Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas | 406 pages | 2012

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

Finally got around to reading this one (RIP to the copy I left on an airplane in 2017). It got better as it went along, and I'm definitely hooked on the series. I can tell from some of the clumsy writing that it's early in SJM's career, which is a weird adjustment after having read all of her later books. I look forward to the flow getting better as I read further in the series.