So magic is again being used in Erilia - the dark, evil kind. Celaena discovered this when she the spirit of Elena, the first Queen of Adarlan, engaged her help to destroy it. I guess that's no longer a spoiler anymore since that was part of the first book :)
We also know by now that Celaena chose Chaol over Dorian. I do not support this decision, I don't get Chaol's appeal to Celaena. I find him boring and a stickler for rules. I am not sure if he will break his oath to protect the king and the kingdom even if it means saving Celaena from harm or death. And in this aspect, I am a little irritated with her. She made her decision to be with Chaol, but she can't bear the thought of Dorian with other women. Ugh! I guess even the greatest assassin will still act like any other girl when it comes to boys. But it cannot be denied that she and Dorian do have a connection, it may not be enough for her to fall in love with him though. But who knows, the series isn't over yet.
Celaena, as the King's Champion, has to do his bidding which entails killing anyone who stands in his way. Every now and then she would be given a name to kill under the pretext that some crime was committed against the king or the kingdom. Of course Celaena does not blindly follow the King's orders, she doesn't indiscriminately kill people (well, not anymore). Instead of killing them right away, she would interrogate them on why the King wants them dead. And always, the accusations are not true. Then she would give them some time to settle their affairs and secure passage away from Adarlan. She then found ways to make it appear that she killed that person.
Celaena continued to search for answer as to the dark magic that Elena referred to. However, in doing so, more questions are raised than answers found. And it was discouraging Celaena. She was one foot in and the other out with this plan to overthrow the King. For her, it was futile to fight him because he cannot be defeated and she doesn't want to risk her life and the lives of innocent people in rallying against the oppressive monarch. I guess she is just tired of violence and simply wants to live a life of peace. I don't blame her though. She grew up in a life of violence, her being trained by the king of assassins. She later because an assassin herself and was subsequently held the best assassin in all of Adarlan. So I understand if she wants to sit back and not join the fight.
However, I believe that she has to take an active role in stopping the King's reign of terror. I agree with Nehemia when she said that "[t]here can never be any peace - not while he reigns." I believe that as long as he is the one who rules, there will always be fear, terror and intimidation because that's just how he is. That's the only way he knows how to rule.
Two major revelations happened in this book. One is kinda predictable and the other not so much. I don't want to spoil things too much so I will leave it to you to discover what I am referring to. All I can say is they are the good kind and it levels the playing field a bit.
Rating: 5 STARS
Celaena, as the King's Champion, has to do his bidding which entails killing anyone who stands in his way. Every now and then she would be given a name to kill under the pretext that some crime was committed against the king or the kingdom. Of course Celaena does not blindly follow the King's orders, she doesn't indiscriminately kill people (well, not anymore). Instead of killing them right away, she would interrogate them on why the King wants them dead. And always, the accusations are not true. Then she would give them some time to settle their affairs and secure passage away from Adarlan. She then found ways to make it appear that she killed that person.
Celaena continued to search for answer as to the dark magic that Elena referred to. However, in doing so, more questions are raised than answers found. And it was discouraging Celaena. She was one foot in and the other out with this plan to overthrow the King. For her, it was futile to fight him because he cannot be defeated and she doesn't want to risk her life and the lives of innocent people in rallying against the oppressive monarch. I guess she is just tired of violence and simply wants to live a life of peace. I don't blame her though. She grew up in a life of violence, her being trained by the king of assassins. She later because an assassin herself and was subsequently held the best assassin in all of Adarlan. So I understand if she wants to sit back and not join the fight.
However, I believe that she has to take an active role in stopping the King's reign of terror. I agree with Nehemia when she said that "[t]here can never be any peace - not while he reigns." I believe that as long as he is the one who rules, there will always be fear, terror and intimidation because that's just how he is. That's the only way he knows how to rule.
Two major revelations happened in this book. One is kinda predictable and the other not so much. I don't want to spoil things too much so I will leave it to you to discover what I am referring to. All I can say is they are the good kind and it levels the playing field a bit.
Hide from fate all you like, but it shall soon find you. - Baba Yellowlegs
Rating: 5 STARS