Review: Queen of Shadows

Title: Crown of Midnight, Throne of Glass #4
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: 1 September 2015
ISBN: 1619636042
Pages: 656
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: Hardover
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon|Book Depository

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 just to see her again. 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.

Celaena's epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena's story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

If you can't tell, I am in love with Sarah J. Maas' writing, so it's sad that it's taken me this long to read this book. But I've finished and I loved it. Sarah J. Maas has once again blown it out of the water and written a story truly worthy of this series.

***Beware of spoilers!****

Being thrown back into the chaotic world of Aelin was such an amazing feeling. I really missed being part of all the deceit and fighting that is Throne of Glass. I was so angry with Chaol throughout this entire book. Don't get me wrong, I loved him deeply at one point. But he's become someone whose done wrong and instead of feeling bad for what he's done, he's playing the victim and I despise him for it. I also think it's a little out of character for him but he's a pretty decent psuedo-villain. However, his actions are completely understandable. He really does believe that Dorion is still within his own body even though everyone has abandoned him. For that, I do have to give him props for holding on to his beliefs. And I also think it's fantastic that he's finally stopped believing that he can't do anything because of "duty". He's grown immensely as a character but I still don't really like him.

Dorion. There's so much here that I can't say without giving up the story but getting his perspective was eye opening and intriguing. Seeing from the perspective of someone who has no control of their body was fascinating. And there were so many conflicting thoughts from Aelin and Chaol about whether he was still there and I loved it all. And the little tidbits that Arobynn kept hinting at throughout all of this conflict was intense. This just increased my hatred for Arobynn as a character but increased my respect for him as a villian. He's the perfect villian to hate and he's also not the only one that we can hate.

Can we all just take a moment to enjoy Manon and her part in Heir of Fire before I get any further. I'm not going to lie, I was probably more interested in her story line than I was in Celaena and Dorion's life in the previous book. And my interest only continued in this book. In this novel, her point of view offered insights into the inner workings of the king's plans and into the ways of the witches. Her dynamic and that of the clan was different from any supernatural being that I've ever seen; the hierarchy is very strict and more important than in any other society. I loved it. I kinda want to see a book with just her, maybe a novella of just her story. She's just an awesome character all around and seeing her change and understanding her, and the other witches, influence in the story is a nice change from any other book I've seen.

There were so many surprises and plot twists that by the end of the book, everything you thought you knew isn't true. It was glorious to read, especially in the second half where things where things were getting more into the actual war against the king. But that does't mean that the first half is boring or anything. In fact, seeing Aelin developing rebuilding relationships with Lysandra, Arobynn, and even Chaol was interesting. It wasn't the usual action- packed story line that Sarah J. Maas usually employs but seeing the difference between "Celaena" and "Aelin" was something to be appreciated.

I don't have too much criticism for this novel. I would have enjoyed more of Dorian's point of view, it couldn't have harmed the plot in anyway. And I also think that the Chaol of the past changed a lot more than was necessary but it might also just be that I've stopped feeling much for him (Rowena is where it's at!). Honestly, if you haven't read this series you should stop reading this and go read the series. It's beautifully written with a compelling plot and dynamic characters.