Crown of Midnight
(Throne of Glass book 2)
By Sarah J Maas
Although I have tried to keep this spoiler-free it is the second in a series so may spoil you on the first book if you haven't read that one yet. My review for Throne of Glass can be found here.
I gave this book 4 stars but I am not sure what it deserved. I thought the book was amazing in every aspect except one and that one thing really reduced my enjoyment of the book.
Firstly I'd like to focus on the positives (which is most things). The characters of Nehemia, Dorian and Celaena were well developed and their relationships were really great and the plot was fast paced. I really like this fantasy world and am excited by how much there is left to explore.
The thing I feel Sarah J Maas does brilliantly is how she manages to make the last thirds of each of her books feel like the second last chapter as they are so gripping. I could barely put it down.
Now the one thing I disliked is the character of Chaol.... I know that many people seem to love him but I found his character controlling and, quite frankly, annoying. I often found myself having to put the book down during his scenes as I was so frustrated. I also don't like how Celaena and him are meant to have an I-hate-you-but-I-really-love-you relationship yet I thought Celaena's sassy attitude turned into cruelty sometimes with Chaol (which was entirely out of character) and I though Chaol's lack of trust in Celaena and his unwavering loyalty to the crown were going to play a really interesting role in the story but this huge aspect of his character was just flipped suddenly when it was convenient. In fact I felt most of his presence in the book was pointless as he didn't do anything to further the plot that couldn't easily have been done by someone else. This is especially obvious when all the other characters have such important roles.
The dislike for Chaol and his relationship with Celaena made this book really difficult for me to enjoy which is why I'm not sure if I should give it 4 stars. But every other aspect of this book was so amazing that I couldn't face taking another star off.
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