CROWN OF MIDNIGHT by Sarah J. Maas

Oh my, oh my, oh my!!  Adarlan's most kick butt assassin is back with a vengeance.  In Crown of Midnight, Celaena Sardothien reminds us exactly how she earned her title, and everything--the danger, the romance, the mystery, the kicka**ery--is turned up about 100 notches.

Honestly, I've been a fan of Maas's work since Throne of Glass, the amazing introduction to Celaena's cutthroat world.  But this book just took it to a whole other level!

In book 2, we find Adarlan exactly how we left it.

--Crazy, power-hungry king determined to keep Adarlan and its people under his thumb

--Dorian/Caleana/Chaol love triangle still unsettled (see: angst/confusion/who-will-it-be?)

--Danger (and magic) lurking behind every corner and everyone hiding their own secrets.

The main difference: Caleana is now the king's Champion.  That means she's in charge of carrying out his dirty work, including using her assassin-y mojo to dispose of anyone the king deems a traitor.  But our girl isn't very good with following orders--which is one of the many reasons why we love her J.

From beginning to end, Caleana blew me away.  Her bravery, just her overall independent attitude was spot on.  She's fierce.  She's ruthless.  And she's got the skills to take down her enemies and protect the people she loves.

There were 2 particularly awesome scenes where we get to see Caleana let loose.  One was the memory of her almost-escape from Endovier.   Sometimes memories can slow down the action, but this one only enriched the story.  Caleana went off on those cruel guards, cutting them down with a fierceness I always knew was in her.

Then there was Chaol's kidnapping.  That scene was just too good!!  I can't do it justice.  Again she goes to the quiet place in her head, a place where only her goal matters and anyone who stands in her way…well.  Let's just say, they won't be standing long.  Here's one of my fave quotes from that scene:

"Enough! We have enough enemies as it is! There are worse things out there to face!"

Celaena slowly turned to him, her face splattered with blood and eyes blazing bright. "No, there aren't," she said. "Because I'm here now."

Another great part: The Romance.  The triangle is finally put to rest.  No. I'm not going to ruin it, but…she made the right choice J.  Ninja happy dance, much love to Sarah J. Maas, thank-you-thank-you for letting our girl choose the right fella.  YAY!!

Okay, finished fangirling.

The best thing to me was that Crown totally lived up to the promise in book 1.  Everything that made me love the series was built upon and made even more fantastic/intriguing in book 2.  I'd definitely recommend to anyone who loves epic fantasy with a healthy dose of romance, mystery, and assassin-y goodness. 

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl