The King’s Assassin, Celaena, has traveled to Wendlyn to kill the King and Queen on her employer’s orders. Once again, she finds that she cannot; the rulers of Wendlyn are beloved by their people because they are good. Celaena spirals into a self-pitying depression that lasts and lasts, even when the Fae warrior, Rowan has dragged her to the edge of her aunt Maeve’s Fae kingdom and proceeds to train her to control the magic within her. She will not forgive herself for letting down so many people nor will she accept her true name, Aelin, Queen of Terrasen.
Moran, a Blackbeak witch, enjoys killing. Enjoys the hunt, the fear, the screams, the taste of blood, human blood. She is the heir to the Blackbeak coven and proud leader of the Thirteen, a tight-knit fighting unit of witches. She is heartless, soul-less, and proud. She is training to compete in the War Games on the back of a wyvern but surprises herself by caring about her animal, and quite possibly, other beings.
Aedion, cousin and childhood friend to Aelin, has been outwardly working for the evil King of Adarlan while secretly protecting the rebels and working towards freedom. He meets with Chaol, Aelin’s former lover and captain of the guard, and Dorian, heir to the throne of Adarlan and possessor of forbidden magic. Individually the three have secrets that may help each other but their distrust prevents sharing and might possibly cost all of them their freedom.
Maas has once again created compelling characters and woven their stories into the fabric of Erilea. There are several newly introduced characters which limits the voices of some of the others. The relationship between Chaol and Dorian has unfortunately deteriorated and their interactions have none of the easy banter that made them irresistible in the first books. While it is easy to despise Moran, she is complex and worth watching. The same with fae warrior, Rowan. Celaena/Aelin struggles to deal with her inner demons (but personally, it was tiring hearing her whiny voice for so long.) All in all, an exciting read that will be snapped up by those following the series. Just a little disappointing to find out that instead of a trilogy, the series will encompass six titles. It is just so difficult to sustain interest for that long.
Sarah’s webpage: http://sarahjmaas.com/
