Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Empire of Storms

ADDED AFTER 2023 REREAD

The first time I read this book I read it on its own. This time I decided to do tandem read it with Tower of Dawn, and that was an excellent decision! There are aspects of this book that I appreciated more on a reread, and knowing how it would end made the last few chapters that much harder to read. I still don’t love Aelin’s inability to discuss her plans with anyone in her court, but it’s definitely less annoying the second time around. 4 stars.

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julia87's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

This book was so crazy. I read this one and Tower of Dawn in tandem, and the only reason why I think this book isn’t five stars for me is because of the tandem read? I don’t know reading both of them slowed me down and kind of confused me. This book was still fabulous though. The beginning was definitely a little slow, but the end was mind blowing. Another thing I loved about this book was that it really tied everything together? It was just crazy to see how all the loose ends and different povs throughout the series kind of came together in this book.

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psydneigh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

This is my second read through, and i did the tandem read with Tower of Dawn both times (which I think is the way to go with these) and I love this book and series. It’s so nice seeing all the story lines start to collide. My one issue with this book is

when Deanna tried to kill all the people in Skulls Bay. I get that its explained later, but if she had done that, Rowan said it wouldve broken Aelin, so if Deanna needs Aelin to sacrifice herself to the lock, why the hell would she think that killing all those people would be a good idea?!

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anaya_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Keep in mind that this is a problematic author and I’m reading this from a library outlet so I’m not profiting SJM. SJM is a racist, Zionist, and ableist but unfortunately she does know how to develop a morally grey mc. All in all, I change my mind, this is my favorite in the series. I absolutely love Aelin and her wits in this book.The end also broke me a little. I usually don’t like slower paced fantasy novels this one I liked. I would’ve gave it a higher rating if not for some out-of-character and negative themes that are perpetuated in this novel and the entire series.

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