Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Young Adult
Series: Throne of Glass (#2)
Page Count: 420
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached. It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

Where should I even start with this book?

It actually took me a week for the aftershock to wear off before I could sit down and write the review. I simply cannot state how much Crown of Midnight was just so, SO, good. I loved Throne of Glass, but I liked Crown of Midnight even MORE (you're probably wondering, how is that possible??). Crown of Midnight was a perfect second instalment to the Throne of Glass series. I was a bit afraid that it would let us down, but that is not the case! 

Crown of Midnight picks up right after Celaena's battle with Cain and becomes the King's Champion. She's doing the King's dirty work; killing rebels and such. While her friendship with Chaol continues to grow, Celaena uncovers much more about the dark magic in the castle, the rebels, and the king and his schemes. 

CHAOLAENA. It was Chaolaena that was the main focus of the book. Of course there's the dark magic and everything, but the romance between the two were too strong that every other aspect of the book dulled a bit in comparison. I loved how their relationship blossomed at every point, it was so fun and cute to read, especially what happened Chaol's birthday was definitely a highlight in Crown of Midnight ;) The main thing that I really like about the romance in the series by far is that although there's a love triangle, Maas doesn't slowly kill her readers by dragging it all the way to the end (but she doesn't end it there either).

“I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn't, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful, because I will always care what happens.”

I was a bit sad that Dorian was MIA for the majority of the book. We don't hear much from him at all, even though Celaena said that they could remain friends. Half of the time, I was always wondering "WHERE IS DORIAN?? WHEN IS HE COMING IN???" during all those Chaolaena moments, even though I've been on team Chaol ever since the beginning. But it pains my heart to not hear from Dorian; it was like the book was potentially missing something. There are a few parts about Celaena going to Dorian, but I didn't like how she went to Dorian because she "had no where to go". Pushing away Dorian at the beginning and then using him for support?? Wrong move there Celaena...

I almost wanted Dorian and Nehemia to end up together even though it could never happen, since you know, it scares me to think about Dorian ending up with some random court lady like Kaltain. While Dorian can be a shell of a man, sulking in a corner for Celaena and not standing up to his father, I still can't help but feel kind of sorry for the guy.

The writing in the book is absolutely flawless and noticeably better than Throne of Glass. I love Maas's writing style; it is beautiful and descriptive but intriguing and easy to hook on to, and the word choices and sentences flow so well together.

“The rest of the world quieted into nothing. In that moment, after ten long years, Celaena looked at Chaol and realised she was home.”

I was not overly saddened with Nehemia's death (completely selfish of me, I know), but instead I was so angry at her death because it broke up our dearest Chaolaena. Then it was Celaena that became what I was annoyed at because of how she acted after Nehemia's death. She just sat in her chair and did nothing for two weeks!! I wanted to yell at her saying that the world does not revolve around her because during the grieving moments which almost all readers dislike, Celaena fell apart.

Aside from the morning moments and a few Dorian/Celaena actions, Celaena still stayed as an amazing and unique badass character and she is still one of my favourite book heroines. She's arrogant and hilarious, but she is so incredibly strong. It is so admirable to see her stand up to the ones she love, and Celaena continues to evolve as a character.

“I don't think you realize who you're dealing with."
The man clicked his tongue, "If you were that good, you would be more than just Captain of the Guard."
Chaol let out a low, breathy laugh. "I wasn't talking about me."
"She's just one girl."
Though his guts were twisting at the thought of her in this place, with these people, though he was considering every possible way to get himself and Celaena out of here alive, he gave the man a grin. "Then you're really in for a big surprise.”

Crown of Midnight was an excellent sequel, better than the first! There is no second-book syndrome here. It was way over my expectations, and I found myself itching to read the book every time I put it down. There were so many swoon-worthy moments that made me laugh, cry, and do both at the same time. The feels in this book were so strong!! The action never ever stops, and I was surprised at every point. Crown of Midnight will not disappoint is readers!