Empire of Storms

Dawn

You won’t want to put this book down. NOTE: You need to read this series in order.

"There are two things that I want to make note of before starting my review: 1). If you want to have the greatest experience reading this series, it is absolutely imperative that you read each book in order. The world-building, character development, and chain of events will make the greatest sense to you if you don’t skip around. Pay attention to each detail. It will make sense as you get deeper into this series. 2). I will be listing a few spoilers in my review. Some things have already happened. If you are reading the books in order, you will already know what I am about to disclose. No, I will not give away the ending. It is going to shock you as well as break your heart. I don’t want to take that experience away from an avid reader such as yourself. Now, let’s get started. I love this series. The author, Sarah J. Maas, did a phenomenal job developing each character while giving them room to explore one another and grow into their surroundings. Some writers tend to rush things, so their word count isn’t too lengthy, or they simply follow a formula that has worked for them in the past. Sarah doesn’t give a damn about any of that. She writes to her heart’s content and strings us along with amazing storylines. In this book, we come to learn more about Nehemia’s homeland and the battle she was fighting to try and protect her people. Her death took a huge toll on Aelin. She still blames herself for misreading the situation with her best friend. The struggle to stay true to the promise she made Nehemia is real. We get to see how she copes with the guilt she has laid upon her shoulders, knowing she should have been there to help Nehemia during her last few hours. In all honesty, I don’t see how she could have helped her while doing what she was doing, but Aelin is torn up by her grief over the situation. The scar on the palm of her hand is a constant reminder of what happened under the King’s rule. There is also the constant struggle she has as she grows into being the Queen everyone expects her to be at the tender age of nineteen. Of course, she has her detractors that are plotting and scheming to take Terrasen for themselves. It will be up to Aelin to prove these old men, who are not only set in their ways but are afraid to turn against the possible support of Erawan, wrong. She will have to show that she is cunning enough, loyal enough, and talented enough to reign over her rightful Kingdom. Old men are lecherous by nature, though. The people she thought she could count on will let her down, while others will rise to the challenge. In this book, we are finally shown the true depth and size of the upcoming war. All of the main characters are in place. We have learned about the Wyrdkeys and their importance. We know who has which ones and where they are destined to be. We are left wondering about the great army and the tools being created by Erawan. We’ve been exposed to his treacherous ways and now know that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. With the old King’s death, it appears that nothing will stop him as he advances to what he assumes will be his victory in this great battle. While the battle for all of the territory’s rages on, there are ongoing storylines that are developing in a natural way. Not once did I feel bogged down with the details, or did I question the pairing up of certain people as they formed allegiances with one another. We have Rowan, Aelin, Aedion, and Lysandra moving forward with their plans. Manon and her Thirteen are on their own adventure as they try to determine right from wrong. We mustn’t forget Abraxos and the growth in his storyline, either. He becomes such an integral part of Manon’s life. We have Lorcan and Elide, Fenrys, Gavriel, and Maeve, not to mention the additional bonus of seeing what develops between now King Dorian and Manon. After the original King is killed, we see more of Dorian’s powers develop within himself. He is trying but just has not learned how to control the ice magic that lives within him. He is faced with the uncertain future of Ardalan once his friends are forced to move North in their attempt to secure Terrasen for Aelin and her people. What happens in Ardalan is not only terrifying, but it also shoves King Dorian into a growth spurt that reflects a new, harder edge to him that we haven’t seen up to this point. He has a surprise savior that comes to his aid when he least expects it. The King does step up and we get to see him in a whole new light. Manon is in for her own character development after certain things transpire. One event will force her to look upon her supposed family in an entirely new light. She must learn to accept certain things about herself while trying to remain true to the witch she has been molded into since birth. Some things that come out might shock you. For me, she has become one of my favorite characters in this book. She grows in such a way, (which I always suspected), while undergoing a cruel twist of fate. I love watching her turn into the woman I always knew she could be. The relationship she shares with Elide, Abraxos, and her loyal Thirteen will only endear her even more to you as the book progresses. Speaking of Elide, she truly comes into her own in this book. In the last one, her history was explained, and she was given a pretty good chunk of a storyline. In this one, her travels become imperative to her growth not only by herself, but also with Lorcan. Lorcan starts out hunting Elide but through time, he becomes closer to her as she exposes his softer side. I am still on the fence as to whether or not I like him but that seems to be the case regarding Lorcan. Aelin, Rowin, and the crew don’t know if they can trust him either. In the end, I am extremely upset with Lorcan, but we shall have to see what happens next. Rowan and Aelin continue to grow their pair bond as they travel forth. Aelin still doesn’t let her guard down enough to share her plans with anyone, but after what she has endured, I can understand this. Do I think she should let Rowan and Aedion know what is happening more than she does? Yes. Yes, I do. Will she relent and tell them more of her plans? No. No, she won’t. She keeps her cards closer to her chest at all times. I guess not knowing who you can genuinely trust will do that to a person. She is cunning and exceptionally brave. Rowan is patient, loving, and extremely protective of Aelin. Does he sometimes become overprotective as the male Faes are wont to do? Again, yes, but you have to understand that this is the nature of the Fae. They tend to mate for life and will fight tooth and nail to protect their loved ones. One can’t read too much into that situation if you genuinely like fantasy characters. The Fae are who they are for a reason. The same goes for Lorcan, Fenrys, and Gavriel. We also get to see the Fae men grow on this journey forward. Fenrys and Gavriel, through their blood oath, have been ordered to kill Lorcan as soon as they come across him. What happens next, though, is a very clever way to work around a blood oath. Maeve is surely going to impose some harsh punishments at this apparent thwarting of her wishes, but that day hasn’t arrived yet. I also enjoyed watching Aedion come into his own. He has always been a powerful general, riding the line of safety and fighting for the future of Aelin and Terrasen. In this book, we get to see his real-time struggles as he learns certain things about Aelin, Rowan, and now, his father. He is also, in his own way, getting closer to Lysandra. I love this coupling! Lysandra is a strong character on her own. Now that magic has been released upon all the lands, she can live her life in different animal forms since she is a true shapeshifter. The ways that she offers to help Aelin are miraculous. We are exposed a bit more to Elena and Gavin, too. The backstory that they bring to this tale is imperative, if not frustrating at times. There were certain points in time that I wanted to shake both of them and make them stop speaking in riddles. I get the point of this character trait but jeez, sometimes I just want the characters to speak plainly. I am not the best at solving riddles, so, yeah. I like it when things are spelled out for me. Elena and Gavin hardly ever speak directly regarding any given topic. Aelin and Rowan’s relationship continues to grow and deepen as they explore their pair bonding. The included sex scenes aren’t really necessary, but they aren’t overly graphic either. It covers just enough so that you get the point but doesn’t go too far into detail. We really get to see how patient Rowan is with Aelin as he comes to understand her fierce stubbornness and determination. He also walks side by side with her as her fire magic continues to grow and develop into the mighty person that she is. Aelin is just now learning how to control her water magic. I love that we finally learn more of their backstory individually and combined. I do also want to note that Chaol isn’t really in this book very much. I won’t tell you why, but the reasoning is important to the next book. I loved the world-building, character development, and the descriptive writing utilized in this book. All of the characters are finally on their set paths. We have the full backstory of everyone, but I am sure more hidden details will be exposed in the next two books. Sarah isn’t going to give us everything at this point of the series. She makes you work, enjoyably, for every detail provided. I cannot wait to start Book Six. I will also tell you that I hated the ending of this book, in a good way. I cried so hard. That’s it, though. I won’t tell you what happened. You will need to read the book to find out for yourselves. I cannot recommend this series enough. I had never read Sarah J. Maas before last month. Now, I am glad that one of my best friends never stopped recommending this series to me. It is a must-read for any fantasy reader. ["

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April 3, 2025 Verified Purchase

Kyera

I didn't feel as though the story lagged or the pacing was poor. Any free minute I had

"Re-Read Update: This book destroyed me. I cheered when my baby, Abraxos, appeared (legitimately out loud cheered) and wanted to cry at those fateful words. If you've read this book, you know which ones I'm referring to and if not, I can't say because there would be spoilers. Despite the issues and shift in the characterization of some of our leads, this book takes you on an incredible emotional journey with highs that make you cheer (see above) and lows that bring you to tears (almost). Despite the length of the book, I didn't feel as though the story lagged or the pacing was poor. Any free minute I had, I immediately turned to the book to continue where I left off. Even knowing what was going to happen, it managed to enthrall me. One of the problems that I have with this book is its portrayal of relationships. There are aspects of it that are so swoon-worthy and make your heart hurt, but there are some that are not healthy. It's nice to see diverse portrayals of love and relationships, but my concern is that a young adult reader might see the territorial Fae nonsense in the book and not realize that it's an extreme. It might seem normalized. As I am not a teenager, I am aware of the intricacies and can roll my eyes at the "nonsense" without putting any weight on the idea. That may not be the same for teen readers. There are aspects of the character development that seems off and others that, although regrettable, are completely valid. For example, Dorian has gone through an incredible amount of turmoil and emotional upheaval in the last two books. It's understandable that his personality would not quite be the same carefree, flirty scholar that we met in the first book who wished to stand up to his father but could never garner the courage to do so. In a similar vein, we watch other characters develop into multi-faceted people and understand them more. Manon and Lysandra have become much more interesting characters as they were expanded upon, and at least for me have become some of my favourites. Despite the huge cast of fairly main characters, each is still given the time to shine and grow. Finally, the world building continues in this book to an immense degree. A combination of the book's size and the various viewpoints has allowed Sarah J Maas to expand the world we have come to know. Erilea has been developed and we are able to see more pieces of Nehemia's homeland, Aelin's kingdom, and so much in between. I still love this series and highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fantasy books. Original Review: These novels are so addicting, emotional and indescribable - but I'm going to try to do them justice. If you've not yet read up to Empire of Storms, please avoid this review as it has spoilers. I try to leave out the major plot points and just focus on the characters/world, but it's not free from them. Please read on only if you've read the series. Our main cast of beloved and some tolerated, main/supporting characters grows throughout the series. Although we lose Nehemia, which I am still so sad about - we are introduced to the Fae. Their inclusion in the series brings the genre into high fantasy and makes it even more enjoyable. Prior to this series, I hadn't read many novels in which the supernatural creatures were the Fae but now I am obsessed. The world of the Fae isn't experienced or explained much, but I would love to see more of it. Their powers or abilities are so intriguing and well written. Just enough information is given that you can understand what is going on, then beautifully populate the world and battles in your mind. Sarah J Maas makes you fall in love with each of the characters, whether you liked them when they were first introduced or not. One of the first perspective shifts we experience is when we are introduced to the bloodthirsty Manon Blackbeak. At first, you wish her scenes weren't there as they take away from time with our main characters but by the fifth novel she's one of the characters you're rooting for. Although she's a witch and over one hundred years old, she is given the ability to develop and change over the course of the novels. It takes time because she's learning that things she believed her entire life aren't true and don't need to affect how she views life. Even characters that we were originally introduced to, like Lysandre are able to evolve and change over the course of the books. She and Celaena start off butting heads and competing, but that doesn't last. They join together and made a formidable pair (especially once magic is restored to the land). Lysandre grows into one of my favourite characters and her wholehearted commitment to the cause is inspiring. Seeking more information about the Wyrdkeys, Celaena seeks knowledge from the Fae Queen Maeve. Unwilling to give her information away for nothing, Queen Maeve makes a deal that Celaena must train with and impress one of her trusted warriors, Rowan. Prince Rowan is able to manipulate ice and wind, whilst also transforming into a hawk. Her inner circle are sworn to her with a blood oath and a group of Fae warriors that include Rowan, Lorcan, Gavriel, Vaughen, Fenrys and Connall. Later on, this group is affectionately titled Rowan's cadre and some join our heroes on their journey. Unsurprisingly, we discover that Celaena is actually the Princess (or Queen) of Terrasen and that revelation brings with it some people from her past. Her cousin, Aedion was forced for years to do the bidding of the King of Adarlan whilst secretly helping his people. He is a general and his legion of warriors called the Bane are loyal to him rather than the King. We also meet another person from Terrasen, the daughter of the woman who sacrificed herself to allow Aelin to escape as a child - Elide. She was mistreated by her Uncle for years, until Manon Blackbeak helped her escape. After only a few days, she crosses paths with Lorcan who is a member of Rowan's cadre and they begin to journey together. Lorcan is not well liked by Rowan or Aelin when we first come across him in Rifthold. He is still bound to Queen Maeve and is seeking to find and destroy the Wyrdkeys. Throughout his journey across Erilea, he discovers that he has a soft spot for Elide and protects her. Some of the other cadre are viewed in a more favourable light by Aelin and her friends, as they attempt to delay their orders from Maeve to help on the quest. Sarah J Maas writes the best pairings that fill your heart with so much feeling then she rips it out and stomps all over it. Rowan loves Aelin with his whole heart, every part, the good, the bad, the broken and beaten, the assassin, the Queen, the Fae and no one else has ever done that for her. Their love is true and enduring. Heartwrenching and pure. Even though they didn't start off on the best footing, after training her for a time and even breaking his blood oath to Maeve - Rowan is completely enamored. Plus, they're mates so there's nothing more important and bonding. Each relationship is authentic and pulls at your heartstrings. Throughout the novels, you are able to experience more of the lands with Erilea from the dark, twisted towers of Morath to the Queen's home of Terrasen. They are welcome additions to our mental maps of the land and wonderfully illustrated through words. This is one of my favourite series by far and is highly recommended to all - also specifically to young adult readers who enjoy well writen novels with developed characters, immersive world-building and fantasy. ["

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January 15, 2018 Verified Purchase

Kindle Customer

Throne of Glass continues to be one of my all-time favorite series.

"Wow. Just wow. I am still reeling from the conclusion of this book. I’ve always enjoyed these books, but Empire of Storms shows Maas maturing in both her writing and storytelling. I have to admit, it started a little slow for me. While I was happy to see all of my favorite characters again, the action didn’t really pick up for the first ~250 pages or so. But when it did pick up, it was brilliant. With each book, this series grows increasingly complex in the world-building, plot and characters. I don’t read many books where I genuinely care for as many characters as I do in this series. This book was the first glimpse we get of the big war to come. Now that most of the lesser villains are out of the way, we see the true threat Erawan (and arguably Maeve) presents to Aelin, her court as well as the other kingdoms. We have a few parallel story lines in the book: Aelin, Aedion, Lysandra, and Rowan travelling to Terrasen, Dorian in Ardalan, Manon in Morath and Elide after she recently escaped. While many of these story lines eventually intersect, I enjoyed seeing each of them progress individually. I wanted to note a few things I really enjoyed about this installment. As I mentioned above, the character development was excellent. These characters have grown and matured with the series and I am starting to see the leaders they are meant to be. The relationships and friendships that developed and grew between some of the characters were lovely and I enjoyed all of the pair-ups that happened. I loved all of the connections to The Assassin’s Blade in this installment! Maas tied it in beautifully and it was great seeing some old characters. That being said, I think reading The Assassin’s Blade is a must to fully enjoy this book. I also wanted to note that Maas can write some truly epic battle scenes. I often felt like I was watching a movie. Finally, that ending. It broke my heart and was perfect all at the same time. In terms of the characters, I was thrilled to see Dorian back. I love this new Dorian. I know he has been to hell and back in QoS, but I liked this slightly hardened, crueler Dorian. And I loved his interactions with Manon. They make such an interesting pair and I am curious to see what the next book holds for them. Manon is hands down my favorite character in this book. Her story has been slowly developing for two books now and I was happy to see some dramatic developments in her story arc. Abraxos is as sweet and lovable as always. I love those two! Elide is another character with a great story in this book. I liked her chapters in QoS, but I admit I skimmed a little and found some of them boring. Elide really shined in this book. She is arguably one of the physically weakest characters in the book and yet she proves to be one of the strongest characters. She is smart and knows how to use it to her advantage. Lorcan crosses paths with her and I loved watching their relationship develop. It was slow and realistic. I went from hating Lorcan to loving him. Sarah J. Maas, how do you always do this with your characters! I am also happy to see Aelin finally happy and settled in her love life! I’m pretty sure Rowan is it for her, even though it took us a few love interests to get there. As much as I enjoyed their relationship, I wasn’t a huge fan of the sex scenes. I noticed this in ACOTAR with Tamlin as well, but she tends to have a lot of “worshiping” and “saying my name like a prayer” kind of lines and it just felt cheesy. As for Aelin, I like her and don’t like her at times. I didn’t agree with every decision she made but she does redeem herself at the end of the book, so I guess I can’t criticize her too much🙂 You will all be pleased to know that we finally get some questions answered in this book! We learn more about Erawan, Elena and Gavin through some flashbacks and we get some much needed answers that I have been wondering about for this entire series. I was also happy to see some questions about Aelin and Rowan’s relationship addressed. I also wanted to also touch on the fact that Chaol is not present in this book at all aside from a few mentions from other characters. I was completely okay with this. I know some people are not happy with the direction Chaol’s character went, but I personally think Chaol had a lot of growing to do and I have a hunch that a lot of this maturing happened over the course of this book and the next time we see Chaol he will be a different character. I’ve also noticed a trend in this series of characters not revealing their knowledge and plans to the reader. In the earlier installments, I enjoyed it. I had no idea what was going on and it was exciting to see Aelin had a plan the entire time. However, after the first five times this happened I got tired of it. This occurs again in this book and while it does make for an action-packed, cliffhanger finale, I’ve grown tired of this tactic. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it exceeded my expectations. It is obvious that Maas’s writing ability has dramatically matured throughout the series and the plot and characters are growing increasingly complex. I have grown quiet attached to these characters and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book. 4.5/5 ["

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September 24, 2016 Verified Purchase

Tiniferous

Love the series! This book hints at exciting things to come in the future!

"After the battle in the last book, Aelin starts preparing an army and finding allies for her new kingdom. We all know there's going to be a big battle coming, and this book is all about getting ready for it and moving the plot along. There are no huge revelations or events that really happen over the course of this book, except for a bit at the end. It is setting up the necessary scenes for what is to come. This did not, however, make it a dull read. There is plenty going on. It just isn't as intense as the events in the last couple of books have been. One of the best parts of Maas' books are all the characters there are to love. Some of the characters are together throughout the book, so I found it easier in some cases to describe my reactions to the characters together, rather than on their own. For Aelin and Rowan, there was not as much strong character growth as there has been in previous books. They've both undergone such huge growth in the past that it's apparently missing in this book. That doesn't make them any less enjoyable to read, but they are very stable from beginning to end. I felt like they were very much the same people I'd come to love in the last book, and continue that throughout. Manon's story was perhaps my favorite of the ones present in this book. She continues the growth I began to see in the last book and quickly becomes a meaningful character that I adore and could relate to. I found myself looking forward to her chapters from the very beginning. Elide's story started to develop in this book, and I found myself interested in her story despite its normalcy compared to the other stories. Maybe it is because it is a bit normal compared to the “specialness” of all the other stories. Plus, her story was separate from the others. Many of the characters were together for the entirety of the book, so her story was a fresh bit of something a little different. Dorian's character is a little different in this book. I didn't really like his character, but I understand where it came from and how it fits. After the tragic situation he went through, he went through a period where he was lost, hopeless, and very easy to walk all over. He's come out of that and has his confidence and will power back, but he is still in a very dark place. He has a pessimistic look at the world and is still a very broken character, but he starts standing up for himself and others again. His personality is not one I enjoyed reading about, but it makes logical sense for this to be a next step in his journey back to some sort of “normal. While Aedion continues to have more of a side character role. The reader continues to learn more bits about his character and the changes he's dealing with throughout the story. Like previous books, I learned snippets about him here and there, but nothing major. I found that the slow addition of further information, paired with that from the previous books, is slowly making him a likable character and I'm glad that it was included when he so easily could have been ignored. Lysandra really started to shine for me as a character in this book. Her role and the choi"

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September 25, 2016 Verified Purchase