Reviews

The Queen of the Dawn by S.M. Gaither

taylorlk19's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

retrogirlreads's review against another edition

5.0

“The Queen of the Dawn” is the last book in S.M. Gaither’s Shadows and Crowns series, and for me, it was beautifully intense and incredibly bittersweet. Casia and Elander really had to prove themselves, and they both went through so much in this one. There were some moments that made me extremely emotional, and others where I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Gaither somehow managed to keep me guessing with all the twists and turns this story took me on, and in the end, I even felt empathy for a character I was sure I hated. This world and these characters have become so special to me, and I know this series will live rent free in my mind for a very long time. To sum it up, this was such a brilliant conclusion to this series, and I would highly recommend it to any fantasy romance lover!!!

yiuniklatte's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

doctorleo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kylamcisaac's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

elizasrpt's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

lskywalker918's review against another edition

4.0

Ahhhh what a bittersweet end reminiscent of Kingdom of Ash (Is that a hint at multirealm traveling? lol).

What I love most about this story is how nothing came easy for our characters. There were no easy OP-ness. Even when they supposedly gained powers, they still ran into obstacles. It kept you reading to see if they would ever reach their happily ever after. Victory was not guaranteed even up until the final battle (and it was an epic fight scene!)

Unlike other romantasy, the love story between Cas and Elander was more than mere mate bond arbitrarily set by fate. They fell in love in their past lives and again in the present. I also love that Elander was not an alpha-hole like other MMCs. He was a true supporter of Cas, a pillar for her to lean on when she needed him. While I was a little sad that he was no longer a shadow daddy in the later books, I cheered every time his powers reached out to augment Cas's (okay, another Rowan/Aelin parallel here lol).

Varen's relationship with Cas was complicated to say the least and I wished it was developed more. However, how the two ended up added to the bittersweet tone at the conclusion of the story.

Sad that Cas's story came to an end but happy that she made it to the other side with everyone.

Spice scale (as defined by Mysterious Galaxy):

morganrae5601's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

4.5🌟
A satisfying conclusion on overall a solid romantasy. I really enjoyed the gods and magic of this world and the characters grew on me. The pacing fell a bit as the series went on and  there was something missing  that i cant place my finger on for it to be a 5 star read buy I still really enjoyed it and think this is a perfect series for someone new to fantasy romance. 

becky_j_small's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

bookgroundmel's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Amazing ending to an absolutely fantastic series. I love how Varion is shown more in this book. It does linger too long in the same place that I did get bored for a bit. Super action packed and sums up the story with a bow. I will miss this series and super sad it has ended.