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.

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Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Teen Book of the Month, August 2012: Adarlan’s Assassin was the most feared killer in the world--until she was captured and sent to a prison labor camp to rot. But when the Prince needs a skilled fighter to battle in the royal court and become the King’s Champion, he pulls the assassin out of prison only to find she is a blonde 18-year-old girl. Celaena is as beautiful as she is deadly and she jumps at the chance to earn her freedom. Her mission seems straightforward: be the last (wo)man standing at the end of the competition. What she doesn’t expect is to develop feelings for the two men protecting her and to make an unlikely ally in a princess. Sarah J. Maas’ debut is stunning from beginning to end. Throne of Glass stands-out because of its memorable setting (there is actually a castle made of glass), strong characters, and continuous heart-stopping action sequences. Celaena is a heroine as memorable for her fighting abilities as she is for her quick wit and large heart and I can’t wait to see her grow and change throughout this exciting new series. --Caley Anderson

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Celaena Sardothien may be young in years, but she has seen more than most men twice her age. She was raised to be an assassin and until her capture and imprisonment in the salt mines of Endovier, she was known as the Assassin of Adarlan and feared the world over. No one lasts long in the mines, and when she is offered the possibility of release in exchange for a mandatory, four-year conscription as a hired assassin to the king who conquered and enslaved her people, she has no choice but to comply and play a brutal game to win back the chance at freedom. In order to succeed she needs to outfight, outplay, and outlast 23 men in a competition that many would not survive. There are other forces at work as well: an ancient and outlawed magic that she doesn't understand; fellow competitors turning up murdered; and the three very different men who are attracted to her and frightened by her. Maas has created a strong and sympathetic character in Celaena, who is able to best men in a fight but is laid low by the return of her monthly cycle. The world-building is complex, as is the political intrigue. Fans of Tamora Pierce will find a lot to love here and will wait eagerly for the next installment.-Genevieve Gallagher, Charlottesville High School, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.