A review by alexreviewsit
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

THIS is what everyone is talking about when they rave about TOG being great. RIP any man who thinks they can compare to Rowan. 

I couldn’t stop reading and have been powering through after reading Heir of Fire which is where the books really pick up in the series. If you get stuck at Assassin’s Blade, honestly just skip it and you are fine. There are so many times that the AB stories get summarized in Queen of Shadows and the important plot points are mentioned. 

So many POVs which are now finally feeling worth it in terms of plot payoff. The characters are finally starting to interact more and the previous plotlines are making much more sense. It was a rough start getting here, but it is SO worth it. I forgot some subplots were even happening until they popped up again or were referenced.

The continued character building was great. At this point, so many of the characters have such different character motivations for their actions. The characters have a lot of depth, even if you don’t agree with every decision they make. I love morally gray decisions by characters. Ugh, the characters are so amazing. I ended up shocked by the ending.

I LOVE that there are secrets Aelin keeps that don’t get immediately revealed until later in her POV when she explains herself. 

Boy oh boy do I love a good separation and reuniting in a book. I was waiting not so patiently for the Aelin/Rowan reunion. They are perfect together, and I will stand by that until the end of time. Literally screamed when he told her how much he missed her. This is the slowest slow burn of all time and I LOVED EVERY SECOND.

I know it is a really small writing thing, but the way that SJM weaves the use of the title or parts of it into the book is really well done.