Review Tuesday: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

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Throne of Glass #4

Goodreads Blurb:

"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.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world."

Review:

Yes, my review is finally here!  I just recently reread the book, trying to be objective so I can actually write a coherent review!

1.  The plot.  I loved this.  So much.  When you're starting out, you don't really grasp how large the problem is and the lengths Aelin is going to prepare for everything.  One of my favorite things about SJM is how she's able to pull together all of the slight little threads of plot that she lays down throughout the book.  There was also enough going on and short-term plot structures that happened to keep you interested while the author designs this web.

2.  The characters.  I also really loved all of the characters.  The author has this skill of making sure that every character, even the supporting characters, play an important role in the story and they're developed enough with enough motivations and personality for them to feel more 3-dimensional.  I really loved watching Aelin complete her transformation (and Aedion's reaction to it!).  Aelin also gains a surprising ally and I really enjoyed seeing her have another friendship after Nehemia which helps heal that hole a little bit.  The revelation of who that character actually is was also so cool and it made me smile in the final battle.

3.  The romance.  So Aelin starts up a new romance in this book.  If you've read the book, you know who I'm talking about!  The first time I read the book, I hated it but with every reread, I'm slowly warming up to it.  It was just the fact that they had this awesome thing going and it didn't make any sense to me that Rowan already found his mate so how can he be romantically involved with someone else?  However, I did like that Aelin was able to be her true self with him.

4.  The ending.  I'm really satisfied with the ending!  It was so cool to see everything come together and for there to be a little give and take with both the good things that happened and the bad.

The Final Verdict:

A fantastically written book, with splendidly 3D characters, complex plot line with plenty of micro-plot structures, and a beautifully pulled together ending.

4.5 stars

Quotes:

“Fire-breathing bitch-queen.”

“Elegant, feminine, and utterly wild. Warm, and steadfast—unbreakable, his queen.”

“She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph.”

“If you're a monster, I'm a monster.”

“She looked at them, at the three males who meant everything—more than everything. Then she smiled with every last shred of courage, of desperation, of hope for the glimmer of that glorious future. “Let’s go rattle the stars.”

“They joined hands.
So the world ended.
And the next one began.”

“You make me want to live, Rowan. Not survive; not exist. Live.”