Review: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Name: Empire of Storms
Series: Throne of Glass #5
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Kindle
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, High/ Epic Fantasy
Noted Tropes: Secret Alliances, Enemies to Lovers
Spice Rating: Behind Closed Doors 🌶️🌶️

Rating:

Synopsis: Goodreads
The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. 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.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Review:

Empire of Storms is the 5th book in the Throne of Glass series, and we are at a point where spoilers for the books that come before are inevitable now. Any spoilers for Empire of Storms will be hidden, as normal. I also apologise if the review is a bit jumpy – I was desperately trying to avoid writing spoilers accidentally.

I want to start by saying that whilst I didn’t make Empire of Storms the book of the month, because I said that Queen of Shadows was better, that doesn’t take anything away from Empire of Storms. I was simply not okay after finishing Empire of Storms. I can’t imagine having to deal with this cliffhanger at the time this came out and then finding out that the next book doesn’t even pick up from the ending of EoS! I probably would have died. So, I am very grateful that I know that information in advance (thanks to my fiancé and friends for warning me of ToD) and I am some what prepared for it…

So, let’s talk about Empire of Storms. We have been following this cast of characters for a little while now so we’re pretty used to them but I still went into Empire of Storms not fully sold on all the characters. I can safely say that Empire of Storms shocked me for some of those characters. After the end of Queen of Shadows I really wasn’t sure how Empire of Storms was going to go – with Chaol being sent off on one journey, Aelin going off on another, Manon still playing both Teams and Dorian having to deal with the fact that he’s now King… It was set up to be an emotional ride regardless, but I just had no idea what the teams plan was… Maas did. Oh boy, she did. And the way she wove all these stories together was *chef’s kiss* (phenomenal to say the least!).

One of the biggest takeaways for me in Empire of Storms is that I absolutely understand the Manon love now because for the first time I was craving Manon chapters and not getting them fast enough! I’ve really struggled with Manon before because she kind of felt like Chaol did, she had the potential to be great but just never picked a side – she was playing both sides instead of taking a stand – and it kind of annoyed me. Now, I’m firmly team Manon and I’m rooting for her!

I had to write that whole bit about Manon before I could discuss our main couple, Aelin and Rowan, because SO MUCH happened in Empire of Storms and I really don’t want to spoil anything so I had to think about what I said… I already love these two, but I felt like we really got to see their love and trust for each other in Empire of Storms really shine through. We learned so much more about them. And everything we learned just made the already hard cliffhanger, that much worse…

Aelin was a bit tricky to cheer for because very early on in the series (as Celenea and Aelin) she has shown us she makes plans behind the backs of the other characters and the reader, and she’s continued doing that the whole way through. I was starting to trust that even if she wasn’t telling us the whole plan, she at least had a good one. Let’s say, after the events of EoS, I’m starting to doubt that she has a good plan afterall… We shall see.

Rowan and Aelin (along with another couple characters) increased the spice level in Empire of Storms – which I do think is worth noting – but it was very well done and so it feels like growing up with the series as opposed to suddenly being thrown into a smutty book after being used to YA. I like how it was done- but I’m stalling. The spoiler below, is a spoiler, a big spoiler, but if I don’t talk about it, I’ll burst…

Last warning, big spoiler below. And just in case you’re one of those people who just wants to know who the spoiler is about before deciding if you want to read – it’s about Rowan. If you want to read it, just click the triangle to reveal the spoiler.

ROWAN “WHERE IS MY WIFE” WHITETHORN!!!
I already loved this man, already felt like he could do no wrong and then he bursts out with Where is my WIFE!? And I just lost it in that moment. As if the ending wasn’t devestating enough – I finally wiped the tears from my eyes and then he bursts in with this moment and I was devestated all over again. When I say, I was not okay, I mean it.

The pacing was excellent in Empire of Storms, and it was all leading up to one cracking cliffhanger. As I already said, if I had read this on release I would have been even more devestated than I was. Knowing I had Tower of Dawn ready to go definitely helped me recover from this blow. The amount of times I would yell at my partner ‘if X dies I’m rage quitting’ or ‘if X happens I’m done’ because I feel like, out of nowhere, I’m so damn attached to these characters… Sarah J. Maas has my heart in her hands and at any moment she could squeeze and end me… I had not been prepared for this going into this series.

Damn. What a good installment. Easy 5 stars.

“He was hers and she was his, and they had found each other across centuries of bloodshed and loss, across oceans and kingdoms and war.”

Reading With Tyler