Real rating: 4.3 stars

I feel like this series is such a popular one - like when you think of *YA fantasy* you just think Throne of Glass. So I put off reading it for a while... but I finally caved and read it and these are my thoughts.

Compared to other novels that I've read in the realm of YA fantasy, this felt a little simplistic. I think this was Maas's debut novel though, and it was the first in the series, so I didn't expect it to be a super epic saga. It was still well written, and I did still enjoy it. She did know how to build up suspense and create moments where I could not put the book down so it wasn't mediocre by any means. If that makes sense, lol.

My favorite part of this book was probably all the characters. They were all very purposeful in the story, and I think their storylines were well thought out. I definitely enjoyed Celaena's personality/sass - it did help lighten the mood in some areas. I think we could've gotten a lot more emotional depth from all the characters, but I think the amount we were given suited the story fine. Also, the relationships between specific characters were really interesting to read (personally I found Chaol/Dorian/Celaena, Celaena/Nehemia, and Celaena/Nox very intriguing).

The storyline was pretty creative, but I do think at this point, with the amount of popularity it has, I've already seen a few spoilers, so I'm trying to stay away from those because I do think that the first book was a pretty fun read.

Overall, a slightly humorous, mystery/action-filled novel with a pinch of sass and romance, that I would easily recommend to others.

P.S. A pretty good intro to YA fantasy if you're looking for somewhere to start.