Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

64 reviews

anguawolf's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Genocide, Sexual harassment, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Cannibalism, Self harm, Classism, Cursing, and Hate crime

Minor: Stalking

mangofraiche's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Vomit, Confinement, Grief, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Xenophobia

chapters_and_pages's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

My god, these books get better and better (and longer!)! This series is definitely a commitment, given the length of the series, but it is so worth it!

I’m not going to go into too much detail about the plot, because that would make this spoilers central, to be honest, but all you need to know is that it was brilliant. 

Aelin continues to be my favourite character of the series, possibly of all time. Honestly, who else could be so cocky and full of it, and get away with it like she does? She’s brilliant!

Chaol got on my last nerve in this book, but the characters are honestly what make this series for me. From Rowan and Aedion, Lysandra and Evangeline, Manon and Elide, I just love the them! 

Overall, I can’t wait to continue rereading this series, especially tandem reading Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Slavery

becky_anne7's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Kidnapping and Death

oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide, War, Gore, Confinement, Misogyny, Trafficking, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Excrement

liesthemoontells's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

3.75

Continues the strong character development and worldbuilding that Maas delivered in Heir of Fire, with some satisfying plot twists and emotional breakthroughs for various characters. 

This is also the first book that starts to get properly horny.

Many of the descriptions  are starting to become repetitive - there are only so many times that I can read that someone was "covered in black blood" or had "eyes lined with silver" (just say they're filled with tears jfc). Also the way that Maas describes territorial Fae males is already exhausting, and the lack of nuance between familial vs romantic territorialism makes a big middle chunk of the book seem uncomfortably incest-y.

Overall this is stronger than the first two entries in the series and makes me excited to continue reading, but imo, a small step down in quality from Heir of Fire. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, War, and Vomit

Minor: Incest

noetical's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Torture

Moderate: War and Slavery

kefredriksen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

My fav SJM book so far!! It really expands and goes so far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Grief, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Confinement, and Physical abuse

Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage

booksalacarte's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Cannibalism, Confinement, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

j_andrews's review

adventurous challenging inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infertility, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Confinement, Blood, and Death