Everyone has read this book already. Everyone, except me. Therefore, I’m departing from my usual format for my Crown of Midnight review. This is a play-by-play of my reactions as I read the book – yes, I kept very detailed notes, down to the page number! I probably could have finished it a lot faster without…but I just couldn’t stop. I also took a lot MORE of these notes in the last half of the book than the first, hehe. It probably goes without saying, but, um…
******SPOILER ALERT!!! For ToG, Books 1 & 2*******
Beginning: Well, hopefully a few people will have become actual adults this time…(you can see my rather unimpressed review of Throne of Glass here)
6 – Ewwwww…glad to see Celaena hasn’t lost her love of the dramatic, I guess?
15 – “Plans” seem a little overrated.
25 – Why is Chaol still so worried about the king? The king is evil. Chaol is not. I don’t understand this loyalty.
29 – I don’t like this Roland person.
31 – WHY SO MANY CLOTHES AND SHOES?!? I don’t understand.
36 –
Unlike Celaena’s [bookshelf], which housed every title she got her hands on, whether she liked the book or not.
THERE’S my girl.
43 – I want a necklace that glows when danger is near, damn it.
74 – And now I miss MY best friend, damn it. Nehemia is the best.
89 – Chaol, you overprotective ASS…you better watch yourself.
91 – Ugh. I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of courtiers/courtesans, male or female (not in this context, anyway). I get that sometimes it’s a lifestyle choice, but in this case it’s pure slavery and…UGH.
92 – I’m a little disturbed that so far the only same sex relationships in this series are portrayed as a taboo thing, something to hide and keep behind closed doors. I get that maybe that’s how Adarlan’s society IS, buuuuut…it seems like it never occurs to anyone, even our heroine, to look at it differently.
111 – Aaaaahhh secret passageways and tunnels!! Or rather, more of them.
138 – Phew. There for a minute I thought we were headed for a love SQUARE. At least now we’re back to love triangle that IS NOT a triangle, according to Dorian. Just keep believing that there, little buddy.
192 – Ok. I love Chaol, as much as he’s flawed and torn by his idea of loyalty. And I feel like my heart is going to be broken by it somewhere along the line…
223 – Now there’s the assassin I’ve been waiting to see!
229 – WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING OMG NO NO NO NO.
230 – THIS IS ALL WRONG. SO WRONG. WHAT EVEN.
241 –
Death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.
246 – I’m so sad I don’t even know if I can keep reading this.
(puts book down for about a day)
267 –
Then Celaena and the King of Adarlan smiled at each other, and it was the most terrifying thing Dorian had ever seen.
Yikes.
291 – I love how everyone gets upset and distraught and…runs to the library for their happy place.
294 – Are you kidding me, Chaol?? You’re STILL having twinges of conscience about this bloody tyrant of a king? Or is it Dorian you’re actually worried about? Because that’s slightly more acceptable even if it doesn’t make you any less stupid.
296 – Ooooh is the battle hungry rebel guard a woman?
297 – LOL JK
300 –
“Then you will always have a place here.”
Oh, god, Dorian. Come on now.
309 – Well, that doesn’t reek of LotR AT ALL.
313 – OH MY GOD CHAOL. Just because she’ll never trust you again doesn’t make her a threat to one of her best friends.
328 – Hold on – does it occur to anyone that she’s going to have to walk/climb/run back up ALL THOSE STAIRS? That’s a lot of freakin’ stairs…
339 – Haha. Ok well, glad someone addressed that problem.
357 –
The world didn’t need an assassin with a coward’s heart. It needed someone like Nehemia.
366 – Archer =
373 – Yes, yes beg ALL the gods that will listen.
374 – NOT FLEETFOOT!!!
378 – Okay, any man that will risk his life to save her dog…
379 – Well I knew SOMETHING was coming I just didn’t expect THAT SOMETHING.
Am I the only one that was just…not expecting that AT ALL??
389 – That’s right, call her a good woman. Probably not the best thing you could have said right there.
393 - WAIT WHAT?!?!? SHE KNEW ALL ALONG?????? WTF?!?
398 – “Her” kind, clever prince? WHA?
405 –
“Knowing the truth, whatever it may be, will not change what you must do tomorrow – where you must go.”
Why have I not seen THIS quote on a t-shirt?
408 –
Never forgive, never forget.
Yeah, ok. So. That was one big puddle of feelings and some confusion. I have many mixed…thoughts. I felt this one was much better written than the first (thank you, SJM, for sparing us the many repeated descriptions of just.how.beautiful. Celaena is), and it was overall much more interesting. We learned a lot more about the world, about Celaena’s background (OBviously), as well as Chaol’s, and some new, very interesting characters were introduced (Baba Yellowlegs?? I was so disappointed that she had such a brief part).
I’m so bummed that Nehemia died. And in such a truly SENSELESS way. Actually, bummed doesn’t even begin to describe it. The book itself even states that it was a catalyst, an instigator, that she sacrificed herself in order to goad Celaena into action…WTF?!? That is so wrong and sad on so many levels. I’m extremely disappointed in that aspect. I’ve seen a few different bloggers talk about how in some very popular books, POC are used as plot devices…and I’m guessing that this is one of the chief offenders. No matter how much of an amazing character Nehemia was, the fact is that her death was used as a tool is just beyond sad.
The ending was awesome, though. I love that Celaena is strong enough to say goodbye, even when she knows it is probably goodbye forever, or at least goodbye to the happiness she had. I still love Chaol even if he’s a complete dunderhead, and I have hopes that he will come around. He doesn’t seem to be an ENTIRELY lost cause. And Dorian…I can’t even begin to figure out what’s going on with Dorian. He’s such an utterly nice person, and it kind of makes him boring but I want him to be happy. Oh, and whatever happened to Roland?? Like he was there, and vaguely creepy and unsettling and then he was just…nothing. So confused.
This is such a popular series I’m sure most people who read my blog have read it, so (WITHOUT spoiling the next books, please!), tell me what you think! I’d love to talk about it some more.
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