Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas | Book Review

Title: Empire of Storms
Series: Throne of Glass, #5
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: 9/06/16
Edition: hardcover
Pages: 693
My Rating: 5 / 5
Goodreads page

WARNING: There are spoilers in this review. 

I wrote a spoiler-free section, but there are spoilers of the past Throne of Glass books in it. I also wrote a spoiler-filled section for those who want to fangirl with me. Please keep the comment section spoiler-free for our friends who aren’t up-to-date with the series yet. Thanks! ❤

Synopsis

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. 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.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin’s journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

(This synopsis is from Goodreads.)

Spoiler-Free Thoughts

There were a lot of plot twists. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Most of the time, when books have a lot of plot twists, I come to expect them. However, in this book, I didn’t expect any of the things that the story hurled at me.

One thing that always blows my mind every time I read a Throne of Glass book is how young Aelin is. She was 18 years old in Throne of Glass and now she’s 19. That’s a lot of responsibilities on the shoulders of a freaking teen. You can’t tell me that a 19 year-old plotted and planned all that happened throughout this series. It seems impossible. Well, everything Aelin does seems pretty impossible.

I have to admit, the first couple chapters were a bit slow. I might go as far as saying I was a bit bored while reading those chapters.

Empire of Storms has much more mature content than the previous books in the series. I consider this more of a new adult novel rather than a young adult novel. That doesn’t mean teens can’t read it. I would just suggest refraining from handing this book to a 13 year-old unless you think they can handle it.

The battles are starting to become borderline chaotic. Most of the time, I can keep up with what’s happening, but now everything is happening at once. That last battle was… *wipes brow*… intense.

There are spoilers of Empire of Storms beyond this point! If you don’t want to be spoiled, do not proceed.

Spoiler Thoughts

I have noticed a couple characters absent in this whole entire book. For one, where the heck are Evangeline and Fleetfoot after Aelin’s squad left them? Also, Chaol and Nesryn never made an appearance the whole entire book. They were mentioned once or twice, but other than that, they never appeared.

Let’s talk about Manon for a second. Even though she was *sort-of* evil when she was first introduced, I liked her. I like her even more now that she decided to stay on Aelin’s side of the war. And it’s so cute that Manon and Dorian are in love (?), if that’s what you call their relationship. It was also pretty cool to figure out that our very own Wing Leader is the Crochan Queen, and she could be the solution to all the witches problems.

Now, her grandmother, on the other hand, is a different story completely. She is one of the main sources of the witches’ problems. I wanted to reach inside the story and smack some sense into that woman. She is a perfect example of someone who only grew old but not wiser.

Let’s also talk about the lovely Queen Maeve. Oh, how I love to hate her. You thought Matron Blackbeak was bad? Oh, Maeve here is so much worse. She is so bent on having all the Keys that I think she’s gone a bit cray-cray. She’s gotten so cynical (even though she isn’t so great herself) that she broke the blood-bond between some of her Fae soldiers. She was all like…

… which was a big mistake on her end, in my opinion. I think Gavriel and Lorcan are going to side with Rowan and help him defeat Maeve.

I was so happy because of the reintroduction of characters from The Assassin’s Blade. Most of them I didn’t recognize, so I had to look them up. The only person I remembered was Rolfe. The way he reacted when Aelin made an appearance was priceless.

Aelin planned every little thing, down to the littlest of details. It’s crazy how much of a crazy genius she is. It’s sad that she doesn’t entrust her team with her plans in fear that she would disappoint them if they don’t work.

We learn towards the end that Elena didn’t want to deal with the consequences of her actions, and just let the future generation deal with the huge problem she created. What a great grandmother.

Characters

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius

She’s a freaking genius. I wouldn’t want to mess with her. Her nickname is the fire-breathing bitch queen for a reason.

Rowan Whitethorn

Oh, Rowan. I’m not sure you deserve Aelin.

Aedion Ashryver

Aedion’s pretty cool, I guess.

Lysandra

She overworks herself because of her dedication and devotion to Aelin. It’s weird to think that they used to absolutely hate each other.

Dorian Havilliard

Ah. I’m so glad you finally found someone to love.

Gavriel

Poor dude.

Fenrys

Being bound to Maeve must suck.

Lorcan

I didn’t like him in the beginning, but once he started falling in love with Elide, he became a puppy. A very scary, growly, assassin puppy.

Elide Lochan

She deserves better, and I hope Aelin and her friends can give it to her.

Manon Blackbeak

HECK YEAH!

Matron Blackbeak

I hate her with a burning passion.

Maeve

I hate her with an even bigger burning passion.

Erawan

…? It’s weird to say that I actually hate Maeve more than Erawan right now.

Conclusion

I swear this series is going to be the death of me someday. I give this book a well-deserved 5 / 5 BBC Sherlock character heads.

Until next time….

(Please keep the comment section spoiler-free!)