Empire of Storms Book Review

Number of pages: 689

Number of times read (including the time before this review): 1

Rating (out of five stars): 3 (read the review)

I have absolutely no idea what I should rate this book (hence the “middle of the road” 3 stars). What I do know is that I will be reading the 6^th book once it comes out.

To begin, I shall tell you of the journey the series my friends know as “the fake fairy assassin series” has brought me on. After finishing The Young Elites by Marie Lu, I wanted to get my hands on The Rose Society, the sequel (this was soon after it was released last year). Chapters (Canada’s bookstore) was having a deal for their point system (I won’t go into detail, this is a long tale) if you bought 2 YA books. I convinced my mom to buy me The Rose Society along with this book I had heard so much about; Throne of Glass. I read Throne of Glass and didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I saw potential in the series, and I wanted to continue it (one of the few reasons I rated it 3 stars), but it was a “fluffy” book about a girl who basically caries a knife and dubs herself an assassin (I’m too tired to link the reviews. If you are really curious the Throne of Glass review can be found under the review tab on my blog under the one for The Rose Society). After Christmas I purchased the next three (including a signed copy of Queen of Shadows). The 2^nd and 3^rd book pretty much followed in the footsteps of the first (meaning they had potential, but where far from reaching it), except I had more of an urge to throw them. I then read Queen of Shadows and it was the book I had been looking for from the start. It was gripping and action packed (and I still hated Rowan). It brought me my first ever reading slump, and it also brought me an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. There didn’t seem to be enough plot left to fill the remaining 2 books. And so I waited with dread for book 5.

I can’t tell you how much of that plot was good, but I can tell you that it started to get good around page 300.This book was not nearly as gripping as Queen of Shadows, nor was it an emotional read, but it was enjoyable. Sarah J Maas’ writing has significantly improved since book 1. However, I found the fact that everyone seems to find a partner to be annoying.

On the subject of the characters, it appears I have grown attached to Aelin (I won’t tell you how I know this because of spoilers). I really hope they either find a loophole, or use Dorian instead. Manon’s storyline was uninteresting, while Elide’s was the opposite (though I was concerned for Asterin). I only hate Rowan slightly less because it would break Aelin if he died (stop biting her, though. She’s not a rare food item). Gavriel is my favourite Fae, and Lysandra is probably my favourite character.

There isn’t much else I want to discuss that I can discuss without spoiling things. If you have read the first 4 books, I say you should continue the series. If not, you should weigh the pros and cons for yourself.