Today marks 14 years since TOG was first published and I couldn’t let it pass without finally sharing my journey with this series. It’s my Roman Empire – I think about the characters every day. This year I decided to listen to the audiobooks for the first time and it’s been even more gut wrenching.
Ever heard the phrase right book wrong time? That’s me with Throne of Glass. When I read the first book and even the second, I wasn’t sold. I hated Chaol and thought Dorian was mildly amusing. It wasn’t until book 3 that things started to click for me. The second Rowan appeared on the page I was like finally! Someone who can handle Celaena.
It wasn’t until I re-read the series 7 years later that I appreciated Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. I don’t know whether it was age or I was just more open at that point but those books are now an important part of the story for me. Those two books really laid the foundation for what happens later on. I still hate Chaol in those books but I found a new appreciation for Dorian.
The thing that makes this series special for me though, isn’t the magic or the world-building or the war. It’s the people. It’s a rare thing to read a book and love all the assembled characters (even Chaol grew on me). It’s not just the core characters that are heroes, each person seemed to play their part, from the little folk showing the way to Emrys giving Rowan that much needed speech, it all mattered. This doesn’t just apply to the heroes, even the villains had their part to play and they were written so well, from Arobynn to Erawan. Each of them is so multilayered and has their own backstories. It made them so much more sinister, it made their threat so tangible and that’s what makes great villains, when they are that richly built, it makes it all the more satisfying when they are taken down.
I wanted everyone to have a happy ending. It’s what made all the losses more emotional. Many books have made me cry here and there but Kingdom of Ash broke something in me, I could feel the pain coming off the page. At its core Throne of Glass is a very human story set in a fantasy world, where small acts of kindness created something beautiful.
And finally, if you are starting your TOG journey, a little advice… there is no “right way” to read them. Hell, I still haven’t read Assassin’s Blade and don’t know that I will, and if you want to tandem read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn – more power to you. Don’t let online noise dictate how you should read a book. If I’ve learnt anything it’s that sometimes a book series has to come to you when you need it.
Books & Other Pursuits 