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? (Via Goodreads.com)
Pages: 689
Release Date: September 6th, 2016
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Review:
Empire of Storms was a roller coaster of emotions. I laughed, I cried, and I am pretty sure my heart died. I was not initially connected to the story; however, after a few chapters I was sold on every character's point of view. I have always had mixed emotions about the multiple points of view used throughout the series because I have always favored some characters over others. However, within the first 100 pages I loved every character's journey and I could not wait for everyone's upcoming chapter(s).
I have very little to say that is not a spoiler so I will be keeping this non-spoiler section rather brief. I thoroughly loved Empire of Storms. I could not have asked for a more epic fifth book in this phenomenal series. If you had yet to start the Throne of Glass series or catch up to Empire of Storms, I highly recommend waiting for the sixth book in the series to be released before reading onward. While Empire of Storms was a fantastic addition to the series, the ending was rather brutal and I would recommend reading it when you are able to read the sixth book immediately afterwards. It is hard coming to terms with how it ended and how to survive until the release of the sixth and final book in the series. If you do take my advice and wait until the release of the sixth book, I wish you good luck on avoiding spoilers. I just finished the book two days ago, thankfully without getting spoiled, and when I woke up the following morning, my twitter feed was full of spoilers.
If you would like to read my reviews of the other books in the series, I have a review of The Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire.
If you would like to read my reviews of the other books in the series, I have a review of The Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire.
Empire of Storms, and the series as a whole, has the perfect combination of romance, action, and adventure that calls to any fantasy reader. It also contains enough heartbreak and devastation that leaves its fans emotionally drained and depressed. Empire of Storms also brings back some familiar faces that leave you fangirling. I apologize for this review being a hot mess. Like I mentioned previously, I only finished Empire of Storms two days ago, so my emotions and thoughts are jumbled. Nonetheless, I absolutely loved Empire of Storms and I am so glad I am able to add it to my continuously growing Sarah J. Maas collection.
For those of you who have yet to buy your copy of Empire of Storms, I recommend buying the Target Special Edition. It has a beautiful poster of Rowan and Celaena on the back of the dust jacket and the bonus story is a deleted scene from Heir of Fire following Rowan and Celaena. As a huge Rowan and Celaena shipper, the extra $17 I spent on it was totally worth it. I preordered the Barnes and Noble Special Edition, which is now only available in select stores and it has sold out online. While I did enjoy the fan art and short story, my heart belongs to the Target Edition. I will forever ship Rowan and Celaena.
I have no idea where to even begin with this review. The ending has forever shattered my poor little heart. I would like to refrain from beginning this review with the most devastating part of the end, so lets talk about Lorcan and Elide instead. I had never expected either of them to ever meet. While I might have imagined them meeting when Lorcan finally confronted Aelin about giving him the fake amulet and Wyrdstone, I never imagined them to be thrown together. While Rowan and Aelin will forever be my favorite relationship of the series, Lorcan and Elide are quickly moving up the list. I fell in love with their relationship and when Elide wrote him off at the end, the remaining pieces of my heart shattered. All Lorcan wanted to do was protect Elide and he ended up loosing her instead. From what I have heard on Twitter and Tumblr, his actions at the end have caused a divide in the fandom. Many people dislike him because he led Maeve to them. While I cannot argue with their logic, I disagree that it was completely his fault. Aelin knew that he sent out a wave of power to summon Maeve and she never confronted him about it. In addition, Aelin's arrogance was what caused Lorcan to send out his signal for help in the first place. If Aelin had simply told her court and the rest of them that the armada was hers, he would have never sent out his surge of power. It is rather ironic that when Aelin arrived at Skull's Bay as Celaena and talked to Rolfe, he mentions how her arrogance led to her enslavement in the mines. Then, later in the book, her arrogance leads her to be enslaved by Maeve.
Even if Aelin had told them about the armada being on their side, the ending still could have been the same. Maeve knew their general location; however, Lorcan allowed her to precisely pin-point them. Maeve could have found them in a matter of days with or without Lorcan's help. The ending could have potentially ended the same either way. Or, the gang could have easily gotten away. Whether the ending was avoidable or not, Lorcan is not entirely to blame for the Aelin's capture. She is also at fault for her capture.
I think it is rather odd that Aelin assumed that her court would simply leave her with Maeve and move on. I understand that she might have wanted to believe that they would leave her due to the risks they would have to take to free her. She could have also been concerned about them not concentrating all their efforts on the war. However, she should have known Rowan would at least come after her. He is her mate and I am pretty sure that even the worst mate in the entire world could not abandon their mate. It goes against the DNA of the Fae. Aelin always mentions about how territorial Fae males are. I do not understand why she would think either Rowan or Aedion would leave her. It goes against who they are and the love they share for her. She should know by now that they would follow her anywhere in either life or death. The reveal of Rowan and Aelin being mates was expected; however, when she discovered they were mates was rather unexpected. Not only did that scene in Queen of Shadows warmed and broke my heart, the fact that she realized they were mates then made the moment even more special. The fact that they got secretly married was totally unexpected. It made her capture even more heartbreaking. I appreciate that she wanted to secure the safety of her kingdom by making Rowan king. It breaks my heart that he does not seem himself as a king though. He simply sees himself as her consort, when he is her mate, husband, king, and the love of her life.
"Time—she was grateful Elena had given her that stolen time.
Grateful she had met them all, that she had seen some small part of the world, had heard such lovely music, had danced and laughed and known true friendship.
Grateful that she had found Rowan.
She was grateful"
(Page 665).
Returning to Lorcan and Elide, I loved the progression of their relationship. I was feeling so many different emotions when she told him that he would always have a home with her in Perranth, no matter the time or reason. It broke my heart when he shrugged the idea off because, while the ability for it to actually happen was impossible, the fact she offered it was so moving. When Elide jumped in front of Lorcan to save him, my heart broke. As she bled out and Lorcan told her that he had wanted to go to Perranth with her, my heart continued to break. The interactions throughout their journey left me feeling countless emotions. I am excited to eventually re-read Empire of Storms because I want to relive their happy moments. I am so thankful that they are both physically fine, but the remaining shred of my heart broke when she Elide wrote Lorcan off for causing Aelin's capture. I am interested to see how Lorcan and Elide's relationship develops in the next book since they will be working together to get Aelin back. I hope they can get over the past and look towards the future. They both deserve a happy ending.
I am still curious about what Maeve meant when she said that Lorcan claimed Elide. It is understandable why both Manon and Aelin would have claimed her; however, Lorcan's claim surprised me. I know he has feelings for her, but the term "claim", when referring to Fae males, typically refer to mates. I am curious to see if they are mates because it would explain why they were both drawn to each other. However, Manon had referred to Rowan and Aelin as one another's mate before Aelin revealed that they were. So, I am assuming Manon would have referred to Elide or Lorcan as one another's mate if they truly were. But, Manon could have simply been referring to Aelin and Rowan as mates as a generic term, not as actual mates.
I would like to note that on Tumblr, a theory has been going around that Lorcan might sacrifice himself in the next book. His last name literally translates to "save Earth." While the world in the Throne of Glass series is not considered Earth, I have read enough Sarah J. Maas books to understand that nothing is a coincidence. I do not know how he would sacrifice himself since Dorian and Aelin seem like the only options, but I am curious to see if this prediction is right.
I am still curious about what Maeve meant when she said that Lorcan claimed Elide. It is understandable why both Manon and Aelin would have claimed her; however, Lorcan's claim surprised me. I know he has feelings for her, but the term "claim", when referring to Fae males, typically refer to mates. I am curious to see if they are mates because it would explain why they were both drawn to each other. However, Manon had referred to Rowan and Aelin as one another's mate before Aelin revealed that they were. So, I am assuming Manon would have referred to Elide or Lorcan as one another's mate if they truly were. But, Manon could have simply been referring to Aelin and Rowan as mates as a generic term, not as actual mates.
I would like to note that on Tumblr, a theory has been going around that Lorcan might sacrifice himself in the next book. His last name literally translates to "save Earth." While the world in the Throne of Glass series is not considered Earth, I have read enough Sarah J. Maas books to understand that nothing is a coincidence. I do not know how he would sacrifice himself since Dorian and Aelin seem like the only options, but I am curious to see if this prediction is right.
Another broken relationship is Aedion and Lysandra. While they have not technically become a couple, it was oblivious that they would eventually become one. I hate that Aedion is holding Aelin's plan against Lysandra. She was willing to throw away her remaining life and happiness to pretend to be Aelin to save Terrasen. I can understand that Aedion would be angry for being in the dark; however, he needs to get over it. I know that he would have done the exact same thing if Aelin had asked him to do it. Not only that, but they are currently at war. With the others on the hunt for Aelin or the other Wyrdkey, Aedion and Lysandra cannot be divided. They are the only ones who know exactly what is going on. They must be a united front. He cannot be mad at Lysandra for carrying out his queen's wishes. Like Lorcan and Elide, I hope they can get past their differences and finally get together. Since I also love reliving painful moments, I would also love to mention when Aedion said he wanted to marry Lysandra. She was struggling to stay human and heal after the attack on Skull's Bay and those words were a punch in my heart. It was such an adorable and heartbreaking moment. All of my favorite scenes from Empire of Storms caused me both pain and happiness. What has Sarah done to me?
I love the fact that Manon and Dorian's relationship is the only "relationship" that is still currently together. Although you could argue about them actually being in a relationship, they are the only pair that is in the same location and do not hate each other. When the possibility of Manon and Dorian getting together arose in Queen of Shadows, I was somewhat skeptical of their potential relationship. That was mainly due to the fact that I kind of liked Elide and Manon together; however, I jumped off that ship when Lorcan came around. Manon and Dorian's relationship is probably the most toxic relationship out of the main characters; however, I do like them together. I have nothing against them, but I find it depressing that they could both find strength in one another, yet they just used each other to forget their past. Nonetheless, I am excited to see how their relationship develops in the next book.
Before the release of the sixth and final book in the series, I am planning on dedicating the entire month prior of its release to re-reading the entire series. While I loved the arrival of characters from The Assassins Blade, I could not remember everything about them and their relationship with Aelin since I read the book over two years ago. I also was not as emotionally impacted when they were on Skull's Bay and Aelin would remember her and Sam being there. In order to have proper closure on the series and its characters, I want to take the time to re-read all of the books. One thing that I was anticipating in Empire of Storms was the arrival of Nox, one of Aelin's opponents in Throne of Glass. I was under the impression from an interview with Sarah that he was returning in book five. I do not know if I confused that with book six or somehow made it up or simply missed his arrival (the ending was rather crazy). Please comment below if you know anything about his possible return, I would love to know!
While Aelin's capture was rather insane, the arrival of everyone that she called in favors from was insane as well. Not only did they just miss the possibility of saving her, but there were just so many armies and navies rallied to fight. As the different people began arriving, I was assuming Chaol would also arrive with help from the southern continent. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually enjoyed his absence from Empire of Storms. I have never been the biggest fan of Chaol and after his attitude change towards Aelin in the beginning of Queen of Shadows, I was happy for his absence. While I did grow slightly fonder of him as Queen of Shadows progressed, his absence was appreciated. However, I am excited for his return and what assistance he will bring. I am also glad he was absent because it allowed Dorian to grow on his own. Dorian suffered a lot in Queen of Shadows and while he deserved to have friends to show him the way back into the light, he was able to find his own way back. I understand that Dorian and Chaol are supposed to be best friends, but he has relied on Chaol too much. Chaol is not a magic user and did not have a Valg inside him. If anyone, Manon is better for Dorian to have around because she has been around the Valg and understands magic more then Chaol does.
One of the questions I still have is whether or not Rowan and Lyria were mates. Maeve said that she manipulated them together in order to break Rowan enough to get him to accept her blood oath. But she broke him enough that he was unable to register Aelin as his mate. After re-reading the passage, I am still under the assumption that Rowan and Lyria were never actually mates. No matter the case, Maeve is such a horrible person. Rowan was not even there to hear her entire story of manipulation. I pity that he suffered for so long because Maeve wanted Aelin. He did not live the life he should have. In addition, Lyria did not deserve the life and death she got either. I hope they are able to give Maeve what she deserves when they finally rescue Aelin.
If I am not mistaken, in Heir of Fire, Aelin showed Maeve a clip from the future that showed Aelin as the Queen of Terrasen in front of a crowd of her subjects and Rowan was among her court. If I am remembering that correctly and it stands true, they must make it out alive. I do not want Dorian to sacrifice himself to revive the lock, but I do not want Aelin to do it either. I am assuming she will be the one to do it, but she will manage to survive. Throughout the series, it is mentioned that immortal Fae frequently bind their immortality to their human/mortal mates. We learned in Maeve's speech that Aelin would turn immortal in about five years and she would live for at least a thousand more. Since Aelin's Settling has yet to take place, she is still technically mortal. Although she is not a human, I wonder if Aelin could sacrifice herself and Rowan could bind his immortality to her currently mortal self and save her. I have no idea if binding his immortality could revive her/not kill her, but it seems like it could work since he is giving up however many years he would have left as an immortal. His remaining lifespan would exceed a typical human one, therefore giving her life and allowing them to live out their remaining mortal lives together. Comment below your predictions or what you think of mine. I am interested to read what you guys think.
Every character has struggled and grown so much throughout the course of the Throne of Glass series. While I know that some of the characters will more than likely die in the final book, I hope the deaths will be of the lesser known characters. None of the characters truly deserve to die, but I really want to see the main characters live their remaining life spans in peace. I would love to see other books written about these characters, but I would not want to read them. I want my babies to be safe and out of harms way. More books following them would only lead them into more danger. However, I would love to read a spin-off series following new characters that would feature the original Throne of Glass characters, but not put them in harms way. All good things must come to an end and while I am sad for this series to come to an end next year, I am very excited to finally learn their fates.
While Aelin's capture was rather insane, the arrival of everyone that she called in favors from was insane as well. Not only did they just miss the possibility of saving her, but there were just so many armies and navies rallied to fight. As the different people began arriving, I was assuming Chaol would also arrive with help from the southern continent. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually enjoyed his absence from Empire of Storms. I have never been the biggest fan of Chaol and after his attitude change towards Aelin in the beginning of Queen of Shadows, I was happy for his absence. While I did grow slightly fonder of him as Queen of Shadows progressed, his absence was appreciated. However, I am excited for his return and what assistance he will bring. I am also glad he was absent because it allowed Dorian to grow on his own. Dorian suffered a lot in Queen of Shadows and while he deserved to have friends to show him the way back into the light, he was able to find his own way back. I understand that Dorian and Chaol are supposed to be best friends, but he has relied on Chaol too much. Chaol is not a magic user and did not have a Valg inside him. If anyone, Manon is better for Dorian to have around because she has been around the Valg and understands magic more then Chaol does.
One of the questions I still have is whether or not Rowan and Lyria were mates. Maeve said that she manipulated them together in order to break Rowan enough to get him to accept her blood oath. But she broke him enough that he was unable to register Aelin as his mate. After re-reading the passage, I am still under the assumption that Rowan and Lyria were never actually mates. No matter the case, Maeve is such a horrible person. Rowan was not even there to hear her entire story of manipulation. I pity that he suffered for so long because Maeve wanted Aelin. He did not live the life he should have. In addition, Lyria did not deserve the life and death she got either. I hope they are able to give Maeve what she deserves when they finally rescue Aelin.
If I am not mistaken, in Heir of Fire, Aelin showed Maeve a clip from the future that showed Aelin as the Queen of Terrasen in front of a crowd of her subjects and Rowan was among her court. If I am remembering that correctly and it stands true, they must make it out alive. I do not want Dorian to sacrifice himself to revive the lock, but I do not want Aelin to do it either. I am assuming she will be the one to do it, but she will manage to survive. Throughout the series, it is mentioned that immortal Fae frequently bind their immortality to their human/mortal mates. We learned in Maeve's speech that Aelin would turn immortal in about five years and she would live for at least a thousand more. Since Aelin's Settling has yet to take place, she is still technically mortal. Although she is not a human, I wonder if Aelin could sacrifice herself and Rowan could bind his immortality to her currently mortal self and save her. I have no idea if binding his immortality could revive her/not kill her, but it seems like it could work since he is giving up however many years he would have left as an immortal. His remaining lifespan would exceed a typical human one, therefore giving her life and allowing them to live out their remaining mortal lives together. Comment below your predictions or what you think of mine. I am interested to read what you guys think.
Every character has struggled and grown so much throughout the course of the Throne of Glass series. While I know that some of the characters will more than likely die in the final book, I hope the deaths will be of the lesser known characters. None of the characters truly deserve to die, but I really want to see the main characters live their remaining life spans in peace. I would love to see other books written about these characters, but I would not want to read them. I want my babies to be safe and out of harms way. More books following them would only lead them into more danger. However, I would love to read a spin-off series following new characters that would feature the original Throne of Glass characters, but not put them in harms way. All good things must come to an end and while I am sad for this series to come to an end next year, I am very excited to finally learn their fates.
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| (Sarah J. Maas and Me at San Diego Comic-Con 2016) |
