Throne of Glass is a young adult high fantasy novel series by New York Times
bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, beginning with the inaugural entry of
the same name. Partly inspired by Cinderella, the story follows the
journey of Celaena, a teenage assassin in a corrupted kingdom with a tyrannical
ruler. As the tale progresses, Celaena forms unexpected bonds, and uncovers a
conspiracy amidst her adventures. The series has appeared on the New York
Times Best Seller list. Overview
Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin in
the kingdom of Adarlan. Upon being imprisoned by the rulers, she accepts an
offer to compete with other killers in a glass castle for a chance to serve the
kingdom. This leads her to form unexpected bonds with Chaol, the captain
of the guard, and Dorian, the crown prince of Adarlan. In time, Celaena is
drawn into a conspiracy and a series of battles, leading to discoveries
surrounding both the kingdom and herself.
Development = Background=
Sarah J. Maas has cited Disney's Cinderella as an inspiration for writing
Throne of Glass. While viewing the scene in which the heroine flees the ball,
Maas found the soundtrack "way too dark and intense". This led her to re-imagine
a number of details. "The music fit much better when I imagined a thief—no, an
assassin!—fleeing the palace," she said. "But who was she? Who had sent her to
kill the prince? Who might the prince's enemies be? A powerful, corrupt empire,
perhaps?" Originally known as Queen of Glass, the
story initially appeared on FictionPress.com. Bloomsbury acquired
the novel in 2010, and purchased two additional Throne of Glass novels in
2012. Publicist Emma Bradshaw noted Maas' "huge online following,
particularly in the US". Additionally, Throne of Glass became the first
Bloomsbury children's novel to be featured on Netgalley.com, attracting
requests "from all over the world." During the story's time on
FictionPress.com, artist Kelly de Groot drew a map of the tale's world, Erilea,
and shared it with Maas. Bloomsbury later hired de Groot to draw the map
which appears in the opening novel. Following its acquisition by Bloomsbury,
the story went through a number of revisions prior to publication.
Regarding the tale's development, Maas stated, "In the 10 years that I've been
working on the series, Throne of Glass has become more of an original epic
fantasy than a Cinderella retelling, but you can still find a few nods to the
legend here and there." = Characters=
In an interview prior to the series' debut, Maas discussed the process of
creating her protagonist: The story's teenage heroine, Celaena
Sardothien, is introduced as an orphan who was raised and trained by an
assassin. She is largely characterized as skilled, arrogant, and witty. While
shaping her protagonist, Maas was inspired by the heroism of Arwen from
The Lord of the Rings, and by the characterization of Velma Kelly from
Chicago. Maas has stated that the latter's "arrogance and fierceness made
me want to write about a woman like her—about a woman who never once said
sorry for being talented and determined and utterly in love with herself."
The author ultimately designed Celaena as a highly capable character whose
talents also form a basis for numerous faults. In interviews preceding the
series' release, Maas noted her heroine's issues with "impatience" and
"vanity". She also suggested that Celaena would grow while adjusting to
her new role. In addition to Celaena's skills as an assassin, Maas wanted the
character to have several traits and hobbies befitting her age, including a
fondness for "shopping, books, and fine dining", as well as a "penchant for
getting into trouble." In creating the relationship between
Celaena and Chaol, Maas gave the characters a number of differences. As
the story begins, Chaol is introduced as a strict and ethical captain, while
Celaena is presented as a morally ambiguous assassin. According to the
author, this contrast contributes to Chaol's character development as his
bond with Celaena grows. Amidst their experiences, Chaol eventually comes to
view her not just as a captive criminal, but also "as a human being." This matter
was also intended as the basis for a complicated romance. While writing the
novel, Maas envisioned Chaol as a character who had "always seen the world
in black and white," and concluded that "Celaena just throws a wrench in that."
Prince Dorian is presented as a suitor for Celaena as well. However, his
background ultimately leads to them facing obstacles of their own.
Novels Release
= Publicity= In anticipation of the series' debut,
Bloomsbury released e-book editions of four prequel novellas—The Assassin and
the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld,
and The Assassin and the Empire—between January and July 2012. Throne of Glass
was previewed by Publishers Weekly in February, while the book trailer
premiered on MTV.com in May. Additionally, film option rights were
acquired by Creative Artists Agency. = Reception=
Throne of Glass has received generally positive reviews, making its debut on
the New York Times Best Seller list with the release of the second novel, Crown
of Midnight. A review from Publishers Weekly lauded the series' opening as a
"strong debut novel." The review went on to state, "This is not cuddly romance,
but neither is it grim. Celaena is trained to murder, yet she hasn’t lost
her taste for pretty dresses or good books, and a gleam of optimism tinges
her outlook. Maas tends toward overdescription, but the verve and
freshness of the narration make for a thrilling read."
Kirkus stated, "A teenage assassin, a rebel princess, menacing gargoyles,
supernatural portals and a glass castle prove to be as thrilling as they sound."
With regard to the protagonist, Kirkus noted that "Celaena is still just a
teenager trying to forge her way, giving the story timelessness. She might be in
the throes of a bloodthirsty competition, but that doesn't mean she's
not in turmoil over which tall, dark and handsomely titled man of the royal court
should be her boyfriend—and which fancy gown she should wear to a costume
party." The review concluded that the story's "commingling of comedy,
brutality and fantasy evokes a rich alternate universe with a spitfire young
woman as its brightest star." Throne of Glass was named Amazon.com's
"Best Book of the Month for Kids & Teens" in August 2012. Whitney Kate
Sullivan of Romantic Times stated that "Maas' YA fantasy world is one of the
most compelling that this reviewer has visited all year. The assassin heroine's
growth and the multilayered secondary characters are amazing." Serena Chase of
USA Today applauded the story's love triangle, and noted that "Maas excels at
world building, spicing up this unusual take on the Cinderella story by
injecting myths, fairy tales and religious traditions with the magic of a
fresh and faulted world. Whereas many authors rely on geographic detail to
build their worlds, Maas' environment is more politically driven and her
characterizations are deftly drawn to support that sort of structure." Chase
also commended Maas for creating "a truly remarkable heroine who doesn't
sacrifice the grit that makes her real in order to do what's right in the end."
As of May 2015, the series has sold nearly 190,000 copies in print in the
United States. References