Series Review of Throne of Glass: Does it Live Up to the Hype?

This series is almost as tall as my tallest cat. It's definitely a work out to haul this series around. Photo by Kate Ota 2024

Last year I reviewed Sarah J. Maas's hit Throne of Glass, the first in an adult epic fantasy series, and asked if it lived up to all the hype. I decided it was, and bought the rest of the series. In January, I finally finished the last book of the series, Kingdom of Ash, a nearly 1000 page behemoth. I even did the famous tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. So, is all that worth the hype? 

What's the series about? (SPOILER FREE)
As a refresher, Throne of Glass followed Celaena Sardothien, famed assassin, as she tried to win the king's tournament to be the King's Champion, aka assassin on call. Along the way she got some troubling information from a ghost and discovered the king was not all he seemed to be. The rest of the series follows the same three characters: Prince Dorian, Captain Chaol Westfall, and Celaena Sardothien (by many names) through the adventures that ensue from seeds planted in book 1. More POVs are added over time for characters that have become beloved by fans.

The books are: Assassin's Blade (prequel, recommended to read 3rd), Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash. 

Does It live up to the hype?
My impression of the series was that it was a fun read. Celaena kept me on my toes and always guessing, and I loved whenever her plots and plans were revealed both to the audience and those around her. She was intensely clever not just powerful, and she never leaned to far into the trope I hate, "I'm not like other girls," because she was super girly when she had the chances. The romances were hit or miss for me because some I rooted for and sometimes I was yelling at the book about what a terrible guy someone was and why his romantic interest absolutely needed to dump him. 

My complaints are few. Even though I predicted a lot of the overall things that would happen, the twists along the way kept me going, just like in the first book. I didn't like Tower of Dawn much, because it focused on Chaol, who I grew to dislike. However, the tandem read improved that experience, see the next section.

Does this series live up to the hype? Yes. Well written, interesting, surprising, strong female characters without the internalized misogyny, and a dash of romance. 10/10 will probably re-read someday!​

What's the tandem read and is that worth the struggle?
The tandem read is when you read some chapters of Empire of Storms and then switch to Tower of Dawn, and then back again. I followed the guide on the Throne of Glass wiki, which I think worked well.

Pros: You're not stuck with Chaol for 600 pages, you get others too. It feels more like the other books, where the main trio are all represented by POVs, even if they're not all together. You add tension to the read because if you follow the guide, certain elements align so you only know some information about the off-screen characters, but you maintain mystery.

Cons: It takes a while to flag all the chapters before you start, and you may accidentally get spoiled by the first line of some chapters--especially in Tower of Dawn! I also somehow got off, and ended by reading two sections in a row of Tower of Dawn because I'd already finished Empire of Storms. Oops! And of course, if you read in public, you now have to carry around two books instead of one, and they're beefy. 

Overall, I felt like the tandem read was worth the struggle. I liked the added tension and the way it kept things fresh and moving forward. If you're curious about the experience, I recommend giving it a try!



This series is for you if you like monarchy drama in fantasy worlds, a mix between hard and soft magic systems, a strong female main character, and fae/fairies.

This series is not for you if you dislike fae/fairies, are not in the headspace for on-page violence or war (she's an assassin!), dislike soft magic systems, or dislike on-page sex scenes (they're not as descriptive as the scenes in Fourth Wing, but you're getting more than you'd get from a YA series, for example). 


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Have you read the Throne of Glass series? Crescent City 3, also from SJM, just dropped so I may do another "does it live up to the hype?" post soon! Which of her series have you read, and which is your favorite? Let's discuss in the comments.