#all of it has complete tonal whiplash but often carried very well

[kindaorangey]

so like whether someone enjoys eeaao or not generally breaks down to their ability to accept sincerity and absurdity in rapid succession, basically having elasticity when it comes to things that break your immersion and things that require your full immersion, and anyway i think the reason i can do that with so many things (not just eeaao) is because i grew up watching pantomimes

[writing-in-verse]

Throne of Glass - Something This Way is Lacking

Have you ever been reading a book series that you really want to like but some nigh incomprehensible Thing™ seems to stop you? Well, as you’re probably guessing from the title, I am having this issue with Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Now I want to preface by stating I’ve only read the first four books to completion and the prequal book, I have just started book five and plan to read it and the remain books in the series. I also mean no ill will towards the author I just want to express some thoughts I’ve been having throughout my time with the books.

I guess I’ll start by saying I do like Throne of Glass in many ways, but I also have some grievances that stop from adoring it like other YA series. Let’s start with plot.

The plot is slow, so slow it takes a back seat most of the series. the first book, for instance, has just about enough plot to set up the characters for the next two books, the rest of the narrative is working with the characters (we’ll touch on them later) and developing them. Now, I both like and dislike the approach to plot this series takes; I like it because the pay-off by the end of the third books feels amazing, as it allows for a slow and steady build-up that creates investment that warrants decent pay-off. I dislike because holy gods can the narrative be so boring at times. I love some of these characters, I really do, I find them interesting in their own right and find their plights compelling for a multitude of reasons. However, sometimes I want things to actually move forward and progress faster than they because there is only so many times I can read two characters having the same argument because one of them refuses to see reason. Looking back on the progess makes the slow monotony worthwhile for the most part, but I like to have consistent enjoyment and there are many times where I just want the plot to get going. It’s a good job the characters are great, right? Well... mostly...

Okay, the one thing Maas is really good at is creating complex characters with a LOT of depth to them. Celaena Sardothien for instance is such a complicated character that only really gets unpacked by the end of the third book. It makes reading her story compelling, which is great considering she’s the protagonist, and really carries the narrative, through the first book especially. The problem I have is the incredibly slow plot often transfers over to some characters who are way less interesting and yet carry half of the narrative, meaning it can be such a slog to get through. I’m talking specifically about Manon Blackbeak, who is a complex character in her own right, but isn’t very interesting and it takes so long for her to really become even slightly unique from the other witches I spent my time wanting her sections to be over so I could get back to Celaena’s story.

Of course, Celaena’s character isn’t perfect either and I fear this issue is going to persist as the narrative progresses; and that’s the character’s inability to have purely platonic, straight relationships. So, Celaena has so far hooked up with three characters in the main series (She has only slept with one, but honestly that isn’t the point she can sleep with whoever she likes) and they’ve all been close friends of hers at some point. This isn’t a gripe I have with Celaena as a character, but more as a writing technique; it sets the precendent that you can’t have close friendships with the type of person you’re also attracted to, something that is objectively false. Celaena and Rowan are my biggest annoyance for this reason as they had this really interesting co-dependent friendship that granted had not entirely clear boundaries but it worked as a pletonic relationship with Rowan being Celaena’s protector. So when Rowan comes back half way through the fourth book and suddenly he wants to screw the woman he is blood bonded to, it’s liuke tonal whiplash that still annoys me. Why can’t they stay friends? I know you could point to Dorian nad state ‘there’s a platonic relationship between Celaena and another many’ but they already had something that just didn’t work, and while I appreciate showing a relationship cvan survive that kind of change, it still gives the impression of the attraction being what matters, and their friendship being where they settle.

This doesn’t even touch on the idea that every main character is straight. Now, as a straight dude myself I’m definitely not the best to talk in depth about representation, but come on I thought we were past having every single main character be straight while you have one gay relationship barely focused on three books in, and have a second one mentioned in the fourth book with it being instantly pointed out one of them has been dead for ten years. Besides the, hopefully, obvious importance for representation it’s also just way more interesting to have none-straight characters, as their experiences are going to be very different making for more interesting character interactions and plot moments. Not to mention I want to see how the world would accomodate these characters and even simpler it gives the author more to work with. Again, I am not the person to be going to for representation advice, but I feel like I can say that not even doing the bare minimum is pretty shoddy. Not to mention I shouldn’t have to wait until the third book for these themes to be even slightly looked at. In terms of race,it does seem to be better, with a character’s race not overly being mentioned unless relevant and people from the many fantasy nations being included. However, again I’m not one to provide much of a verdict here, but it didn’t feel awful which is always a positive.

In any case, I’ve had these thoughts running around my head for Throne of Glass for the last few months, and as much as I like the books there’s a lot holding it back. Especially when it is in the YA space, where there is so much more inclusive writing, this stands out as being so behind the times. Not to mention the slow plot that, while it certainly has its advantages, is not for everyone and can be leborious at times.

Well this was a long one.