I recently devoured Empire of Storms, book #5 in Sarah Maas’ Throne of Glass series. Devoured. Because that’s how I feel when I can’t stop turning pages and can’t put the book down because I am so hungry for the next chapter, the next scene, the next cliffhanger that will keep me up at night and thinking about it all day long. I feel as if I can’t get enough and I’ll never be satiated. I read books like these so quickly because I get obsessed but then I’m surprised and annoyed when I’ve finished it because I wanted the book to last forever.

This is how I feel about the Throne of Glass series. And unfortunately this won’t be much of a book review because I’ve read the fifth book but didn’t write any reviews of 1 – 4. And obviously anything I say about book five could give away the things that happened in the previous books and that would just be wrong. I wouldn’t dare take away the experience of discovering this fantastical world of dark and light, good and evil, cunning and surprise, strength and sadness, as it plays out for you. You will need to start this journey on your own and live through this world, following these characters as I have.

So I promise, I won’t even give you a hint.

I started reading this series last year when my coworker learned that I love to read and told me that her cousin is an author. Her cousin happens to be Sarah Maas. She told me that if I liked the Hunger Games, then I would probably like this book, because she thought they were similar.

I respectfully disagree.

I did like the Hunger Games, and while Throne of Glass is somewhat similar in the young(ish) adult genre, fantasy, sort of science-fiction-y way, I don’t think they can really compare. Maas has created her world in a way that is so detailed and complicated, yet so easy to understand and to imagine. She brings this world to life in quick chapters, complex characters, short but powerful descriptions, and the ever-evolving plot that I might liken to a ball rolling down a hill, gaining movement and momentum as it continues without any end in sight.

I first found myself enjoying the books because I fell in love with her main character, Celaena Sardothien. I love her strength, her pride, her loyalty, her persistence, and her heart. I love that she defies expectations of everyone – the other characters and the readers alike. I love that she is complicated and not always perfect. I love that she struggles and she makes mistakes, but her intentions are true and she is real. I can’t say I relate to her, but I love her. She is the first reason why I kept reading through the series.

The story that unfolds around her is the other reason. This could have been a simple story. This could have been a story that entertains and delights, holds some drama, and is tidied up with a satisfying, albeit imperfect ending. But Maas extracted so much more from her characters. She gives them a history and personalities and obstacles that pull the reader into their world and make us feel what they feel. I felt their pain, I cried with them, I sighed in relief, I laughed, I rooted for them, I celebrated their victories. I want them to succeed.

As I said, this isn’t quite a review. This is a plea. You need to read this series. And then once you catch up to me, we can talk about it. You have until September because that’s when her next book comes out. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait that long.

Tell me, have you read the Throne of Glass series? What do you think?