Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Hardcover,  648 pages
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Published by: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Throne of Glass, #4
Source: Bought
For fans of: Bromance, Fantasy, Girl Power, Fairies, YA, Tear-Jerkers


     The queen has returned.
     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 has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.
She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. 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.
     The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena's epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

*MY THOUGHTS*

    After my late start to this series, I'm FINALLY all caught up! And I can definitely say I'm happy I finally got on the band-wagon. This series is becoming one of my favorites!
"Nothing is without a price."
pg. 23
     Celaena hasn't had the easiest life. She's had mostly everything she liked taken from her or troubled because of her. And let's not add on to the fact that she keeps finding out things about herself. Such as her new identity, Aelin Galathynius. With everything she has going on, she still has to prove herself through fights for everything. 
"She was the heir of fire. She was fire, and light, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph."
pg. 142
     Ok, starting with the romance. Of course I'm a happy camper, but I can understand why some people wouldn't be. As someone that was once that same ship, I can see why some people are coming from. I don't think what happened to them needed to happen that way. For most of the book all the respect I had for him I LOST. He just didn't seem to be the same person he'd always been. But after thinking about it, I THINK I better understand it. He was scared and was leaning on the one thing that was constant in his life. Dorian. He HAD to believe that he was ok or that he could save them because he needed him in his life. Which is understandable. He knew he needed to keep Dorian's image sparkling because his own and Aelin's images were completely tarnished. But still, in the end I'm not exactly sure WHY it had to be to that extent. Do I think Maas could've turned it down a little, YES. Do I kind of understand why she changed his attitude, YES. Do I want her to regret her decision of making him that way, NO.
"You will make mistakes. You will make decisions and sometimes you will regret those choices. Sometimes there won't be a right choice, just the best of several bad options."
pg. 251
      One thing I liked about this one was the non-stop action and adventure. In the previous books I found out that they were lacking in action in the first part of the book and then during part two I always fell in love with the series. But this one had something in EVERY chapter. So many times I wanted to go to sleep, but I hit a chapter cliff-hanger and I knew it wasn't happening. If every book after this is like this.... I can truthfully say I will be at the next midnight release. 
"You can't just toss us out what will we do? Where will we go? I hear hell is particularly nice at this time of year."
pg. 385
     I will say I'm a little scared as to where this series is going now... It seemed that everything may have been answered or so many things finally aligned (Manon's! I finally like her character!) so now I'm interested in seeing what happens next. I'm waiting on pins and needles trying to figure out how this is going to arc the overall story. Ugh so many questions. 
"Ten years of shadows but no longer. Light up the darkness, Majesty."
pg. 532
     As for the romance, THANK YOU SO MUCH MAAS FOR SAILING MY SHIP. lol So many times I about died just because they were finally moving into falling for each other. This makes me so happy because of everything that she's been through, she finally deserves to have something; someone. I'm even more glad that it was him. With her character changing so much, things for her have changed as well as her tastes. The only one who can handle her now, and I do mean all of her, is him. There's no way anyone else can get along with her fae side. 
"Let's go rattle the stars."
pg. 532
     I find it so weird that people that were so-so about the series before (or in other words, ME) have fallen completely for it with this one. And then there was the opposite of this, where the old lovers of this series aren't too thrilled with it after this one. It really makes me wonder if they'll read the rest of the series or just forget about it. I can't wait to see what happens in both the series and the fans! 
Overall, I give this 
  

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