Throne of Glass

Book/Author: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Pulisher/Year: Bloomsbury 2012

Series?: Yes!

Angst Level: 2

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

 

Me:

This was one of those books that was on my tbr list long before it was even published. Then it sat on my wishlist for a really long time. (I'm in my last two semesters of college, I am ridiculously poor) Finally, I had some extra money after judging drama competition. (I'm still amazed I got paid to go and watch kids perform, critique them and then give them some direction. Paid for something fun. That I have a degree in. It's an amazing thing) Anyway. I finally had some extra cash and bought a couple of books, and this was one of them.

I really enjoyed this. If you've read some of my other reviews you know how much I love a tough heroine. I also have a serious weakness for retellings. Cinder anyone? I had high hopes for this, and it did not disappoint. It has just the right amount of action and suspense, mystery, character development and world building to make it a delightful read.

You:

I recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good retelling, strong heroines, or fantasy.

Have you read Throne of Glass? What did you think? Do you have any favorite retellings?

STAGED by Ruby Preston

Book/Author: Staged by Ruby Preston
Publisher: Circle Dress Publishing
Series: Yes
How I got it: From the lovely people at Circle Dress Publishing.
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Add it: Goodreads
Rating: 4.5 Stars

 

Aspiring Broadway producer Scarlett Savoy has almost everything she needs to make her first musical a huge success- millions in financial backing, a talented (not to mention handsome) young director, and a big-name Hollywood starlet as her female lead. But with none of the theater owners in town willing to back a novice, she’s missing one final piece of the puzzle: a Broadway theater. Just when Scarlett thinks her show might never see the footlights of day, an unexpected meeting with the young, eligible son in the Stewart theatrical empire changes Scarlett’s Broadway prospects forever.

 

 My Thoughts

A quote from a review of the first book in this series, Showbiz, describes it perfectly. “Will have you dreaming of Broadway even if you’re miles away.” (TheatreMania) As I was reading this I found myself remembering my own adventures in NYC… and I was homesick. So much that I actually created an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to it. The author describes the city in such detail, and with such affection, that I was completely immersed in the story. The culture and charm of New York simply oozed from the pages, it’s obvious that the author has a lot of affection for it. I got excited every time she talked about something that I remembered seeing for myself when I was in NYC, the TKTS bleachers, the hawkers in Times Square vying for your attention, trying to get you to come see their show, the restaurants…

 

The story itself was quite enjoyable too. I felt like I knew the characters personally, because I know people, friends, who are very similar. Especially Scarlett’s brother and her best friend, I swear I know people just like them. I felt myself stressing along with Scarlett as she struggled to make her show work. I’ve been part of a production that is just getting started. The stress of finding just the right people for the show, funding, location, publicity, funding, going to read throughs, did I mention funding? Scarlett’s deep devotion and love for the theatre is evident on every page. Not just the “oh, the Arts are popular and we must preserve them”. But the love of the history, culture, tradition… I feel like we're kindred spirits.

 

The only part of the book that I felt was a bit off was the situation Scarlett finds herself in, it was a bit far-fetched and almost felt out of place with the realism of the rest of the book. And yet… it’s New York, and even more importantly, Broadway. ANYTHING is possible.


Oh, and as a warning to those who appreciate show tunes. They are referenced constantly throughout the book. You WILL have them running through your head for days after. I think I'm going to make a Spotify playlist for the songs referenced in this book...


I'll leave you with a picture of Times Square. :)