Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass 4)

Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, returns to Adarlan to rescue her cousin Aedion and revenge everyone who hurt her, from Arobynn King of the Asassins to King Havilliard of Adarlan. She'll play her role as Celaena Sardothian as needed, but Aelin's nearly ready to bury her alter ego for good. She

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has plans, and freeing her cousin is just the beginning.

Friendships, romance, betrayals, fighting and political plots - this series has had all of it, and the fourth book brings all the elements together to craft a long but compelling read. I don't really want to say much because the unfolding of Aelin's plans is superbly done, but I will say this: Thank goodness the love triangle is permanently over. Also, I very much appreciated that though there's clearly more to come in the future (six books are planned as I write this), there is no maddening cliff-hanger like in book 3. September and book 5 cannot come fast enough!

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Aelin is back and facing another huge challenge and adventure. Picks up where book three ended and brings familiar characters back to the mystery, intrigue, and challenge of fighting otherwordly beings while trying to save an old friend. Danger and death lurk at the Thirteen continue to train and

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we start to see some of the dark magic being used by the king of Adarlan to control his people and his family. There is a big and deadly plan in the works and Aelin and her court have to risk everything to stop it. Backstabbing and real stabbings abound in this thriller. Leaves the story set for book five. Excellent read.

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LOVE this series! Aelin is back from Wendlyn and planning revenge, rescue, and revolution. We also get to hear lots of Manon's story. I love Manon's story! And Elide! Can't wait to hear the rest of her story! I love how all these former citizens of Terrasen are coming back together and coming back

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home. The next book will be epic! Cassandra was a great new character to learn more about too! I think my favorite thing about this series is how it has evolved and become bigger than Celaena Sardothian. It's not just Celaena's story anymore, it's the story of a kingdom. And you care about ALL the characters because they are so well developed. Great novel. Great series. Can't wait for more!

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This book is absolutely amazing! The events surrounding the dark king and princes finally comes to a head and the new Queen must save them all. I won't ruin the ending, but I can tell you that there are a few surprises in store for you!

Note: Spoilers for all previous three books in the Throne of Glass series

This is the fourth book in the “Throne of Glass” series, and I think it is even better than the three books preceding it (although it is by no means a standalone novel). I love it when authors actually get better over

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time!

This young adult fantasy series has the usual mishmash of familiar themes from other fantasies and dystopias, ranging from Harry Potter to the Divergent series to Hunger Games. But Maas takes these elements and adds remarkably original world building, great characters who actually grow as the series progresses, and epic themes - in short, all the elements of stand-out fantasy.

We first get to know the heroine at age 18, in her guise as Celaena Sardothien, a.k.a. the most notorious assassin of Adarlan. By now, however, we know that she is actually the thought-to-be-dead heir to the throne of Terrasen, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. She has returned to Adarlan, as she promised, to save her cousin Aedion - who is about to be executed; to liberate Prince Dorian if she can; to avenge the harms done to her and those she loved by the master assassin who trained her; and to free up magic once again. And actually, that’s just on the start of her to-do list.

In alternate chapters, we learn what is happening with Manon Blackbeak, who has agreed to fight for the evil King of Adarlan in exchange for the right to return to the Witch Kingdom. But Manon’s life, which had been so simply divided into black and white for decades upon decades, has now just gotten some shades of gray (not in the sense of Christian Grey, I hope I don’t need to add), and her new awareness of nuance comes from some surprising quarters. Manon becomes someone you find you are rooting for, instead of wishing she would meet her demise.

Although Aelin had left her soul-mate - the powerful Fae male Rowan, back in Wendlyn, Rowan comes after her when he discovers the strongest Fae male, Lorcan, is after Aelin. Soon, Aelin’s efforts to save Adarlan (while avoiding Queen Maeve and her henchman Lorcan) are not only joined by Aedion, Rowan, Chaol (her former lover and now leader of the rebel forces), and Nesryn - a powerful female soldier who has been working with Chaol, but some unexpected and wonderful new allies.

And in one of the book’s most poignant sections, Aelin and Chaol finally talk to each other about what they used to mean to each other, what happened between them, and what they mean to each other now.

There are other character interactions too that are very memorable, though too spoilery to mention in detail, particularly a speech by Rowan about what he has been looking for in his centuries of wandering the world. But they make this book very worth reading, as does the edge-of-your-seat dénouement, which not only is outstanding in terms of tension, pacing, but surprisingly realistic within the parameters of this paranormal world.

At the end of the first book, Aelin’s ancester Elena had told her: “You could be great. . . . You could rattle the stars… You could do anything, if you only dared.” And as Aelin prepares to fight her most momentous battle in this fourth book, a character says to her: “Ten years of shadows, but no longer. Light up the darkness, Majesty.” She does indeed.

Evaluation: This is an excellent fantasy series that I am happy to discover does not end with this book, although it could have. There are no real cliff-hangers, but plenty to make you want to keep hearing more about the remarkable characters you have come to know over the four books so far in the series.

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Next volume, Celaena has accepted her true identity as Aelin, Queen of Terrasen, and returns to destroy the evil king, rescue his son, and return magic to the land, maybe not in that order. But the son has been taken over by a demon, possibly forever. Meanwhile, the Blackbeak witch Manon continues

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to work for the bad guys, but her doubts may lead her into all-out rebellion. Maas knows how to chew up plot rather than dragging things out, which is good, and I liked that even if I wasn’t going to get my threesome, Maas also acknowledges that you can love a second person without denigrating the meaning of the earlier relationship, even if that one didn’t work out. It’d be nice to have a few non-standard pairings, but otherwise this is pretty much what I want out of escapist fantasy, up to and including the fancy outfits for special events.

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Very very good. I enjoyed this new installment of the Throne of Glass series. I liked the POVs, the characters and the twists and turns of the plot, which were not entirely predictable.

I appreciated the previous book too, but it had been frustrating because while it laid the foundations for the

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second part of the series, it lacked rhythm and the whole master/pupil scenario got boring after a while. This time there are finally some resolutions, the plot moves forward in a certain direction and, from the look of it, with many more books to come.

They took one look at her weapons, at that utterly wicked suit of hers, and decided they liked having their organs inside their bodies.

As far as the romance goes, there is some teenager-level tension, kind of funny considering the age of all the parties involved but anyway, Maas keeps a foot in both (several, actually) camps so there’s a lot of teasing, more couples in the making and nothing conclusive.

“He forgets and forgives even less easily than you do. Especially when someone threatens to cut off his manhood.”
“At least I said it would be a big mistake,” she said with a fiendish grin. “I was tempted to say ‘little.’”

I was a bit disappointed with the character of Chaol, maybe it was inevitable at this point, but he used to show more backbone in the past. Manon has really grown on me, she is not an easy character to handle and the latest developments of her story are very interesting.

Key facts:
• Sassy, brassy, strikingly and overwhelmingly tough, aggressive, powerful, and effective
• Mary Sue spree
• Testosterone galore
• Fatal Attraction & Body Count
• Oh, really?

I’m looking forward to the next book!

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This is book 4 of the Throne of Glass series, which I absolutely love. It’s one of my favorite series in the entire library.

Because this is book 4, I can’t really say much. I will say if you like a really good fantasy series, read this one! In this novel, Aelin (formally known as Celaena)

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returns to Rithold to take down the evil King. The prince is controlled by the horrible collar, making him do evil things. Chaol is disappointed that she didn’t bring an army, thinking she cannot undo the evil by herself. Little does he remember that she is quite clever. The twists and turns and suspense will keep you on your toes. You’ll enjoy this novel as much as the others. It’s not the last novel, so be aware more are coming; I just don’t know if it’s one or two more. Enjoy!

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This is the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series. It was very well done, although a bit longer than it probably should have been. Still I have been very impressed with how incredible the world building is and how epic the storyline has become. There are six books planned for this series.

Aelin

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Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen (formerly Celaena) has returned to Adarlan with her primary purpose being to free magic and get her revenge on Arobynn. When she arrives she finds out that her cousin has been imprisoned and is scheduled to be executed. Aelin also discovers that Chaol has gone underground and is no longer part of the guard and Prince Dorian has been taken over by a Valg demon prince.

As Aelin plots to free her cousin and take down the King she will need help from both enemies and allies, new and old. Only then will she be able to restore Adarlan to it’s rightful people and awaken magic. However, as darkness stirs outside of Adarlan we find that taking down the King of Adarlan might only be the first step in a long journey against evil.

This book builds a lot on the last one and is told from many viewpoints. It was never confusing or hard to follow and the many viewpoints worked very well. The world building is incredibly well done and has definitely increased in complexity as the series as expanded.

We meet even more new characters in this book and to be honest I love some of the new characters even more than the old favorites. I especially liked the parts of the story told by the Ironteeth witch Manon, who is the leader of the Thirteen. Her parts were just as engaging, if not more so, than the parts of the book told from Aelin’s POV.

I adore Rowen and wish he had been in the book right at the beginning. Some have complained at the lack of strong female characters and that is addressed with some of the new characters in this book. We spend a lot of time with Lysandra, an old rival of Aelin’s. We also meet Chaol’s second in command and she is pretty awesome. Additionally in the portions with Manon we meet Elide who becomes a very intriguing character as well.

Most of the book is pretty dark but things do gain a more hopeful vibe toward the end. There are a lot of well done action scenes and a lot of surprises. It ended up being a pretty emotional read overall.

My only complaint is the length. This book suffers a bit from epic fantasy book bloat; it’s not awful but it is there. The pacing could have been more consistent (there are some parts mid-book that are pretty slow). Hopefully the next book is edited a bit better….although I worry a bit because each book in this series has been bigger and more bloated than the one before it…

Overall a spectacular continuation of this amazing YA epic fantasy series. I love every aspect of this series and this was an amazing continuation of it. I love how complex and intriguing the story has gotten over the last couple books. I would highly recommend this series to both YA and adult epic fantasy readers alike. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

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Oooooookay, so, for a book that had a lot of excitement revolved around it, I found this book...lacking. The other books were beyond amazing, this book was just...good. DISAPPOINTING.

Anyways...for a book with over 600 pages, I was surprized that I didn't find many filler chapters, and speaking of

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chapters...the chapters were short! YAY! I love short chapters, they seem to make the book fly that much faster...

In the previous books, I was rooting for Chaol in the whole love triangle thingamajig...and I was so convinced that nothing I read would sway my opinion. I was THAT firmly rooted for Chaol...but this book proved me wrong. As much as it pains me to admit this, Chaol ISN'T good for Aelin...and plus...he has this other girl now...

And...ohmygosh! Lysandra! Remember that awful character in the previous books? The one that was always EVIL, and MEAN, and all sorts of nasty? Well, she now plays quite a big role in Aelin's life! And now I view her in a completely different light. A positive light at that.

But really...Rowan and Aelin are definitely better for each other than her previous matches.

I'd say a lot of other stuff like, "oh, Aelin has changed and grown so much as a person and as a queen, and she has finally understood her responsibility, and has started to take action", but I'm sure we all can assume that she DID change, right? I mean, when you read 4 books that were 300-600 pages long, said character MUST have changed in SOME way, right? RIGHT?

Right.

I rest my case.

I can't exactly pinpoint a bad point for this book, it was just...OKAY...sigh...it really is disappointing when a book disappoints...

And...oh! Would you look at that, there's another two books in this series...hmm...

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This series and I have definitely had our ups and downs. Throne of Glass first swept me off my feet with an introduction to the feisty Celaena Sardothien and the whole wide world of rebel princesses, deadly assassins and glass castles – definitely an “up”. However, the sequel Crown of

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Midnight frustrated me with a dry formulaic plot which spun its wheels and went nowhere for most of the book – definitely a “down”. But then along came Heir of Fire. Not only did it get the bad taste the previous novel left in my mouth, this third installment made up for everything by being my favorite book of the series. I could hardly wait to get my hands on Queen of Shadows after that, so to say I had high hopes for this fourth book would be putting it lightly, since I was very curious to see if the upwards trend will continue.

One thing I was sure of though, was that I was going to review the audiobook once more. It would feel wrong not to, at this point. I’ve experienced this whole series thus far in this format, and narrator Elizabeth Evans has always been fantastic. The association between her name and this series for me is so strong by now, that even if I read the book I think I would hear the characters in her voice. She’s just so good at bringing them to life.

And so when I first saw the length of this audiobook, I felt an instant surge of optimism. Generally speaking, a long book should equate to a lot of interesting things happening, a ton of action and suspense and all that goodness.

Well, I suppose I was half-right – “half” being the operative word here. Lots of things do indeed happen in Queen of Shadows, but I found the entire first half to be a struggle. Even now, I feel torn. Overall, this book was actually pretty great, and it had one hell of an ending that’s definitely not to be missed. But we did have to take the longest and most meandering road to get there.

Before I go further though, I must warn that this review assumes you have at least read as far as the end of Heir of Fire, so there will be details from the first three books. Queen of Shadows builds upon everything that came before, so it’ll be quite impossible to talk about it without addressing some major events, such as the fact that Celaena Sardothien is actually the long lost princess Aelin Galathynius (the publisher’s own book description itself states this though, so I don’t think it’ll be too big a deal to reveal). She has finally embraced this as her identity, thus Celaena will be henceforth referred to as Aelin.

Still, while the name has changed, the woman is still the same. Aelin definitely isn’t a character everyone can take to overnight; she’s full of arrogance and bluster, and it wasn’t until the end of Crown of Midnight that I started to like her. It’s no coincidence that I also saw this as a turning point for the series. As the story went down a darker path, Aelin also started to act like a real assassin; no longer just talk, it was great to see her finally walk the walk.

That said though, too many alpha personalities can also spoil a good plot. Aelin is surrounded by men just like her in this book – Chaol, Aedion, Rowan – all very competitive, impatient, conceited and combustible people. There you have a problem, because watching them all in the same scene together is like having to sit through a boardroom meeting with a bunch of Donald Trumps – a whole lot of posturing and snapping at each other, with waves of hormones flying off the walls but no actual progress made, and at the end of it all you just feel like jettisoning the lot of them out an airlock.

I also admit that while a good ship I can get behind is definitely a plus, I read primarily for story, not for who’s getting together with whom (and quite frankly, the latter usually gets in the way of the former, which is frustrating). I do feel like I have to comment on this one thing though, since Rowan and Aelin’s mentor-protégé relationship was one thing that stood out for me in Heir of Fire. I should have known it wouldn’t last. As a formidable teacher, ally and friend, Rowan was actually interesting. As just another hot piece of man meat for Aelin, not so much. Must she throw herself at every available good looking guy that’s not related to her? And parading around in front of Rowan in a skimpy nightie and acting like a schoolgirl with a first crush, was that really necessary?

I feel like such a curmudgeon whenever I say this, but sometimes no romance is better than a forced romance. Aelin and Rowan were just so AWKWARD. Making up for their platonic relationship in the first book meant a whole lot of overcompensating in this one, resulting in some truly banal and cringe-worthy dialogue.

Thankfully, the second half of the book goes a long way in redeeming the tedium and overindulgences of the first half. When Manon Blackbeak was introduced in the previous book, she was one of the highlights. The wyvern-riding witches are one of the best additions to this series, and I loved that we saw more of Manon and Abraxos in this one! Queen of Shadows is also a must-read simply because of all the things the characters go through at the end. There’s a crazy climax, some major changes, and one explosive conclusion, and that’s really all I can say about the second half of the book without spoiling more plot details. Suffice to say, if you’ve been following the series thus far, you’d be insane to miss this.

The ending also begs the question: What is left for book five? I’ve heard that there are at least two more sequels after this, and it’s hard to imagine what could possibly be epic enough to match the events at the end of this book. Despite some of the problems I had with Queen of Shadows, I still enjoyed it and I look forward to finding out what’s next.

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Whereas Heir of Fire is made up of many disparate stories, Queen of Shadows finally brings all of the different threads together. It was so much fun to watch all these characters, both new and old, meet each other again, or meet one another for the first time. Plus, there are a ton of awesome

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female characters - Aelin, Manon, Asterin, Kaltain, Elide, Lysandra, Nesryn. So many badass ladies! I love it! Like in Heir of Fire, the characters are still growing and changing in this book. By the end, though, all the characters seemed more confident in themselves and their roles. They still have a long way to go, but they’re finally getting their footing after questioning themselves and floundering a bit in the last book.

While it’s not strictly necessary, Queen of Shadows is the first book in the series where I’ve felt that reading the prequel novellas would be highly beneficial. They provide critical background information on Arobynn, Lysandra, and Sam (all of whom become very important in Queen of Shadows) as well as a look into Aelin’s previous relationship with each of them. I feel strongly that having read these short stories significantly enhanced my appreciation for the book. It not only gave the story weight and meaning that it wouldn’t otherwise have had, but also allowed me to understand the characters and their motivations on a much deeper level.

I enjoyed Queen of Shadows so much that I considered bumping my rating up half a star to mark it as being a cut above the previous books. But, ultimately, I just couldn’t do it, and here’s why: there were too many magical elements that weren’t explained to any degree of satisfaction. In addition to the mythology of the Valg, we have the Wyrdkeys, Wyrdmarks, Wyrdgates, all these rings, swords, amulets - so many magical thingies! And now we also have Wyrdhounds, ancient mirrors, and apparently a pantheon of gods and goddesses we know almost nothing about yet. If it were just a matter of not having all the information, I could deal with it. But problems arise when the lack of explanation makes the story not make sense. I can’t give too many details without spoiling things, but it seems like Ms. Maas used magic to create situations, circumstances, and possibilities for her characters without considering whether or not it A) was coming out of left field B) would create a giant plot hole C) confuse readers if they thought about it for too long, or D) some combination of all three.

Even though the author was playing a bit fast and loose with the magical elements, Queen of Shadows is still a pretty great book. This series has always been very character driven, and this book does not disappoint in that regard. And so much happened in this installment plot-wise that I’m amazed Ms. Maas was able to fit everything into a single book. Still, there is much that needs to be resolved and many more adventures in store for our wonderful, persevering characters. I seriously can’t wait for the next book. I hope it’s as good as this.

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that ending made putting up with sjm's kinks worth it

I was eager to rejoin this series after the Heir of Fire & this volume proves to be pivotal to the series. No longer really hiding her identity, Aelin is now firmly set on reclaiming her kingdom and enacting revenge on the king who stole it from her. A long novel and it was a little hard to get

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though it places, but a great read overall. I'm not certainly exactly where the series will go from here, but I look forward to more adventures with these characters.

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Near the end I had caught up with what was going on but it did take a while. Celaena Sardothien or Aelin is back in Rifthold and she has to deal with very complicated politics, some of which involve people she cares for and may not be able to save, some involves people she doesn't like but may come

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to care for and some involves revenge for long-standing woes.

Interesting, possibly better read closer to the previous book.

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All the feels! Sarah J. Maas has come so far from the first of the series doing a fantastic job at the small climaxes throughout the book all leading up to the big scene at the end (avoiding spoilers). I love the story jumping back and forth through the characters and the 3rd person narrative works

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so well for this story. From reading other stereotypical YA books I got so used to everything being in first person that when I picked up this series I was initially thrown off. Now I wish more books were written in this style. All the twists and surprises in this book made this easily my favorite of the series thus far. The character development, imagery, and overall style of writing makes this one of my favorite books of all time. I would recommend this book (series) to anyone!

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This is the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series and I have to admit that I’d forgotten about it! I waited impatiently for it to be released and then when it came out in September, I attempted to download it (I listen to this series on my Audible account) and found that the file was too big

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for my device. I tried to download it again in January and same problem so I forgot about it! I rediscovered it last week and have been listening to it non-stop ever since.

I love this series. If you haven’t read Aelin Galathynius’s adventures in the previous books, you really should. It’s a series that should be read in sequence (although you probably could start in the middle and get the gist of the book). This is high fantasy and my favourite genre. It is also a “grown up” series: expect lots of suggestive scenes and violence.

Besides having characters that are easy to relate to, Maas shifts points of view enough times that you aren’t lost with so many characters in the cast. As the POV shifts, the reader feels much closer to the each of the characters and their individual motivations.

Having said that, Aelin Galathynius, the lost Queen of Terrasen, is definitely the protagonist of this series. And she continues to play that role in Book 4. It is refreshing to have a high fantasy protagonist who is a strong, independent female and that’s one of the things I love most about this series.

But even with the shifting POVs, I love how Maas continues to surprise the reader throughout this series. Generally, by the time I get to the fourth book in a series I’m starting to get bored but Throne of Glass continues to deliver. At the same time, the fourth book ends with some closure and not on a cliffhanger. There is trouble brewing and the reader knows there will be more but for now one can sit in the calm of the storm and enjoy the fact that the beloved characters are all at a place of peace (despite how surprising it might be as to where they have ended up).

Maas once again delivers with this book. If you love high fantasy, the Throne of Glass series is not one to miss.

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I absolutely loved Alein's & Lysandra's cunning, planning, and stealth. I was a bit disappointed in how Celeana's former master met his end but for Alein it would have been like killing her surrogate father; even with everything he did to her. The 13 rock! Manon is slowly learning that what her

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heritage was built upon was not how things have to be. She really stepped up to the plate and I'm looking forward to her hitting a homerun in the coming books...I think she is the next queen of the wastes. Manon & Alein's fight was awesome, especially the end. I was hoping we would eventually find out what happend to Kaltaine & Roland …and we do in this book. Going forward, I'm worried about what Alein's broken shattered people will think about her being the infamous former assassin. I don't trust Lorcan's intentions. I am very worried for Aedion...will he be required to submit to Maeve through his father's blood bond? Will Alein & Rowan make it or will Alein be required to marry someone else to ensure that her country is safe? Will there be a Dorian & Manon future together? What additional treasures will Elide bring besides what she is carrying in her pocket? So, looking forward to the next book.

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This book has redeemed the previous one in the series and now I love this series again: Only down side is I now have to wait a year for the next one :(

Story time: Just when I thought it couldn't get better than Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows came along and proved me wrong. I squealed and laughed and gasped and cried so much while reading. The cast, plot, romances, writing, and world are just incredible. After reading I NEEDED Empire of Storms and

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it wasn't out yet. It was rough.

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Just finished reading this and AGHHHHHH!!!! I ALREADY CANNOT WAIT TO READ TOG5!!!

Damn! There are no words. and now I have to wait for the next book, gah!

This installment continued with the new, excellent story progression of Heir of Fire, without too much obvious plot twists or easily predictable revelations. While I still prefer Heir of Fire to Queen of Shadows, this was still an epic story and I greatly enjoyed it. The only part that really irked

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me was the sheer groan-worthy sexually driven scenes that, while sometimes expected and greatly anticipated, were written with cringey dialogue and innuendo.

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What more can I possibly say about this series. This book continued on with twists and turns and some amazing action. I loved that some romance has come into play in this book between key characters. Several questions have been left to be answered and I can't wait to see where the next book takes

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the story.

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