Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s Assassin. After being enslaved for the last year, she is given a chance at freedom. The Prince of Adarlan wants her to come to the castle and compete against other assassins and thieves as his contender to become the King’s Champion. If she wins, she’s free and assumes the role of King’s Champion. As the competition begins, strange things start happening around the castle.

I really enjoyed this book. I feel like it didn’t take very long to understand the world and become immersed in the story. I really love Celaena’s character. She’s this unstoppable assassin who also loves girly things. She likes pretty clothes, she’s interested in boys, and she loves reading. I feel like assassins in other books are mostly unfeeling and have hardened souls, even though they are super tough and unstoppable too. It was refreshing to see a human side to her instead of just a killer. The competition was a fun part of the story, but it wasn’t the only plot. There are other things happening in the castle and it was fun to read Celaena’s point of view as she tried to put everything together and make sense of what was happening while navigating this competition she so desperately needed to win.