In an attempt to enter into and better understand the
stories,
worldviews, and
messages shaping my kids and the rest of today's youth, I submit my latest review of trending
books,
films, and
TV shows effecting a primarily YA audience. My goal is not to critique the art form as much as look at how the story reflects and shapes the readers' worldview.
There will be spoilers.
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Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Mass, was named Amazon.com's "Best Book of the Month for Kids & Teens" in August 2012.
Publishers Weekly called it a "strong debut novel," and many other reviewers (
though not all) have agreed. As with many popular books, a film is in the works.
I'll be honest: I didn't really care for this book. After reading my initial thoughts, I decided I should rewrite it and spend a little more time on the positive aspects. However, if you read between (or behind) the lines, you may be able to get a sense of where this review began.
Celaena is a
teenage girl who is also the World’s Greatest Assassin. After her parents died,
she was raised by a whole bunch of assassins. When the country's king finally manages to capture her, he sends her to the mines to die.
While imprisoned, she kills 24 guards. Years later, she still remembers one of the guards fondly, specifically“the
feeling of embedding the pickax into his gut, and the stickiness of his blood
on her hands and face.” Some of
those guards had raped a friend; they “died
too quickly.” These memories haunt her sleep do not seem to bother her
too much.
One day the king’s son, Dorian, unexpectedly pulls
her from the mines to enter a contest which will decide the king’s next
Champion. If she wins, she gets her freedom after four years of service. Dorian is a blatant
womanizer handsome rogue, a man whose renowned prowess in the bedroom on
the battlefield is surpassed only by his ability to use people look
good. Celaena observes that when he stands up straight, he“looks like a king.” Never
has good posture played such a pivotal role in a romance.
Celaena
vacilates between blood-thirsty assassin, girly potential princess, and
cynical, world-weary girl. Men think she is beautiful when she dresses up, and
she giggles. Men mock her in the tournament, and she destroys them. She dreams of cutting out the king’s heart and
smashing in the teeth of her bodyguard, Chaol, then plays piano like a
virtuoso, “playing and playing as the
sounds forgave and saved her.” She is a hot mess a little bit of
everything a woman wants to be.