Empire of Storms
Ratings407
Average rating4.5
Once again Maas manages to make me care for characters I didn't originally like, while masterfully weaving her plot together, all slamming together into a crescendo that had me in tears, sprinting through pages until the end. A fun, rewarding read for sure. Tower of Dawn has some big shoes to fill.
Wow.... What can I say about this series.. I know I am very very late to the party but after finally finishing all the books, I really think my decision was right. And kudos to all the fans who managed to wait for the books year after year after year. I mean, these books have some insane cliffhangers and I was so engrossed and thrilled and tensed that I binge read the whole freaking series in a week. And obviously didn't find any time to write reviews in the middle of my reading, so this is going to be a single SPOILERY rant about all the books.
I liked the first book enough to make me want to continue even though it wasn't great. The whole competition for the Champion had a Hunger Games effect and thankfully it wasn't the major part of the plot, because we always knew that Celaena would win. What makes the beginning enjoyable are the characters. I just loved all of them – Celaena, Dorian, Chaol, Nehemia. I have a special place in my heart for the female friendship here. And as the series continued, the plot became more intriguing, the world building exploded and the characters went through such highs and lows that at any point in time, I didn't know who I liked more.
Celaena/Aelin is a super badass character who is both good and bad, murderous, extremely protective, obviously “the fire-breathing bitch queen” but what really endeared me to her was her love of books, chocolates and clothes. I mean, how can I not love her. I think I especially liked her from Heir of Fire when she got to finally acknowledge her royal heritage and her magical powers. Her mastery over her powers, her absolute love for her friends and her wrath when she starts fighting are a sight to see. I especially love her insane plans whether it's to rescue Aedion, kill Arobynn Hamel, save Dorian or finally amass the armies for Terrasen all the while not letting anyone in on them. I really hope she starts trusting her court a little more but first... I really hope they all meet up soon. I mean what the hell was that ending in Empire of Storms. I was amazed at her audacity and emotionally devastated at her sacrifice and I can't believe that they are all separated now. Even though I am in love with Aelin Galathynius, I absolutely enjoyed the exploits of Celaena as Adarlan's Assassin in the prequel novellas. Assassin's Blade truly gives us a portrait of what she is capable of even without her magic.
Dorian is the sweetest character in the whole series. I adored him right from the beginning. His transformation from a happy go lucky Prince flirting with the ladies of the court to trying to control his magic to being tortured by the Valg to finally killing his father is very emotional to watch. After Aelin, he is probably one who undergoes a lot of pain because he is so good at heart and if given a chance, I think he will be a great King, probably better than Aelin. I really liked both of them together in the first book and though they broke up, I am happy that they remain friends. It was heart breaking to see when she finally frees him from the Valg's control because she promised that she would come back for him. I wept during that scene. I really think they both understood each other very well, could really see through each other's strengths and weaknesses and trust each other totally.
Chaol Westfall is probably one of the most contradictory character I have ever read. I was not very impressed with him in the first book and was just about okay to like him in Crown of Midnight because she loved him. I avoided all spoilers about this series because I wanted to make up my own mind and I had an idea that there are multiple ships in this series. After reading the series, I can really say that I was never Team Chaol. Even though he is loyal to Dorian, he never really understood Aelin, could never accept her completely, couldn't embrace her as a person with a ruthless past and magical powers and a world changing destiny. I agree that he loses a lot of himself during the course of the series, but he never seems to accept his own decisions and I obviously hated him when he blamed Celaena for the actions of the King. I didn't miss him at all in Empire of Storms and I enjoyed reading Tower of Dawn, but mostly because of the characters from the Khagan's court and not for him.
Nehemia is another badass female character and I was sorry to see her die in the second book itself. She and Celaena shared such a sweet friendship and I loved that Nehemia had such a beautiful heart full of dreams for a better world. I guess it was really fitting that her sacrifice propels Celaena to finally acknowledge her bloodline and every time she remembers her, I feel tears rolling from my eyes.
Lysandra is probably the one character who comes closest to match Celaena in her passion and temper and fierce nature. I was very happy that they could become friends, especially because of their shared grief and Lysandra's killing of Arobynn is one of the most satisfying scenes of the books. And knowing that she is a shape shifter was awesome and her action sequences in Empire of Storms are a sight to behold. I just can't wait to see what she will do in the next book while impersonating Aelin and leading all of her armies. It is truly heartbreaking but I don't think anyone else could have really served the Queen this loyally.
Manon was really terrifying in the beginning and I hated her on sight. But what great character development does she have. Her relationship with Abraxos and Asterin and Elide bring out this compassionate side of her heart that she didn't even know existed and it was wonderful to see her change. Her confrontation with her grandmother was brutal but I hope she gets to return the favor in kind. I am not sure how I feel about her with Dorian but we will have to wait and watch.
Prince Rowan – I obviously didn't like him initially because he was very very mean to Aelin and troubled her so much during their training. But I really liked how their relationship progressed, how they began to trust each other and depend on each other so much. But I really loved them as friends and would have been very happy if they remained as best friends with a deep sense of loyalty. I don't really have a problem with their ship but he is over three centuries old and she is nineteen. Obviously, when I see them together, I understand how they are perfect like fire and ice. He really treats her with respect and sees her for who she truly is and that is what makes him such a great partner.
The only reason I am mentioning Aedion last is because he is my most favorite character in the series. I just absolutely totally love him. He is brave and loyal and fierce and kind and everything that I can think of. His relationship with Aelin is probably the most beautiful sibling relationship I have ever read. He loves her so much and after ten years of believing her to be dead and then almost on the verge of execution, all he wants is to see her once. I mean, how devastatingly emotional is that. The first scene after they reunite where they just instantly understand and accept each other completely made me weep tears of joy. I love that their pasts don't matter to each other, they are just loyal and protective because they have this soul connection, it's just amazing. Even with all the great warrior Fae males in the series, I think he is the bravest and his introduction in Heir of Fire was the best thing that happened to this series.
So, this has been a really really long rant. But I really didn't know how else to express my feelings about these awesome characters and their amazing kickass plots. This series made me gasp out loud, cry buckets of tears and shout at the cruel villains. Sarah J. Maas really knows how to bring out emotions from the readers. Now, I have no freaking idea how I am supposed to wait for the finale... 🙄🙄🙄
3.23.21 Edit: What was 18 year old me thinking when I wrote this review??? It's awful. I don't want to delete it so I can fix it later, but please don't ever read what I wrote below. This book is 5/5 stars. I love it. Thank you. I owe you one. 9.22.16 Edit: After weeks of consideration, I have decided to change my rating to 4 stars to 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Mainly because any book with Manon doesn't deserve anything less than a 5 star Goodreads rating...I'm too lazy to change my review so just yeah..... 4.5/5 stars. “The world will be saved and remade by the dreamers.” Warning: This review contains unmarked spoilers.This is the toughest book I have ever had to review, so I think I'm going to review it a little differently than I usually do. I so desperately wanted to rate it five stars, like all the other ToG books before it. It deserves five stars, because damn did [a:Sarah J. Maas 3433047 Sarah J. Maas https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1582137198p2/3433047.jpg] deliver. In typical SJM fashion, everything that happened was unpredictable. Yet, no matter how much I wanted to give it 5 stars, it had one too many faults. Especially since I had a lot of deja vu reading this, I mean if you have read another Sarah J. Maas work that came out earlier this year you should definately understand. The Storyline Empire of Storms picks up where we left off in [b:Queen of Shadows 18006496 Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) Sarah J. Maas https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441230104l/18006496.SY75.jpg 25272067]. Aelin travels home to Terrasen to reclaim her throne. Yet, nothing seems to go as planned when high ranking douchebags don't recognize her right to the throne. So Aelin leaves Terrasen and travels across the continent in order to gain allies. And that, at least in my opinion, is the boring plot. Manon returns home to her squad of witches and decides to challenge the authorities when they sentence her best friend to death. Finally we get to see my badass queen realize that hey, love does exist, and wow, it's okay to feel love. Manon challenges the authorities (cough her grandmother cough) and she learns more about her past and who she is. And spoilers! My badass queen is actually a queen. Manon slays this entire book, as per usual. Then we have Elide, who teams up with bad-boy fay Lorcan, in order to fullfil promises she made in QoS to find Celaena then Aelin. I had forgotten about Elide, and since the book opens with her POV, I was beyond confused. Slowly, though, things about her and Kaltain started coming back to me. And the more it came back, the more attached I got. I loved Elide and Lorcan, and their POV quickly became my favorite to read. One of my favorite aspects of these books is the friendship between Dorian and Chaol, and though Chaol wasn't even in this book we still get that pinch of friendship with Dorian constantly wishing Chaol was there. Just same Dorian. Part of me kind of wishes that they run off together in the end... The Ending Spoiler Alert! So, was it just me, or did I just read an ending about a girl who secretly gets married to her “mate” and willingly goes with the enemy to save ~people~. I mean, I feel like I have...maybe in another Sarah J Maas book...that came out earlier this year???? Was that just me? It probably was...whatever... I mean I feel like there are many similarities to that book though. Characters Aelin. I like Aelin. I really do. She's tough. She's badass. She could probably kill you in her sleep. Watching her command is breathtaking, she's doing exactly what she's meant to do. Yet, no matter how hard I try, I can't bring myself to love Aelin. She's not Celaena Sardothien. I miss Celaena Sardothien. Rowan. As hard as I try to like him. I can't. I don't find him attractive. Or cunning. Or anything. I especially don't like him with Aelin. He's just a knock-off Rhys. Manon. Manon is better than you. Just accept it. Manon is better than anyone. I can't believe I couldn't stand her in Heir of Fire, she's one of the best character in this entire story. And also exactly the kind of kickass character we need after the death of Celaena Sardothien. Dorian. I'm just a slut for Dorian. Let's be honest here. Elide. and Lorcan I know that Lorcan did some stuff in the end that was kind of uncool, but let's just pretend that didn't happen. I loved these two together. I want them to get married and live happily ever after. Aedion. I don't really have much to say about him. He was cool as always. Super loyal and kick butt. I like him a lot. I'm 99% sure Aedion and I are bffs for life. Lysandra. Before going in, all I could remember about Lysandra was that she was the mistress that killed Arobynn. I had totally forgotten that she could shape shift. So when she started going all snow leopard I was like WTF?????????? She surprised me so much. There was a serious lack of strong, independent women in the first few books, and I love how stuffed this book is of them. Chaol. He wasn't in this book, besides a few mentions. Which left a hole in my heart. A giant, black hole. About the size of the grave Sarah J. Maas dug for Celaena Sardothien. Final Thoughts Honestly this book is amazing, even with the lack of Chaol. This entire series is intense, and if you are that one person who hasn't read it, then stop what you are doing and pick up the first book. You aren't going to be disappointed. I need the next book. My heart might not last the next year, so the sooner the better. I have a giant list of things I want in the next book, ranging from Chaol to Sam being alive and Aelin Celaena running off with him. I know most of my predictions are just wild fantasies, but Sarah has caused me so much pain that I deserve at least Chaol.
A nice sequel to the book serie but seriously Sarah J Maas is taking any occasion to write a sex scene in this one which basically ruin some of the reading for me.
Hope it is not the same with the two last books.
I keep it at 4 stars because I think the global story is very deep and well written. She always manage to find her way to me as everything seemed to have been well though since the beginning.
Really curious for the end of this story
Muito bom de ler, mas não vai além disso.
Tirando a protagonista e o primo chato dela os outros personagens são muito interessantes.
Oh Sarah J. Maas what are you doing to me. I am exhausted, emotionally exhauseted after reading this fifth book in the Throne of Glass series. It has taken me a week to get through it, devoting many many hours to losing myself in its pages and at last I am able to try and and pull together my thoughts on this latest installment of the adventures of Aelin/Celena.
I am being very honest that for the first twenty to thirty chapters of this book I really struggled. There is so much movement going on as we follow Aelin and her group around the continent and encounter so many new places and people that I began to lose the plot a little. We have new characters and places flitting in and out as our group split up and go separate ways for a little bit. I especially was confused because I haven't as yet read The Assassin's Blade, the book of novellas about Celeana's time training as an assassin. These haven't been that important up until now but in Empire of Storms they are vital to understanding the back story to some of the favours that are pulled in to help our heroes in this story.
There are lots of intricate plot points going on that seem quite disjointed and don't seem to mean that much on their own but we have to place our faith in Sarah J. Maas that she knows what she is doing and somehow, someway it will all make sense. This means commitment as a reader. It is not a quick read, you have to want to devote yourself wholly to this book. To take the time it needs to fall into the world with Aelin and to have the blind belief that her followers have in her that she will triumph.
And boy oh boy does it pay off in those final twenty chapters. It is so much action, so many big reveals of what has been going on. So many punching the air moments when you suddenly see the light and it all makes sense. It's heart stopping. We are left in no doubt what is going to be our path in Book 6, due for release later this year and I cannot wait to get started. I have heard mixed reviews about Empire of Storms as some people feel we've left behind where we started in this series and moved too far from it but I am a lover of world building and whilst yes this one has been a building on such a mammoth scale it is scary I am right there for it. I love the characters we've followed throughout and am absolutely invested in staying with this series to the end.
And can we just take a minute to talk about how girls totally run this world. Manon is just an incredible character. She has burst into this series and breathed such life into it. I love this fiesty, straight talking witch with a heart of gold. I root for her so much. I love Abraxos her Wyvern and companion and every time I read from her point of view I feel she adds such colour to this story. Lysandra has grown from such a confined character in Book 4 into this ass kicking legend in Empire of Storms. And now with Elide on the scene as well and the way she just totally puts Lorcan in his place at the end of his book we just know these girls are absolutely out for blood. And that's not even counting the biggest badass of them all Aelin, who whilst not always front and centre still holds the whole thing together and whom I think has grown so much from her character in Throne of Glass.
I missed Chaol in this book but reading this has heightened my excitement about Tower of Dawn because I now know I can fill my time between this and the release of Kingdom of Ash in following what has been happening with him whilst Empire of Storms has been taking place. I trust in Chaol, he's never given me any reason not to and I am confident Tower of Dawn will not let me down.
Cannot quite believe that in just under a year I've managed to lose myself in both A Court of Thorns and Roses series and Throne of Glass and join the masses of fans waiting for the new books in both series this year. This is testament though to the ongoing incredible writing of Sarah J. Maas and the worlds she weaves for her readers. I am absolutely a fan of her work and cannot recommend her highly enough.
3.5 stars.
So ... I did have some issues with this book. It took SO long before I got into this book.
I dislike most of the characters, sorry not sorry. I just never liked Celaena/Aelin, Never. I kinda like Rowan. I like Dorian. He is adorable. I love love love Manon. She is the best character in this book. She has grown so much. Love it.
I loved reading the scenes with Manon and I would rather see a book where Manon is the main character than Aelin, oops.
Overall. I did kinda enjoy this book.
Dying for Manon and Dorian, not the biggest Aelin fan. Abraxos deserves the world.
All hail queen Sarah, the goddess of pain and destruction.
The emotional pain I endured reading the last 50 pages of this book cannot be put into words. Gah.
Well fuck. That ending!!
I'm glad the next book in the series has already been checked out to me 😬
Holy fuck. Holy shit. Holy gods. Holy fucking shit. Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I don't even know how to express myself. Holy fucking shit.
I am so pissed. And I am so excited. But so fucking pissed. Holy shit.
Holy fucking shit.
I have no words.
3.5 stars
I liked the book and the direction we were heading until the last 100 pages. It felt like there was to much going right and it needed to be crashed.
I hated the cameos from Assassin's Blade since I hated the characters in this book but they were as remembered and still got on my nerves.
The romance scenes: I couldn't care less and some even ruined ships for me (way to go). Also: everyone must have romance.... Why couldn't there be main characters without a love interest? (Also Dorian got kind of cocky with Manon and so he got also on my nerves and thrown off my favorite character in this series throne).
Overall I wished the book was shortened by the romance and some dragging scenes and I hope the next two books will be better than this one.
I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW! The rollercoaster of emotions I just went through can only be solve with the next book... must I really have to wait
I won...but at what cost...literally you could stab me in the stomach and it would hurt less. I need a hug. I WAS READING ON BORROWED TIME FR
Good story, epic story, better than Queen of Shadows.
Would have been 200% better without all the gratuitous sex and detailed looking into each other's eyes. It went from epic story to cheap teen harlequin and back again. It's as if the author is just pandering to her teen audience and giving them sex to sell books.
Good book if you're happy to skip the sex scenes because there are many. like come on, you're trying to save the world, not get in each other's pants.
WARNING: WALL OF TEXT, because FEELINGS.
Throne of Glass continues to prove itself to be the most devise series in YA, in my opinion. It is not the differences in opinion that cause this, but the amount of vitriol surrounding about series, and the petty bitterness and sometimes nonsensical criticism and praise. To all you Chaol (ugh) people out there, please don't rate this 1 star because “OMG HOW CAN CHAOL NOT BE IN THIS BOOK WTF!” I had deep problems with how Maas dealt with Chaol in QoS, but there is over 100 pages of only Chaol and Nesryn, so you can all gush over that with praise. TO be fair, the style, and my perceived intended audience has shifted greatly in each book, so that may be the root of this anger from some.
A continued return to form by Sarah J Maas after disappointing me in A Court of Thorns and Roses and Queen of Shadows. The things that annoyed me in QoS are severely toned down, though the sex is toned up, although I must say I enjoyed the Manon and Dorian. Maas finally breaks free of the shackles of writing fluffy early-YA fantasy (whilst somehow handling topics such as rape and slavery, which created an odd contradiction), and if the wish fulfillment that is Aelin and Rowan's relationship the cost of that, so be it.
A schism has be caused by Maas' writing maturing into something that can have multiple POVs and plot lines and make it work. This book strays into adult fantasy at times, and I think it's really good. The fans of the light fluffy nothingness that was most of Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight with its pre-teen romances and attempts to deal with adult themes whilst appealing to 12 year old girls is gone, replaced by a more maturity, for the most part. Oh, no, here comes my Aelin and Rowan discussion.
Forewarning: I ship Aelin and Rowan, but that 5 star rating comes at the cost of forgetting those sex scenes. I accepted them in ACOMAF with a heavy heart because the series never pretended to be anything more than a soft core erotica book first (with a far more sexually focused and animalistic fae race) and a surprisingly decent fantasy book second. But, please, please leave these scenes to the fanfic writers, Mass. You think you're good at them, but you really aren't, and they ADD ABSOLUETLY NOTHING to the plot. I am a huge fan of off scene sex scenes, especially when everything else is so bloody good. I could accept them if they weren't averagely written wish fulfillment that is of barely better quality than fanfiction. I do accept Dorian and Manon's scene because was that an insight into the both of them, or what.
Also of huge annoyance, as always is the fae, “fight me” mentality and the whole thing with sex and relationships that turns a centuries old immortal warrior into a horny teenager, with an alpha-male complex. But it has been written into the series since the first appearance of the fae, so I'll ignore it and still give a 5 stars because....
EVRYTHING ELSE IS SO GODDAMNED GOOD. Finally Aelin is someone who I think I'd like love; she has dropped the mask of arrogance that she wore as Celaena, except for when it's needed; she has lost every part of her mentality I disliked in QoS: the superiority, the complete confidence. These traits made a fun, exciting and badass assassin with no responsibilities, but Aelin now has the weight of the world on her shoulders, and also needs to grow up, because it is still very annoying. Darrow was much needed.
And as I said, Maas' writing has matured. The plots lines have just the right amount of complexity, and are smart and clever. Maas has made me care about this wide array of characters and the drama and plots twists are beautiful and terribly EVIL.
edit: chapter 38 is a great example of shitty metaphors for sex and sex-related things. if you are interested in writing shit soft-core erotica, chapter 38 is essentially your dictionary!
"Manon gave the Thirteen her final order. “Run.” Then Manon Blackbeak whirled and brought Wind-Cleaver down upon her grandmother.”
I enjoyed most of what happened in this book. It was easy to fly through 700 pages because of the suspension and anticipation that builds in each chapter. But I can't get myself interested in the heroine's storyline. She's one of the worst protagonist I've ever read about and her romance with Rowan is insufferable.
There were many different perceptive. I personally enjoyed them all. Manon's character continues to amaze me and Lysandra is great as always. but my favorite chapters were anything revolving around Lorcan and Elide. I could read an entire book about them.
However shall I wait till next year for the final book :'(
Spoiler: Is it her thing to throw secret weddings at us?
I feel like my decision for my favorite book of this series just keeps changing as I keep reading. I mean obviously the one where everyone finally pairs off and can no longer be classified as YA is going to be my ultimate favorite though. I love these characters. I will murder everyone on the planet if anything happens to Lysandra. Lehabah was my favorite and look what happened to her. Lysandra better live and be happy with Aedion. I wish there was more Rowan POV. I feel like we don't really get much of his personality outside of his devotion to Aelin and his power. Still in love with him though... The best part of this book was that Chaol wasn't in it.