Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas Book Review. Spoilers for the Previous Three
Look at the cover! Just, look at it! Isn't it the most beautiful thing ever created?!?!?!?!?
Ok. Where do I even start in reviewing this book. Sorry, this masterpiece. This book has everything I could ever want in series's fourth novel, and I wish I could wipe my brain blank so I can read it for the first time again and experience the rollercoaster of emotions once more.
So, for any new YA readers or people thinking of reading this book, DO IT. You will not regret the hours you spend doing so. Queen of Shadows is the fourth book in the largely popular New York Times best selling series, Throne Of Glass. This series contains a high fantasy setting, cute romances with hot guys, magic and faeries, well rounded characters, despicable antagonists, beautiful writing, and an overall kickass vibe to it. Clearly, I mean the main character is an assassin after all.
The first book, Throne of Glass, starts of with us meeting the protagonist of the series, Celaena Sardothien. We quickly learn that she is the notorious Adarlan's Assassin, who is most feared and skilled assassin in all of Adarlan. However, she somehow gets captured and sent to a slave camp called Endovier. A deal is then struck with her by the King's son, Prince Dorian Havilliard, which she agrees to. The agreement is that she must participate in a competition to become the King's Champion, and if she succeeds in nabbing the title she is free to leave in peace after four years of service. She then journeys along with the prince and Captain of the Guard, Chaol Westfall, to the main castle where her tasks begin.
SPOILERS FOR THRONE OF GLASS, CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, AND HEIR OF FIRE!!!
STOP READING HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST THREE BOOKS!
So if you are caught up to the end of the third book (Heir of Fire), you'd know that:
A) Celaena Sardothien is actually Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, rightful heir of the crown of Terrasen
B) Aelin is part fae, and her power is controlling and creating fire
C) Aelin (Celaena) killed a Yellowlegs Matron
D) Dorian has magic
E) Manon might actually have some..... Feelings?!? What?!?!?
F) Dorian is now enslaved in one of those dark Valg collars
G) Chaol is no longer Captain of the Royal Guard
H) Rowan's mate has died
I) Manon's relationship with her Grandma is not the average cookie making and eating kind
J) One of the King's generals is Aedion Ashryver, who is Aelin's cousin
K) The black rings are a way for the king to control whoever wears them
L) Aelin frees Rowan from his blood oath to Maeve, and he in return insists on making a blood oath with her, making him the first of her royal court
M) Fleetfoot is being taken care of
As you can see, Throne of Glass is no longer about an assassin who is fighting for her freedom, it is about a queen who is fighting for her country's freedom from the King's malicious hold.
Queen of Shadows Spoiler-Free Review:
I'm going to start off by saying that Queen of Shadows is one of the best written books this year. I was able to get a copy on the first day it came out, and finished it less than two days later. Keep in mind that this book is 656 pages. This is one of those books that you pick up and immediately put your life on hold to finish reading the book. It is beautifully written in a way that makes the reader relate to the characters, even though most of us probably have not killed anyone and aren't possessed by other worldly demons or have magical powers. Each of the leading characters is written in depth and we, as readers, feel like we know them as well as a best friend would. The pacing of the story is stable, and there are no dull moments throughout. Many things are touched upon throughout this book, some of which are:
- an Aedion and Aelin reunion
- Manon and Aelin finally meet
- meeting new characters (Nesryn, Elide etc.)
- meeting old characters such as Lysandra (she was in the novellas before Throne of
Glass) and Arobynn
- many deaths
- cute romance moments
- Aelin reunites with Fleetfoot
..... and many more. Now, I can't go into detail about any of the things listed above, and I also can't mention any of the other highlights of Queen of Shadows. However, I can tell you that this book is definitelyworth the money spent on buying it and the time spent reading it. If you have not read this yet click one of the links below or go to your nearest bookstore and buy it because you won't regret it!!!