TITLE: Empire of Storms
AUTHOR: Sarah J. Maas
SERIES: Throne of Glass, #5
RELEASED: September 6th, 2016; Bloomsbury
GENRE: Fantasy
AGE RANGE: NASYNOPSIS:
The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. 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.
book 0.5 | book 1 | book 2 | book 3 | book 4
Sometimes, stories teleport us to these warm, happy other lands where we can go on adventures and rest easy knowing that the good guys will win, our beloved characters will ride happily off into the sunset, and everything will be fine. This is not one of those stories. I am a complete wreck, I have no tears left in my body, I don’t have a clue how this is all going to turn out, and I feel like curling up in a hole in the ground and hiding from the travesty Sarah J. Maas has turned my emotions into. And I loved every damn second of it.
“I’m going to call in old debts and promises. To raise an army of assassins and thieves and exiles and commoners.”
Queen of Shadows was my favorite in the series so far (and it still might be, but Empire of Storms surely gives it a run for its money) because, underneath all of the action, suspense, and world-building, there was so much warmth and happiness and love. I realize now that this was orchestrated perfectly to lull me into a false sense of security, because Empire is nothing but bloodshed, betrayal, agony, and heartbreak (with a little bit of smut thrown in).
A court that wouldn’t just change the world. It would start the world over.
I have grown to love and cherish these characters so much that I can’t stand to see anything happen to them, and frankly, the last 150-200 pages of this book was a nightmare that I couldn’t look away from, because no matter how much this series has made me weep, it has become one of my favorite series of all time and my masochistic self can’t seem to get enough.
“War is sanctioned murder, no matter what side you’re on.”
There’s honestly not even much I can say, because so much happens in this installment that I feel like I need to tread lightly to avoid spoilers here. What I will say is that I adored seeing everyone slowly come together (including a few old faces I’d nearly forgotten—I am such a sucker for Sarah’s “rallying” moments, where old allies reappear), and it was genuinely incredible to watch all of these little, seemingly insignificant moments of past books weave together into a tapestry I somehow never saw coming. Just… wow, Aelin. Wow. ♥
“I love you. There is no limit to what I can give to you, no time I need. Even when this world is forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you.”
Throughout this entire book, I kept thinking that I was heartbroken that the next installment, Tower of Dawn, won’t focus on my faves, but after that ending, honestly, I could probably use a breather. I can’t believe how I have flown through this series or the fact that it’s all coming to an end soon, but I can’t wait to see what Sarah comes up with to tie it all together.
harpergraeblog
October 17, 2018I’ve heard so many great things about this series, including your amazing review! I need to get onto it as soon as I can!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
October 21, 2018Thank you! <3 It's such a great series, it's really become one of my favorites. I hope you get the chance to!
Meeghan reads
October 17, 2018YAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSDSS!!!!! This is why Empire of Storms is my favourite of the series so far! I hope you like Tower of Dawn too. I wasn’t super keen going in, but it was much better than I anticipated. I can’t wait for you to meet new characters in this epic story!!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
October 21, 2018Thank you! 😀 It was so good! I started ToD today and so far, so good—definitely not starting off as my favorite or anything but I’m not disliking Chaol’s POV as much as I expected to!
Kathy @ Books & Munches
October 18, 2018WHOOHOO.
I’m like: Empire of Storms could’ve been my favorite but it utterly ruined me and for that I’m like.. “Queen of Shadows please”. Have to admit I’ve been thinking I’ll switch favorites should I ever reread the entire series in one go but.. that’s something we’ll discover then, haha!
ENJOY THE NEXT ONE! <3
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
October 21, 2018Aw, that’s fair! I think the constant heartache is probably why I’ve decided QoS is my favorite instead of EoS, too. Plus, QoS was so much FUN—EoS was so heavy! I loved it but can’t QUITE call it my favorite… :’)
Kathy @ Books & Munches
October 22, 2018Hahaha, exactly! Maybe it’ll be less hard on us if we ever reread the books. 😛
Kelly Brigid
October 18, 2018Ah, you’ve said it all! This ending made me such an emotional wreck, and I’ve been dying these two years, waiting for Kingdom of Ash! ?
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
October 21, 2018Oh my gosh, I bet!! I can’t imagine having had to wait so long!
Shannon @ Shelfish For Books
October 18, 2018Beautiful review! ? I don’t think I could give Empire of Storms any justice if I tried writing a review!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
October 21, 2018Thank you so much, Shannon, you are too sweet!
CJR The Brit
October 20, 2018Don’t you just love this series?! I just finished Tower of Dawn and fell in love with this series all over again. I need to do a reread……and I can’t wait for Kingdom of Ash!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
October 21, 2018It’s so great! I’m reading ToD right now and trying to finish it as quickly as possible before KoA releases! 😀
CJR The Brit
October 21, 2018I can’t wait to feast my eyes on it!!!