiful and magical, full of rich vivid imagery and thrilling, action packed prose. Some scenes were so heartbreaking that Sarah J Maas might as well have ripped out my heart, thrown it on the floor and stomped on it repeatedly; some bits were that heart wrenching. In this second book, it becomes pretty obvious that fairytales are not real – there is no such thing as a happy ever after. Despite attempting to emotionally drain me, I absolutely loved its ability to convey emotions that leapt off the page. It’s action packed scenes had my heart hammering against my chest and literally had me on the edge of my seat in a state of nervous anticipation.

Crown of Midnight definitely upped the stakes since the previous novel as it is even more full of suspense, mystery and danger. No one is safe in the dark and twisted passages of the castle where secrets are rife, enemies lay in wait in the shadows and where webs of lies are spun menacingly. The story is far more gritty, bloody and graphic with its gory scenes of murder, torture, death and destruction. This edge of realism solidified Celaena’s reputation as a kickass, deadly assassin and gave the story a dark, twisted edge. Since the events of the previous book relationship dynamics have changed drastically and they continue to strengthen and weaken as the story progresses. Trust becomes a huge issue and as a web of secrets and lies weaves itself around the castle, it becomes clear that no one can fully trust one another and love and friendships definitely don’t conquer all. The opening chapter was so utterly gripping; a brilliantly nail biting beginning that keeps readers guessing with its cliff-hanger ending.

The fantasy setting was so convincingly realistic with its rich detail and vivid imagery. The castle and the surrounding city take centre stage and becomes Celaena’s playground for assassination, spying – and most importantly, shopping. The claustrophobic passages of the castle added a layer of tension and foreboding, its dark shadows hinting at bad things to come and secrets hidden, untold. Magic and mystery are encountered at every corner, at every twist and turn of the castles hidden passageways reflecting many of the characters hidden secrets. Such secrets begin to unravel as the story unfolds, as the story descends deeper into the darkness below the castle revealing magic, monsters and mystery.

Celaena was more deadly, dangerous and ruthless in this second installement. She is still the same kick ass Celaena just kicked up a few notches. After winning the tournament to become the King’s personal assassin she is sent on numerous missions to assassinate his enemies, those who oppose him and pose a threat to his reign and his life. In this book it becomes clear; Celaena is a killer with no problem getting her hands dirty – as long as there’s a good reason behind it. Her determined and protective side is evident in the fact that she will hunt down and kill those who threaten her life and more importantly, those who would threaten her loved ones. Another side of Celaena poured off the pages; a warm, loving and caring side to her tough, feisty character. Her vulnerable side contrasted with her darker side, showing that there’s much more depth to her character than at first glance. What I loved most about Celaena was not just her take no prisoners attitude but her love of the finer, more exquisite things in life; beautiful rich clothes, fine elegant dining and books, books and more books. She is still a girly girl at heart. She’s confident, cocky, fierce and determined; one of my favourite female characters out there.

Other characters were revealed in much more depth, giving a little more insight into these mysetious individuals. Chaol is as brooding and as moody as ever. He’s a wonderfully complex character torn between honour, duty and love. Throughout the course of the book another side to him is revealed as he begins to let his guard down and open up. His loving and caring side shines through. Chaol’s relationship with Celaena becomes much more serious as they grow close; it was so sweet and full of passion. Dorian is also another intriguing character who is again torn between loyalty his father and his duty to the kingdom, and his own personal morals and beliefs. Everything familiar starts to crumble around him pushing him to make a decision about his future and his loyalties. Nehemia is one of my favourite characters in the series. She is so passionate in her beliefs, loyal in spirit and courageous in her actions.

In a nutshell, Crown of Midnight is an incredibly captivating novel with an amazing cast of characters and a complex, vivid fantasy world. The ending was so earth shattering – how can it end in such a way? It was a mixture of heartbreak and excitement. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Calaena and co in the next book, Heir of Fire. This book completely blew me away and I look forward to beginning a new chapter in the story of Celaena Sardothien.