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ae-neon · 1 year

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Reading Throne of Glass (13-15)

Disclaimer

You already know, if you don't, read the previous entries into this series.

Recap for the girlies who haven't read tog (this one's a little long cause it's the first but I'll include little recaps from now on)

Celaena Sardothien is an 18 year old assassin who has spent the last year of her life in a slave mine after being betrayed and arrested.

Training her to take part in the competition to become king's champion is Chaol Westfall - 22 year old captain of the royal guard.

The person who bailed her out is Dorian Havilliard - 20 year old crown prince of Ardalan. A charming prince with a rebelliousness that's putting him at odds with his father.

Dorian's father - Dorian Senior - is the King of Ardalan and lives in a glass castle. Ten years ago he burned Celaena's homeland to the ground as part of his quest to conquer the continent and all its kingdoms.

The world is inhabited by humans, faeries, Fae, witches, shifters etc. But somehow, 10 years ago, the King of Ardalan not only banned magic but actually erased it from the world.

Chapter 13

I like that Chaol is referring to Dorian by his first name, shows he's really relaxing around Celaena. He tells her she stinks but doesn't make fun of her vomiting after the run. When she asks questions, he answers without provoking her and they fall into easy conversation.

Chaol is, as usual, climbing the ranks by being a decent person. Future SJM will forget love interests can do that

The following dawn, (...) Chaol Westfall stopped short when he found the assassin dangling from the beam of the bedroom doorway, repeatedly hoisting herself up to touch her chin to the wooden bar. Sweat soaked her undershirt and ran in rivulets down her pale skin. She’d been exercising for an hour already. Her arms quivered as she lifted herself again. Though she might pretend to be in the middle of the pack, there was no reason to train like it. Even if every repetition made her body scream for her to stop. She wasn’t that out of shape—after all, her pickax in the mines had been heavy. And it definitely had nothing to do with her fellow competitors walloping her at the race yesterday. She already had an edge on them. She just needed it to be a bit sharper.

She didn’t pause her exercising as she smiled at him, panting through her clenched teeth. To her surprise, he smiled back.

I like when Celaena is who she says she is (the irony in this statement, lolol, but you know what I mean)

Also, Chaol's little actions are so attractive.

...a lovely lilac silk dress with pale pink lace accents and pearl beading. If anyone has Celaena fanart in these dresses please link or tag me

Kaltain Rompier!!!

The assassin would have grimaced, but she forgot all about Kaltain as her eyes fell upon her companion. It was an Eyllwe woman. Okay love at first sight

(for the girlies who haven't read the books, most of the slaves in the mines where Celaena had been are people from the country of Ellwye. They are black people.)

She was stunning, long and lean, each of her features perfectly formed and smooth. Her loose white dress contrasted with her creamy brown skin, and a three-plated gold torque covered much of her chest and neck. Bracelets of ivory and gold glimmered around her wrists, and her feet were sandaled beneath matching anklets. A thin circlet comprising dangling gold and jewels crowned her head.

...

The Eyllwe girl was a princess.

Nehemia!!!

Not sjm tryna make Kaltain look racist just so Celaena looks good. Eww.

Chaol bowed low. The princess nodded... Form an alliance, my dear darlings

Celaena knew the name - she had often heard the Eyllwe slaves in Endovier boast of Nehemia’s beauty and bravery. Nehemia, the Light of Eyllwe, who would save them from their plight. Nehemia, who might someday pose a threat to the King of Adarlan’s rule over her home country when she ascended to the throne. Nehemia, they whispered, who smuggled information and supplies to the rebel groups hiding in Eyllwe.

Poor baby has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I wish the only black character wasn't saddled with the "save my people from slavery" plotline.

Celaena dropped into the lowest curtsy she could give without falling and said in Eyllwe, “Welcome to Rifthold, Your Highness.”

Princess Nehemia smiled slowly, and the others gaped. (...) “Thank you,” the princess replied, her voice low. “I imagine you’ve had a long journey,” Celaena continued in Eyllwe. “Have you arrived today, Your Highness?” Nehemia’s guards exchanged glances, and Nehemia’s brows rose slightly. Not too many northerners spoke their language.

What if...I immediately ship this????? (Also low voice Nehemia? I'm instantly seduced)

“What do you make of the castle?”

“It’s the most foolish thing I’ve ever seen,” Nehemia said, EXACTLY

Again, I'm not here for sjm making Kaltain racist just to make Celaena look good, idc

How do you know how to speak Eyllwe so well?” “I”—Celaena thought of a lie—“studied it for several years.” “You use the intonation of the peasants. Is that taught in your books?”

Again, things like this stand out to me so much because not only is it proof that sjm really fleshed out this world and story but also because it's stuff I personally found missing in acotar.

Trying to flesh out the mortal lands in my rewrite had me making languages and even realising that Nesta and Feyre would speak quite differently from each other given their education differences.

The languages or at least the dialects of "modern" humans should be indecipherable to Fae. 500 years is so so so long in language that two people speaking the "same" language would not understand each other.

Back to tog

“If I’m fortunate, I’ll only be here until spring. Unless my father decides that a man from Adarlan might make me a good consort, and then I’ll be here until that matter is settled.”

(...)“Whom would you marry? Prince Dorian?” But Nehemia just clicked her tongue. “That pretty boy? He grinned at me far too much—and you should only see how he winked at the other women in the court. I want a husband to warm my bed, and my bed alone.”

If anyone knows a Dorian and Nehemia political marriage au, let me know

"...in Banjali, the sun burns up everything. And my father’s river palace smells like lotus blossoms.” I want to go there

Nehemia looked toward a rain-splattered window. “Most of our books were burned five years ago, when Adarlan marched in. It didn’t make a difference if the books were about magic”—her voice quieted at the word, even though Chaol and the councilman couldn’t understand them—“or history. They just burned the libraries whole, along with the museums and universities . . .” A familiar ache filled her chest. Celaena nodded. “Eyllwe wasn’t the only country where that happened.”

Okay this is the perfect place to put what I've been thinking: During this talk with Nehemia, Celaena's disassociative habit has disappeared. She has done or said nothing vain, arrogant or distracting. She is being as genuine with Nehemia as she is with herself in her most contemplative moments. Meaning she feels safe.

"Now, most of the books we receive are from Adarlan..." This is called soft power colonialism and it's something the USA actively tries to do in Africa through textbooks.

I really like that Nehemia isn't a perfect, polished, model A princess on the inside. She's pouty and irritated and struggling and frustrated. So human. It's almost insane to think about where SJM is gonna take her.

My rebel princess.

Nehemia said, her eyes bright. “Peace be with you.”

“And with you,” the assassin murmured, watching her leave.

Nehemia and Celaena are Muslim. Ramadan Mubarak to those who celebrate.

After that, she’d sworn never to trust girls again, especially girls with agendas and power of their own. Girls who would do anything to get what they wanted. Sarah, girl, just say you hate women and go

Okay so the king has left on his mysterious journey without any of the guards Chaol suggested and without telling anyone where he's going. Very mysterious.

Not to mention the fact that a few of the royal hounds had gone missing, only to have their half-eaten remains found in the northern wing of the palace. HELLO WHAT THE FUCK

Celaena disparaging women who gossip. This is a friendly reminder that gossip empowers women in their communities, creates networks of information and literally saves lives. Gossip culture in the Philippines is one of the top reasons they have the least serial killers in the world. Know your neighbours, let them know you, know the dangers in your community, protect each other, gossip.

“I just prefer a certain type of woman.” it's me y'all, I'm Chaol's type

There was something great and deadly concealed within her, and he didn’t like it. It's trauma, Chaol, she's traumatized

Chapter 14

Celaena during group training: I will play the middle ground, just enough to not get dissed by Brullo and not good enough to get praise like Cain

Also Celaena: I hate Cain. No one pays attention to how good I'm doing in training. No one is telling me how perfect my form is.

Girl...

Nox Owen from Perranth, which is in Terrasen where Celaena is originally from, I knew he would become an ally.

A large ring of black, iridescent stone glimmered on Cain’s finger... Isn't the gargoyle clock tower thing made from black stone too?

So one of the champions is found dead, ripped open, like the hounds I think. I know who, it's obvious, but whyyyy

Chaol and Dorian are childhood besties, cute. Chaol is from a place called Anielle by some Silver Lake that guards against "hordes" from the White Fang Mountains. (Cain is from here)

Celaena spends so much time thinking about how horrible the genocides committed by Ardalan are, she's literally living with trauma from it. But suddenly she's thankful the people of the White Fang Mountains were among the first wiped out 10 years ago so that Chaol and his people don't have to fight the "hordes" ...Sarah...

The kingdom of Eyllwe has Banjali. The kingdom of Ardalan has Rifthold and Anielle. The kingdom of Terrasen has Orynth and Perranth.

It's not that I'm overly impressed, it's basic worldbuilding really, it's that I'm actually flabbergasted at how she got away with doing nothing in acotar. Like how do you submit a blank map to an editor or publishing house and then even to readers and you're still taken somewhat seriously??

The manor in spring is called The Manor.

The court under the mountain is called Under the Mountain.

The land where mortals live is called The Mortal Lands.

The village where the main character comes from has no name.

On the fan wiki notable places in the mortal land include the barn in Feyre's village and the post office in Feyre's village.

The country shaped like the great British Isle is called Prythian (a name taken from another series but also) after the Welsh - Prydain - the name of the Great British Isle.

The island nation in the place of Ireland aka Hibernia is called Hybern.

The Continent in place of Europe is called the Continent.

I've done a post where I went through all of these lazy names so I won't go on but the icing on the shit show cake is always the Illyrian Steppes:

Steppes are a flat, un-forested grassland. The Illyrian Steppes are a forested, mountainous area.

Back to tog

Chaol has a brother, to whom he abdicated his title.

There was a ghost of a smile on his face as he watched the sky melt into a smear of tangerine. I suddenly understand how sjm brainwashes her readers into falling for these men, why is this so dreamy

Celaena had to break her own right hand to learn to swordfight with her left, she has been through so much. She doesn't need to be Queen, she needs to retire to a small town and get regular therapy

The actual first test is tomorrow. The competition is finally starting.

Chapter 15

Okay, so the first test is archery but all the sponsors are sitting up in the mezzanine, including the crown prince. One troll or criminal bought off by rebels or a scheming courtier could change the future of Ardalan with an arrow through Dorian's neck

They're making fun of the youngest assassin Pelor for not being strong enough to draw a longbow and he says he's more specialised in poisons. Brullo laughs.

Irl Giulia Tofana killed over 600 men in less than 20 years with poison she sold to their wives. She would never have been caught if one of them didn't rat her out.

Pelor is probably one of the most proficient killers in that room.

Celaena is surprised by Nox Owen's skill but he literally told her he was better at archery than knife throwing during their practice. Poor information retention on her part.

Cain has to be on something. We're given the impression the men from the White Fang Mountains are brutes but he's basically a super soldier.

Celaena is upset and goes in on the archery, doing best in the hardest shot, showing off a little even though she knows she shouldn't.

It's interesting how sjm plays with Celaena's arrogance. It's not actually arrogance at all. Celaena is bothered when she isn't recognised or given attention for her skill and talent because that's what she survived on. It's what kept her alive. Without the name Celaena Sardothien and all it carries, she will be forced back to that hopeless, homeless child who watched her family die.

Celaena knows she can't stand out or participate to her full abilities but it scares her and she reacts with anger and bravado. Internally cursing that these men don't know who she is and repeating to herself "I am Celaena Sardothien"

Again, none of this came out when she was with Nehemia - even when Celaena talked about her past.

----

Overall, I enjoyed it as usual.

Glad I finally got to meet Nehemia.

Like I said in my first few chapters read throughs, I know the overall story spoilers but I don't know anything about these characters or the plot details. So it was very interesting to learn Nehemia's unexpected personality. I like her. Honestly I like all of them. These core 4.

It makes me a bit worried, knowing the quality of the series declines with time but for now, I'm happy

#sjm critical #celaena sardothien #nehemia ytger #chaol westfall #dorian havilliard #ae read #throne of glass #ae read throne of glass

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