Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Well. That book ripped out of my heart, again.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
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Can't wait for this book to shatter my heart again.

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"'The world...will be saved and remade by the dreamers'"

This book tore out my heart, stabbed it, burned it, and then laughed at my pain. When I began this book, I was wondering why people were saying that it was a rollercoaster ride. Sure, some scenes were a bit 'intense', but it didn't seem very sad to me. Just a lot of ordeals.

Then I hit the last, like, 100 pages. And oh boy, I regret thinking that this book wouldn't inflict any pain. I cried pretty consistently near the end, having to take breaks to wipe my eyes and try to calm down. In terms of the level of pain I was experiencing...it was somewhere between (or a combination of) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Infinity War. (Infinity War ripped my heart out and even though I have watched it twice, I've managed to block out most of the movie, and the pain it caused me. I have been unable to rewatch it since then.)

Why was this book so painful, you may ask? Well. Things in the last section of the book got bad very quickly, and I'm emotionally attached to most of the characters in this book, which allowed Maas to rip my heart out pretty efficiently. For you who have read the book, I'll talk more about the last 100 pages later on in this review.

Just a warning before I get further along in this review, this review may be longer than normal. I have a lot of thoughts about this book. A. Lot.

Anyways, without further ado, let's get to the break down of this book.

Characters

Celaena
Celaena continues her conquest. She makes mistakes; she is vulnerable. However, she is also selfless, caring, and brave.

Dorian
After the events of the last book, Dorian is trying to...well, figure out how to move on. His once outgoing and impulsive self has turned more reserved, more thoughtful. When he speaks, he seems to speak more carefully.

Rowan
Rowan remains by Celaena's side but he also seems to act on his own accord more. The Rowan that was in Heir of Fire - the mentor figure - reappears during some scenes.

Aedion
Aedion is short-tempered, faster to act. When Celaena does something that he doesn't agree with, he's not hesitant to talk to her, tell her why he disagrees with her actions. Aedion's sexuality (view spoiler)[ he's bisexual (hide spoiler)] also gets discussed in this book, which makes me very happy!!!

Lysandra
She remains to be a great friend to Celaena and is so, so, brave. She does not hesitate to do what needs to be done.

Lorcan
He is brooding and cynical. He appears to develop a bit as the story unfolds.

Manon
Manon finally breaks away from what her grandmother wants her to do and starts to think for herself. She is brave, cunning, and is sometimes even kind. Her character development really shines through in this story.

Elide
She is brave, kind, and loyal. While I like her, she's not one of my favorite characters. However, I enjoyed learning more about her in this book.

Plot
Basically, this story is full of traveling place to place and battles.

Writing
Although I didn't like some scenes, this book has to be one of the best books of the series (at least so far). I did not have any complaints about Maas' writing. However, if I had to nitpick, I'd say that some scenes in the middle of the book could've been shortened.

General Thoughts
This book was quite enjoyable, even if it caused me pain. I would definitely recommend reading this book if someone has read Queen of Shadows and is debating whether or not to continue with the series.

Okay, now I will get into the spoiler section of my review (I will put it under 'View Spoiler' so people do not accidentally get spoiled).

(view spoiler)[
Specific Thoughts
- Gavriel and Fenrys: I'm very glad that they made an appearance in this book. I loved how we got a backstory to each of them. It made me feel more connected to them.

- Gavriel & Aedion: While Aedion remained wary of his father, Aedion's anger towards him seem to dissipate a bit. He managed to listen to him and even interact with him at times.

- Aedion & Lysandra: I really liked their relationship! I enjoyed how their relationship seemed to build slowly. It seemed very natural. When Lysandra got hurt on the beach, Aedion refused to leave her, which really showed his dedication to her. Of course, Aedion is now upset with Lysandra for doing what Aelin asked her to do...but I still like the idea of them together.

- Aedion: Aedion wasn't afraid to speak his mind when he was frustrated with Aelin or disagreed with her. It was nice to see him realize that Aelin could make mistakes and that he could question her when she did.

- Dorian: Dorian is SO DISTANT in this book. It broke my heart a bit. Obviously his behavior is completely understandable after what he went through, but my heart still broke for him.

- Dorian & Manon: I love their dynamic and really like their relationship. While it seems to be more of a physical attraction right now, I'm sure their relationship to grow more in the future, as they spend more time together.

- Elide & Lorcan: While some of their interactions were cute, I wasn't a fan of their relationship. Perhaps I wasn't a fan of it though because I don't like Lorcan.

- Lysandra & Aelin: They're still great friends and I really enjoyed seeing their interactions. It broke my heart when Lysandra unveiled what Aelin asked her to do.

- Dorian & Aelin: Their relationship seems to be more strained (which is understandable considering what happened in the previous book). However, they still try to maintain the friendship that they had previously, even if they disagree with each other at times.

- Rowan and Aelin: Okay, I love them. While I didn't need to see the more sexual side of their relationship, I love them. I love how they listen to each other, their banter, and how they are each other's equal. ALSO. They got married?! THEY GOT MARRIED!? That made me so happy (but then also broke my heart because they got ripped apart.)

- Rowan: I LOVED it when Rowan went to the ships of his cousins and asked them to fight for them instead of serving Maeve.

- Elena: The whole scene with her and Aelin was so painful. HOWEVER. I'm so extremely upset with her. She MESSED UP. COMPLETELY. Now Aelin has to pay for the mistake that SHE made. (And if Aelin doesn't pay for her mistake, Dorian will). I feel bad for Elena because she feels guilty for what she did, but I'm also so angry with her - neither Dorian or Aelin deserve to pay for her mistake.

- Aelin: WHERE TO START? Agh, there's so much to say. I guess...I'll start with Skull's Bay. I disagreed with Aelin when she summoned the Valg army just to try to get Rolfe to agree to her cause. I realize that she didn't directly 'summon' them, but it upset me that she would put those in Skull's Bay into danger just to get what she wanted. With that being said though, I think Aelin feels guilty for what she did after she almost ruins the town. She realizes that she is responsible for trying to save people, for trying to rebuild the world.

Aelin is still cocky, but she is also selfless. When Darrow tells her to bring allies to Terrasen, she does just that. She summons Galan, Ilias, and Ansel to help them. She doesn't tell the others because she's worried that if she tells them and she fails...she'll be a failure. So, she summons them on her own, hoping that they'll respond to her call.

When receiving her 'job' from Elena, she does not back down. She does not run away from it. She is fully ready to run towards her destiny because it would mean that her friends will be safe and they could carry out what she started.

She does anything to try to save her friends, even if that means that she cannot be safe.

- The Maeve Scene:

THIS SCENE BROKE ME. I hate Maeve. She revels in Lorcan's, Fenry's, Gavriel's, and Aelin's pain. She doesn't care if she hurts people, as long as she gets what she wants. She summons Cairn to hurt Aelin, to break her. Instead of listening to those who tell her to stop what she is doing, she continues to make Cairn hurt her. And Aelin...instead of trying to get out of it...she just takes it. Yes, Aelin was weak so it'd be difficult for her to fight, but she doesn't fight. She takes this as her fate and that her friends will be able to do what needs to be done.

When Aelin seems weak enough, Maeve summons the box, which Aelin is put into. After everything that Aelin has been through, Maeve just wants to inflict more pain; she revels in Aelin's pain. All that matters to Maeve is getting what she wants - she doesn't care about collateral damage.

- The Very End
Rowan and the others decide what to do next; some will go after Maeve, others will go find the Crochan witches. Some will go North. They will continue to fight, even if all seems lost.

(hide spoiler)]

Rating: 4.75/5 stars (rounding up, 5 stars)
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Update:
Review to come, but I'll give the book around 4.5 to 5 stars.

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I don't even know where to begin. There's so much pain.

(I'll rate the book once my emotions have settled a bit.)

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So....it’s time to read this. Have to admit, I’m a bit nervous.