Book Review: Queen of Shadows

Queen of Shadows

By: Sarah J Maas

Published By: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: September 1st, 2015

Page Count: 448

Buy it at Bookworld

Source: Provided by Publisher

Audience: Young Adult/
Fantasy

Review of Book 1: Throne of Glass

Review of Book 2: Crown of Midnight

Review of Book 3: Heir of Fire

This review may contain spoilers for the first three books in the Throne of Glass series. Proceed with caution!

Celaena Sardothien has survived being a slave in the mines of Endovier, training with the assassins of the Red Desert, the loss of her family, her lover, and her best friend. She has faced a legendary Fae queen and won the loyalty of the most powerful Fae warrior alive. Now she is returning to Adarlan to reclaim her birthright - to bring down the evil king, save her friends, and reclaim her kingdom.

In Rifthold, Chaol is no longer with the King's guard. Dorian is subject to his father's whims, and Aedion is a guest in the castle dungeons.

In the mountains, Manon Blackbeak and her Thirteen are riding in the service of Duke Perrington, but Manon is not used to taking orders from men.

All of the major players come together in this fourth book of the series as they try to free magic, take down the king, and rescue Dorian. 

I completely and utterly loved this book. As usual, Maas subjects her characters to more than their fair share of pain and suffering, but Celeana maintains her spirit and her snark. In Heir of Fire I wasn't enthralled with the chapters on the witches, but I found them much more interesting this time. We find out much more about their origins and their motivations

It's so hard to write about this book without including spoilers, but rest assured it's an intense ride, with ups and downs for each of the characters. There's some romance, some heartbreak, death, destruction and action aplenty. I occasionally found switching between viewpoints jarring, there are many characters, often sharing chapters, and it can get slightly confusing. This didn't impact on my enjoyment of the story, but it did draw me out of the world of the book occasionally while I worked out which character we were following.

There's always a danger with the penultimate book in a series that it'll be a place holder, but that is certainly not the case here. The action and intensity build throughout, with a thrilling climax.

Even though I loved every word, this is a book which will divide fans. It's going to be a very long wait for the final books.

Summary:

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 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.