Book Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

*** This is the fourth book in a series so there may be spoilers for previous books. If you are not up-to-date with the Throne of Glass series, do that and then come back. If you need encouragement check out my review of Throne of Glass or The Assassin's Blade ****

Title: Queen of Shadows Series: Throne of Glass #4 Author: Sarah J. Maas Published: September 1, 2015 by Bloomsbury Childrens (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: 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.  Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world

And now I attempt to write a spoiler free review for Queen of Shadows. Okay. Let's see. Can I just say: Epic, amazing, flawless book? No, you probably want more to go on. Okay well just in case you are knew to the Throne of Glass series or haven't immediately devoured this book like most of the book blogger community, I will do my best. But only because I love you.

So much of what makes this series amazing is the characters. Where Sarah J. Maas excels as an author is in creating characters that are complex and engaging. In Queen of Shadows she once again proves that. With every book we get more characters and perspectives but everyone of them is worthwhile and interesting. And as much as she is able to craft great male characters, it's the the female characters that really shine for me. Every last one of these women is kickass and hardcore but with complex vulnerabilities that make them leap of the page and into your hearts. They all make a big impression whether this is our first time meeting them or we've been spending five books getting to know them. But okay, the guys are pretty amazing too. Through the course of five books we have come to know and love these characters so well and I am definitely attached to them in such deep ways.

And what makes the characters, and my enjoyment of them, such a big part of the book is the fact that Queen of Shadows is so much about character development. In particular for Celaena. There are many perspectives but she's still the focus and I am very okay with that. She is one of my all-time favorite female characters and a lot of that is because of her development.  The person we first met in The Assassin's Blade and Throne of Glass is gone. She has grown and evolved into something amazing. Still kicking ass and taking names but less rough, more mature, more of a leader. Seeing her grow makes this series so good. But she's not the only one who has grown very different from the people they were when we first met them. Manon, who is also super badass, continues her great character development. So does Dorian. But I'd say the other main character in Queen of Shadows was Chaol. We get to see him grow and mature in ways I never thought possible. I also really enjoyed his development throughout this book despite the fact that he is not very likable for most of the beginning. Like Celeana he is becoming less rough and more mature. Though I think my favorite character development was with someone we haven't seen since The Assassin's Blade. Someone who I loathed in that book but I now love. I was so pleasantly surprised by them in Queen of Shadows and their relationship with Celaena. They overcame their differences and developed such a great friendship. I know I'm being vague but I don't want to give anything away. One thing I will say is that the character development in Queen of Shadows is top notch.

Another thing that is top notch in Queen of Shadows is the world that Sarah J. Maas has created. I've loved Erilea from the very beginning. I mean this is a fantasy world where a devious king has conquered all other lands and made it so that magic couldn't exist any more. That's like my kryptonite. But what I love is that as this series develops, more and more magic is brought in. It's such a deliberate exploration of the magical world and I have really liked learning more about it as everything develops. In Queen of Shadows we get more examples of magic, more magical creatures, and more knowledge about the magic we have previously seen. But the best part is that here there are so many huge twists and reveals when it comes to magic. And then there is also that political intrigue, that power struggle. It wasn't on foreground but it was a much bigger part of this book than any of the others. In Queen of Shadows there's this need to overcome the King's power and help the people who lost their kingdoms to him, this desire to get back what belongs to them. The world Sarah creates here I think will really appeal to fantasy fans. It plays with a lot of things you see in fantasy traditionally but it does it in such an engaging way.

And because of all this, the stakes are so high in this book. Whether it comes to the character's survival or the world's survival there are so many epic scenes in this book that it almost feels like a series ender. I mean there are so many thrilling action scenes that it had me on the edge of my seat. It's a 650 page book and I read it in 3 days. I rarely get that serious about a book. So serious that I had to listen to the audio practically ever possible minute. But Queen of Shadows is so thrilling I just needed to keep going. It's fast-paced and full of surprises that had me audibly gasping, jumping up into the air, and pacing around the room like an anxious mess. I may have even stopped breathing or lost consciousness at some point. You can ask Nikki and Pili. They got the brunt of my flailing DMs about what was happening.

But that is Queen of Shadows for you. it is a roller coaster ride of emotions, but just like all roller coasters, the thrills and nerves are worth every second. So much was resolved but there is so much more questions I need answers to and resolutions I need to see. My feelings on this series have official become reached next level fan girl status. It's getting to A Song of Ice and Fire/Harry Potter level with all my questions and theories. I wish I could read it all over again and I cannot wait to see what happens next to these characters and in this world. 

I give Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas 10 out of 10 stars.

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! Buy, buy, buy, buy. If that is news to you reread this review. I did nothing but gush about how amazing the characters are, how thrilling the plot is, how my Fangirl status has been leveled up. Fantasy fans should read this series and fans of the previous books will not be disappointed by the next installment.