Throne of Glass began and ended with page turning drama in every chapter. I jumped head first into Throne of Glass (Novel #1) and sped through until the very end of Kingdom of Ash (Novel #7). This review will talk primarily of the character development (of the central group of main characters) and my take on the overall story and plotline as the novels progressed.

Without a doubt, Aelin is the primary protagonist throughout the entire series. Her development from assassin in the shadows to savior of the world proved epic. We see Aelin develop leaps and bounds from her covert cover of Celaena (whom I honestly quite enjoyed). She became the wife of Rowan, an incredibly powerful male Fae who has fought as a warrior for centuries. She developed a court that could rival that of any army in the entire realm. She led her entire court and army into battle and came out on top (spoiler!) with limited casualties. Aelin’s swagger and bit of cocky attitude is a nice contrast to her true heart and warmth (much like Manon, who I’ll take about a bit). Sarah J. Maas seems to have a soft spot for all powerful women who tame an equally all powerful male (enter Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar from Crescent City!). But, I love it every time.

The other female who takes a leading role in the fight against the evil threatening the entire kingdom is Manon, leader of the Blackbeaks witch clan. Manon is cold and sharp on first appearance (and second, and third). However, as we unravel Manon’s history and the power she possesses, we start to see a warm truth buried far beneath. Her loyalty, her strength and courage to lead her coven (and eventually others) drew me to become a fan! I was so happy with how she grew and was able to bring the witches together. I feel like the witches were one story arch that came full circle and had a beautiful tale. It was absolutely heartbreaking to watch her 13 give an absolute and ultimate sacrifice, necessary as it was to win the war. It will be hard for Manon to recover from such a stark tragedy, but it seems like she will find strength in her new followers and Abraxos, her loving and loyal wyvern.

As for Manon and here future, I absolutely adore her relationship with Dorian, although, I am a bit heartbroken over Dorian’s storyline. He never fully found his heart again after his entrapment and murder of his father, the king.

It seemed Dorian and Chaol’s destinies were both sealed from the first chapter when first meeting Celaena. It was inevitable that over the course of the series, their paths intertwining with Celaena/Aelin would bring death and destruction, with great power and reward along the way. Both Dorian and Chaol were pillars in the story line from start to finish.

I was drawn more to Dorian than that of Chaol, even though they both had equal amounts of character flaws and impact on the war. Dorian’s flaws were charming and endearing while Chaol tended to be a bit more annoying and bothersome. Chaol continually second guessed himself and everyone around him with each turn of the way and it rubbed me the wrong way. Chaol had his strengths and did his part to save the realm, but he just didn’t make my list of favorites. I was very surprised at what a happy ending he had at the end of the series – I didn’t see that coming at all. Although, I absolutely love Yrene Towers and she is the perfect balance to Chaol. I thoroughly enjoyed learning of Yrene’s history, her unexpected link to Aelin and the massive strength she possessed to help save the realm.

Yrene reminded me a bit of Elide Lochan – a petite female who possesses a huge amount of inner strength and will and turns the tide of the war. My favorite piece of Elide is how she captured Lorcan’s heart. That was by far my favorite coupling of the entire series. I love that Lorcan loves her. Lorcan Lochan! Amazing! When Elide rode onto the battlefield to save her soulmate before the flood, my heart melted!

Elide’s part in the story seemed small at first glance, but she really had a significant impact overall. She was the reason Lorchan stayed with Aelin, which added a massive amount of power to the army. Elide also assisted Yrene everyday in helping to heal the wounded, and was the only one who saw the exact path on how to ultimately win the war. Without Elide, it is quite possible Aelin would have lost the war entirely.

One of the few letdowns through the entire series is Aelin’s ultimate loss of her power. I see the beauty behind it, and understand the underlying meanings of giving every ounce of herself to save the world. But I wish it could have been different. I would have loved having her maintain her power to be one of the strongest rulers in the realm, but I understand the balance of relying on her court and limiting the opportunity for her to become a tyrant.

I was beyond impressed at Maas’ ability to tie everything together by the end of the last novel. I feel like every primary character’s path held closure and a huge amount of growth from start to finish. I think this series might be nearing number 1 for me in terms of favorite fantasies. It was absolutely enthralling!