When I first read Throne of Glass, I had multiple people tell me that it would feel slow but was worth it to get to the rest of the series. While I never would have described Throne of Glass as slow, in reading Crown of Midnight, I am starting to understand what people meant. However, I am glad that Throne of Glass took the time to let us get to know the setting and characters, as it made the twists and turns of Crown of Midnight more impactful.
This story revolves around Celaena's new position as the King's Champion, and the King's determination to root out a rebel uprising that is starting to form in his home city of Rifthold - with the first name on his list being someone Celaena had a connection with long before she was first captured - a name she is certain isn't a part of any rebellion. From there, we see a dangerous game being played where Celaena has to not only decide whether or not to be the king's lackey but also decide how far she is willing to go to help those she cares about - and the world.
When it comes to writing a series, the first two books are essential. They need to hook the readers and get them invested in the story, characters, and setting, while also setting the stakes of the overarching plot. The first book has to make them fall in love with the world, while the second book has to convince readers the world is worth staying in. And I feel like Crown of Midnight not only achieves this, but even though it allows the plot and characters to breathe, it ends up being better by Throne of Glass. I'll admit, I was actually wary of this when I realized the book wouldn't be as full of action as its predecessor, but I think it was for the best. War and rebellion need time to be set up correctly, and I think allowing the readers to see how it's being formed and how each character is drawn into the rebellion, will strengthen the rest of the series as a whole.
I also really loved that one of the biggest themes in this book is the cost of blind loyalty. This theme is built throughout the two books, and I am glad they have taken the time to explore it thoroughly. In Throne of Glass, we come to understand why Chaol has such a deep loyalty to the King, though if you analyze it properly you can tell it's actually to Dorian, in Crown of Midnight we see the consequences of him never questioning anything. Of falling orders, and never thinking about them. And the fact the consequences are so severe we see him spiral in a way I didn't expect from the otherwise stoic Captain of the King's Guard. I look forward to seeing more about the consequences of his actions in further books because I can tell that this is where his arc truly started. I've also had a ton of people on social media tell me the fact he's one of my favorite characters is a crime, as there is a lot of fandom hate, so I am both intrigued and terrified to see where he goes from there.
Now, I do think there is a little bit of a pacing issue at the beginning of the book. It takes a while to fully check in with the characters, and get an introduction to the plot, and it definitely lags. While the payoff is amazing, and the second half of the book is flawless when it comes to how it all comes together, I do think they could have taken out a chapter or two from the beginning to tighten up the story and allow for it to move quickly. It wasn't ever enough for me to want to put the book down, but there were a few times I really wondered if we were ever going to get to something interesting.
Overall, I felt like this book exceptionally built on the world we were introduced to and left me excited to read the rest of the series. And the ending twist did something an author hasn't done in a while: it shocked me. I audibly gasped, as I had managed to get all of the clues that were sprinkled throughout and put them together incorrectly. This ending has me convinced I will read and love the rest of the series, and I cannot wait to find out what else I won't see coming.
Crown of Midnight is available through Bloomsbury Publishing