This book took me 2 whole weeks to finish. And after days and days of torture and of forcing myself to JUST READ, I finally finished it. Umm, I thought this was the last book in the series, for some reason? So the ending was definitely shocking. And somehow –somehow– I realized, halfway into the book, that hell, I don’t like the main character anymore.
So you know how in the first two books I was super confused about who I’m supposed to ship Celaena with? Well, I didn’t ship her with either Dorian or Chaol. Then Heir of Fire came in and HALLELUJAH, I found my ship –or so I thought. I went from Rowaelin IS MY FRIGGIN OTP to ugh those two are so annoying super fast.
In this book, Aelin was incredibly bossy, downright annoying, and simply the most irritating drama queen ever. Everytime her chapters come up I’d literally shut the book and go to sleep.
So I’m not giving the Queen of Terrasen any stars. Instead, I’m giving these 3 stars to my babies, Manon, the Thirteen, and Elide. Plus my baes, Dorian, Lorcan (don’t judge) and Abraxos, the love of my life.
What happened at the end might have made me dislike Aelin a little less. But even that amount of selflessness can’t make up for all the shit she pulled. Talking down to Manon, Aedion, and even Rowan for God’s sake. Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.
Empire of Storms
(Throne of Glass #5)
By Sarah J. Maas
Kingdoms will collide.
The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don’t.
With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.
In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she’s to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.
Painfully Fictional 
I am a Manon fan and love her with Dorian, but I really adored Lysandra in this book. She totally showed her greatness in EoS.
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Totally!! I believe SJM showed us the real Lysandra in EoS. It always felt like she was an underrated character in Queen of Shadows. I’m so proud of what her character evolved into in this book!
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I must be the last person on the blogosphere not to have read these books. So this was amusing if confusing! 😀
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I know the feeling 😂 I was you only a couple months ago. I’m really liking the series so far but I’m not sure if it’s living up to my expectations, if that makes sense? I think it’s a little overly hyped, to be honest 😕
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Sometimes stuff feels overhyped, but it’s still cool to read it and know that you’re reading along with a bunch of other fans! 😀
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Agreed!
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Reading this series solely for everyone else (Manon, the 13, Dorian, Chaol, Elide, Lorcan,even Fenrys!) cuz I am not a fan of Rowan or Aelin….nice review anyways, Nadwa!
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Totally understandable! I remember your comment on the Unpopular Opinions book tag now and like, although I don’t ship Aelin with Chaol, I can’t say I ship her with Rowan anymore, either. So, I decided not to acknowledge those two characters from now on because it’s just so much easier that way 😂 And like, seriously, this series isn’t merely about Aelin, anymore (if it were, I would’ve certainly DNF’d it) I’m so happy with what’s become of the other characters. Thank you so much, Rendz!!
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Shipping people in this series is clearly proving to be far too difficult XD OMG if none of the side characters had been around, I don’t think I would have continued either! Long live the side characters!!
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Great review! This book was definitely the hardest one in the series for us to get through as well! To be quite honest, we found ourselves skimming it more so than reading it! It was just so hard to get through as we stopped really caring about Aelin too! We honestly wanted her old Celeana-self back. Abraxos is probably our favorite character at this point haha!
-Ash & Lo
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I hate to admit this but I found myself skimming the book at some point, too! I can definitely relate to that. Although I wasn’t a BIG fan of Celaena’s, I still liked her more than Aelin!
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Yaaaasssss Nadwa!!! You finally understand my frustration – I literally went through the same as you: loved Aelin and now downright hate her. I am only reading this series for Manon because her storyline was amazing in EoS. I don’t even care about Rowan and Aelin, but them as a couple didn’t mean as much to me as it did to you 😭 Oh and I really, really, really ship Elide and Lorcan? Like when did that happen? but they’re so cute together!!
Great review!! 😘
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Manon is one of my favorite characters. I’ve always seen her as this totally badass and tough person, but like, in EoS, Aelin sort of messed up the way I see Manon (again, I can’t go two minutes without criticizing her) Aelin was literally walking around in EoS (sort of) patronizing everyone around her and bossing people around. And I was honestly looking forward to a little more resistance from Manon, and honestly -honestly- a good old cat fight between the two 😂 We didn’t really get that… But that’s okay. And hey, I cannot resist the haters-to-lovers trope so you can’t blame me for shipping those two annoying idiots! 😂 It didn’t even last long. And yes, totally!! Elide and Lorcan’s relationship is unbearably swoon-worthy. I ship it! Thank you!! 😘💖
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Oh yeah I know what you mean! Manon didn’t really fight back against Aelin, even though that’s so her personality! Ahahahah I was totally looking forward to a good cat fight too, instead they became allies really fast. Manon is too much of a loner to become close with people so quickly. Wow, yet another thing I hate about that book lol! 💕
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The list is never-ending 😂
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i like the side characters more in this series than the MCs i really don’t care what will happen to aelin, for me that was one of the worst character developments!
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Agreed!!
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