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spatterson7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Cursing, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual content, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Pregnancy, Vomit, Suicide, Alcohol, and Kidnapping
liesthemoontells's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
annamary54's review against another edition
- 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
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)
Graphic: Physical abuse, Gore, Body horror, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual content, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcohol, and Excrement
aksmith92's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
I am thankful for the break because it also allowed me to review SJM books more critically. SJM is one of the more prominent authors in the social media, where many familiar tropes and themes are checked in pretty little boxes. The fandom is beyond massive. All of which to say: SJM is talked about A LOT. Good and bad. I was interested in starting this reading journey in her series because I was so curious about it. To discuss SJM and her series in general on this review for Queen of Shadows seems silly, as it will likely fade away in Storygraph's abyss, but it has been on the top of my mind. Therefore, I will keep it brief.
Upon reflection and the SJM break, plus reading other novels, particularly in the vast spectrum of fantasy, literary pieces are missing from the books I've read so far. It may be because of plot holes or missing world-building aspects. Or, it may be because the characters are less dimensional than I like. Reading some of her books (I haven't read the Crescent City series yet!) is a bit TOO YA-like for me (the drama!). Regardless, I must admit I've been struggling with some of these books, even though, oddly, they are incredibly straightforward, and the prose is quite readable. It's a conundrum that I can't figure out. I've rated most of her books 3ish stars because while I fly through them, get their premise, and understand the prose, something needs to be added, and it's hard to pinpoint/articulate. It may have to do with the dramatics, something I struggle with A LOT within the Romantasy category. For instance, "Rowan waited, knowing she was gathering the words, hating the pain and sorrow and guilt on every line of her body. He'd sell his soul to the dark god to never have her look like that again." I mean....I roll my eyes at this. Of course, no one wants to see someone they care about in pain, but selling his soul? It's so dramatic. I think this is what I get for reading a more Young Adult book than anything, and I understand to an extent that this is a me thing. But it's so pronounced everywhere in her books that I sometimes roll my eyes. It's not just that, though; there is more to my conundrum that I cannot pinpoint.
BUT here we are, another review for another Throne of Glass series book. For starters, I became immersed in this novel, similar to how I felt in Heir of Fire. It's very readable, albeit cringy, for me at times since I am now 31 years old. I always have questions about the plot, how the characters got to where they were, and overall, just world-building. However, I generally let that go for a little and flow with the story because while the plot may have some holes, I am interested.
Here is what worked for me: Lysandra's character development (excellent!!!!!!) and the new friendship with Aelin. Yay! Hopefully, this one sticks! I also still enjoy Chaol and Dorian. Chaol is a ding dong, of course, but I enjoy his character; he's realistic in a realistic, fantastical kind of way, but I get him. Poor Dorian jeeeeeeeeeeeeeez, but I liked the overall Valg plot point in general, and I think it was an interesting magical system.
Here is what didn't work for me: Aelin. She's so annoying. The epitome of a "chosen one." I know this was written in 2015 or something, and it was the time for this type of character, but there are only so many times we can hear about how ruthless and extraordinary she is at 19. Also, I wouldn't say I liked Rowan's chapters - I liked him much better without the POV. As a spoiler,
It's fine! This book was interesting at times, but I still have my qualms. It's a solid 3.5 for me.
Graphic: Self harm, Vomit, Physical abuse, Gore, Murder, Torture, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Suicide, Trafficking, and War
Moderate: Cursing and Rape
Minor: Alcohol
Rape is implied but not descriptive.meredith_williams_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: War, Torture, Gore, Grief, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Blood, and Confinement
Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, and Pregnancy
britwalsh16's review against another edition
- 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
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! 💜
Graphic: Confinement, War, Classism, Death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Grief, Physical abuse, Slavery, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Child death, Genocide, Cursing, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, and Excrement
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Violence, Rape, War, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage
laura_nel13's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Slavery, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Vomit, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Genocide, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Torture, War, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, and Excrement
dlsmk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide
nerdkitten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Ableism, Cursing, Medical content, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexual content, Misogyny, Torture, and War
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Child death, Death of parent, Excrement, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Rape