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Wendy Darling's Reviews > Queen of Shadows
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)
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Hey! I made a set of 10 QUEEN OF SHADOWS DIY tattoos you can download for free here:
There is a giveaway for 2 QOS tote bags + books as well.
Kim and I will also be doing a joint review discussion on the blog soon. I'm refraining from responding to further comments on this review space for the time being while I collect my thoughts, but I thank you guys so much for the discussion and passion for these books, and look forward to continuing later. See you back here in a bit, I'll post the link when it's up!
Initial reaction:
I stayed up all night reading this, and these are the only coherent things I can say at this point:
1. The women in this series are PHENOMENAL. Holy hell, I swear fealty to them until the end of my days.
2. The new characters are fantastic! There is such complexity and poignancy in each of their stories, and I loved every single one of them, as well as what Aelin's interactions with them showed about her character.
3. More descriptions of sleeping under a wyvern's wing, please. <3
4. I have issues with the way a couple of things are handled--most strongly and specifically, how poor Chaol is almost unrecognizable for most of this book. Even though I can accept misunderstandings, mistakes, differences of opinion, cross-purposes, and so on, it makes me so sad that his story arc seemed to be so diminished and dishonored.
5. But the thing I didn't think I could be talked into, I'm actually totally on board with. I get why people might be upset by (view spoiler), but I'm pretty happy with the way the way the big change develops and is described in and of itself.
6. This book also made me cry. Like gasping sobs in the middle of the night that I had to stifle so I wouldn't wake my husband. I teared up at several points, but the graveyard scene was the one where I just lost it. (view spoiler) *bawls all over again*
7. Honestly, (view spoiler)
Also, the badass action scenes! Aelin! Her suit and weapons! The magic! MANON. And bathtub scenes, heeeey. More at some point when I'm not half-dead with lack of sleep.
I went into this with a certain amount of dread, but much to my surprise, this is the book that has the happiest ending out of all of them. This just means more torture is in store in future books, obviously, but for now...bliss.
** PLEASE. Use spoiler tags in the comments below if you want to talk about anything that could even remotely spoil the reading experience for someone else. Thank you!
by
Wendy Darling's review
bookshelves: fantasy, young-adult, 2015-favorites, read-2015, crush-worthy-boys, action-packed, heroines-butt-kicking, made-my-heart-hurt, 2015-5-star-books
Jul 07, 2014
bookshelves: fantasy, young-adult, 2015-favorites, read-2015, crush-worthy-boys, action-packed, heroines-butt-kicking, made-my-heart-hurt, 2015-5-star-books
Hey! I made a set of 10 QUEEN OF SHADOWS DIY tattoos you can download for free here:
There is a giveaway for 2 QOS tote bags + books as well.
Kim and I will also be doing a joint review discussion on the blog soon. I'm refraining from responding to further comments on this review space for the time being while I collect my thoughts, but I thank you guys so much for the discussion and passion for these books, and look forward to continuing later. See you back here in a bit, I'll post the link when it's up!
Initial reaction:
I stayed up all night reading this, and these are the only coherent things I can say at this point:
1. The women in this series are PHENOMENAL. Holy hell, I swear fealty to them until the end of my days.
2. The new characters are fantastic! There is such complexity and poignancy in each of their stories, and I loved every single one of them, as well as what Aelin's interactions with them showed about her character.
3. More descriptions of sleeping under a wyvern's wing, please. <3
4. I have issues with the way a couple of things are handled--most strongly and specifically, how poor Chaol is almost unrecognizable for most of this book. Even though I can accept misunderstandings, mistakes, differences of opinion, cross-purposes, and so on, it makes me so sad that his story arc seemed to be so diminished and dishonored.
5. But the thing I didn't think I could be talked into, I'm actually totally on board with. I get why people might be upset by (view spoiler), but I'm pretty happy with the way the way the big change develops and is described in and of itself.
6. This book also made me cry. Like gasping sobs in the middle of the night that I had to stifle so I wouldn't wake my husband. I teared up at several points, but the graveyard scene was the one where I just lost it. (view spoiler) *bawls all over again*
7. Honestly, (view spoiler)
Also, the badass action scenes! Aelin! Her suit and weapons! The magic! MANON. And bathtub scenes, heeeey. More at some point when I'm not half-dead with lack of sleep.
I went into this with a certain amount of dread, but much to my surprise, this is the book that has the happiest ending out of all of them. This just means more torture is in store in future books, obviously, but for now...bliss.
** PLEASE. Use spoiler tags in the comments below if you want to talk about anything that could even remotely spoil the reading experience for someone else. Thank you!
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Reading Progress
July 7, 2014
– Shelved
September 2, 2015
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Started Reading
September 2, 2015
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Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 105 (105 new)
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Roshio
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rated it 5 stars
Dec 24, 2014 09:44AM
You know I totally get that. Chaol really is just underwhelming
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Oh, I like him. But he pales in comparison to both those girls.
I want Chaolena but I fully ship two badass women conquering everything. Manon was awesome.
OMG Wendy I'm done with HoF and I don't even know what to do with myself. lol Celaena and Manon together would be one seriously awesome combo though.
i LOVE Manon!Great idea
Yall realize Manon is fighting against the good guys, right? She is in the king's flying Wyvern army. They are what Kaltain said she heard in the Gap.
17ivkulo wrote: "Yall realize Manon is fighting against the good guys, right? She is in the king's flying Wyvern army. They are what Kaltain said she heard in the Gap."YOU'RE KIDDING ME.
But you do realize that it's okay for people to like antagonists, right?
Laura, Bonnie, Amelia--she is awesome. I'm sure Chaolena is endgame, but I think this would make pretty spectacular fanfic.
I don't know; I'm actually expecting that Manon will turn.
Wendy Darling wrote: "17ivkulo wrote: "Yall realize Manon is fighting against the good guys, right? She is in the king's flying Wyvern army. They are what Kaltain said she heard in the Gap."YOU'RE KIDDING ME.
But you..."
I never said I didn't like Manon. I actually liked her character. I was just saying that in the book overall, she is a threat to the protagonist and the plot of the book. She is my favorite antagonist at the moment.
Celaena and Manon would be the ultimate bad arse couple.
What about Ansel? I think i dig her ruling the wastelands of the west. Plus I really hope that there is gonna be a showdown between the spider, the spidersilk merchant (from 'the assassin and the dessert'), Celeana, Manon and Abraxos.
I definitely think that a trip to the Singing Sands/Red Desert would be awesome in this next book. Not to mention a good way for Celaena to meet Manon and see Ansel again (SHOWDOWN!)If Celaena is going to take on the King of Assassins (and I think she will, because I think Sarah J Maas will leave Adarlan's king for last), she could use help from the silent assassins. Also Rowan. <3
oh I fully expect Manon to turn or at least be a sort of ally
Is there anything better than lesbian princesses/queens? The answer is no. There is not.
Tory, Roshio--I hear the two of them are definitely meeting in QOS. Let the shipping begin!!!!Lydia--Ansel is great, and YES I LOVE THE SPIDERSILK MERCHANT SO MUCH. I would like a spidersilk gown, please. I see you, too, are a fan of TAB. That's my favorite of the books so far.
Laura--yes to all those things! And since there are still so many books and they're all 600 pages long, there's plenty of time to do all of it, hah. I like Rowan so much, too. She has such a knack for writing characters you love. The only "popular" ones I am indifferent to are Dorian and what's-her-name from the lat book.
Kira--we are in full agreement here.
Totally agree! And I don't even like Chaol that much, so I would be more satisfied if both "girls" stayed together.
Emma, Carolina--wouldn't it be wonderful if she just ditched Chaol and just went for Manon? Hee hee. It'll never happen, but it would be so perfect.I like Chaol just fine, but he can't hold a candle to Manon. ;) Hah, just watch me eat my words if something terrible is revealed about Manon in QoS.
Chaol just seems oblivious in the books I much prefer Rowan! Just imagine what would happen if Manon and Celaena join forces. Wow. I think their alliance is being slightly hinted at, I mean Manon is such an awesome character and she's not like the other witches really is she?
We're all forgetting how much we love Abraxos. Is he really animal? Maybe Manon and Celaena get in a fight over who ends Iskra and the Yellowlegs clan?
Are any of you skilled in writing to write a fanfic in which Manon and Celaena end up ruling the world? PLEASE?
Guys, if you talk about specifics (like comments #23 and #24), please use spoiler tags or I will delete your comments shortly. People read these threads who haven't had a chance to read the book yet, so it's not fair to openly discuss and possibly ruin the reading experiences for them.But I do agree with you, Leandre--that could've been handled much better. Lavender, I answered that in #5 in my review space.
ME--Abraxos is so amazing! We get some great flying scenes in this book.
Carolina--man, I wish. Maybe Aelin will dump all the guys in book six and ride off on a wyvern with Manon, that would be ideal.
Oops, sorry!! I just got excited! Edited it.
Fab review, I adored this book so so much!
Ah man, I can't wait to get started on this! *waits impatiently by the mailbox*
Wendy Darling wrote: "No worries! Thank you. :)[spoilers removed]"
Wendy....loved the review. Specifically the points about the female characters and the treatment of Chaol's character.
as for post 27 (view spoiler)
But I hold out all hope that the stories continue to just get better.
I need my mail to arrive now! I really, really, really wanna read it! T^T
You make me want to start this series now! I have book 2 -- can I start there or would it be wiser to start with book 1? Great review, Wendy! Thanks everyone for hiding your spoilers -- not that I'd remember them by the time I get to this series, but it's much appreciated just in case something sticks to the brain! :)
Dorine, I highly recommend you star reading from book 1 so you can get an understanding about the MC development and of the world SJM created
Carolina wrote: "Dorine, I highly recommend you star reading from book 1 so you can get an understanding about the MC development and of the world SJM created"thanks so much for the input, Carolina!
Trying very hard not to read any of the comments, but your review made me VERY VERY excited to get my copy in the mail! SQUEEEE
Wendy, what is the series about, and do you recommend it? I love your reviews, and I follow them religiously! :)
Back in February you thought Chaolena was endgame. Do you still think that will be the case? I'm trying to figure that out myself and was wondering what others thought.
Jennifer wrote: "Back in February you thought Chaolena was endgame. Do you still think that will be the case? I'm trying to figure that out myself and was wondering what others thought."(view spoiler)
Thank you, Charlie! I'm happy to see those 5 stars. :)Andrea--yeah, it bothered me that (view spoiler) Oops, that was incredibly long, hah. But I haz feelings about that.
Caitlyn, BookWolf--oh man, when you get your hands on it, cancel everything else and read it right away before things get spoiled for you!
Liz, I've actually been talking about that with friends. How will the romantic tension continue with two books left?! Sarah does like to spend a lot of time with back and forth in her books, but I've been told by a fairly reliable source that the author has said Aelin makes her choice in this one. It felt that way in this book to me, too. (view spoiler) How about you?
Robin--I think you've hit on ways that there might be romantic tension in future books, actually. CLEVER GIRL. There's obviously so much more to this journey, and there's go to be trouble between them in the future. (view spoiler) We gotta save something for the future. I understand not quite being convinced yet, too.
Dorine--yessssss please give this series a try! Absolutely start from the beginning. And actually, Carolina, thanks for helping Dorine out, but my two cents: I usually recommend that people start with the novella prequel collection The Assassin's Blade. ToG, while technically book one, is regarded by many as the weakest in the series, while TAB is FANTASTIC. Those stories give you a vital understanding of Celaena's character and motivation for her future actions. I wish I'd read them first.
And you're welcome! I'm always super anal about spoilers on my threads because I hate having things spoiled for me, too.
Kereesa--no, don't read the comments! They'll be here when you finish. Just read read read when the book gets in. I was so nervous going into this book because I'd...inferred what was going to happen and wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. But I'm happy overall with the direction things are headed, I hope it ends up being great for you, too.
Abby--well, yes, absolutely I recommend the series! Did my 5 stars not tip you off? Read the synopses for The Assassin's Blade and Throne of Glass--these books have amazing characters, action, and poignancy. And as I was saying to Dorine above, start with TAB if you don't mind short stories--these are not throwaway ones like so many other YA series do, these are crucial to your understanding of the main character.
Jennifer--yes, I did. I was wrong. (view spoiler) What do you think?
Laura--I agree with both the things you've written in your spoiler. And I'm sad about them both, too. :(I also feel weird (view spoiler)
Wendy Darling wrote: "I usually recommend that people start with the novella prequel collection The Assassin's Blade.... Those stories give you a vital understanding of Celaena's character and motivation for her future actions. I wish I'd read them first. "Perfect advice! Thanks for the insight, Wendy. :)
This book stopped by heart. I knew Sarah was throwing us off in the previous books, so I jumped on the (view spoiler) ship so hard I drowned in feels. How did you feel about it, excluding outside relationships?
Ha I just kept saying 'wow Wendy called it' (can't add spoilers in this) as I read this
OMG OMG I thought this wasn't coming out until the end of September!! I'm on a book hold because I have a big exam I supposed to be studying for.. Cursed!!!!
This review both makes me want to read it faster, but slow down so I can enjoy it Lord help me.
Thank you Wendy! These will definitely be on my TBR list! Any other YA fiction books (any genre is welcome) you re commend?
