Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #4)

Celaena Sardothien is cloaked in her assassin’s hood once more. She is back in Rifthold, but this time she is no one’s slave. She must delve into her most painful memories and fight for her survival, while resisting a smouldering passion that might ver well consume her heart. And she will face her former master, the King of Assassins, again — to wreak revenge for a decade of pain . . .

First published: 2015

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Last week I posted my review of The Assassin’s Blade, which I absolutely loved. I was so excited about the series after I finished reading that one that I immediately started reading Queen of Shadows, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series. Mind you, this review will contain spoilers for the first three books in the series! I was a bit nervous about starting QoS because I’d seen multiple people say they were slightly disappointed by the direction the story was taking, but I had no need to be, because I LOVED it.

Heir of Fire left off in complete mayhem. I mean, shit hit the fan in a major way and I was anxious to find out what had happened to everyone – but mostly Dorian, because that black stone collar thing his dad put on him seemed pretty much like the end for him.

Et voilà, we’re immediately inside Dorian’s head in the first (two-page-long) chapter. While they were slightly terrifying and completely heartbreaking, I really liked those short chapters inside Dorian’s head in between the other chapters. It made sure we had some clue of what was going on with him, as well as what was happening inside the castle. Plus, it added to the feeling of hopelessness around his situation.

The chapters I loved most, though, were those told from Aelin’s perspective. And, yes, she’s Aelin now; she’s shed the mask that was Celaena Sardothien – for the most part at least. The difference between those two is highly emphasised, especially when she goes out in public (or semi-public) as Celaena. While I loved Celaena in the first few books she didn’t feel fake or anything to me at all, Aelin felt even more real – it was clear she felt liberated to finally be Aelin again. Plus, Aelin has gone through such a transformation since the start of the series, and while some people might not like who she’s become, I love it. She’s becoming the queen Terrasen needs, and it’s not like she’s a completely different person – the wit and wicked sense of humour is still there. I love seeing her grow into her role and developing as a woman, too.

Which leads me to the romance stuff in this book. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m just going to say that I am 100 percent okay with what’s happening in that area in Queen of Shadows. I think a fair conclusion is that as long as it fits well within the story and the character development, I’m fine wth it. Although that might change – who knows.

Now, I haven’t even talked about the plot yet! So much happens in this book that I don’t even really know where to start, so I’m just not going to go into detail. I loved the badassery and the fact that they’re all back in Rifthold. I still didn’t care too much for Manon’s storyline in comparison to all the other things that were going on, but she’s becoming more interesting to me, and I also like Elide a lot.

Most of all, though, I was just so invested in everything. The suspense was very intense for at least the last 200 pages, and at times I just had to put the book down for a few seconds, yell “I CAN’T TAKE IT” at my mother, and then continue reading. This book gave me feels I haven’t felt since Harry Potter. I KNOW. I almost cried, too, which never happens.

To sum up: I adored this book and I cannot wait until Empire of Storms comes out!