Dorian’s answer to “I've heard that this book wasn't very good, but I've also heard that the second book is Amazing. Is…” > Likes and Comments

Sorry if this comes across as mean.. but if you didn't like the books why is your username one of the main chracters.

Also she puts down other woman becuase they usually are idiots, liars or corrupt

AND SHE IS MEANT TO COME ACROSS AS COCKY AND ARROGANT CUZ THATS HER CHARCTER

this is going to come across as really mean but you just totally bagged one of my favourite series... YEAH SO SHE PUTS DOWN OTHER WOMAN, BUT USUALLY THEY ARE IDIOTS, LIARS OR CORRUPT . AND SHE IS MEANT TO COME ACROSS AS BOATFUL AND ARROGANT AND COCKY. ITS HER PERSONALITY!!!!!! ALSO, PETTY REVENGE, AND WHINING. I HAVE NO IDEA WHICH BOOK YOU READ BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY NOT THE BOOK I READ. IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE THE BOOKJ WHY IS YOU'RE USERNAME ONE OF THE MAIN CHARCTERS!!!!?????

Let me get something straight right from the start - my username is not a reference to Dorian Havilliard. It's a reference to Dorian Gray, from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I find him to be one of the most complex and intriguing characters in fiction. It's nothing to do with the Throne of Glass series.

Now we have that out of the way, let's go with this next. I don't appreciate your tone. The question was if this series is any good. I have read it, so I answered, and I gave the reasons why I didn't enjoy it. It was not an invitation for you to drag your butt in here and screech at me – a total stranger – through the magic of the internet.

I have many opinions on this book, but I doubt you would read and consider them thoroughly.

I did not attack the readers, yet you are attacking me. I offered an opinion on a series I did not like, because somebody asked if it was any good.

I do not care if I "bagged" one of your favourite series. Books get criticised. There is not a book in existence that has not been given negative feedback. You'll need to get used to it, especially on this site. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, no matter how good YOU think a book is, someone else will hate it, and they will say so. It is NOT your place to shout at anybody for it.

Learn some respect.

You're both right, you know. Hanna is likely near the age of the author when she wrote it and so it works for her. Dorian is much older and it correspondingly doesn't work him.

Celaena only begins to mature herself after the middle of book three. Personally I think it gets far more enjoyable at that point, but then again I'm older too.

I hope Celaena's maturity continues into book four because I enjoyed the last half enough to want to read the fourth

Thanks, Temri. I'd say I'm at least five or six years older than Hanna is - I'm 21.

My primary issue with the book is that the narration itself does tend to justify Celaena's actions, even the worst or most petty ones. Normally, a book that's written in third person will say something like, "though it was irrational to get mad because another girl looked at her boyfriend, she got mad anyway". These books don't tend to do that, as far as I've noticed.

It bothers me, because I used to devour books like these when I was 13-14 years old. I identified with the main characters because they were my age, but because everybody who told them not to behave like brats was later proven to be a liar, corrupt, evil or stupid, that was how I began to see most adults and influenced the way I spoke to them. I don't like the idea that other people that age may read this, and books like it, and think that it's okay to pull an all capitals rant at a complete stranger over the internet, because their favourite characters get away with worse.

But you are right, of course. I'm older and tend to be quite nitpicky by nature. There were minor factual errors in the books that bothered me, as well as the larger problems, so it's not like I'm above pettiness myself. Celaena would hate me.

Anyway, I AM glad that both you and Hanna seem to enjoy the books. Like I said in my comment to Hanna, even books people love will have people who hate them, so of course the reverse is also true. I hope they continue to be something you'll enjoy right up until the end.

Love the assumption that your username is based on a character from this book. Thanks for your honest review of this book. I'm iffy on YA books anyway, so this one goes on my do not read list.

From a purely scholarly point of view, Celaena's whining and jealousy are character flaws. If you continue the series you will see that Maas develops Celaena into a very different character than is depicted in the first novel. She creates an overarching character development that spans over several novels, allowing Maas to fully explore the changes of maturity and the effects of grief. I will agree that the first novel's Celaena could be somewhat trying, however I commend Maas' ability to write a series that is more than just the same plot over and over. For a series to succeed, there has to be some feeling of climax, which means that she couldn't have Celeana go from slug to butterfly in one novel. If you're looking for that sort of progression you need to find a one and done novel, not a book series.

I'd agree with you, Ariel, but my issue is the book ITSELF gives no indication that her behaviour is wrong. She suffers little to no consequences for anything she does that is pointlessly petty or mean, social or otherwise.

I understand that character development often has to take place over several books, but in earlier installments there's usually at least some indication that they're doing wrong. All I found in the first book was Celaena being played up as "the best assassin ever", when nobody who held a claim to that title would be so easily riled that she'd throw a flowerpot at someone off a ledge, or eat a bag of unexplained sweets left in her room when there was a murderer on the loose.

My problem isn't just that Celaena is immature, and save her and Nehemia, the other women in the first two books are portrayed negatively before they even do serious wrong, but that her status as a renowned assassin clashes with her behaviour. Being as impatient and impulsive as she is, I feel Maas might have done better had she let Celaena EARN the title throughout the series, not have it be handed to her already at the beginning.

Thanks for the comment, that really sounds like an awful book, it's everything I hate. I might have considered it because it won the poll.

I've only read the first book, and, don't get me wrong, I liked it on a superficial level. But I have to agree with Dorian! I always sigh when presented with the over-the-top-kick-ass hero/heroine shtick. It's hinted that Celaena (spelling? idk) has magic, so OK, maybe that's why she somehow became the WORLD'S best assassin at 16 or whatever. But, c'mon! Let's be honest, the hints about her magic are only there so her amazingness has *some* plausibility. And then there is the whole Dorian or Chaol love triangle... don't get me started. heheh

Dorian, I 100% agree with everything you said. We are the minority because all I see are people swooning all over Choal, Dorian, and Rowan (Nope. Nope. and Nope).

You summarized everything I felt while reading the first book! I'm a fast reader so normally I finish a book in about 2-3 days. With Throne of Glass I finished it in a week, because I just couldn't bear to read it! I just finished it for the sake of finishing it! There were some good points to the book I guess but they were overshadowed the sheer cringeyness that the book was in itself. What's even worse is that I bought all the books released in the series thinking that I would enjoy it because of all the "hype" and "raves". Sigh. Oh how I regret it now. (And yes, I'm on the minority as well and I'm proud of it!)

I respect your opinion and I would say the first book is my least favourite, and people who don't particularly enjoy YA and Fantasy wouldn't enjoy it. I'm guessing you're a classics lover? But I also think that you see Celaena gradually mature throught out the series. I'm currently reading Queen of Shadows and am loving it.

Dorian, I actually love how you are so right about all that you'd said and at the same time realize how Celaena get notice of all of this and changes in the following books. I love the character even more now.

I just saw this and had to comment because your name is Dorian, and the prince's name is also Dorian...lol

I'm a HUGE fan of YA, and I hated the book. Aside from factual/behavioral issues that are glossed over, the novel was advertised as one thing but was a complete other genre. Fantasy and Fantasy Romance might have the word "Fantasy" in them, but their structures are wholly different. Had this been pushed as a Fantasy Romance, I might have liked it a little more, but it's advertised as a YA Fantasy. It's not. It misses the worldbuilding, intricate politics, social etiquette, and deeper explanations needed to be Fantasy.

I'm also not one who reads a series to see if it "gets better." The first novel is meant to introduce you to the world and give you a hint of what's to come. So if I don't like the first book, chances are high I won't like the second, and I want to spend my time reading books I enjoy.

Richelle Mead writes Paranormal and Fantasy Romance for YA, but hers are evenly keeled as both genre and romance titles. The worldbuilding is there. L.J. Smith is the same way. Perhaps my standards are too high, but it is what it is.

My niece adores the series, though, so kudos to Maas for writing a novel that highly appeals to actual teenagers. I just wish it was marketed properly so it wasn't such a letdown to others.

Actually, the whole behavioral issues of the protagonist, seems to me an accurate depiction of any teenager girl.

I meant behavioral issues of the time period. If you're doing a patriarchal society in a war-torn era with fantasy and sexism, follow through.

I'd also argue against "any" teenage girl, having been one myself, though I could concede to "some" teenage girls.

@Tony You don't give teenage girls enough credit. Petty and awful as any teenager can be, Celaena surpasses every single one I've ever met in terms of being just plain goddamn dreadful.

@Deirdre I completely agree with you about the marketing, and also found all those elements really weak. I've been told again and again that I'm "not being fair" by not reading onward and "giving it a chance". Each book has to stand on its own merits - and so far, everything SJM has written has fallen completely flat for me.

Jjust finished book 1, and I agree @Dorian. Celaena wasn't truly witty. Just rude and obnoxious. Her sense of humor was immature (and cliche).

The first two books are my least favorites, but I didn't hate Celaena as a character. Recall that she lost everything at the age of 8, almost drowned, and was raised by assassins. No character is perfect, and SJM couldn't exactly make her a flawless character that didn't suffer from repercussions because of her experiences.
I do agree that, at first, no other women were highlighted in a good way, but later on things get better. Yrene, Lysandra, Elide, Manon and her thirteen, Evangeline, and Lyria certainly weren't described like the women of the first two books.

i agree dorian. i dont know how i feel about her being called an assassin straight away, i mean, i think the assassins from assassins creed are much better examples. i also didnt get her logic when she found a bag of candies and ate them while there was a murderer on the lose, they could of been placed there by the murderer. even if it wasnt the murderer, its just common sense. i also cringed at the fact that they called her a 'fae'. they made her seem as if she was godlike in her skills and personality but there was almost no demonstration of her skills. and all those princy guys, ew. i dont see why girls my age like them i mean, just no. im sorry i just dont find them that attractive. im in 7 grade and i dont really like the book at all.

Amen, it is literally hot garbage

I agree with you. I winced at the "witty" dialogue and the internal monologuing that made her sound like a spoiled child rather than a notorious "best" assassin. I read it because I enjoyed the Courts of Thorns and Roses series, but could only complete this one because it was an audio book I listened to in the car.

None of the plot lines made sense. A lot of the reasoning to get the characters to where they are at the end of the book made sense. It was terrible and I came to Goodreads to see if the next book was worth going further on but it doesn't seem so.

It is incredibly Mary Sue with a beyond-her-age precocious character who has no flaws other than a wild independent streak, a tragic "secret" (but not so secret anyone can figure it out) past, and everyone wants to love her immediately except the evil characters.

Just finished it and this comment wraps up my thoughts perfectly.

I think your answer says far more about you than it does about the book, to be honest.

@Heather You literally don't know me, but I'd be interested to know what exactly you're trying to imply.

I have a question... did you even read this series?? Like did you finish it????? The first book when she is Celaena, she is petty, arrogant, and conceited, but as the series progresses you see her transformation from an aggrivating teenager to a woman. She truly becomes Aelin, and as for the "feminist" comment, that is simply not true. She had many female friends such as Nehemia, Ansel, Lysandra, Yrene, Elide, Mannon, and many more. Each of those characters came with years of backstory and depth to each relationship, and keep in mind that this was Sarah Maas' first series, so of course it isn't going to be as elegant as her others such as A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City. She has had time to grow as an author. I can agree with you that Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight were my least favorite books in the series, but they did get astronimically better from there. By the time I got to Kingdom of Ash, I was emotionally attached to all the characters and I honestly cried when it was over. I would recomend this series to everyone. If you want a series that you can see character (and author) development in, then this is the series for you!

@Emma Roshto Why would I waste my time finishing the series when the first two books were so terrible? I don’t need to read them all to know that the first two suck.

That is true I remember that I did like the prequel and first book, but then the rest i did not even remember anything because it was so dull and boring. She dragged on the series adn the quality of writing got worse.

@Dorian, I agree with EVERYTHING you said, and I personally am pretty let down that such a strong female character in the beginning had to fall for a man in the end. Even me, a teenage girl, am NOT a fan of those kinds of stories written for audiences "like me".

@Deirdre, I agree with you SO much as well! I was told that this was a fantasy book, not a romance, I also agree with the lame marketing and how Caelana could have earned the title rather than have it handed over to her... I might change my Good reads review.

Spelling correction: *Celaena.

I know that you wrote this 7 years ago but I am so so grateful that you wrote this. You wrote almost every single thing that I had in my mind about this book. I couldn't have done such a good job myself because honestly this book was so bad that the idea of trying to summarise it in a review just made me want to smash the keyboard.

@Nandini I may have written this seven years ago, but I still stand by EVERYTHING I said. Making matters worse, I still haven't found a book that's worse than this series. Literally no idea how this even got published.