In the last installment of Maas' best-selling series, Celaena discovered long-held secrets not only about her heritage and destiny but also her immense inborn power. Almost all of the tantalizing questions posed in that volume are answered in this hefty follow-up, and it doesn't disappoint. After wallowing in hopelessness while on the run, Celaena is scooped up by a gruff fae warrior who helps her shape and control her terrifying power, a power great enough to crumble the tyrannical regime she served as King's Champion. Meanwhile, Celaena's friends secretly work together to undermine the wicked king's unspeakable cruelty, and a legion of witches rhaps the most fascinating characters so far e in wait to make their own power grab. Though the novel is occasionally overstuffed, Maas has a screenwriter's eye for plotting, and for the most part, the pages fly by. Series fans will be relieved to hear that this installment is only the halfway point, and thanks to Maas' adroit plot maneuvers, well-wrought characters, and immersive world building, they'll be positively hooked for the forthcoming volumes. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: How could "Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games" not be a gold mine?

Fleeing a mission to kill, Celaena trains with the Fae in hope of gaining Wyrdkeys to free her people. Meanwhile, Prince Dorian struggles to hide his magic, Aedion and Chaol search for the curse's source, and the king builds an army of dark creatures and bloodthirsty witches. Fans of Pierce, Cashore, and Bardugo will enjoy this installment of the sassy heroine's epic journey.

Gr 8 Up-In this installment of the fantasy series, Celaena's true identity has been revealed. While on an assassin's errand in Wendlyn, she spends her days drinking and brawling, lost in the pain and anger caused by Chaol's betrayal and Nehemia's death. Queen Maeve of the Fae has different plans for Celaena, and sends Fae Prince Rowan to fetch the heroine and train her in the ways of fairy magic. Celaena begrudgingly agrees by striking a bargain: she learns magic, and Maeve shares her knowledge of the Wyrdkeys and how the king might be defeated. Meanwhile, in Adarlan, Chaol enters a tenuous alliance with the king's general, Adeion Ashryver, to support the underground resistance movement, and Prince Dorian continues to try to control his own newly found magical abilities, or risk being executed by his father. Readers will devour Maas's latest entry. The plot remains fast paced, balancing scenes of intense action with emotionally wrenching interactions between characters. Intriguing backstories continue to develop, vacillating between thrilling and heartbreaking, leaving readers to guess where alliances truly lie. While the story continues to be told from multiple perspectives, the addition of new characters brings tangled new relationships and dimension to the plot. Those unfamiliar with the previous titles will have a difficult time keeping up, but this is a must-purchase for libraries owning Throne of Glass (2012) and Crown of Midnight (2013, both Bloomsbury). Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, Columbus Public Library, WI