【 QUEEN OF SHADOWS 】

book #4 in the Throne of Glass series

Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Young Adult
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: September 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 648 (hardback)

This is my second time reading Queen of Shadows, and having reread my original (highly detailed & spoilery review of this, now updated this with non-spoilery review) I can happily say that I loved it perhaps even more than the first time around.

There’s just something about this instalment that takes this series to the next level. The whole plot is spiced up to its eyeballs in character development, plot development and other delicious complications.

I feel differently about nearly all the characters going through it this time round (and admittedly, a good handful of years later on). I was, and always will be, Team Dorian, so I find the events of this book to be particularly heartbreaking because of the position Dorian finds himself throughout this book. But characters like Chaol and Nesryn have really grown on me.

While I used to find Chaol to be something of a wet blanket, I found his loyalty and humanity to be touching and very real this time around. I also deeply love Nesryn and can’t wait to see where her character goes next (yes, I have read the next book but good god, I remember so little – hence this reread).

Rowan is Rowan. He’s a snarly piece of fun, but I do feel that he has his limelight in Heir of Fire, and he takes something of a step backwards to let characters like Aelin, Manon and Chaol really shine in this story. In a good way.

I think my previous opinion on Lorcan still stands: totally evil, totally love him. I must say, my previous statement about Lysandra & Aedion also still stands: so many little looks between those two (and big lol to the fact that I cannot remember if they do become a thing). I’m sooo ready for them to be a thing.

And let’s not forget Elide. I remember bits of pieces of what comes next for her, so that was all very exciting to reacquaint myself with her ‘origin’ story, if you will.

The biggest joy of rereading this (and the series generally) is how much more I’ve enjoyed the witches’ storyline. The first time around, perhaps due to being younger and reading from a teen’s perspective, I just found the witches so boring. It used to slow it right down for me. But this time, I live for it.

And there were many other moments that I felt, now with a few more years under my belt, that I slowed down and enjoyed during my reading experience, and that all just added tenfold to the degree to which I fell in love with this story.

I certainly put the book down and went yes, there’s a damn good reason why Maas has become so astronomically famous. I just can’t believe the ACOTAR series still seems to out-do this one – TOG will always be the best in my heart. Bring on number 5!

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Title: Queen of Shadows
Series: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
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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 for her. 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.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.