This review will include my thoughts on the tandem read, as well as this book individually. I completed my first read of Empire of Storms as the tandem read with Tower of Dawn. After completing this tandem read, I am thankful for my decision to do so and think this enhanced my experience with both books. While I ended up liking Tower of Dawn more than I thought I would, I still think ToD would have been a difficult read alone. EoS was my favorite of the two and is a strong stand-alone book. Empire of Storms brings the emotional impact of everything we’ve amassed so far; EoS feels like a life lesson on small kindnesses being returned tenfold in unexpected ways. I found myself SCREAMING and putting the book down several times as twists came that I never anticipated. While EoS brought the excitement, political intrigue, and best characters (over ToD), there were moments that felt unbelievable and out of place. <spoiler>This includes Dorian’s personality not aligning with anything we’ve seen so far, Rowan somehow in denial about the mating bond, Aedion’s reaction to Lysandra’s revelation at the end, and the court still putting up with Aelin’s WORLD CHANGING secret plans.</spoiler> The cliffhanger at the end of EoS is shattering, so I’m really looking forward to pursuing a resolution in Kingdom of Ash. Even so, Empire of Storms is a force of a read that will hook you in and leave you reeling!

I want you to stop for a moment and think about all the characters within the Throne of Glass series, how you perceived them, what they look like, what they sound like, and the decisions they are known to make. Now, throw all of what you know into a blender. Close the lid. Press down on the go button and turn the nozzle all the way up to its highest level. What you are left with is a nourishing and new delightful new dish that our minds weren't ready for. Sarah J Maas turns everything upside down in Empire of Storms, her 5th installment in the series, which has us all scrambling for more immediately. Maas brilliantly makes each of her characters into something they weren't before. They all develop organically into new people, but these new developments make perfect sense. For example, Aelin begins the book heading North of Terrasen in order to help build herself an army. She finds that the people are not so inclined to back her up, considering she's been gone for over 10 years, but was actually always present with her sworn enemy, the late King of Adarlan, playing as his puppet assassin as Cealena Sardothien. Many don't take too kindly to her history, and many of those that she encounters find more reasons to not back her up, than to do so. Based on the Aelin we've grown to know, we would think she would blow up into a vengeful tirade, spewing her new found power of fire, stopping close but short of a tyrant. However, that Aelin is not there. She's become ever more calculating, less hot-headed, and deathly more focused on saving her people and land. She not only fights two wars against both the Dark King Erawan and her Aunt Meave, Queen of the Fae, she does more than crosses blades in these wars. She uses her mind as well as her muscle in order to produce an end result she wants. From page one until the very end result, Aelin orchestrated EVERYTHING. It's that type of sleight of hand intellectual reflex that has me blown away with her character growth. Prince Rowan, once sworn to Queen Mauve, now sworn to Aelin, serves his Queen in every way possible. When we first met him in Heir of Fire he was disassocitive, broody, and not the most likeable character. Aelin has helped to transform him into something more vulnerable, to the point where he will freely show some PDA with Aelin in front of others. While some of his old cadre (old Fae friends/associates sworn to Mauve) would see this as a weakness, this is in fact far from the truth. Prince Rowan will stop at nothing to protect Aelin, even if it means protecting her from herself. He's still a fierce fighter, but now, he has a worthy cause to fight for---a future with his Queen. Aedion goes through some pretty hefty transformations that mainly deal with things that come out from the plot itself. I won't discuss everything, but Aedion grows to accept who his parents are and what that means. He's every bit as fierce as Aelin can be, and he becomes one of her most loyal soldiers. He also finds a budding romance with a shapeshifter by name of Lysandra. Their relationship was very sensitive, on account of Lysandra's history. She has been defiled by many men, and Aedion is very cautious with her at first, as he should be. Lysandra was a very refreshing character to read about. Her ability to transform into almost anything was pretty epic. Lysandra's fight sequences were some of the best of the series, and she reminded me of a mini Aelin. She's also completely devoted to Aelin, almost to a fault. It's a magical experience to see such a fierce and brutal character, rife with molestation, loss of power, and a dehumanizing childhood, turn into a character that is able to finally allow love to blossom. King Dorian has the biggest transformation in the entire series. A fair warning to those about to read Empire of Storms, this will not be the same character you grew to love. His innocence is gone. His power is his own. The killing of his father by his own hand, seeing the love of his life Sorscha murdered because of his father, and the months of being held hostage inside his body by a Valg Prince has changed Dorian forever. He is darker, less talkative, and more of a man of action. He has become sadistic and this leads him to a very surprising romance (although I approve) with Manon of Blackbeak. He's become as cold as the ice he wields, and he has now become a force to be reckoned with along side Aelin. He is after all, the King of Andarlan. King Dorian begins to realize the position he is now in, and you see him push his weight around when you least expect it. However, he's very quiet during heightened situations, especially when it comes to plotting along side the other characters. You knew when he decided to speak, his words would change the dynamic. I'm not sure if I personally love his more sadistic side, what I do love is that he recognizes his power. I look forward to seeing how he'll wield it in the future. Lorcan, another Fae male that's apart of the cadre. Also, the same person who Aelin and Rowan tricked at the end of Queen of Shadows into thinking he took one of the wyrdkeys from them for his Queen. He's known as the Fae male who trained Rowan into what he is now. He's a character filled with vengeful hate, and it becomes amplified 100 fold when he realizes that he was tricked. However, a long his journey he meets Elide who is also on the run. Manon helped her escape her uncle and the tower she was held captive in, and now Lorcan and Elide travel together. To be brief, Elide melts away the ice around his heart, and helps to provide him with a worthier reason to fight. Their romance was the one that had me the most excited, because it really did feel like it was straight out of Beauty and the Beast. Manon of Blackbeak has the most intense storyline out of them all. I fell in love with her since she was first introduce, and this new installment has just solidified that. Monon, still ever fierce, but we see some major things happen to her. I don't want to give anything away, however I will say that Manon has always known that something wasn't "right" with how her people were living. Some secrets are revealed, some major ties are cut, and we find Manon no longer in a position of power. Until...that is...when she crosses paths with Aelin again. They're plenty of other characters I can discuss but these are the ones that had the most affect on me. Empire of Storms exceeded my expectations with every aspect of the book. It had the perfect dialogue, right amount of plot twists, and pages upon pages of cinematic fights. The ending will leave you in pieces, as I'm still trying to find all of the pieces of myself. Consider this book a rollercoaster, which has a long death drop and it keeps on dropping even as you turn to the last page. I still haven't reach the bottom yet. And yet, I know I won't until the next book comes out. Sarah J Maas has just written the best in her series, possibly even the best book of her career. Do check it out! Happy Reading!

Re-Read Update: This book destroyed me. I cheered when my baby, Abraxos, appeared (legitimately out loud cheered) and wanted to cry at those fateful words. If you've read this book, you know which ones I'm referring to and if not, I can't say because there would be spoilers. Despite the issues and shift in the characterization of some of our leads, this book takes you on an incredible emotional journey with highs that make you cheer (see above) and lows that bring you to tears (almost). Despite the length of the book, I didn't feel as though the story lagged or the pacing was poor. Any free minute I had, I immediately turned to the book to continue where I left off. Even knowing what was going to happen, it managed to enthrall me. One of the problems that I have with this book is its portrayal of relationships. There are aspects of it that are so swoon-worthy and make your heart hurt, but there are some that are not healthy. It's nice to see diverse portrayals of love and relationships, but my concern is that a young adult reader might see the territorial Fae nonsense in the book and not realize that it's an extreme. It might seem normalized. As I am not a teenager, I am aware of the intricacies and can roll my eyes at the "nonsense" without putting any weight on the idea. That may not be the same for teen readers. There are aspects of the character development that seems off and others that, although regrettable, are completely valid. For example, Dorian has gone through an incredible amount of turmoil and emotional upheaval in the last two books. It's understandable that his personality would not quite be the same carefree, flirty scholar that we met in the first book who wished to stand up to his father but could never garner the courage to do so. In a similar vein, we watch other characters develop into multi-faceted people and understand them more. Manon and Lysandra have become much more interesting characters as they were expanded upon, and at least for me have become some of my favourites. Despite the huge cast of fairly main characters, each is still given the time to shine and grow. Finally, the world building continues in this book to an immense degree. A combination of the book's size and the various viewpoints has allowed Sarah J Maas to expand the world we have come to know. Erilea has been developed and we are able to see more pieces of Nehemia's homeland, Aelin's kingdom, and so much in between. I still love this series and highly recommend it to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fantasy books. Original Review: These novels are so addicting, emotional and indescribable - but I'm going to try to do them justice. If you've not yet read up to Empire of Storms, please avoid this review as it has spoilers. I try to leave out the major plot points and just focus on the characters/world, but it's not free from them. Please read on only if you've read the series. Our main cast of beloved and some tolerated, main/supporting characters grows throughout the series. Although we lose Nehemia, which I am still so sad about - we are introduced to the Fae. Their inclusion in the series brings the genre into high fantasy and makes it even more enjoyable. Prior to this series, I hadn't read many novels in which the supernatural creatures were the Fae but now I am obsessed. The world of the Fae isn't experienced or explained much, but I would love to see more of it. Their powers or abilities are so intriguing and well written. Just enough information is given that you can understand what is going on, then beautifully populate the world and battles in your mind. Sarah J Maas makes you fall in love with each of the characters, whether you liked them when they were first introduced or not. One of the first perspective shifts we experience is when we are introduced to the bloodthirsty Manon Blackbeak. At first, you wish her scenes weren't there as they take away from time with our main characters but by the fifth novel she's one of the characters you're rooting for. Although she's a witch and over one hundred years old, she is given the ability to develop and change over the course of the novels. It takes time because she's learning that things she believed her entire life aren't true and don't need to affect how she views life. Even characters that we were originally introduced to, like Lysandre are able to evolve and change over the course of the books. She and Celaena start off butting heads and competing, but that doesn't last. They join together and made a formidable pair (especially once magic is restored to the land). Lysandre grows into one of my favourite characters and her wholehearted commitment to the cause is inspiring. Seeking more information about the Wyrdkeys, Celaena seeks knowledge from the Fae Queen Maeve. Unwilling to give her information away for nothing, Queen Maeve makes a deal that Celaena must train with and impress one of her trusted warriors, Rowan. Prince Rowan is able to manipulate ice and wind, whilst also transforming into a hawk. Her inner circle are sworn to her with a blood oath and a group of Fae warriors that include Rowan, Lorcan, Gavriel, Vaughen, Fenrys and Connall. Later on, this group is affectionately titled Rowan's cadre and some join our heroes on their journey. Unsurprisingly, we discover that Celaena is actually the Princess (or Queen) of Terrasen and that revelation brings with it some people from her past. Her cousin, Aedion was forced for years to do the bidding of the King of Adarlan whilst secretly helping his people. He is a general and his legion of warriors called the Bane are loyal to him rather than the King. We also meet another person from Terrasen, the daughter of the woman who sacrificed herself to allow Aelin to escape as a child - Elide. She was mistreated by her Uncle for years, until Manon Blackbeak helped her escape. After only a few days, she crosses paths with Lorcan who is a member of Rowan's cadre and they begin to journey together. Lorcan is not well liked by Rowan or Aelin when we first come across him in Rifthold. He is still bound to Queen Maeve and is seeking to find and destroy the Wyrdkeys. Throughout his journey across Erilea, he discovers that he has a soft spot for Elide and protects her. Some of the other cadre are viewed in a more favourable light by Aelin and her friends, as they attempt to delay their orders from Maeve to help on the quest. Sarah J Maas writes the best pairings that fill your heart with so much feeling then she rips it out and stomps all over it. Rowan loves Aelin with his whole heart, every part, the good, the bad, the broken and beaten, the assassin, the Queen, the Fae and no one else has ever done that for her. Their love is true and enduring. Heartwrenching and pure. Even though they didn't start off on the best footing, after training her for a time and even breaking his blood oath to Maeve - Rowan is completely enamored. Plus, they're mates so there's nothing more important and bonding. Each relationship is authentic and pulls at your heartstrings. Throughout the novels, you are able to experience more of the lands with Erilea from the dark, twisted towers of Morath to the Queen's home of Terrasen. They are welcome additions to our mental maps of the land and wonderfully illustrated through words. This is one of my favourite series by far and is highly recommended to all - also specifically to young adult readers who enjoy well writen novels with developed characters, immersive world-building and fantasy.