Series: Throne of Glass #4
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Published
Published: September 2015
Hardcover - 648pgs
Add it// But it
Rating: 4/5
The queen has returned.
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But
she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious
kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…
She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of
Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.
She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for
her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable
prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and
awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.
Quick Thoughts: This book was a roller coaster for me. Not only emotionally (maybe especially emotionally) but also my reading experience. I struggled at the beginning of this installment. Maybe this was because of a impending reading slump, but I think mostly because the characterization was off which kept distracting me from the events in the story. After about 150 pages this issue was less noticeable and the rest of the book was fantastic.
Full Review:
Queen of Shadows
was the perfect follow up to Heir of Fire. While I liked Heir of Fire, we did
not make a lot of progress in the story. There was a lot of character
development, which was necessary, but the plot stalled for the most part in
that book.
This story in
contrast explodes from the beginning with action, adventure and new
information. Characters reappear and new revelations drive the plot forward.
The female characters in this series are phenomenal! I love them and their relationships with one
another. These relationships have only improved as the series goes on. Maas
fleshed out several characters that felt flat and underdeveloped earlier in the
series but especially Lyssandra and Manon. Their character development was out
of this world during this book and I savored every second of it. At first I was unimpressed by Manon but I am
almost as interested in what happens to her as Aelin. Her whole life could be another
series in my opinion. No one is really a side character in this series.
Everyone has a backstory, a life and a story to be told. I love how they all
feel important and necessary.
On the other hand
we had a couple of instances at the beginning of this book where the
characterization was out of whack. Chaol especially lot a lot of ground at the
beginning of the story. I understand there is a certain amount of tension
between him and Alein because they have differences of opinion, they are a
former couple, and mistakes have been made on both sides. However, Chaol's
character went backwards for a period which frustrated me a lot. His behavior
also made me mad at Aelin for a while to because their interactions never
seemed to be in character. There was a lot of frustration all the way around
for me during their interactions! (Thank goodness I reread books 1-3 and don't
ship them anymore)
Speaking of ships.
I am behind all the ships at this point. Even the ones that may be
controversial to some, I am excited for and ready to see how they work out.
Lastly I want to
compliment Maas' writing in this series. After rereading the first three books
and finishing this one, I can see how much planning went into this series. It
is incredible to see how well she knows the world and what a deep knowledge of
its history she has dreamed up. I love authors that know the history of their
world long before any of the characters they write have been born.
The events in this
story had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath. There were moments
when I had to let out great sobs because the emotions overwhelmed me. I am so
excited for Empire of Storms. I love these characters and cannot wait to see what
happens in the next installment, but I am also terribly afraid it will hurt me.
Happy Reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment