Summary
- Celaena Sardothien is 18 years old when 2012's Throne of Glass opens.
- The Assassin's Blade novella collection shows Celaena a bit younger, explaining how she wound up in Endovier.
- Celaena reclaims her identity as Aelin in the later books, and she's 20 when Kingdom of Ash closes.
The Maas' other fantasy series, but that doesn't dictate Celaena's age in the books. Throne of Glass gets darker as it continues, and Celaena matures over the course of her journey.
That journey features everything from killing for a living to reclaiming her throne, and the timeline of Celaena's character arc can be difficult to gauge. However, looking more closely at the fantasy series, readers can determine how much time es from the first Throne of Glass book to the last. They can use this information to determine how old the lost princess of Terrasen is at any given point in the series.
Celaena Sardothien Is 18 Years Old When Throne Of Glass Begins
She's Slightly Younger In The Throne Of Glass Novellas
Celaena Sardothien is 18 years old when Throne of Glass opens, with the 2012 novel depicting her as an adult from the very beginning. Making Celaena any younger would likely have been off-putting, as she's imprisoned in the brutal and inescapable salt mines of Endovier when the series kicks off. Young adult fantasy can get dark, but it would have been difficult to justify putting a teen in this situation. Additionally, Maas may have known she wanted to make the series more mature later on. If she knew where she'd end up, making Celaena an adult was a good call.
Making Celaena any younger would likely have been off-putting, as she's imprisoned in the brutal and inescapable salt mines of Endovier when the series kicks off.
Readers can get a glimpse of Celaena a bit younger, though, as The Assassin's Blade collection follows her from 16 to 17 years old. These novellas came out two years after Throne of Glass, and they reveal how Celaena came to be imprisoned in Endovier. They also show what her life was like when she was part of the Assassin's Guild. And while she was shielded from some of the horrors faced throughout Adarlan, Celaena's life wasn't easy, even as a child and teenager.
How Old Celaena Is In Each Of Sarah J. Maas' Throne Of Glass Books
The events of the Throne of Glass books unfold relatively quickly in Maas' world, so Celaena remains 18 throughout Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. The rest of the books take place over the course of two years, making Maas' heroine 19 in Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. It's unclear when she turns 20, but that's how old Aelin is when she concludes her journey in Kingdom of Ash.
Throne Of Glass Book |
Celaena's/Aelin's Age |
The Assassin's Blade (2014) |
16-17 |
Throne of Glass |
18 |
Crown of Midnight |
18 |
Heir of Fire |
19 |
Queen of Shadows |
19 |
Empire of Storms/Tower of Dawn |
19 or 20 |
Kingdom of Ash |
20 |
Given how much she's grown up, it's fitting that Throne of Glass ends with Aelin entering a new decade of her life. She's still young to become a queen, but her experience is impressive for her age. She may be Maas' youngest protagonist when her story ends, but it certainly doesn't prevent her from being the author's best leading lady.
