The realm's deadliest assassin, dragged from a salt mine, competes to win her freedom as the king's champion — if the castle's secrets don't kill her first.
- Score
- 77.4
- Spice
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Sweet
- POV
- third
- Ending
- HEA / HFN
Spice: Mostly tension and a love triangle; the series heats up considerably in later books.
Is Throne of Glass spicy? See the full heat guide →Tropes
Content warnings
Curated signals, not an exhaustive guarantee.
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What readers think
Readers consistently praise Celaena's distinct, snarky voice, the vivid glass-castle court setting, and the series' addictive momentum once it builds steam. The tournament premise and world-building are seen as strong hooks, and many cite the supporting cast — particularly Chaol and Nehemia — as series highlights. The most common criticism is that book 1 underdelivers on its fearsome-assassin premise: Celaena reads younger and more self-absorbed than the marketing implies, the love triangle feels generic, and the competition itself lacks the intensity of comparable tournament fantasies. Many readers flag that the first two books are the weakest entry points and urge commitment through Heir of Fire (book 3) before judging the series. Goodreads ratings sit around 4.1 stars across hundreds of thousands of reviews, reflecting a broadly enthusiastic but divided fanbase that skews toward series completers.
Read it if
- · Readers who love epic multi-book fantasy series with high stakes and sweeping character arcs across many volumes
- · Fans of competition and tournament arcs set within palace intrigue and an oppressive imperial court
- · Those who enjoyed ACOTAR and want to explore Maas's earlier, more YA-toned world and writing evolution
Skip it if
- · You want immediate high spice — book 1 has none and the series takes several books to escalate
- · You dislike love triangles or heroines with strong self-aggrandising inner monologue
- · You are not prepared to commit to a seven-book arc; the emotional and plot payoff requires the full series
If you liked this
- · For fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas who want to trace where her style and world began
- · For fans of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir — competition arc, morally grey empire, slow-burn romance
- · For fans of The Hunger Games who want a longer, more immersive high-fantasy world with Fae and dark magic
- · For fans of Graceling by Kristin Cashore — fierce female fighter discovering her identity in a corrupt kingdom
In this series
Part of Throne of Glass — read in order:
- ·The Assassin's Blade
- 1Throne of Glassyou’re here
- 2Crown of Midnight
- 3Heir of Fire
- 4Queen of Shadows
- 5Empire of Storms
- 6Tower of Dawn
- 7Kingdom of Ash
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