The Queen

Lore & Background

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, also known as Celaena Sardothien, begins the series as an 18-year-old assassin in the Kingdom of Adarlan. After a year of suffering for her crimes in a slave camp called Endovier, she accepts the offer of Crown Prince Dorian Haviliard, the King of Adarlan's son, to compete with other assassins and thieves for a chance to serve as the King's Champion, and eventually gain her freedom after six years in the King's service. This leads her to form unexpected bonds with both Dorian and Chaol, the Captain of the Guard. Over time, Celaena is drawn into a conspiracy and a series of battles, leading to discoveries surrounding both the Kingdom and herself. Sarah J. Maas has stated that in the 10 years she worked on the series, Throne of Glass became more of an original epic fantasy than a Cinderella retelling, though nods to the legend remain. Maas began writing the series in 2002 when she was 16 years old.

In Their Own Story

The throne room was silent in the way only empty grandeur can be silent. Aelin sat upon the seat of carved glass and iron, her fingers resting on the armrests where, long ago, a drop of her blood had seeped into the stone and crystallized into a vein of pale, translucent green that still caught the candlelight. The court had gone home. The ministers, the generals, the Fae envoys with their too-bright eyes — all of them gone, leaving only the echo of their footsteps on the marble. She pressed her thumb against the glass vein in the armrest. It was warm. It always was, as if the stone remembered her. Below, through the floor, she could feel the city breathing — the distant clatter of a blacksmith's hammer, the murmur of the river, the small lives that went on without knowing the weight of the woman who sat above them. Rowan's voice came from the doorway, low and unhurried. "You've been sitting here since the third bell." She did not turn. "I was listening." "To what?" Aelin finally looked up, and the candlelight caught the faint tracery of glass beneath the skin of her temples — a mark she could no longer hide. "To the sound of a kingdom deciding, on its own, whether it wants to be saved." She stood, and the glass in the armrest hummed, a single clear note, like a finger dragged across the rim of a bowl. "I think it does. I think it always has." She walked past him into the corridor, her shadow stretching long and thin behind her, and did not look back at the throne. Not yet. Not tonight.

Reader's Guide

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, also known as Celaena Sardothien, is the main protagonist of the Throne of Glass series. When she was young, her parents were murdered, and she trained to become an assassin. She is characterized as skilled, arrogant, and witty. While shaping her protagonist, Maas was inspired by the heroism of Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings, and by the characterization of Velma Kelly from Chicago. Maas has stated that the latter's 'arrogance and fierceness made me want to write about a woman like her—about a woman who never once said sorry for being talented and determined and utterly in love with herself.' The author ultimately designed Celaena as a highly capable character whose talents also form a basis for numerous faults, including issues with 'impatience' and 'vanity'. Maas also wanted the character to have several traits and hobbies befitting her age, including a fondness for 'shopping, books, and fine dining', as well as a 'penchant for getting into trouble.' In creating the friendship between Celaena and Chaol, Maas gave the characters a number of differences. As the story begins, Chaol is introduced as a strict and ethical captain, while Celaena is presented as a morally ambiguous assassin. According to the author, this contrast contributes to Chaol's character development as his bond with Celaena grows. Amidst their experiences, Chaol eventually comes to view her not just as a captive criminal, but also 'as a human being.' While writing the novel, Maas envisioned Chaol as a character who had 'always seen the world in black and white,' and concluded that 'Celaena just throws a wrench in that.' Prince Dorian is presented as a suitor for Celaena as well. However, their relationship is complicated by his status as the crown prince.

Did You Know?

• Sarah J. Maas began writing the Throne of Glass series in 2002 when she was 16 years old.
• The story was originally known as Queen of Glass and initially appeared on FictionPress.com.
• Maas cited Disney's Cinderella as an inspiration, re-imagining the ball scene with an assassin fleeing the palace.
• Throne of Glass became the first Bloomsbury children's novel to be featured on Netgalley.com.
• The series appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list and was optioned by Hulu and Disney-ABC Domestic Television for a television series adaptation in 2016.