Reviews with content warning for Excrement - Queen of Shadows

The Throne of Glass series has really been building - and for me, this book is really where the series is starting to hit its stride. I was hooked to this one like I haven’t been to the books that come before it. I love the multiple POVs of this book, and how all the characters’ storylines are folding together and building on to each other. This book also really picks up the action as Aelin and her ragtag band of heroes hatches daring plot after daring plot to try to change the course of their worlds’ history. Absolutely loving the new characters and their development in the storyline (mostly Rowan and Manon). I am now chomping at the bit to pick up the next book in the series!

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booksalacarte's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

First read- 3⭐️
No Written Review

Reread- 4.5⭐️ 1.5🌶️

Multi POV
Slow burn
Found Family
Mythical Creatures
Magic
War

Tw: discussion on infant loss

This series is a lot. There is always a lot going on, but the multi POV shifts solidly enough that you don’t feel jostled all over the place. Every character has an important viewpoint and unique voice.

I do think that some of the characters had kinda big personality shifts from the last book to this one. Mainly Chaol and Aelin. No maybe they aren’t endgame… but all of a sudden finding out that Chaol was having an illicit affair the summer before the champions competition and acted in a way that he had quickies in alleys??? I don’t buy it.

And Aelin while I appreciate the grief that was focused on in Heir of Fire… in Queen of Shadows she was working well below her standard badassery. As if her entire personality became dependent on Rowan.

And what is up with the “he seemed to say” and “she seemed to say” conversations?! Full blown, detailed conversations all with facial expressions. I bet they looked like absolute idiots to the people around them when they happened………… so weird. Just make them telepathic already.

Starting the story with Dorian’s POV was so important to see his depression and mindset since his situation was the last we read about in Heir of Fire. It definitely put in some tension and anxiety when it came to no one else knowing what was going on.

Knowing everything definitely makes the reread fun and heightens my ratings… but I am definitely not blowing through them on a binge the way I did on the first read.

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annamary54's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

i will give a full review later, mostly gave it a 4.75 cause i didn’t care about the witches until the last quarter of the book

it’s later:
honestly reading these back to back i can’t remember what was heir of fire and what was queen of shadows, but i’m gonna try my best. in the last one i struggled to care about the witches at all, and the first 3/4 i thought were very slow. this one definitely moved a lot faster from the beginning. i did start to care about the witches in this one, but like i said it took me until the last quarter to really care about that whole story line. all of the books before this one felt like exposition and this one actually had some action in it. i gave it such a high rating because i really was engaged and didn’t want to stop reading basically the whole time. (except the witch chapters, i’d usually use those as a stopping point)

I did NOT see adieon father reveal coming, but that spices stuff up for sure.

i also shouldn’t have read acotar before this cause now the romance is so pg to me, i’m like COME ON LETS GET TO IT, but whatever i’m still reading kicking my legs behind me and twirling my hair. it’s hard to write anything about this book cause so much happened, and so many story lines. loved the development in all the characters. and i’m excited to see more of the ones that haven’t fully bloomed.

VERY happy about the Lysandra redemption arc because i kinda loved her from the start…although i do have a problem loving villains. (arobynn…for a lil bit, and lorcan when he was still in bad guy mode)

overall, i rate based on how engaged i was with a book, and i was VERY engaged except the witch chapters for the first 3/4 of the book.

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britwalsh16's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

I could not put this book down! Omg! It was sooooo good!!!
Watching Aelin become who she was always meant to be & fight for her loved ones & what is right, is inspiring! The growth she has had since book 1 is in incredible!
And the bromance between Chaol & Dorian is like my favorite bromance ever! Coming in second only to my bat boys.
All the characters have incredible growth in this book! & I could go on about how much I love them all, but then this will get really long, so I won’t.
But my favorite character is Rowan! & having him not being in the first third of the book gave me serious withdrawal! My heart just leaped out of my chest when he finally showed up! I was so ecstatic! I can’t wait to read more of him, & more of his relationship with Aelin! My heart! 💜

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