Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 648 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release date: September 1st, 2015

Series:  Throne of Glass #4

Source: 

Reviewed by: 

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

Celaena Sardothien aka Aelin Galathynius has been through a lot, especially for someone so young, but her troubles are far from being over. She met and bonded with her precious Rowan during her oversea quest, but now she's back to Ardalan, on her own and needs to learn to fight without her magic powers once more. Her mission is quite simply, retrieve her cousin Aedion from the execution block, free magic, kill the King and free (or kill if it comes to this) Dorian. Easy peasy!

I loved this series and it's been a very long time since I've read the previous books, and I must say, my lack of memory was my worst enemy when reading this book. All through the novel Maas refers to past events or previous characters and while it 'rings a bell' she didn't provide enough information to really remind me what she was referring too. It was very frustrating to KNOW I should remember something, but not have a clue. Keltain and Elide were to two most frustrating characters for me for that reason, because I had no idea who they were! After searching online I found that Keltain was rich self-serving b*tch from book one (and dear lord did she change!) and Elide was the daughter of a maid who helped protect Aelin as a child. Maas did not provide enough details in Queen of Shadows for me to remember them while reading. Did you have the same problem? It might just be me...

I have really mixed feelings about the installment. I read it pretty fast because it's full of suspense and fairly action-packed, keeping a fast pace despite this book being so long (almost 600 pages!) but some parts of the plot seemed impossible. The whole book Aelin sets out on her own doing god-knows-what and later on surprises us with a certain plot twist and we are suppose to believe she plotted the whole things days / weeks before. It made things interesting, but didn't seem plausible.

On the other hand, we got to know Lysandra really well and she was truly a star for me. I learned to hate her in the previous novels but it turns out it was all an act and she is beyond awesome! I really enjoyed her company and her witty lines. We was a happy surprise! As was Nesryn, a rebel solider with wicked bow skills and she's Chaol's second-in-command.

I wasn't a fan of Manon (a witch) at all, and her chapter bored me at first, but she grew on me has she finally showed a bit of balls toward the end of the book and I am really curious about her future role in the final battle. She is currently fighting on the side of evil, but shows signs of redemption. Who knows where it will lead her!

Overall, I'm still in love with the series and plan to read the fifth installment (Empire of Storms) very soon. The events of Queen of Shadows are game changers and I'm really anxious to know what comes next. If you haven't tried this series, I would recommend starting with the novellas (Would can find them bound in a single book titled The Assassin's Blade or purchase 'em individually for e-readers) has the events taking place in those are crucial.

Happy reading!

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by Tynga at Friday, April 21, 2017

 Assassin, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Fey, Love amp; Romance, Magic, Purchased, Review, Romance, Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass, young adult  Leave your mark

✎

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

Dacia and Lou are embarking for the trip of their life when they head to Romania to meet with their mother's family. A lot of secrets awaits them, and nothing could prepare them for what they will have to face.

Silver in the Blood has a fun concept, but the execution was lacking for me. The first 50% of the novel is, I'll dare say, boring. It took me almost 2 weeks of reluctant reading, wondering if I should give up altogether, to reach the 50% milestone. The world building is extremely slow and Jessica is so focused on keeping things vague and mysterious that she completely lost my interest. Up to that point, the characters were drab and typical.

Thankfully, things finally picked up when the big, bad secret (which, let's be honest, wasn't much of a surprise) was revealed. There was finally interesting moments and some action to hang onto. The characters finally had some flavor as well! Dacia who had been outgoing and fast-spoken thus far suddenly became almost catatonic until she knocked out of it toward the end. Lou, on the other hand, had been a shy introvert who turned onto a confident and strong woman. I think Lou's transformation is the only thing I really loved about this book. She was like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

The lore had an interesting (if not completely original) flavor. The legend surrounding the Florescu family was good, but there was definitely not enough details about Mihai's family. Do they have powers of their own? Why would the Florescus feel compelled to protect them for centuries if they don't have anything special? We don't get answers and it just didn't make sense. I liked the part about the Wing, the Claw, and the Smoke. It was an interesting twist.

We don't meet Dacia's mother at all and it is kind of disappointing because I was curious about her. What kind of woman would send her daughter across the world to face such trauma?

Overall, my review is clearly negative. It's not a bad book, I know many are raving about it, but its flaws bothered me. If you are curious about it, I would suggest getting it from the library.

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by Tynga at Friday, July 24, 2015

 Bloomsbury Publishing USA, Fantasy amp; Magic, Historical, jessica day george, Netgalley, Review, Silver in the Blood, werewolf, young adult  6 People left their mark

✎

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Only a flimsy magical barrier and an old as dirt treaty 'protects' the human world (Feyre's world) from the wicked Faeries. Legends are full of warnings about the fey, but none helped her when one came to her home to drag her back to his. Everything is more beautiful, deceptive and cruel than she was ever taught, but she will also discover a brighter side to this foreign world. One she will start to appreciate. It might even have something to do with a certain masked fey lord...

A Court of Thorns and Roses is another awesome faerie world created by Sarah J.Maas, one with a completely (yet, as mesmerizing) different world than the Throne of Glass world. Faeries used to rule the world and after a savage war they retreated to their own territory, forced to release their human slaves. Their world is now split in 7 courts, each ruled by a Lord. Some aren't happy about their predicament and are just waiting the right opportunity to take over the human world once more. Things of nightmare but also terrible (and sometimes deceptive) beauty mingle in this enchanted world beyond human reach.

I really, really liked the colorful and dangerous world Maas created and the rich story line to accompany it. Feyre is taken from her family, and treated as an esteemed guest in Tamlin's manor. He is a bit awkard, but he is making efforts to be nice to her and eventually she will warm to his presence. I couldn't help it, my mind kept screaming 'Stockholm syndrome' but at least the whole thing wasn't creepy! He was actually courting her, for reasons we don't know, but the whole thing is kinda sweet. She's not any swooning girl though and she keeps her foul mouth and attitude at least until half the book. Her witty comments were great, and I LOVED her banter with Lucien. There were many great characters in this novel, but he was definitely my favorite. He is though, secretive, smart, has a shit attitude but he is as loyal as it gets. From beginning to end, he lived up to my expectations.

I find it super hard to talk about the plot without giving anything away... The novel is kind of split in two parts, Tamlin's courting of Feyre and Feyre's hopeless mission. The atmosphere in both part is soooo different you could almost believe it's two different books. Feyre goes from lost girl in search of a purpose to a girl with a purpose that will most likely get her killed, yet she won't give up. I really admired her strength and determination in this second part and I have to command her for it. Tamlin went from shy and flirty, yet mighty powerful, to groveling mute eye-candy. In the second Part, Feyre must complete three tasks to reach her goal and will gain unlikely allies along the way, and ohh were these task stress-inducing! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The conclusion is a complete game changer and I was holding my breath during the final battle. I just couldn't believe what I was reading! I really can't wait for the next novel to discover the fallback of these events and where each character now stands. I haven't mentioned Rhysand yet, but he was one of the great and surprising characters and I can't wait to see the part he will play in the next installment.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is another amazing book by miss Maas and I strongly suggest you read it!

Read an excerpt

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by Tynga at Friday, June 19, 2015

 A Court of Thorns and Roses, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, Faeries, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Magic, Publisher, Review, Sarah J Maas, young adult  6 People left their mark

✎

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Celaena was forced into exile, sent on a mission by the King of Adarlan, but once she get there her plans must change.

Heir of Fire is an awesome installment in this series but I would lie if I said I got into the story right away. See, the Throne of Glass series has a very intricate world, filled with details, weird names and many past- and present- enemies, and with my terrible memory, I had a hard time getting my bearings once more. I don't want to tarnish this novel's shine, it really is my own fault hehe. Once I got back into the saddle though, it was quite a ride!

All our favorite characters -and some new ones- are now apart, living their own lives in parallel. Celaena is in Wedlyn learning about her magic and her history (which is quite amazing!) with a new awesome character - Rowan. He is one grumpy old as dirt Fae, but he really grows on you hehe. Damian is still in Adarlan, dealing with his magic and his father, but also overcoming his loss of Celaena with a new female character! Chaol, as amazing as he is, is completely lost in this installment, trying to find the right path, and I really felt for him. Witches were also given a more important role in this novel, and we meet Manon. Her story isn't that relevant in Heir of Fire, but I think she'll be important in Queen of Shadows.

My favorite part of this novel is definitely Celaena and her new friend Rowan. I loved their interactions, two bulls facing each other to see who will come out on top. Even though they start as reluctant partners, they end up being really good for each other and I loved it. It's not a romantic relationship, nothing like what Celaena had with Chaol, but it's also really great.

The plot was very engaging! Every characters are knowingly - or not- getting ready for a full blown war. The stakes are really high and battles, big and small, are being fought on every front. It's very exciting to witness everyone getting ready, seeing the pieces get in line and set the ground for the upcoming battle. Celaena really impressed me with her attitude, her quick mind and her abilities. She not only faced physical enemies, but also her inner demons, brilliantly! We also finally learned what really happened the night her parents died!

Heir of Fire is one big buildup of anticipation for Queen of Shadows, coming out September 2015. I really can't wait to read about this epic battle and I truly hope my favorite characters will make it through. Many did great sacrifices in Heir of Fire and I hope they will be worth it!

If you haven't read this amazing series yet, I strongly urge you to do so, starting with The Assassin's Blade. It's a collection of the short stories of this series, and I strongly suggest you read the first 3 ones before you start on Throne of Glass.

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by Tynga at Friday, March 06, 2015

 Assassin, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, fae, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Love amp; Romance, Magic, Purchased, Review, Sarah J Maas, Throne of Glass, young adult  6 People left their mark

✎