Y’all, I am just all onboard for this series. I mean, between Queen of Shadows and now, Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas, this series has really hit its stride.
The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don’t.
As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.
Aelin’s journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?
The Good
- Characters – Is it just me or all of our characters becoming even more likeable? Everyone is really coming into their own. And now that they’re all together, you can really can a feel for their different personalities through their interactions with other. Lorcan has finally redeemed himself in my eyes and gotten me to feel sympathy towards him. I live for Manon and Aelin’s interactions because they just feed off of each other so much. I mean, the amount of sass in this group of people is completely off the chart, and I LOVE IT! I think the only character who I didn’t really love, is Dorian. I understand that his bitterness is his coping mechanism with dealing all of the terrible things he witnessed when.. well.. when he wasn’t really himself. I do love the dark flirtatious conversations between him and Manon though. I think he will slowly start healing after spending more time with her. And can we talk about how Aedion is officially a bisexual character? Consider me quite impressed and pleased, Maas! He’s always been one of my favorites! I also enjoyed Elide more in this book than I did previously. She’s not as annoying as before, so yay for that! And NO CHAOL! I am so happy, because I’m hoping he’s taking this time to get over being such an asshole. Fingers crossed, at least.
- Pacing – I found this book to continue on with the non-stop action that Queen of Shadows had. I never found there to be a dull moment, and ended each chapter with wanting more. I hated having to put this book down to do the things that keep you alive, you know, like eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and go to work. That really got in the way of my reading and I didn’t appreciate it very much! However, if there some characters that don’t interest you as much as others, then that might make it a bumpy due to there being so many different POVs.
- Ending – HOLY SHIT! I mean, come on, tell me that I’m not the only one who didn’t see that coming?! Maas really knows how to knock you over the head with plot twists. I was completely not expecting it to end the way it did. Things just took a turn for both the worst, and yet, also the best. Trust me – that makes sense! The way this book ended, you can tell that things are really starting to come to the beginning of the end. And I cannot wait!
The Bad
- Horny Teens EVERYWHERE – Here’s the deal, I understand that once you hit puberty and come into your later teen years/early 20’s, everyone gets some strong sexual urges from time to time. That’s life and it happens. I mean, what else do you think college is for? Well, other than to obtain one of those degree thingys… But, and there is a but! I don’t remember ever wanting to just get it on with basically every guy I met. Granted, the men in this series all seem to be wayyyyyyyyyyyyy more attractive than the ones I came into contact with daily, but still, it just doesn’t happen. So someone explain to me then, why does everyone in this book pair off and want to screw ALL of the time?! I guess if the world is ending then maybe it’s supposed to be like a last hurrah or something. But it would be nice if not everyone found a significant other. Like wouldn’t it have been better if Manon had just laughed in Dorian’s face, instead of all, hey baby boy? I think so, but that’s just me.
So basically everything about this book was awesome – except for all of the horny teens and somehow every single person found a lover. I just need for one to say to hell with y’all, I don’t need a man/woman! A girl can dream, right? And even with that, it was just more of a personal annoyance than anything else. All I can say is that this series is getting incredibly tense and I NEED MORE!
Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars
Have you read the Throne of Glass series? What are your thoughts on Empire of Storms? Were the horny kids annoying you, too?
Wonderfilled Reads 