Throne of Glass Blog Tour!

Today we have the lovely Sarah J. Mass, author of the recently released Throne of Glass for a Q/A & Review.

I met this lovely lady at the ALA convention here in SoCal and she was everything a reader should expect a beloved author to be; Sweet, polite and very enthusiastic! It's a great pleasure to have her on our blog and I hope she'll come back when her second book comes out. :)

Q &A

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I think when I was 11 or 12 when I realized that I HAD to write (or else I’d go crazy with all the stories in my head!)…but I didn’t realize I wanted to be a published author until I was in my late teens.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the book, actually. And my schedule, too. Sometimes, it can take a month. Other times, it can take six months or longer.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Again, it depends! If I’m on a tight deadline, then I’ll work from breakfast through dinner. If I have a little bit of time/freedom, I’ll usually spend my mornings answering emails, blog comments, etc.. Around noon, I’ll get started on the actual writing/revising, and work until dinner. And after dinner, I’ll either watch tv or curl up with a good book. :)

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? Hmmm. Probably the fact that I need to hand-write my revision notes (and ideas). Something about writing my thoughts by hand helps me internalize it better than typing it out on a computer.

Where do you get your inspiration or ideas for your books?

Everywhere! Most of my inspiration comes from music (movie scores especially). But I’m also inspired by movies, tv shows, personal experiences, traveling, art…

When did you write your first book and how old were you? 


THRONE OF GLASS is actually my first book! I started it when I was 16 (ten years ago). However, during that time (thanks to many years of writing, revising, rewriting, and more revising), I’ve written well over a dozen other manuscripts (that are now all waiting for their turn to be published, hehe).

What do you like to do when you're not writing?  Read (obviously). Watch an ungodly amount of tv. Eat good food, drink good wine. Travel. I also love going to the ballet.

Do you have any suggestions for other aspiring writers? 


Read a lot, write a lot, and never give up.

What do you think makes a good story?

Characters. Always the characters. If I love the characters, then I will follow them through anything. But if I don’t care about the characters, then I won’t care about the book.

Can you tell us a little about your next project? Well, right now I’m working on the sequel to THRONE OF GLASS. It’s pretty hush-hush at the moment, so I can’t say much about it, BUT it continues the story of Celaena and her companions (and takes place immediately after the events of Book 1).

If you could be any character, in any book who would you be?

Oooh. Tough question. I think I’d be Sabriel (from SABRIEL by Garth Nix), just because her world is SO fascinating (and horrifying), AND her tools of the trade are pretty darn awesome (a bandolier of magic bells!). Plus, I’d want to have Mogget as a pet/frenemy. ;)

Synopsis: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Review: When I first started reading Throne of Glass I was a bit skeptical because it's been described and compared to George R. Martin's Game of Thrones, but after reading it I understand more where the comparison came from. Sarah J. Maas is a fantastic world builder and so is Martin. Her characters are well developed, fun and complicated as are many of Mr. Martins. These are the two things that I feel really made Throne of Glass such a great story for me. The world that Celaena lives in is unique and at times complicated. There are parts of it that are quickly being destroyed and the magic that once lived within it is has now been extinguished. I really enjoyed Throne of Glass because the author took the time to really flesh out the characters and the politics as far as the kingdom around her. Not all of her characters were likeable and many were grey which left you on the fence whether you should or shouldn't like them but I think that, that was half the fun in reading this story. I am not usually a big fan of love triangles, mostly because I usually know who I want the character to end up with. I usually like one love interest more than the other. It was different with Throne of Glass because here you have the Captain and the Prince. For me it was hard to like one over the other. I thought they were both such great characters with interesting backgrounds. Celaena is a bad ass and I loved how she struggled with being an assassin and the feelings she began to develop. It really helped build the tension with the situation she was in. Overall, I found Throne of Glass to be a fantastic read! There's a lot more to this book than just awesome characters and the world building (although those are obviously my favorite) and I challenge you guys to pick this one up and find out for yourselves. It's a fun and exiting read for anyone who loves to get lost in another world. Honestly, I devoured it in one sitting (and yes I lost a little bit of sleep) and I am anxiously waiting for more! :)