Every time I try to write a review for this series, I end up comparing it to A Court of Thorns and Roses. It could be because I read that series first, but it's also because both of these series share some plot elements and world building. (Not helping matters is the fact that Maas put a not-so-subtle nod to ACTOR in Kingdom of Ash.)
There are a few points about ToG I can praise, but you have to wade through a lot of eyeroll worthy character moments, headscratching plot turns and annoyingly stereotypical writing to get to those points.
Let's get my personal gripe out of the way first: Maas thinks she's writing a feminist fantasy when she's actually writing an escapist fantasy for straight women with a sad bad boy kink. That, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing: ACOTAR is an escapist fantasy for straight women with a sad bad boy kink and it worked there. That series knew what it was and didn't pretend otherwise (for the most part).
Throne of Glass, meanwhile, is part dark fantasy and part romance but it's only good when it's focused on one aspect and ignoring or even botching the other. Sometimes, Maas will even twist previously established characterization and world building in order to get to her desired endpoint- that endpoint being "everyone is married/paired off, even if the pairing makes no damn sense."
There's also the fact that it takes eight books for Maas to tell a story that could've easily been half that size while still keeping everything important. (I'm including The Assassin's Blade because a) I read it and b) I'm glad I did, because important characters from that book just appear in Empire of Storms with little to no references to them in previous books.)
Of the two, which would I recommend? Well, to be frank, I can't recommend either without putting a disclaimer at the end of each. Both series have similar problems as well as their own unique ones, and overall the writing of both could be a lot better. As they stand, though, I'd have to say that ACOTAR gets the edge if only because it was able to tell it's main story in three books.
Literature ACOTAR but with More Bloat
This series both was and wasn't worth reading.
Every time I try to write a review for this series, I end up comparing it to A Court of Thorns and Roses. It could be because I read that series first, but it's also because both of these series share some plot elements and world building. (Not helping matters is the fact that Maas put a not-so-subtle nod to ACTOR in Kingdom of Ash.)
There are a few points about ToG I can praise, but you have to wade through a lot of eyeroll worthy character moments, headscratching plot turns and annoyingly stereotypical writing to get to those points.
Let's get my personal gripe out of the way first: Maas thinks she's writing a feminist fantasy when she's actually writing an escapist fantasy for straight women with a sad bad boy kink. That, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing: ACOTAR is an escapist fantasy for straight women with a sad bad boy kink and it worked there. That series knew what it was and didn't pretend otherwise (for the most part).
Throne of Glass, meanwhile, is part dark fantasy and part romance but it's only good when it's focused on one aspect and ignoring or even botching the other. Sometimes, Maas will even twist previously established characterization and world building in order to get to her desired endpoint- that endpoint being "everyone is married/paired off, even if the pairing makes no damn sense."
There's also the fact that it takes eight books for Maas to tell a story that could've easily been half that size while still keeping everything important. (I'm including The Assassin's Blade because a) I read it and b) I'm glad I did, because important characters from that book just appear in Empire of Storms with little to no references to them in previous books.)
Of the two, which would I recommend? Well, to be frank, I can't recommend either without putting a disclaimer at the end of each. Both series have similar problems as well as their own unique ones, and overall the writing of both could be a lot better. As they stand, though, I'd have to say that ACOTAR gets the edge if only because it was able to tell it's main story in three books.