This is book 4 in the Throne of Glass series so if you have not read books 1-3 you can start with my review on the first book here. Although it will have spoilers for the first 3 books, it will not have spoilers for Queen of Shadows.
If you want to read my reviews for the first 3 books you can do that here:
Synopsis
Celaena Sardothien 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.
Everyone Aelin loves has been taken from her. Everything she holds dear is in danger. But she has the heart of a queen-and that heart beats for vengeance.
Review
This book was epic! I could not put it down and I still stand by with my claim that these books keep getting better and better.
This is the first book where I finally saw Celaena as a girl of the past. She is stepping into her roll as the Queen and It feels right to refer to her as Aelin now. Throughout the book you see Aelin continue to go through character development and figure out who she is.
The plot of this book was intense. I knew where it was heading from the start of the book, but that only made it more intriguing as I was anticipating the ending. There are a few big events that happen in this book along with a lot of planning.
The end battle had me biting my nails and trying not to rip my hair out as I was sure that everyone was going to die and nothing was going to plan. It was really crazy and amazing to imagine in my head.
The ending of this book was really big and it feels like a new beginning in a way. Things are different now and I’m excited to see where the next book goes. I think it will be even bigger and intensive as the war only grows stronger.
Luckily Aelin and her court are growing stronger as well. I’m in love with Rowan. I swear I almost cried happy tears when he showed up. I love his relationship with Aelin and all of the looks they give each other are really funny. Especially at one certain dinner.
Manon’s POV was a little more interesting in this book as I understood how she fit into the story a little more. I think I’m intrigued with her character dynamic. I keep going back and forth wondering if she is going to switch sides or not. I’m just wondering in what direction she is going and where she will land.
I really enjoyed the addition of Lysandra. She is a fun character but it’s also heartbreaking what she has been through. Chaol was tolerable in this book. I didn’t like some of the thoughts he was having in the beginning but I think he changed some of his beliefs by the end.
I continue to love Aelin as the main character which is rare for me. The main characters are usually not my favorite characters but I love how feisty Aelin is but also how fun and caring she is.
My final thoughts are that I loved this book and how it all came together. The characters and the plot were amazing and I’m really excited to continue on with the series! Going into this series I knew the books were good but I was skeptical and I am very happy that they are living up to the hype!