The series that changed me: How Throne of Glass rekindled my love for reading

I used to LOVE reading as a kid. I found such a fascination with fantasy worlds and mysteries. I think it all started after watching The NeverEnding Story and Labyrinth. Those stories made me believe there had to be magic hidden somewhere in our ordinary world, just waiting to be found.

I read whenever I had the chance. Staying up late at night, hiding under my blanket with a flashlight, trying to see how Nancy Drew solved the mystery before she did. My parents would yell at me to put the book away while I was eating because I always had my nose buried in a story instead of my dinner.

Reading became my safe place. It was where I could escape reality, if only for a little while, and imagine myself in a fantasy world as a long-lost magical princess finding her way back home. (Looking back now, that thought makes me chuckle a little.)

Then I got older, and I read less and less.

Life happened.

Kids happened.

My free time slowly disappeared, replaced by responsibilities and exhaustion. I got married, and my life became so much different than I had imagined. Somewhere along the way, I lost who I was. Abuse happened. Slowly, I lost interest in reading, watching TV, movies, so many of the things that had once brought me joy. It felt like a huge piece of me had simply vanished.

After years of enduring all of it, I finally left.

I was suddenly a newly single mother of four with no help and absolutely no idea who I was anymore. Most nights were spent crying after the kids went to bed or mindlessly doom-scrolling through social media because sleep wouldn’t come.

Then, almost by accident, I stumbled across A Court of Thorns and Roses and BTS (which deserve their own separate posts because those seven men changed my life in ways I can’t even begin to explain).

I had seen ACOTAR all over social media, so I finally gave in and picked it up. I enjoyed it. It reminded me what it felt like to get lost in a story again. It sparked something inside me that I thought had disappeared. Since I loved Sarah J. Maas’s writing style, I decided to read more of her work.

And that’s when I found Throne of Glass.

I honestly don’t even know where to begin when I try to explain what this series did for me.

I devoured eight freaking books in one month. One month.

To put that into perspective, it had taken me nearly three months to finish ACOTAR. Yet with Throne of Glass, I couldn’t stop. Every spare moment I had, I was reading. Before work. During lunch. Late into the night after everyone else was asleep. I would tell myself “just one more chapter” and many chapters later I would fall asleep with the book on my chest.

The story itself was incredible, but it wasn’t only the plot that captured me.

It was Aelin.

It was Rowan.

It was Lysandra.

It was Dorian.

It was Manon.

It was the Thirteen.

It was Elide.

It was Nehemia.

Every one of these characters was strong and courageous in ways I admired. Yet none of them were fearless. They were broken. They carried impossible burdens. They made mistakes. They questioned themselves. They lost people they loved.

Just like me.

Aelin had been through hell and back again. She spent so much of her life running from her past, hoping she could outrun the pain. But even when she was terrified, she kept moving forward. She fought for the people she loved. She fought for people who couldn’t fight for themselves. She was beauty and integrity and fire wrapped into one unforgettable character.

Most of all, she gave me hope.

Hope that my story wasn’t over.

Hope that the hardest chapters of my life didn’t have to define the rest of it.

Hope that healing was possible.

I know it’s cliché to say that a fictional character is someone I look up to, but it’s true and honestly, I don’t care what anyone thinks. Aelin is the kind of woman I hope to become. Not because she’s perfect, but because she keeps choosing courage even when she’s afraid.

After finishing Throne of Glass, I dove headfirst back into reading. I started devouring books like I never had before, rediscovering a part of myself I thought I’d lost forever.

Yet somehow, after hundreds of books since then, Throne of Glass still lives rent-free in my mind.

Aelin still crosses my thoughts more often than I’d like to admit.

And I think that’s because this series didn’t just make me fall in love with reading again.

It helped me find myself again.

It helped me to heal.

Looking back, I don’t think Throne of Glass just gave me an incredible story. It gave me a piece of myself back. And for that, I’ll always be grateful.

Has a book ever changed your life? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.

Until next time,
Stay cozy and keep turning pages.