Book Review: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Blurb:

The long path to the throne has just begun for Aelin Galathynius. 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. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

My Review:

It's time for Assassin-Queen Aelin Galathynius to begin her quest to regain her throne, but the Lords of Terrasen are unwilling to let go of the past and Aelin's history as Adarlan's assassin and recognize her as the true Queen of Terrasen. 

When an imminent attack on Rifthold by the Ironteeth witches is uncovered, Aelin sends Rowan to save Dorian and bring him to Skull's Bay while Aelin, Aedion, and Lysandra set off to take back Ilium from Erawan's stolen Ardarlan forces. There her ancestor Brannon commands that she search out a lock. Pushing it aside she and her allies sail to join Rowan and Dorian in Skull's Bay where Aelin hopes to call in some debts and build up her army against Erawan. But why is the lock so important? And what does Aelin's destiny have to do with the lock?

Meanwhile,  Elide Lochan is lost within the Oakwald forest and being stalked by monstrous creatures from Morath called ilken. She must find her Queen and she's been charged with delivering a stone to someone unknown to her named Celaena Sardothian. When she's on the brink of being captured by the ilken she is saved by a Fae warrior, Lorcan. Together they tentatively forge a promise that Lorcan will take her to Terrasen under his protection as long as she tells him everything she knows of Morath. But while being hunted by the ilken and hiding amongst a traveling carnival will their search for Aelin truly take them to Terrasen? Or will their path take them somewhere else entirely? Will they be betrayed and captured before they ever reach Aelin? And is it possible that after centuries alone, the heartless warrior's heart may finally be softening towards someone?

When Manon Blackbeak kills one of Iskra Yellowlegs's Thirteen and saves Dorian Havillard from slaughter she's essentially signed her death warrant in the eyes of the Matrons. Will she or her Thirteen escape their punishment? What will happen when the secret of her heritage is revealed? 

As Aelin and her allies converge on Skull's Bay and beyond, new allies will be made, strengths will be put to the test, and new dangers will arise. Will Aelin and her court make it through unscathed? Or will everything go terribly awry? 

Empire of Storms, the fifth installment of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series is a high-risk, heart-pounding adventure. I haven't read the first four books (except for the first 30 pages of Throne of Glass) and initially it took me a few chapters to piece everything together, but even not reading the first books I easily became engrossed in the story. Empire of Storms is a massive book and it took me ages to get through but I loved every minute of it. 

Once again Sarah J. Maas has created a world full danger and intrigue with enough unique characters to fall in love with. Throughout reading Empire of Storms, I got caught up in all the different relationships forming - from Lysandra and Aedion to Manon and Dorian to Elide and Lorcan and even the meeting of Aedion and his father and they all tugged at my heartstrings just as much as Aelin's quest and Aelin's relationship with Rowan did. Maas's excellent writing kept me turning pages, dying to find out what dangers laid ahead and how each character would make it through - if they would make it through. I have to admit, of all the sexy male character in this series, I think Lorcan might be my favorite, though. 

The ending of this book completely blew me away and I can't wait to see what's going to happen in book 6. This book is a must read for fans of the series, but prepare yourself for the heart-stopping ending! 

My Rating: 

5 of 5 Stars

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #52

Holy cow! It's been 52 weeks (1 Year) of these What I'm Reading Wednesday posts! Although this week is more of a "What I'm Still Reading" Wednesday post. 

Here's a recap of the book I started last week...

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Blurb:

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

What I Think So Far:

Updated

So, I thought this book was going to be a slow one at the beginning but that was mainly because I was seriously busy last week - My grandmother took a minor fall so most of the week was spent trying to get her back to easier mobility - but you're not here to listen to that. Once I got some free time to get into my reading I was hooked! You'd think by me jumping into the series at book 5 when I haven't read 2-4 and only read the first 30 pages of book 1 that I'd be lost, but that is the good thing about Sarah J. Maas's writing. It's engrossing even if you aren't up to speed on the series. I quickly caught on, even though I'm a bit confused on the Manon part. Everyone told me she and Aelin were friends in the earlier books but I guess that hasn't been the case? I'm just past the halfway point in this book and I'm hoping to finish by the weekend. I love the story but for some reason, it's reminding me a lot of the ACOTAR series - not that they're exactly the same but they seem similar. The one thing I'm not sure I like is that the sections change between so many different characters. I wish the author would have just stuck to one or two characters and told the story through their perspectives instead of through the 7(?) perspectives it is being told in. 

Bonus: Waiting on Wednesday

Since this is a bit of a repetitive book post I'm adding a WOW section this week. Last week you heard all about the books I can't wait to read this winter. One of the most upcoming ones that I'm dying to read and hoping to borrow from a blogger friend is...

Freeks by Amanda Hocking

Blurb:

In a world of magical visions and pyrokinesis, Mara just wants to have a normal life. But is that possible?

Mara has become used to the extraordinary. Roaming from place to place with Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Carnival, she longs for an ordinary life where no one has the ability to levitate or predict the future.

She gets her chance when the struggling sideshow sets up camp in the small town of Caudry, and she meets a gorgeous local guy named Gabe. But before long, Mara realizes there’s a dark presence lurking in the town that’s threatening the lives of her friends. She has seven days to take control of a power she didn’t know she had in order to save everyone she cares about—and change the future forever. 

Why I'm Waiting:

This book seems more like paranormal romance than fantasy and since I've been reading so much fantasy lately I could use a change of pace. Not to mention, I may or may not have a significant other who once thought about running away to the carnival. 😉 Plus, isn't the idea of carnivals kind of a sexy, mysterious, alluring theme? 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #51

I finished reading Ever the Hunted, and you'll hear all about my thoughts on that on December 27th, but this "WIR"-Wednesday I'm moving on to...

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Blurb:

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Why I Chose This Book / What I Think So Far:

Okay, so you all know I tried reading Throne of Glass (book 1) a few months ago and it wasn't like I didn't like it... I just had other books for ARCs that I had to read, so I put it down and haven't quite picked it back up. But at the time I thought it was a little slow moving. Maybe I was just on a book overload or maybe I didn't give it enough time, so instead of going back to book one I'm going to read book 5 and move my way backward through the series. Yes, I know that sounds bad, but hey I can do what I want. Everyone has been raving about EOS for months and how the ending "destroyed" them and since the first page has grabbed me I'm eager to get into this one. 

P.S. you'll notice I used the picture of the UK cover and that is because that's the cover of my copy. Yes, I live in Wisconsin which is firmly in the middle of the US - but I love the UK covers of this series even better than the dark cover US versions so I ordered this one from Book Depository. 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #41

After the amazing ending of And The Trees Crept In that totally blew my mind (read my review here), I needed a genre switch so this "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading...

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Blurb:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Why I Chose This Book / What I Think So Far:

I love the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas, so when the Good Choice Reading blog was holding a virtual signing for Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) I decided to order a signed copy of this first book in the series. Yes, that's right, I'm totally new to the TOG series. Don't look so shocked, you have to understand that a year ago I had never even heard of Sarah J. Maas and I didn't even read fantasy novels. Then I picked up ACOTAR and ACOMAF through GCR's virtual signing for ACOMAF in May. And I fell in love with that series, but sadly ACOTAR #3 doesn't come out until May 2017. Huge bummer! So since I've never read this series I thought I'd give it a try. So far, since I just started Throne of Glass last night, I'm only starting chapter two. I like what I'm reading so far, so we'll have to see if I'm totally fangirling over it by the time I'm finished!