Series: Throne of Glass #4
Published by Bloomsbury Children's on September 1, 2015
Pages: 656
Format: Hardcover
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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 will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. 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.
Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.
Warning: If you haven’t read Heir of Fire, this review contains Heir of Fire Spoilers. I tried NOT to include Queen of Shadows spoilers, but there may be some. So be cautious in reading this review, or don’t read it until you’ve read both Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows! You’ve been warned…
Moving on! This will be my GIFiest review ever. Because after reading four Throne of Glass Books + the novellas, there are no words to describe how epic these books and Sara J. Maas are. So I required the aid of GIFs this time around. Now, on to the review! Enjoy!
Excuse me, did I say that Heir of Fire broke my feels and stomped all over them? BECAUSE THAT WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO QUEEN OF SHADOWS! This book hit me right in the feels!
Like… WHAT EVEN?!?!?! HOW?!?!? WHAT?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!
But seriously, after a year-long wait – especially after the way Heir of Fire ended – Sarah J. Maas did NOT disappoint with her fourth book in the Throne of Glass series. The character development, the plot expansion (overall, from book one to book four), the world-building – I’m mind-blown by everything Maas has done and accomplished in these four books!
Celaena/Aelin is, without a doubt, my favorite female MC in all of YA history. She’s strong, brave, kick-ass and yet she’s still vulnerable and still has a lot of growing to do. Which is insane, because she’s grown SO MUCH since Throne of Glass. In Heir of Fire, she embraced/accepted her destiny and became Aelin. But in Queen of Shadows, she still had things she needed to take care of before she could completely let go of Celaena. By the end of the book, Celaena the Assassin fully and completely became Aelin, Queen of Terrasen. I’m excited to finally see her take up her throne.
Oh, Chaol… I was pretty angry with Chaol for most of the book. He had every right to be angry with Aelin, after everything they went through. But it was like he wanted to use her as his scapegoat and just blame her for everything. I hated that they constantly argued and I hated the things he said to her. But he definitely had moments where he redeemed himself. And I’m willing to cut him some slack because he was dealt some pretty tough blows between the end of Heir of Fire and throughout Queen of Shadows. In the end, I’m happy with the way his story played out. I can’t wait to see what happens for him next, especially with Nesryn. I REALLY ship them and have my fingers crossed they get their happily ever after!
As for Dorian… My goodness, I don’t even know what to say. Dorian has been through an emotional and physical ringer. My heart breaks for him! There were some EPIC revelations with him and the people who were… close… to him. There was also this crazy twist with him and a particular character and.. GAH! You know what, I can’t even discuss it because it’s too spoilery. But it was VERY intriguing…
ROWAN!!! OMFG, I love Rowan!
For the first two books, I was one hundred percent Team Chaol. And I liked Rowan in Heir of Fire, but I wasn’t completely sold. But after Queen of Shadows??? No contest. Aelin and Rowan are my OTP of the Throne of Glass world! He’s strong, brave and loyal. He risked everything to stand by Aelin. And I loved him.
In Heir of Fire, I couldn’t stand Manon and the chapters with her and her Thirteen. At the beginning of Queen of Shadows, I felt similarly. But at some point, certain things happened and certain revelations were made and my opinion did a complete 180! I actually really love the progression of their story and the things we learned and I’m VERY excited to see where things go for Manon, Asterin and Elide in the fifth book!
Another character I really loved was Lysandra. Which… considering her past? It’s weird to like her now. But she really redeemed herself – for so many reasons and in so many ways! Also, was it just me… I totally shipped Lysandra and Aedion!!! (Well, I know I’m not alone – Stacee and I had a full discussion regarding this ship and we agreed!). Also, obviously, I adored Aedion and the moment when he and Aelin finally met again… I CAN’T EVEN!!!!!
Maas wrapped up a LOT of storylines in Queen of Shadows. There was a great feeling of closure on a number of plots and characters. But that also meant that a lot of things from the past were brought up – including Sam – and my heart couldn’t handle it!
The last 100 pages had me like:
The character development, the plot twists, the revelations.. I… I… I JUST CAN”T!!!!!!!! IS IT SEPTEMBER 2016 YET?!?!?!? I NEED BOOK FIVE NOW!!!!!
*Clears throat.* So… Can you tell how much I loved this book? Can you tell how badly it broke me? Do I even need to tell you that I HIGHLY recommend this book and that you need to buy it? Or that, if you haven’t read the first three books, you NEED to? Well, I’m going to anyway… I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! IT’S A MUST READ!! IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS SERIES, YOU MUST!!!!
….
What are you still doing here? Go buy it! Go read it! Go!!
To be honest, I felt like this book could have been an end to the whole series. Everything just felt so wrapped up and concluded at the end. I know that there were plot lines still left to be explored, but I think I would have been okay with this being the end!
I’ve spoken to a few people who feel this way! I kind of agree, too, though there are some loose ends I’d like to see wrapped up! I feel like the next one could be the last, like they don’t need the 6th one. But I also LOVE these books, so the more, the better!