Queen of Shadows

Queen of Shadows

My Rating: Awesome!

ASIN: B00TU3BTUI
Pages: 648
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Also in this series: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire
Also by this author: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire

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.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Queen of Shadows is the fourth book in Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series. The series has quickly become one of my favorites—along with thousands of other readers. I enjoyed Queen of Shadows more than I did Heir of Fire, book three. The action and intrigue starts on page one and doesn’t let up. It’s go, go, go. There’s a prison break, a courtesan and her young protégé saved, monsters killed, a prince View Spoiler » saved from the Valg « Hide Spoiler, witches tortured, magic, a queen, kings, death, life, hope, and on, and on.

Characters, in my opinion, are one of the best aspects in Maas’s books. They are well developed and multi-faceted and, usually, deeply flawed in one way or another. But not always likable. Manon, for instance. I stated in my review of Heir of Fire that I didn’t connect with her and didn’t particularly want to see her character in another book. She was just too cruel with no redeeming qualities at all.

Manon’s hand closed around her cousin’s throat, her iron nails digging into the soft skin beneath her ears… blue blood began sliding down Asterin’s golden- tan neck…

Manon didn’t care that they’d been fighting at each other’s sides for a century, that Asterin was her closest relative, or that Asterin had gone to the mat again and again to defend Manon’s position as heir. She’d put Asterin down the moment she became a useless nuisance. Manon let Asterin see all of that in her eyes.

Um, wow. And that’s her cousin. Imagine, just imagine, how ruthless she’d be with someone she didn’t share blood with. But Maas’s characters are always changing, growing and Manon was no exception. She learns about kindness and caring and life lived outside the strict confines of the witches’ code of obedience, brutality and discipline. A life lived with hope.

It did not seem like a weakness to fight for those who could not defend themselves. Even if they weren’t true witches.

So, I have warmed a little toward Manon.

Another character I’ve warmed toward is Rowan. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m actually starting to like him or because it’s obvious now that he and Aelin/Celaena are going to be a couple. Although I’m still holding out hope that Aelin and Dorian will work out, that’s looking less and less like a possibility. Anyway, back to Rowan. He was more tolerable in this installment. Protective and attentive of Aelin, but still smart enough to give her space and independence. He may turn out to be the perfect partner for her.

You make me want to live, too, Aelin Galathynius. Not exist—but live. I spent centuries wandering the world, from empires to kingdoms to wastelands, never settling, never stopping—not for one moment. I was always looking toward the horizon, always wondering what waited across the next ocean, over the next mountain. But I think… I think that whole time, all those centuries, I was just looking for you.

Yeah, yeah. He’s charming and sweet. But he’s not Dorian.

The secondary characters in books are sometimes my favorite and in this installment of the series, readers are introduced to a new secondary character: Lysandra. She was another girl victimized by Arobynn (who we also meet in this book), who was made to work as a courtesan. Lysandra and Aelin, known as Celaena at the time, were enemies (read the book for the particulars about their relationship). I loved Lysandra. I liked that Maas wrote her as strong, independent woman, but also a person who cared deeply and gave of herself to others—often to her own detriment. She is an awesome character and I hope I see more of her in the next books in the series. And she is View Spoiler »a shape shifter « Hide Spoiler. How awesome is that for a magical ability?

When Aelin is reunited with Lysandra, they learn some key points about their relationship and how they were manipulated (read the book!). Through this, we get a glimpse at how much Aelin/Celaena has grown. Her character always had a soft, caring side, but she worked hard to stamp it down and hide behind her tough-as-nails exterior. But, slowly, she’s letting that side of herself show more and more, learning that it’s not a weakness to let people in.

I’m sorry for the years I spent being a monster toward you [Lysandra], for whatever part I played in your suffering. I wish I’d been able to see myself better. I wish I’d seen everything better. I’m sorry.

But awesome characters aren’t the only great thing in Queen of Shadows, or the Throne of Glass Series. Maas gives the reader great world building and unique and beautiful descriptions.

They were infinite.
They were the beginning and the ending; they were eternity.
The king standing before them gaped as the shield of flame died out to reveal Aelin and Dorian, hand in hand, glowing like newborn gods as their magic entwined.
“You’re mine,” the man raged. He became darkness; folded himself into the power he carried, as if he were nothing but malice on a dark wind.

There is a lot packed into the 600-plus pages. So much that there’s no way I could adequately sum it up here. So, take my advice and read the book! If you love—or even just like—the fantasy genre, you’ll find something to like in the Throne of Glass series.

Bottom line: This series is surging full-steam ahead. This book stepped it up a notch from Heir of Fire. And although I found the ending a tad bland after the huge climax with the glass castle View Spoiler »shattering—which was awesome! « Hide Spoiler And the endings of the books preceding this one, I still think it was definitely worth the read and I’m anxious to get my hands on book five: Empire of Storms!

Highly recommend.

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Michelle

I'm an award-winning YA and NA author... but, really? I'm the wife of an amazing man, mom of four awesome kids, a reader of words, and writer of stories. I love candles and books, think garden gnomes are creepy and M&Ms are the perfect food (especially peanut butter). I live and write in Texas, but was raised in Flint, Michigan and will always think of the Great Lakes state as home.

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