Crown of Midnight

Warning: This review contains spoilers for Throne of Glass, the first book in the Throne of Glass series
Title: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 418
Rating: 4.5 Stars
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In this second installment in the Throne of Glass series, Celaena Sardothien begins her work as the King's Champion.  She's earning loads of money, she's finally got her love life untangled, and she's very content.  Of course something has to go wrong.

When Celaena discovers there is more to the labyrinth  beneath her rooms, an even more shocking discovery is made, and Celaena begins to realize that not everyone is as they seem.

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Oh my gosh this book was good!  If you read the first one, and you haven't gotten around to picking up the next book, you NEED to.  Like, now.  It's even better than the first book, if you ask me.  With the first book's plot, you sort of expect a lot of murders, twists, and cliff hangers.  With Crown of Midnight, you don't ever really know what's going to happen next.  The plot is so much more intricate and layered- it's phenomenal! 

One thing I couldn't get over is how emotionally gripping this book was.  I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn't prepared for a book that would leave me crying out loud, jumping up from my chair in disbelief, and tossing my book angrily to the side.  I was up until midnight last night, just physically incapable of putting it down.  

But why was it so good? Well, first there's the plot twists.  The book would draw you into this false sense of security and then- BOOM- plot twist!  That plot twist would lead you racing down another path when all of a sudden- ARGH- cliff hanger! And then, you're there, wobbling at the edge of this cliff, so desperate and excited that you slip and go crashing down, down, down until you've landed in a swiftly flowing river, and you're being carried down it, trying to stay afloat, and it's all you can do from being dragged beneath the crashing rapids.   You're being thrown around, side from side, your thrashing just making everything worse, and everythingishappeningsofastandyoudon'tunderstandwhat'sgoingonand then suddenly, the river slows down, and you stop thrashing.  You feel your tense, sore muscles loosen, your breathing slows to long, even inhales and exhales, your heart rate decreases to a steady drumming- you relax.  You are floating merrily down the river when, just out of nowhere, a waterfall appears and you tumble over it's edge.  You never do hit the bottom.  

That's it.  That's the plot.  It's just one crazy ride that never really leaves you feeling safe.  And even though it's wild and unpredictable, each plot twists hits you hard.  

So there's one reason why the book's so good.  Another great thing about this novel would be the characters.  No body's boring, everyone has a purpose, and there are no Mary Sues or Gary Stus.  For example, there's our main character Celaena.  She's the definition of power, strength, and skill.  But despite being so refined, she has a beautiful, soft side- a more feminine side filled with the love of books, pets, and chocolate cake.  I think that everyone can relate to her on some degree.  Chaol is another great character.  He's loyal, hardworking, and naive.  He's a character impossible to dislike.  And then there's our villain- the king.  Personally, I think he's an awesome villain.  He's someone you love to hate.  But not everything is out there about him.  You don't quite know how far he's willing to go to gain total power.  You remain in the dark with this villain, leaving an element of shock and surprise in the hands of the author.  The characters are just amazing. 

So if you haven't gone ahead and continued this series, I really suggest you do so.  If you have read this book, what did you think?  Were you as captivated by this novel as I was?