Crown of Midnight Review

Chapters 1-5

Celaena has been the king's assassin for 2 months now. She's done four tasks for him but he still obviously doesn't trust her. Though he doesn't know it the king's mistrust in her is actually fairly accurate. From the last book, I knew that Celaena was going to have a really, really difficult time killing for the king. Well being the resourceful woman that she is, Celaena found a way for it to appear like she was killing the people when in reality the victims simply fled the country and their body parts of those who had died at sickhouses were used as props so to say. The king has no idea that this is going on but she had 3 years and 10 months left ahead of her. She won't be able to get away with what's she's doing for much longer. I have a theory on how the king is planning to see if she is loyal to the throne which I'll talk about later.

But first, let's look at what's going on with some of the characters.

Nehemia - She is still staying at the castle plotting against the king. Sadly, though, Celaena is still being very hesitant to help her and she won't tell Nehemia that she hasn't actually been killing the people the king has been sending her to kill. I don't know why she doesn't it would really help their friendship for Nehemia to know that Celaena is undermining the king, but Celaena refuses to tell her or anyone else for that matter.

Chaol and Celaena - they still aren't together but their friendship is getting stronger and stronger by the day. I really like Chaol and so long as he is in Celaena's life whether it be as a friend or something more I don't care. Just so long as he's there I will be happy.

Dorian - At the end of the last book I was pretty happy with Dorian. He had finally made up his mind about Celaena and he decided that his father was wrong on some fronts and he should be challenged. Now, though, he just seems sulky. He is jealous of Chaol and all he wants is to get Celaena back. He doesn't even seem to care about the consequences of them getting back together. Chaol wants her equally as much but at least he has acknowledged the consequences that would follow this action and stays firmly on as he put it the 'right side of the line'. Celaena too admits to herself that she misses Dorian but knows that so many things could go wrong if they got together. I don't dislike Dorian, I just wish he would step outside of his box a little more.

Roland Havillard - I do not trust this guy. He is giving me major Ianthe vibes. He seems very self-centered and sure of himself and I don't like it. Roland seems to me like the type of guy who is only interested in himself and whose favorite line is 'what's in it for me'. If he ever attempts to lay a finger on Celaena I hope she cuts off his balls.

And now for my theory. So after her most recent task the king gives her the name of a man that she'd known in her days as the world's most notorious assassin, Archer Finn. He says that Archer is at the head of a rebel group who is planning something. Celaena talks to Nehemia about it who tells her that rebels mostly camp out in the mountains or some place where they can be protected, they would never be in the middle of the Capital. We've already learned quite a bit more about her past in these chapters. My theory is that the king isn't sending her after rebels but instead the group of assassins that she was part of before she was sent to Endovier. What if killing these people, wiping out the organization run by Arobynn, is a test for Celaena to see where her allegiance lies. The crown of her past home. It is something the king would totally do. He obviously didn't want her as his champion seeing as he was the one who pretty much gave Cain the go ahead to throw that dagger at her at the end of the duel in the last book. The king would no doubt enjoy seeing her break as she has to choose between the life of her new friends, Chaol and Nehemia, and the life of her old family.