The series that started it all.

With this being the first true post of my new blog, it only seemed fitting to talk about my all-time favorite book series which is Throne of Glass. It is a series that I love and will re-read on occasion. When I started reading however, it was WAY outside my normal comfort zone when it came to books. I was a dedicated nonfiction reader only and I had sworn off reading fiction books. I couldn’t understand how someone could become attached to a fictional character and really care about their well-being. Oh how wrong I was. I soon grew to care very deeply for these characters and their well being. But as I read the series, a question kept popping up in my mind. Why did this particular series spark my interest and almost single handily turn me into a fiction reader? Well that’s what this post is about. How one series changed my outlook when it came to books. But first, an explanation of how I discovered this brilliant series.

I started working at a bookstore close to home back in 2016. Up till this point in my life, I read exclusively Historical Commentaries and Biographies. The fiction genre, particularly the YA fiction genre never appealed to me. Shortly after I started, one of my coworkers, who was to become my best friend at the store and also the person who ruined my soul, gave me a book and told me that I had to read it. Expecting a new history book, I was surprised and puzzled when I looked down and saw that it was a teen fantasy novel entitled “Throne of Glass”. I initially dismissed it as joke but my coworker was persistent and said that I needed to read it. She said it was one of the best series she had ever read and she thought I would enjoy it. With a large amount of skepticism, I started reading the book on my lunch break and my skepticism wasn’t fading. The book was a little slow, not much was going and I was getting bored. By about page 100, I was on the verge of giving up but for some strange reason I continued reading. Within by around 150 pages, the book was picking up and my interest was increasing. By page 200 I was thoroughly hooked. I finished a few days later and I came into work ready to buy the remainder of the series. The coworker who had recommended the book knew she had me hooked and had this smile that went ear to ear. Ever since reading that first book in the series, I have read everything Sarah J Maas, the author of the series, has put out. I have loved everything she has written and impatiently wait for the finale in the series.

Now that some context has been established, it’s time to answer the question that I posed at the start of this piece. How in the world does a dedicated history reader like me, come to love a teen fantasy series involving magic, romance nothing even close to reality? Well there’s a couple of reasons. For starters, the world is FANTASTICALLY created. That was the first thing that drew in while reading the first book and it only has gotten better as the series has progressed. The history, the lore, the Gods and Goddesses, location details everything about the world is beautifully described in great detail and makes you feel like you are truly there alongside each character. The story that Maas is telling is probably the best I’ve seen in a book and rivals that of a lot of Hollywood motion pictures. It keeps you on your toes with plot twists, cliff hanger endings and it moves from a slow-paced palace intrigue plot to a fast paced all out war story. And yet even the fast paced sections do not seem that fast. It is perfectly paced to allow the reader time to digest what has happened while also keeping them on their toes.

While these two items alone would have clinched the series as a good one for me, what makes it great is the characters. I never understood how someone reading a novel could care so much about a character. I think that is the hardest thing for an author, making you feel invested in the characters well-being is a challenge. Well Maas has succeeded on that level as I care very deeply for these characters. These characters are complex, easy to relate to and are just overall beautifully written characters. And it starts with the main character Aelin. She is such a well crafted character that is unlike any other I’ve seen in a book. She is smart, loyal, at times funny and overall an outstanding lead for this series. And she is easy to relate to. And i think for me, that’s where the strength of this series lies. Maas has made you invested in the well being of not just Aelin but also Rowan, Lysandra, Aedion, Dorian, Manon among others. All of these complex and well written characters intertwine to form a beautifully crafted narrative that has me on the edge on my seat waiting till October waiting for the last book.

After reading this series, I have become much more of a fiction reader. And while I have read many good stories and series, none can come close to Throne of Glass for me. The world, the story, the writing style and especially the characters have made this one of my all time favorite series and one that I do not hesitate to recommend to others.