Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Vibe: assassin heroine • monster-in-the-walls tension love in the shadows • sharper, darker sequel energy • palace intrigue deepens • secret passages & midnight meetings
In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.
The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.
Celaena: Assassin, liar, heartbreaker
Celaena Sardothien isn’t just fierce in Crown of Midnight, she is fire and storm bottled into one impossibly complicated girl. She cuts down enemies with steel precision, but her real battles are the ones you can’t see. Secrets coil around her like smoke, and when they unravel, they choke just as much as they free her. I felt her grief like an iron weight in my chest, her rage like sparks leaping off the page. Celaena doesn’t just fight with blades; she fights with her whole broken, burning heart.
Chaol: Broody has never looked so good
Ah, Chaol. The loyal, steady Captain whose every scowl makes me want to lean closer. In this book, he is torn between duty and desire, and those cracks in his carefully built armor made him all the more irresistible. He loves with the kind of quiet ferocity that sneaks up on yo; not fireworks, but a flame that could burn forever. And watching him stumble, ache, and finally admit what she meant to him… it was delicious agony.
Chaol: Broody with a side of noble sulking
The Captain of the Guard himself. He’s got the “I’ll die for you but also scowl about it” energy down pat. He frustrated me at times, but that loyal, broody aura is exactly the kind of angst fuel YA fantasy thrives on. And to say that my heart didn't get caught up in him would be a very terrible lie.
Dorian: Charming, powerful, and suddenly dangerous
Dorian Havilliard isn’t just the flirtatious prince anymore. In Crown of Midnight, he starts to shed that gilded skin, and what shines beneath is power, fear, and something sharp enough to draw blood. His charm is still there, yes, but now it’s laced with a depth that surprised me in the best way. His tenderness, his bravery, his refusal to look away when everything shifted; it made me fall harder than I meant to. Which left me in the impossible position of loving both him and Chaol. And honestly? I’d still rather not choose.
This book wrecked me (and I liked it)
Everything in Crown of Midnight feels bigger, sharper, and more dangerous than before. The palace corridors whisper with secrets. The shadows are thicker, the magic pressing in closer, like the air before a storm. Every betrayal cut me open. Every revelation stole my breath. And when the heartbreak came — oh, it wasn’t just Celaena’s. It was mine too.
Bottom line
Crown of Midnight is the book that takes the series from entertaining to unforgettable. It’s messy and merciless, full of daggers, secrets, and longing glances that could kill on their own. It left me gutted, exhilarated, and already hungry for more.
Scores — YA Fantasy
- Blade (stakes & momentum): 5/5
- Heart (character & relationships): 5/5
- Lore (worldbuilding & myth): 5/5
- Craft (prose & structure): 5/5
- Pull (unputdownable): 5/5
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