Title: Empire of Storms

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Date Published: September 6th 2016

Format: Hardcover

My Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Thoughts:

Empire of Storms is the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series written by the one and only Sarah J. Maas.  Up to this point, we have followed Aelin Galathynius across numerous cities and continents.  We have seen her grow from a witty, hateful assassin into a more compassionate and loads more conniving queen.

Taking a look at the plot, I was getting Assassin’s Creed Black Flag vibes through most of this and I have got to say that I was digging it.  I could almost smell the salty brine of the sea water, and feel the sticky heat of those islands.  After spending so much time surrounding that dreadful glass castle, I was glad to see a bit of open road/ocean.

I stand by what I said when reviewing Queen of Shadows, that if this book were to ever be made into a movie, it would be a box office hit.  Sarah J. Maas is the queen of action scenes!  Nothing dragged in this.  Every scene was a piece that fit into a bigger piece, fitting to an even bigger peice that all came together to create one of the biggest cliffhangers I’ve read to date.  Seeing Aelin fight to win back her kingdom, to create it into a new dream for her and for others, it was truly a feat of wonder seeing everything unfold before me.

What I am really liking about these books now, especially Empire of Storms, is the story unfolds from more than one POV.  From the very start of the book, we see all these pieces of a puzzle come together slowly, and see all the characters from different parts of Aelin’s world converge to the final showdown.  Also, as a romance fanatic at heart, seeing all of the relationships between the different characters made me want to continue reading way past my bedtime.

My thoughts on the characters.

I loved seeing more of Rowan’s cadre and learning more about them and their relationship with Maeve (that evil bitch).  Even though it was explained before about Maeve’s orders and how they must be followed, I never thought that the rest of the cadre would ever try to disobey her.

The person that I was most rooting for was Lysandra.  At the very beginning (I’m talking Assassin’s Blade beginning) I couldn’t stand Lysandra.  I thought of her as the evil girl who was always going to have it out for Aelin.  Since learning of her role in the Assassin’s Guild and learning that she is a shape-shifter, I’ve gained so much more respect for her.  Not because she can take different shapes (although the ones she takes are pretty frickin epic), but I can understand more of the person she came to be.  Because of the circumstances she went through, she clawed her way through, much like Aelin, to become a woman worthy of respect and love.

Fangirling

Once again, Sarah J. Maas reminded me why I love her books with this tale.  When I see photos of fans lining up to see her at book signings, I can understand their excitement and devotion.  So would I recommend this?

……………………

I’d be crazy not to.