Scan barcode
kschupner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-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
this book was INSANE to say the least!!!!!!!! they say the last 100 pages of any sjm book are gonna be crazy, but the last 20 pages?!?!?! sorscha!!!! and dorian’s wyrdstone collar from the king!!!!! and chaol fleeing the castle!!!!!! this was such a fantastic journey, i loved seeing celeana grow into her abilities, and to see her and rowan’s relationship grow and soften into such dedication to each other; i was so happy when he immediately got out of his blood oath with maeve just to make a new one with celeana right in front of her LOL !!!! my only gripe is that they had so many scenes together where celeana was like damn he’s got muscles i lowkey wanna hit that to distract myself from chaol…….then she was like “let’s go see our aunt 🤓☝🏻” before they met with maeve in doranelle and i was like OUR aunt……babygirl……..!!!!!!! i really like them as close friends and i’m scared sjm is setting up a romance between the two of them, and while i love their banter and friendship i cannot ignore that they are (albeit distantly) related. other than that i literally could not put this book down and bought queen of shadows before i even finished it so i can continue with my throne of glass read right away, then onto the tandem read!!! this was such a five star read for me, the last 20 pages really sealed the deal, even if i had to take some breaks in the last 100 pages (watching the presidential debate, petting my cats, drinking a half gallon of mango green tea, you know the vibes).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, and War
khaley0127's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow this book in the series was incredible. What a journey, and such revelations. What an empowering story it is to watch Celaena become Aelin, own her identity, her past, her truth, what she must do. And Rowan was a character I desperately needed in this series. I had many heartbreaks at the end of the book, many reveals that had me enraged. I literally shook with anger lol, I feel like a book deserves 5 stars if you pull genuine emotion from me (considering I have an impenetrable mask while reading lol I do not get emotional visibly easily)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and War
unboundbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
eleek0609's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Vomit, and Colonisation
maddysjustadream's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I took a HUGE break from this one after devouring TOG & CoM but when I got the itch to pick it up again, I was hooked. I can't wait to continue this series 👏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm
jmdressel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yet another fascinating and nail-biting book!! i’m enjoying this series more and more as i keep reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, and Vomit
shlymiller's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
kristanjenkins's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
sissiemilia's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The last 30% or so of the book was really good. the first 50% were mind numbingly boring. A lot of it should have been edited out. Most of the book felt like a filler episode.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
savage_book_review's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The calm before the storm. Although objectively this is not the best book in the series, I think it's my favourite precisely because it's predominantly about the characters rather than the significantly progressing the plot of the series. And the audio version of confirms this.
I would love to be able to devour this audio in a single sitting, as I think I'd enjoy it even more without the interruptions, picking it up mostly felt like I was sliding back into something relatively relaxing. However, I think this one will properly fly when it gets the graphic audio treatment.
Of course, the massive draw of this book is the introduction of Rowan Whitethorn. Now, IMO he doesn't reach Bat Boy levels of sexiness until later on in the series, but he's by far the most interesting character in this whole series and this book gives him a great foundation. Elizabeth Evans does a great job bringing him to life (as she does with all of the characters), but he is the one character that I think does need a proper voice actor to do him justice.
The biggest shift in my perception of these books that has come about due to listening to the audios is I've realised just how fleeting the characters' feelings seem to be about their relationship partners. When I read the physical books, because I read quickly it comes across fairly naturally, but where the audiobooks are slower it's really hammered home the immaturity here. Four books in, and Celaena is on man number four. Dorian is on girl two with more to come, Chaol is a bit behind but about to get going... and it's not like they're painted as teenage crushes or casual relationships either - the feelings always seem to be all-consuming, end game feelings. It's 100% just an observation, not a criticism, because they story and the characters work, but it's just something I can't necessarily relate to.
The other thing I love about this book is that I can picture the majority of scenes in my head with absolute clarity - certainly more than in any of the other books. I still see Abraxos as Toothless, but that just makes it cuter! I see Maeve as Miranda Richardson's Queen Mab from 'Merlin' (the Sam Neill version from the 90s), and the image of her surrounded by her cadre of warrior Fae is crystal clear. I think the gentler pace allows the scenes to build more completely and immerse the reader more fully, and then the slower speed of the audios and the wonderful narration boosts the effect even further.
I would love to be able to devour this audio in a single sitting, as I think I'd enjoy it even more without the interruptions, picking it up mostly felt like I was sliding back into something relatively relaxing. However, I think this one will properly fly when it gets the graphic audio treatment.
Of course, the massive draw of this book is the introduction of Rowan Whitethorn. Now, IMO he doesn't reach Bat Boy levels of sexiness until later on in the series, but he's by far the most interesting character in this whole series and this book gives him a great foundation. Elizabeth Evans does a great job bringing him to life (as she does with all of the characters), but he is the one character that I think does need a proper voice actor to do him justice.
The biggest shift in my perception of these books that has come about due to listening to the audios is I've realised just how fleeting the characters' feelings seem to be about their relationship partners. When I read the physical books, because I read quickly it comes across fairly naturally, but where the audiobooks are slower it's really hammered home the immaturity here. Four books in, and Celaena is on man number four. Dorian is on girl two with more to come, Chaol is a bit behind but about to get going... and it's not like they're painted as teenage crushes or casual relationships either - the feelings always seem to be all-consuming, end game feelings. It's 100% just an observation, not a criticism, because they story and the characters work, but it's just something I can't necessarily relate to.
The other thing I love about this book is that I can picture the majority of scenes in my head with absolute clarity - certainly more than in any of the other books. I still see Abraxos as Toothless, but that just makes it cuter! I see Maeve as Miranda Richardson's Queen Mab from 'Merlin' (the Sam Neill version from the 90s), and the image of her surrounded by her cadre of warrior Fae is crystal clear. I think the gentler pace allows the scenes to build more completely and immerse the reader more fully, and then the slower speed of the audios and the wonderful narration boosts the effect even further.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Vomit