Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (Spoiler Alert)
** spoiler alert ** '
Things are changing,' Manon said. 'Good,' Asterin said. 'We're immortals. Things should change, and often, or they'll get boring.' I finished this book hours ago. HOURS. And I've just spent them distracting myself from having to write this review. I just have so many feelings, yet so little a grasp on how to communicate them. I cannot BELIEVE the scope of this series. How much has changed since book one, and how much was foreshadowed/connects to book one. On top of that, knowing that this is a YA epic fantasy series, I'm not sure how I'm gonna be able to handle an adult one... I don't know if my heart could take it, because this destroyed me. Every page of this book is riveting and handled with the same amount of care. The entire book was just as exciting as the ending, and that is not always achieved, especially within fantasy, let alone a 648 page beast. This book also wins the award of making me the saddest (definitely this year, maybe of all time??). This is definitely because of the amount of time I've spent with these characters, and how well I understand what they want and what they've dedicated their lives fighting for. A few of the moments that really got me (there are more but I can't remember them all) were: - AELIN VISITING SAM'S GRAVE 😭 and rowan placing a pebble on the headstone - WHEN I THOUGHT CHAOL DIED SACRIFICING HIMSELF FOR DORIAN BUT ALSO TO ATONE FOR BLINDLY SERVING THE KING FOR SO LONG alkdjaksdkhskjahdhs sorry I had to set the book down at that moment i could literally feel him accepting his death and the culmination of everything leading up to that moment and askjsdhksajhdhdh it's not okay - when that bastard Arobynn DARES to put a collar on Celaena. he got what he deserved - hearing Asterin's backstory!!! how she watched her lover die and he never knew she still loved him 😭😭😭 Another truly awesome aspect of this book was how cleverly scenes were written. Sometimes certain elements were hidden from the reader, so what could have been a normal action sequence turns into a whole plot twist. Prime examples: - Aelin rubs her foot on the ground, a nervous tic. SIKE! she was drawing wyrdmarks (for the second time in this manner! but im an idiot and didn't pick up on it!) - the collar and Arobynn - literally anything she does regarding Lorchan - fake jewelry x10000 While all of this is amazing, the character arcs in here are what truly elevate it to a whole new level. I can't even name them all but here are the highlights: - Manon. Manon Blackbeak freaking accepting tolerance and breaking free of her culture and realizing that mercy and caring for others is not weakness. - ASTERIN. Her backstory legit made me want to cry. I love her. Iconic. Never thought this day would come, but now I'm officially an Asterin STAN. - Elide is everything. I just KNOW she will do something epic. She just will. And she finally has her hope, so nothing is stopping her. Also, quick side note, I cannot believe I didn't see her plot twist coming. I was BLIND. Can't believe I was just basking in ignorance smh. - LYSANDRA LYSANDRA LYSANDRA. QUEEN. I am in shock remembering Lysandra in book one and how I felt about her. I'm ashamed to not have sought out her story before. Wow. Her love for Evangeline too. *chef's kiss* - Aedion, wow. I didn't really understand him before, but after this whole journey I really, really do. I'm so proud of him for being so dedicated to Aelin and his country to serve Rowan so valiantly. I truly am. I can't believe I even care, but I truly do. That's SJM magic right there. - DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE KING OF ADARLAN. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY UNTIL I HAVE MORE INFORMATION. Okay 😌 so now that I let all of that out I think I can recover and then read the next book in a few weeks. For now I need a little breather. See ya soon Empire of Storms!
Song I was reminded of while reading: Jump With Me
