Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan’s deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies’ blood – but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, puts those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors – a captain and a prince – and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom…

First published: 2013

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Remember when I posted an absolutely raving review of Throne of Glass somewhere at the start of the year? No? Well, I don’t blame you because it’s been ages. A few weeks ago, I finally got around to reading the second book in the series, Crown of Midnight. And oh me, oh my was it good! This series is definitely one of my favourites and I cannot WAIT to start reading Heir of Fire.

I find it a bit difficult to figure out how to write this review, though, because I just loved everything about this novel. Everything. That makes it pretty hard to write a coherent review. Especially since a lot of the main things I loved were also things I loved in Throne of Glass and I can’t exactly just copy-paste my review of that now, can I?

Crown of Midnight is one of those books I was just unable to put down, especially near the end. I kept reading, even though I was hungry or tired (or desperately needed to pee) and that doesn’t happen to me very often. So much happens in this book, which also makes it clear that Throne of Glass was more about setting up the plot and establish the world than anything else (although it’s still amazing in its own right as well). Crown of Midnight was like one big adrenaline rush and I loved it. So many things were revealed and it’s very clear that the next couple of books are going to be epic.

One of the biggest reasons why I love this series so much is the characters. They’re all so well-rounded and real and I love them all. Of course, there’s Celaena, who’s just as badass and wonderful as she was in the first book. We get to see a rougher side of her this time, which was quite fascinating. Plus, she’s really quite flawed, as becomes clear in her interactions with Nehemia, Chaol and Dorian. Flaws are what makes a character interesting, I think, so I loved that side of her as well. Oh, and she still adores food and pretty clothes, which is just the best thing ever. Another thing I love about Celaena is that she’s not an idiot (generally speaking):

After checking and double-checking that she could not be locked inside, she crossed the treshold.

One of my biggest pet peeves in films, series, books, anything is when characters just walk into a suspicious room or a cellar without giving it a second though, after which they always get trapped by the evil thing or just simply the wind or something. Reading this just made me sort of go “YES”. It’s a silly little thing, but, man, did it make me happy!

In my review of Throne of Glass I mentioned that I hoped we would get to know Chaol a bit better in the next book, and that wish was granted! I adore Chaol. He might just be one of my favourite characters ever. He has made some very big sacrifices in his life and continues to do so, and I find that so admirable! I also love his friendship with Dorian, although it was quite a strained friendship in this book.

There’s just so much stuff happening in this book. There’s magic all over the place – which is just really cool – and there’s action and adventure and a lot of blood. I cannot wait to read Heir of Fire, but unfortunately I probably won’t get around to it for a while longer. In any case, if you haven’t read this series yet, DO IT. I mean, only if you want to. But seriously, do it. It’s so good!