I became a SJM fangirl with A Court of Mist and Fury. I’d read A Court of Thorns and Roses and thought it was decent “girl fantasy” – by which I meant the main protagonist was a young woman and the main plot revolved around a love story (now we’re calling it “romantasy” which I love and loathe in equal measures) – but nothing too amazing. Then Mist and Fury came out and I was hooked. I loved how Maas handled Feyre’s trauma, depression, and recovery. I went to find everything she’d written.
But Throne of Glass is an earlier work, she started it as a teen and it showed. I got through it, picked up the second book and just could not. The story, the characters, none of it snagged me. It felt juvenile and uneven. I moved on.
Now, several years later, my completist urges reared up. Maas’ third series (Crescent City) starts to reference her others, all of these worlds are apparently connected in some way. Was I missing vital clues about plot and character in this series I adore because I couldn’t push my way through Throne of Glass?? Unacceptable!
So. I did it. It took me about six months because I took breaks, but I was determined to finish before the new year and, woohoohoo, look who met a goal. Now I just have to review it.
Listen, if you’re a fan of fantasy, the kind with lots of magic and fae and witches and kings and wars and dragons and gods and portals and shifters and fate, then you should absolutely read this series. It has all of that and more! There is so much adventure and action, I mean, it was nearly 5,000 pages as an omnibus, a lot of things happen. There are battles and quests and betrayals and secret plans and spies. But, like all SJM stories, the core of this series is finding family and fighting for a better world.
For me, part of the pleasure in reading this was seeing the development and progression of an author I love. These books and characters mature over the series, you get the sense that Maas is also finding her self. There are similarities to her other series, there were moments of near deja vu, but Throne of Glass definitely stands on its own as a solid epic fantasy. It won’t be on my reread favorites list the way A Court of Silver Flames is (Nesta is my heart and soul), but I am really glad I finally made it through the whole series, and I enjoyed myself for most of the trip (Tower of Dawn was….work). If you also need to escape our world, I suggest a trip to Erilea.