Book Review :: Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J Maas

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Also in this series: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Empire of Storms, Kingdom of Ash, The Assassin's Blade
Published by Bloomsbury
on 2015-09-01
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 645
Goodreads

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.

Last updated on 14 October 2023

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My thoughts on Queen of Shadows

I don’t want to write about the plot of Queen of Shadows for fear of spoilers, and by golly a lot could be spoiled. Rather, I thought a few comments on the story as a whole and just how much I love this series would, in fact, suffice.

Every single book in this series surprises me. Celaena as a main character is this strong power-house of a woman, and yet she still has her weaknesses, her faults, her frailties. The way in which Sarah J Maas writes both Celaena and the rest of her characters is incredible, and there so much depth to each person’s character and personality that makes them so realistic and relatable. The way each character grows with each turn of page speaks volumes to Maas’ epic writing skills.

“She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers.”

In the last book, Heir of Fire, we were introduced to another kick-ass woman character, Manon Blackbeak. While I didn’t really like her whole story line in Heir of Fire, she’s definitely warmed to me in Queen of Shadows; I ended up liking her rather than just tolerating her. So looking forward to more of Manon in the books to come. Speaking of great leading ladies, this book is full of them. Old ones who have returned with more details, new ones that we are loving already, and I’m sure there are more to come.

The men folk in Queen of Shadows were heart-breaking, heart breakers, and just all around brilliant, to say the least. Chaol, Dorian, and cousin Aedion definitely all have their strengths and weaknesses, and Rowan is a central part (introduced to us in the last book) in this story. We also get to meet King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel properly. There is some great character-friendships in this novel, and I can’t wait to read more of their combined stories.

“Let’s go rattle the stars.”

The plot of Queen of Shadows, with it’s expertly written world and twists and turns thrown in to hurt us, is brilliant, and I’m constantly amazed at the kind of detail and intricate depth that Maas brings to her stories. While the novel wasn’t quite a 5 stars for me, I loved it and highly recommend it (just make sure you read Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire first!). I wouldn’t be surprised if it took me a few months to get started on the next in the series, Empire of Storms, mostly due to the fact that that’s how this series has gone down for me: one a year. Hopefully I can get to it before the year is out.

If you haven’t picked up Throne of Glass yet then you really must! Especially if you love kick-ass female MCs, wonderful and crazy worlds, swoon-worthy romances, and a lot of what-on-earth-just-happened moments.

Have you read up to Queen of Shadows? Without spoilers, what did you think?