Top 10 Best Throne of Glass Characters
Throne of Glass is a young adult high fantasy series by Sarah J Maas, telling the story of the assassin Celaena Sardothien under the rule of a tyrannical king as she forms new relationships and uncovers a conspiracy amidst her adventures. As of 2022, the series consists of seven novels, excluding the prequel book Assassin's Blade which consists of novellas about Celaena's life prior to the events of Throne of Glass.
Manon Blackbeak is ruthless. She kills men so she can drink their blood and probably disembowels them just for the fun of it.
She's also a very interesting character, not just because she's a badass witch with iron teeth and claws and a wyvern for a pet, but also because in a way, her development is the subtlest but the most recognizable.
While Celaena's development mostly consisted of her learning to accept herself, Manon is fully aware of her abilities and embraces them but for the wrong reasons. When we first met her, she's a flintily ambitious witch who blindly follows her grandmother.
Her relationship with her wyvern, Abraxos, Elide, and Asterin changed that. She went from a witch incapable of remorse to someone who sees the wrong in her grandmother's ways, feels regret, and is not afraid to fight for those who cannot stand for themselves.
Despite her trying to believe otherwise, she does have a heart, and it's a pretty good one.
Celaena Sardothien is the type of character that you just can't help but root for. She's badass, sarcastic, feminine, and, beneath the snark and bravado, full of conflicting emotions not just about love interests but also about morality and her own destiny.
Though she has lost a lot of people important to her, she follows her own path despite the hardships it would cost her, and not just because it is the easiest way.
Celaena is also a compassionate woman, despite her terrible past and upbringing, and loves books, dancing, and music. Her character development throughout the books painted her from an arrogant assassin to a broken girl and finally to a passionate warrior queen who fully embraces herself.
Okay. I'm going to rant! She is one of my favorite characters in the series (other than Lysandra, Rowan, Fleetfoot, and Aelin). She is so loyal to Manon, and I love her for it. However, it is also the cause of my dislike towards Manon. I feel like she was sometimes too cold and slightly cruel to Asterin and didn't appreciate her loyalty, kindness, and love for her. Yes, I get it, she was raised that way, but Asterin grew up in the same environment!
Anyways, that's just my opinion on Manon and Asterin. When she died, I was so heartbroken. I really felt like she did NOT deserve to die (and I felt that Manon should have been in her place).
Chaol is probably one of the most underrated characters in the series. He's lost everything - his position as the Captain of the Guard, his lover, and so on. Yet, a lot of people hate him. Why? Because he questioned Aelin's motives, which, by the way, is a pretty reasonable action.
He knew her as Celaena, but he knew nothing about Aelin except for the fact that she went full commando against the greatest general of the king's army, defeated him with fire, and is probably going to be hell-bent on revenge. Yep, I'd say it's a pretty reasonable thing since Chaol is an imperfect human being, and him worrying for his greatest friend Dorian is actually the sweetest and most heartbreaking thing of all, especially when he finally reached the conclusion that perhaps killing him would be the best choice of all.
Chaol deserves more love and a better plotline than a love interest, though TOG5 might just give us that.
*looks at Maas*
He's black-haired, blue-eyed, and a charming prince. Oh, said many, just another bland but sexy love interest.
Wrong.
Though not the most complex character in the story, he's more than another handsome prince. He has his own problems, and he could easily have been just another part of a love triangle. Maas thankfully avoided that by giving him a great storyline and making him a flawed but deeply lovable character.
His love for books is an endearing trait, but what really makes him a special character is that while Celaena took some time to fully embrace her responsibilities as a ruler of a kingdom, Dorian was aware of it for a long time and didn't think that having a difficult and important job would put him higher than everyone else.
He's spent a lot of time living in his father's shadow, and though he's been questioning his father's motives for a long time, it took him quite a while to finally do something about it.
Dorian is a kind and compassionate man, and though he's lost his fair share of important people and undertaken a lot of mental torture that would probably haunt him for a long while, it's clear that he's one of the best characters in the series.
Oh, Nehemia. She's lovely, intelligent, and brave, fully accepting Celaena for who she was, all the while being stuck in a kingdom full of rich snobs and ruled by the king who enslaved and executed thousands of her people. She would have been a perfect game player in the later books with her great political mind and knowledge of Wyrdmarks, but since the white main character needs something to push her, why not murder the badass black woman?
Alright, it probably sounds salty, but admit it. It's true. Nehemia's death might have been orchestrated, and it probably makes sense to a lot, but she definitely deserves better than being another plot device.
Okay, Rowan needed more time in the first few books. In Heir of Fire, he was emotionless and barely did anything to show anything really interesting. Then Aelin left him behind for a lot of QoS, and he missed out there too. Plus, with everything else going on in the two books, it was hard to focus on him. I just wish he had more time to hook onto in the beginning. I think if that had happened, people would like him a lot more.
Needless to say, I still love him. He is my favorite Aelin ship (after Sam). From what we heard and learned about him, I really LOVE Rowan.
He's a fearsome wyvern capable of soaring through the fiercest winds, has a roar that can shake a mountain, and teeth and claws that could tear through tendon and flesh. And he's obsessed with wildflowers. Honestly, what a lovable worm.
I hated him at first, but even then, I loved to hate him. Aedion is an amazing character who never really had a good life. He sacrificed everything in the hopes that one day Aelin would return. He was so sweet and funny, and I love how he and Rowan reacted to each other. Everything to do with his character had me laughing, crying, or on the edge of my seat reading for more.
Fiercely loyal to Aelin, and an unofficial pain in the ass because of his Fae-male territorial bull, Aedion is a reliable man. He is an excellent warrior, a strong ally, and a flirt. Honestly, he'll probably flirt with a nightstand wearing a nightgown. Still, he's a well-written character, and his love for his cousin is heartwarming.
I swear this series would never have a shortage of badass women. I wish she was given more depth than just being Chaol's new love interest, though she's certainly still a good character despite that. Still, if she ends up dead as well to further someone's development (which seems to be a trend for POC characters), I'll eat my dog's tail.
The Newcomers
What a badass: she's a shapeshifter in a country where magic is gone and any trace of it (however dormant) will get your head chopped off. She is constantly around the person who murdered her love and best friend, and yet she's loving, fiercely loyal to her friends, and has a thing for wicked animals.
In fact, she's a pretty wicked girl. Don't be fooled by the pretty face and the frilly dresses. She's just as likely to maul anyone's face off as Aelin.
I hate, hate, hated her character in The Assassin's Blade. She really redeemed herself later, though. Lysandra has such an amazing past that I did not see coming at all.
Her character is so deep, and when she comments on how people judge her when she eats too much or acts wrong, it really hit hard. I love how she and Aelin were able to open up to each other. Lysandra only helped her case when she killed Arobynn.
How did she go from being this 'nobody' into this? She's like a copy of me!
OMG! So cute. Fleetfoot is the best pet ever. I love how no matter who she needs to comfort, she's there. I'm gonna name my dog Fleetfoot after I get her.
I always got a smile on my face whenever Fleetfoot was in a part or mentioned.
I think nobody sees how good he is. I love his relationship with Elide. First, he was such a nasty and cruel guy, but when he met her, he changed. It was such a beautiful change, and I can't hate him anymore. (I never really hated him, but now I love him.)
I liked to see that he would give his life for Elide and how much he suffered when she hated him. I think he can't be just a bad guy because Elide wanted to die for him, and she would never do that if he was a bad boy.
I love the way he protects Elide! He might be my favorite male character in this series. I just love him!
When he came back, I was laughing, smiling, and falling over. In the first book, I thought he was going to come back, but after all that time without him, I had sort of forgotten. He is a great friend to Aelin and I hope they stay that way. TEAM NOX!
After EoS, everyone was screwed except Nox, so I adopt this pure cinnamon bun.
Nox! I really hope he and Aelin will remain friends afterward!
Sam is no doubt one of the best characters in the series. He's one of those characters that you just can't help but love. He had such a big heart and truly deserved better. Life treated him terribly, yet he still was an incredible person. He is truly underappreciated.
So underrated and probably my favorite character in the series. I appreciated the gratitude that he showed in Empire of Storms for the brief time with Aelin and company when he wasn't controlled by Maeve. His loyalty to Aelin was touching. The hardest lump in my throat in the entire series was when he was dying after breaking the blood oath. I had always thought he would be a character who wouldn't make it to the end, but I am so glad he did.
Think about it: he broke the blood oath for Aelin and almost died. No one else has done that for her.
Yrene was an absolute pleasure to read! I love the way SJM created her. She's literally perfect. At first, I was like, Hold on, isn't Chaol supposed to love Aelin? but Yrene proved herself worthy.
Yrene is definitely my favorite character and deserves to be higher on this list.
I love the way she heals people while most of the other main characters don't. The world definitely needs more healers.
Um, the dude is hot and flies around on a giant bird. Oh, and he's a prince? Most importantly, he sees what a QUEEN Nesryn is and then deems to actually make her one.
Mort is just a doorknob, but he holds a special place in my heart.
For someone who didn't know he had a son for so many years, Gavriel was so kind and protective of Aedion. I cried SO DAMN HARD when he died. It's hard to see his name without tearing up. RIP Gavriel.
Brave, kind, and loving. She represents the goodness of Lysandra. As something I believe is seriously underrated in the series, I cannot help but love her.
Evangeline is filled with hope and light, and she spreads that light to everyone she meets.
I can't help but admire Ansel. All she wanted was her land. She had her family killed just like Celaena, and she became an assassin, just like Celaena. Then she tried to kill her master, just like Celaena. I really think they make a great team and a formidable opponent. Ansel should play a bigger part in the series. She is fearless and fun-loving.
I love her! So badass, so clever, so smart, and just such a good match with Aelin! Hope they are best friends forever!
She is so underrated! I love her friendship with Aelin in the novella!