Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Summary from Goodreads:

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

Review:

Agghhh, this book! It seemed to take forever to get here. But once it did, all the magic happened. All the magic. I’m so happy to say that I was not disappointed. Sarah J. Maas is a master storyteller. The wait was well worth it. I devoured this book.

That being said, if you have not read it yet: prepare for some extreme toying with your emotions. I went from being ecstatic one moment, to desperately on edge the next. And then when I finally think there is hope, all hope is ripped to shreds. Aelin is full of surprises. And the plot is loaded with twists and turns. Maas seriously knows how to mess with your emotions, and all emotions will be felt at some point. There were at least 2 moments, when my draw literally dropped in shock.

So many things happen that I had been anxiously waiting for. Finally. I’m not sure I should say what they are because I do not want to spoil a single thing. Just know that between all the adventure, magic, wyverns, witches, battles, pirates, sea monsters, magic keys and magic locks, enemies, and doom, there was also some blessed moments of much anticipated happiness. All so many pieces of the puzzle come to fit together. Characters that had been separate for the whole series, are now finally teaming up.

A lot of questions were answered as well. Some much needed background on all the evil things was finally hashed out. And I find that element a little confusing. Maybe I need to go re-read from the beginning. Actually, I think that is a grand idea. I will probably do that over the winter…

I think my favorite moments (besides the steamy romantic ones) were the ones with Aelin and Manon in the same room. Then when a third strong female character (from Aelin’s past) enters the picture, it’s like all the characters I could ever want to star in a good book came knocking on my door. Seriously, I wish they had more time to bicker together. I loved them. I want more of them. Can we have a book of that?

The book did start off a little slowly. Just a little. And there were some definite cheesy parts. Like, while I ship characters as much as the next girl, I still find it a little too much when all the characters are coupled off like they kind of were in this installment. Like what are the real chances they’d all find their soul mates? I do like that the characters almost never stay with the first person they fall in love with, but, come on…

One of the past characters Aelin was in love with that I kind of grew to hate, was thankfully not in this book at all. Happy day for me. I was kind of worried about when he’d enter the picture, and then I was pleasantly surprised that he never did.

It’s hard reviewing this book because like I said, I don’t want to spoil things for anyone. This deserves fresh eyes. Just know that it was amazing, fast paced, full of action, full of surprise twists, full of romance, and chock-full of pain. I’m in painful need of the next installment immediately. It definitely had the worst cliffhanger so far. A cliffhanger that has your heart ripped to shreds and oxygen low. I need to know what happens next, so I can breathe again. All in all, I loved it. I give it a 10/10. I seriously hope Maas never stops writing.