Queen of Shadows
Ratings610
Average rating4.5
The first half of this book was me yelling “WTF IS AELIN UP TO?” While the second half was smacking me in the face with secrets left and right. Just when I thought i knew someone..WRONG. It messed with my emotions. I loved it. I need more. OH look the next book is out. :)
So many secrets revealed. So threads tied up. New allies. Heartbreaking discoveries. Flawless writing!
I thought this book was awesome! I really like the way sarah j maas connected everything together , and I am really excited to read empire of storms , and a court of thorns and roses.
So, this is the 4th book in the Throne of Glass series. I am slightly disappointed with Celaena/Aelin in this installment. It seems any maturity that she gained in the last book, she immediately lost when she returned to Rifthold. And then there is constant reminder of everyone falling over how beautiful she is. There are a few spoilers ahead.
But he hadn't remember just how stunning she was ... and it had struck him stupid.
Aedion marveled for a heartbeat at the softness in the warrior's face.
This. Book. THIS BOOK.
Everything about this book was amazing. Every character jumped out of the pages and you could feel the emotions behind them. You know why they act certain ways or do certain things. New characters are introduced but more importantly, the characters we love have grown and changed. That is what I love about this book; the events DO break some of the characters and we can see that in this book. Chaol was a hot mess at the start of this book. I pitied him but at the same time I wanted to yell at him to wake up!!
My favorite character has to be Manon. She's amazingly cruel but you can see her battling her ‘duty' constantly throughout the book when she helps Elide and then our lovely gang. Honestly, I like all of the characters. I didn't like Rowan very much in the last book, but wow did he change my mind this time around. I can't wait for the next installment.
oh my gosh so many things HAPPENED in this book, just NONSTOP HAPPENINGS I need to lie down
overall very satisfying, a lot of good payoffs for things that had been building up throughout the series. I really like the overall themes of GIVING LADIES AGENCY and paying back favors given.
I am a little exhausted from following all of the various Magical Bloodline Sagas but overall very enjoyable, likely moreso for a reader who, in general, is more into high fantasy king and queen shit than I am.
This series is by no means over, but this book was a satisfying conclusion to a 4 book story arc. There were many twist that came unexpectedly, but even the things I wasn't happy with at first I grew to appriciate. The loose threads were beautifully woven into a tapestry by the end of this book.
I don't really have the right words to say how much I loved this book. People kept telling me it would be everything I wanted, and I seriously doubted that, but they were right. It was a very painful book, but in the end the pain was worth it for the pay off. The things that early on really bugged me were cleared up and explained by the end to the point that none of my original complaints held any merit. It was a wonderful book. So many things happened that I could never have guessed. The plot twists were incredible. The character development was mindblowing.
The author continually does things I didn't want her to do and then makes me love it, which I can't say has ever happened in any series I've read.
I would also add that Maas continues the new trend of adding new characters in this book and I loved them all yet again. How she makes me fall in love with new characters to the same extent as the original ones, I really can't say. Maas is a master.
On a personal note I will add that I'm going through a really hard time right now, and this book was exactly the kind of escapism I needed to help me cope.
Thank you Maas!
This was definitely my least favorite in the series so far, but hey, I adored it nevertheless.
Because these are phenomenal books.
Queen of Shadows is intense, sensual, and riveting. All of the character's stories finally became completely intertwined. From the MC's wicked past (I'm not saying her name, sorry), to Rowan's ever-present guilt, and Chaol's pure anger, everything wrapped up to create one heck of book.
I had liked Chaol and the MC prior to this book, but he was such an utter jerk for a while, that I didn't like it anymore.
Plus... Rowan. Need I say more?
Also, I loved the introduction of Elide's character to the story. And I may have started shipping her with Manon.
Oops.
Back to Manon, I loved her chapters. I love how she is developing as a character, and I can't wait to see more. And Asterin... my heart broke a little bit. She's an interesting character, and I'm really hoping to see more of her and her bond with Manon in the future books.
I love this series. It is incredible, and has me totally hooked. 2016 is a long time to wait, but sometimes sacrifices must be made.
After waiting ages for this, I can say that it's the best book I've read this year and the wait was worth it. Now, let me get back to waiting for another year for the next one to come out.
screams
wails
turns into a hawk and pecks at publishers to release the next one sooneror maybe a ghost leopard
OMFG ROWAN EEEEEEEEEEEE
Holy mother of gods and lords and Aelin fucking Ashryver Galathynius (if that's even how you spell it).
There are no words
Not without spoiling.
It was fantastic.
Just- wow.
I was on the fence about my feeling on this book in the beginning, because people were acting not the way I wanted them to, and there were things going on that I didn't like, but then suddenly it turned. Well, not suddenly, but it turned around, and things got better, people started getting along, they stopped fighting, I found myself loving the biggest ship of all the ships, which I never would have thought, had you asked me after Heir of Fire. I don't know, man, there were just so many things, and it ended so epicly, and now there's not just one more villain to end, but two, Spoilereven though one was literally just killed and I could sit here reading and feel the pressure of the whole situation along with everyone else, and holy gods, it was truly amazing.
Pretty decent story, I liked the flow of the story. It reminds me of ancient Japanese sagas.
Straight up, five stars. I cannot stress how much this book has improved since Heir of Fire.
1.) NO PACING ISSUES. It didn't start off slow or too fast-paced. It was beautiful. Beautiful.
2.) Female characters. Each and every one of them were diverse and unique and beautiful and strong and courageous. Sarah writes the best females in any fiction. Ever. I love it.
3.) Relationships were sacred and treated as such. The friendship between Aelin and Lysandra was strong. Is strong. Unbreakable. Chaol never stopped believing in Dorian and Nesryn never stopped believing in Chaol. Amazing. And the bond between Manon and Asterin? Made me fucking tear up. Aedion with practically everyone. Yes.
4.) Romance. Yes. Yes. Yes.
5.) Plot. It wasn't confusing it wasn't too quick it was perfect and made absolute sense. Plus! No cliffhangers!
6.) Character development. Holy shit. I hated Chaol. Now I can tolerate him. Honestly, best best character development ever. And Manon? Yeah. Her sudden discovery of herself and her own consciousness was amazing. Love.
7.) Just everyone and everything was amazing. Don't listen to the haters or the bashers because this book was written BEAUTIFULLY. V BEAUTIFULLY.
READ IT PLEASE.
I have finally finished this massive book. I'm now left with this gaping hole and these raw emotions that I need to process. That being said, I did absolutely love the book! I cannot say it is my favorite in the series simply because I absolutely loved Crown of Midnight and it holds a special place in my heart, but this one is definitely number 2.
I may or may not write a more formal review later, I just do not want to give away anything about the book and my thoughts/emotions until more people have the chance to finish it.