Queen of Shadows

First things first, this post is going to be less of a review (totally full of SPOILERS) and more of gushing and fangirling, because I have read this series multiple times and this book is my absolute favorite. This book is totally action packed but also full of emotional moments that make this an amazing read. But everytime I read or listen to this book, all I hope is to see all these amazing scenes on the screen, because this book will make for an even better TV show. I guess it's not a surprise then that the (hopefully) upcoming show is named Queen of Shadows.

Aelin is at her best in this book. She is finally ready to accept her heritage as Queen and kick some ass. But it's a long list to get through before she can go to Terrasen - save Aedion, figure out how to deal with Dorian, free magic and kill the King and boy does she do all of it.... with a BANG!!!!!

The whole sequence of saving Aedion on his execution day is absolutely perfect. The planning, the dramatic backdrop, the impossible rescue, the moment Aelin and Aedion's eyes meet - OH GOD this whole episode gave me chills (happy ones, ofcourse) and was terrifying because I didn't want anything to go wrong. And then the first scene where they finally talk to each other.... I SOBBED A LOT!!!!! Beautiful and poignant and emotional... They are technically not siblings but I think they have one of the best sibling relationships I have ever read.

Aelin and Rowan's reunion and the following banter and angst throughout this book is just HOT!!!! Swoon worthy... I can't wait to see the fireworks that will explode when they finally make love and I really don't mind the wait. They share some amazing moments together and if I start listing them here, my post will be as big as the book. I also loved that Rowan and Aedion got through their initial territorial issues and formed their own bond to protect and serves the ones they love.

The newest addition to my list of favorite characters here is Lysandra. Her history and backstory is heartbreaking, so it was good to see her finally making friends - ones who were ready to risk their lives for her just as much as she did. And she has some of the BESTESTTTT scenes in the book. She is totally badass and I can't even imagine what Aelin and Lysandra will do together from now on. Anyone who takes them on is as good as dead - which is what happened to the King of the Assassins. I didn't think I could hate Arobynn anymore than I already did, but he is truly worse. Though I am glad he is gone, I still think he should have suffered more.

Manon goes through a lot of character development in this book. From being the obedient, disciplined, bloodthirsty witch to one who questions about right and wrong, I never thought I will come to like her. Elide is a very underestimated character but I commend her quiet strength and courage and hope. The whole ending episode in Morath where Kaltain changes the fate of the war completely just blew my mind and I felt bad for misunderstanding her so much. Asterin's backstory is one of the most emotional and heartbreaking moments in the whole series and I weep even thinking about it. It's possibly the single most important moment in changing the character arc of Manon and the Thirteen and I can't wait to see what they do next. Now I have to mention one of the most anticipated scenes I was dying for - Manon and Aelin coming face to face. WOW was that a sight... EXPLOSIVE!!!!! I can't wait to see more of them together and hope they never fight on the opposite side - I don't think my sensitive heart could handle that.

And now coming to my sweet baby Dorian - I wanted to cry every time his chapter came up. Why the most adorable and kindest character in the whole series had to suffer such unspeakable torture, I still don't understand. And what an ending that was - the whole action episode was thrilling and emotional and watching Dorian finally free was unexplainable. The ending again proved why Aelin and Dorian make such a formidable pair (I still ship them in a teeny tiny part of my heart though Rowaelin is perfect) and even if they can't be together, I just hope that they remain BFFs.

I don't even want to talk about Chaol. The ending is very sad for him but it was also good that he finally decided to make it count. However, for most part of the book, I hated him. He was very rude and mean to Aelin and I just couldn't tolerate him blaming her for everything bad happening in Rifthold. He better do something phenomenally great in the upcoming books if I have to like him again (even a little).

I could go on and on and this would never end. This book has great writing, lots of plot twists and revelations, amazing action sequences and deeply emotional episodes. In simple terms, it's a complete package and has everything I could ever ask for in a book.

I have finally finished this massive book. I'm now left with this gaping hole and these raw emotions that I need to process. That being said, I did absolutely love the book! I cannot say it is my favorite in the series simply because I absolutely loved Crown of Midnight and it holds a special place in my heart, but this one is definitely number 2.

I may or may not write a more formal review later, I just do not want to give away anything about the book and my thoughts/emotions until more people have the chance to finish it.

I'm such trash for this series, it's honestly embarrassing.

Well, for everything in this series except Rowan. Still hate him. I will always hate him.

But Manon and Dorian. My favorite book characters of all time? The loves of my life? I'd die for them. No hesitation.

Do I want to be Manon? Or be with Manon? I don't have a clue.

This was good! I really like the main plot and story! HOWEVER, I hate the romance plot between Aelina and Rowan... also I don't like AT ALL how men are represented in this book! They are so annoying and possessive! SJM stop romanticizing possession! Women are no longer men's things! Even if you try to disguise it with “she's my queen” and whatever!
Every time that Rowan saw her with her COUSIN (not her love interest, not a crush!) her COUSIN!! He felt jealous. The same goes for Aedion (her cousin). WHY DOES HE FEEL JEALOUS OF ROWAN? What the Hell SJM??? You can't mix romantic and family filings, that is just wrong!
Besides that, I enjoyed the rest of the book (except Aelina plot).

I don't really have the right words to say how much I loved this book. People kept telling me it would be everything I wanted, and I seriously doubted that, but they were right. It was a very painful book, but in the end the pain was worth it for the pay off. The things that early on really bugged me were cleared up and explained by the end to the point that none of my original complaints held any merit. It was a wonderful book. So many things happened that I could never have guessed. The plot twists were incredible. The character development was mindblowing.
The author continually does things I didn't want her to do and then makes me love it, which I can't say has ever happened in any series I've read.
I would also add that Maas continues the new trend of adding new characters in this book and I loved them all yet again. How she makes me fall in love with new characters to the same extent as the original ones, I really can't say. Maas is a master.
On a personal note I will add that I'm going through a really hard time right now, and this book was exactly the kind of escapism I needed to help me cope.
Thank you Maas!

I'd taken a little break in my journey through the Throne of Glass novels, having read Heir of Fire back last year I just hadn't felt myself drawn back to the story. I am aware though that May is creeping ever closer with a new release in the Court of Thorns and Roses Series and with another Throne of Glass novel set for release in September I felt it was time to get back on track and complete the series to date so I am all ready for the release dates of Sarah's new novels in 2018.

The first thing I love about this installment of the series is we are beginning to see Celaena's two worlds collide. She has returned from the Fae world of Book 3 and is now accepting her responsibilities as Queen of Terassen, the action has returned to the city of Adarlan where the first two books took place and she is determined to kill the King who destroyed her home and has been using magic to destroy and conquer the worlds around him.

By taking the action back to Adarlan we have much more interaction between all the characters whose relationships we invested in so deeply in Books 1 and 2, Chaol is back and he and Celaena have unresolved issues they need to work through. When the Fae and human world's start working together, though it all starts getting interesting and blends all the different people together for a common cause which is very satisfying as a reader.

I also love that this book allows us to resolve some of the real conflicts we've had going on since book one. Celaena is back to put an end to the King of Adarlan and she's not going to stop till she achieves it. This is not the only fight she's here to settle though and this is great as we see her face off against the King of the Assassins who trained her and who's shadowy figure has been hovering on the edges of the story since the first chapters four books ago. This book really sees Celaena using everything she's learned and all the allies she's made along the way to help her achieve justice for the people of Adarlan and to allow her to free magic.

In the last book I found the witch Manon and her Blackbeak clan interesting but didn't see how they were fitting in with the story but in this book we spend more time with them and start to see how they are also being manipulated in a way to help the King of Adarlan achieve his dark and dangerous goals. We meet a new character, a witch who has links to Celaena's past and this is a great mystery for us to take forward into Empire of Storms.

I really enjoyed this installment, I liked having conclusions to parts of the story that had been ongoing, I like that it raised questions over whether the evil that had been holding the land was, in fact, all it appeared to be or whether even darker forces are at work. I am thrilled with the development of Celaena's character and the introduction of new allies for her to work with moving forward. I am really excited for Book 5 now as will hopefully see Celaena eventually start moving towards claiming her birthright as Queen of Terrassen.

A great read, absolutely worth of 5 stars and has definitely refreshed my enthusiasm of the series.

Straight up, five stars. I cannot stress how much this book has improved since Heir of Fire.
1.) NO PACING ISSUES. It didn't start off slow or too fast-paced. It was beautiful. Beautiful.
2.) Female characters. Each and every one of them were diverse and unique and beautiful and strong and courageous. Sarah writes the best females in any fiction. Ever. I love it.
3.) Relationships were sacred and treated as such. The friendship between Aelin and Lysandra was strong. Is strong. Unbreakable. Chaol never stopped believing in Dorian and Nesryn never stopped believing in Chaol. Amazing. And the bond between Manon and Asterin? Made me fucking tear up. Aedion with practically everyone. Yes.
4.) Romance. Yes. Yes. Yes.
5.) Plot. It wasn't confusing it wasn't too quick it was perfect and made absolute sense. Plus! No cliffhangers!
6.) Character development. Holy shit. I hated Chaol. Now I can tolerate him. Honestly, best best character development ever. And Manon? Yeah. Her sudden discovery of herself and her own consciousness was amazing. Love.
7.) Just everyone and everything was amazing. Don't listen to the haters or the bashers because this book was written BEAUTIFULLY. V BEAUTIFULLY.
READ IT PLEASE.

Holy mother of gods and lords and Aelin fucking Ashryver Galathynius (if that's even how you spell it).
There are no words
Not without spoiling.
It was fantastic.
Just- wow.
I was on the fence about my feeling on this book in the beginning, because people were acting not the way I wanted them to, and there were things going on that I didn't like, but then suddenly it turned. Well, not suddenly, but it turned around, and things got better, people started getting along, they stopped fighting, I found myself loving the biggest ship of all the ships, which I never would have thought, had you asked me after Heir of Fire. I don't know, man, there were just so many things, and it ended so epicly, and now there's not just one more villain to end, but two, Spoilereven though one was literally just killed and I could sit here reading and feel the pressure of the whole situation along with everyone else, and holy gods, it was truly amazing.

“The Crown Prince tipped his head back to the sky and roared, and it was the battle cry of a god. Then the glass castle shattered.”

2.5 - That was a roller coaster, of both enjoyment and disappointment. The pacing and action parts were better than Heir of Fire. But I do have so many issues with this book while still finding it wildly entertaining at some parts.

In terms of plot. This book was good. I admit that I had trouble getting through the first parts and I'm still coming to terms with how the story took a different direction. But despite my dislike on how some things went down, the action picked up and pulled me into the story. So much awesomeness and one of the best parts is the Manon and Aelin fight. I also think the final parts were better than the majority of the book.

She was a Blackbeak; she was no one's slave. No one's prize horse to breed.Neither was Elide.”

“We're such refined, genteel ladies.”“Please,” Lysandra said, waving a manicured hand, “you and I are nothing but wild beasts wearing human skins. Don't even try to deny it.”

“Everything- everything was for Dorian, for his friend. For himself, he had nothing left to lose. He was nothing more than a nameless oath-breaker, a liar, a traitor.”

“What if we go on,” he said, “only to more pain and despair? What if we go on, only to find a horrible end waiting for us?”Aelin looked northward, as if she could see all the way to Terrasen. “Then it is not the end.”

“So here we are.The end of the road.No. The beginning of the next.”

After waiting ages for this, I can say that it's the best book I've read this year and the wait was worth it. Now, let me get back to waiting for another year for the next one to come out.
screams
wails
turns into a hawk and pecks at publishers to release the next one sooneror maybe a ghost leopard

OMFG ROWAN EEEEEEEEEEEE