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Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Sep11
Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. MaasQueen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Published by Bloomsbury Children's on September 1, 2015
Pages: 656
Format: Hardcover
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five-stars

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!

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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!

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Like… WHAT EVEN?!?!?! HOW?!?!? WHAT?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!

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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!

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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!!!!!

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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!

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The last 100 pages had me like:

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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!!!!

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What are you still doing here? Go buy it! Go read it! Go!!

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five-stars

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

May5

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Published by Bloomsbury Children's on May 5, 2015
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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Goodreads
five-stars

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

A Court of Thorns and Roses had my name written all over it from the very beginning. A Sarah J. Maas book? Yes, please! A Sarah J. Maas book that blends Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore? HELLZ YES, PLEASE! After binging Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire AND The Assassin’s Blade all in September, I was dying to get my hands on this beautiful book and it didn’t dissapoint! If anything, it exceeded my expectations and made me DESPERATE for book two – which is a loooonnngggg ways off! *Sobs*

In typical Maas fashion, the main character, Feyre, was a strong, independent, capable heroine. She has two sisters who really don’t care about her (though one does more than the other) and a father who tries, but fails, to support his family and understand his daughters. Thanks to a death-bed promise, Feyre feels responsible for her family’s welfare, though it often means sacrificing her happiness. Basically, Feyre is self-sufficient, willing to do whatever she has to in order to survive. And the twist at the end? Epic, epic, epic! I can’t wait to see what it means for Feyre in the next book!

Also in typical Maas fashion? A Court of Thorns and Roses had a TON of swoony boys! I was swooning over Tamlin before we were even officially introduced to him! He was incredibly scary and mysterious in the beginning, but as we got to know him, I fell hard for him. As the “Beast,” he tried so hard to be romantic with Feyre and just failed! He sort of reminded me of Dorian from the Throne of Glass series. In my review of Throne of Glass, I said Dorian was, “a bit stereotypical, in that he was intimidating, as the crown prince, yet also laid back in his demeanor and not as scary as he seemed. As is typical of YA lit, he also despised his father and the things his father stood for.” And that really describes Tamlin pretty well, honestly. The only difference is Dorian was a bit better at flirting than Tamlin! Tamlin’s attempts at flirting had me laughing so hard!

And then there was Lucien… Oooohhhhh, Lucien! Psst, don’t tell Morpheus, but Lucien won my heart! He was hilarious, sarcastic and so, so full of himself – but in a playful, adorable way. To put it into the same context as I did with Tamlin, Lucien reminded me of Chaol! He was strong and proud, a fighter. He was so serious and cold in the beginning and I completely understand why, but it was nice to see him thaw out as the story went on. I loved the tension between him and Feyre, especially in the beginning. The progression of their friendship felt very real and believable, as did the progression of the relationship between Feyre and Tamlin.

And then there was Rhys.. Whoa… I should NOT like Rhys, but OMG, I do! *Fans self* He’s dark, sarcastic, cocky, dangerous… And yet I love him. I ship him with Feyre. I can’t wait to see his character development in book two!!! And I want to know what happened at the end, dammit! Why did he… Well, I won’t spoil it! But, wow, that ending!!!!!

I love, love, love the world Maas created in A Court of Thorns and Roses. The world-building, the mythology, how perfectly Maas blended Beauty and the Beast into a story about faeries, the faerie lore she created… It’s just all amazing. Maas is a gorgeous writer and a beautiful story-teller. She has this way with words and characters that just pulls you in to the story and refuses to let you go. Honestly, as much as I loved the Throne of Glass books, I’m pretty sure I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses even more! I LOVE retellings and I LOVE faeries and I LOVE Sarah J. Maas and her books, so A Court of Thorns and Roses basically combined everything I love into one book. I read this in December 2014 and I originally wrote this review in January; now that it’s May, I can officially say that ACOTAR is definitely my favorite book of 2015!

Overall, if you couldn’t tell from my super fangirly review, I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses beyond words!! ALL THE STARS! ALL THE HEARTS!! ALL THE FEELS!!! Seriously, if this isn’t on your TBR, it NEEDS TO BE! If I could give this book ten million billion x infinity stars, I would! Loved doesn’t even begin to describe my feels right now. Maas is on my Auto-Buy Author List, now and forever. I can’t wait to read Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) and A Court of Thorns and Roses #2 and everything else she ever writes, ever. Period. End of discussion.

five-stars