Queen of Shadows

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.