Throne of Glass.

This is my interpretation of the cover for Throne of Glass, and the first completed piece in my planned series of covers for all eight of Sarah J. Maas's novels.

As the opening novel, it felt like the natural place to introduce Celaena Sardothien. I spent a long time exploring concepts and compositions before settling on a close-up portrait that holds attention on the character herself. Even so, much of her face stays obscured, reflecting the mystery and guarded nature of an assassin whose true intentions and abilities are not yet revealed.

The real challenge was balancing introduction with intrigue: letting the viewer meet her without giving her away, keeping the mystery that surrounds her at the start of the story.

As a final touch, I worked a little iridescent gold into the eyes. It is mostly lost in reproduction, but in person it catches the light from certain angles, a subtle shimmer that shifts as you move around the piece.