Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Queen of Shadows

So good, I can’t even describe it. So much happened in this book and there were so chapter cliffhangers that wrecked me so much. Even though it didn’t have a huge cliffhanger at the end I wanted to start the next book(s) asap to continue the story because I love these characters (except maybe Chaol still, I hold a grudge hehe).

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undecidedpersonality's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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ninaevan's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

My favorite so far! Maas is great at developing these really endearing found family dynamics that are so easy to root for. While the plot progression remains very expected, I still felt engaged and excited. This one wrapped things up so nicely that, for the first time in the series, I don't feel the need to pick the next one up immediately, I might take a break and come back to it cause I'm just so satisfied with how things were left.

My scoring:
5 | =everyone in the world must read this book
4.75 | =between 4.5 and 5
4.5 | =dessert island book
4.25 | =between 4 and 4.5
4 | =great, solid, reccomendable book
3.75 | =may not be a 4, but I had a good time
3.5 | = rough patches but not bad
3.25 | =between 3 and 3.5
3 | =meh
2 | =not good
1 | =bad

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veeronald's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

I honestly would have preferred if the book was only about Manon.

Aelin reaches an all-time goody two shoes standard of Mary Sueness and awkward dialogue in this novel where so much of the action happens after the fact and the characters can't stop farting out awful, cringe-worthy one-liners.

It's honestly insulting how much the book is absorbed with how *amazing* Aelin is, and gives the bare minimum psychological processing to enslavement and war and the fallout of living through it all. I get it, Maas doesn't want to talk about it because she just wants to show how powerful and generous Aelin is, and how attractive (?) Rowan is. But it's a book about war. Make it about war, please. Anything else is insulting.

And should I even get into (again) how hypocritical this book is? Aelin (and the tone of the book) makes a big statement about who can be forgiven for being enslaved, and then goes ahead and blames someone for being enslaved because she never liked them. Yet again, the book presents a certain argument about inclusion or forgiveness or hope, but then only offers that to a select group of Maas' choosing. (I'm being vague for spoilers). Don't promote one thing and the in the very fabric of your book fail to do that very thing that the characters become so high and mighty about. The same thing happened in ACOTAR.

I'm tired of these half-assed books.

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