YA in Review: Empire of Storms (Sarah J. Maas)

First of all, this post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however as this book is part of a series, it will contain spoilers from the previous books that are necessary to explain parts of the plot of this installment. Any comments by other users will not necessarily be spoiler free, so read at your own risk. Ready? Here we go!

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Empire of Storms is the fifth novel in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. This is officially the second-last novel in the series (if you don't include the prequel novellas, and the novel in Chaol's perspective).

What it's about:
After the King of Adarlan's death, Dorian is now king - but that doesn't mean the fight is over. In fact, now even more questions have arisen. Grieving his father, and coming to terms with the magnitude of his powers, Dorian isn't fully ready to rule. Aelin, ready to reclaim her throne, sets off to Terrasen. But Aelin hasn't been heard of for years - is her kingdom ready to have her as their queen? And what of Duke Perrington? Or have his forces in Morath grown too strong to be stopped?

Why it's worth a read:

• Steaminess. Lots and lots of steaminess. You know, fire and water make steam ;) haha 
• No one's perfect. Mistakes are made, and people are forced to become accountable for them 
• You will go through a myriad of emotions for sure, especially when all of the struggles and possibilities become more clear 
• Unexpected romances blossom and really get developed well, allowing you to ship them hard 
• Less perspectives here than in the past few books, which is a refreshing change. This allows you to actually properly enjoy each perspective
• Lots of drama to make things interesting. Lives are legitimately threatened, and you are kept in suspense for a long time as to their fate. It makes it a believable and interesting read. This kind of thing happens in war times, and makes the whole book a much better read.
• Aelin is a mastermind. We really get to see why she has been so successful up until this point, and trust me, it wasn't luck.
• Fantastic cliffhanger!

Where it disappoints:

• There's no Chaol and Nesryn in this book, nor any real mention of them except for a few times. Although he was starting to irritate me a bit in Queen of Shadows, I did want to have at least some idea about their journey and progress. I'm assuming Maas's novel about Chaol will delve into this 
• Definitely a lot of repetition in the way that once again Aelin doesn't share information and surprises her court. And then she does it again. And then again. And they get mad, but forgive her
• Dorian? Is that you Dorian? Grief changes people, as does war, but he just doesn't feel quite right a lot of the time. It sort of feels like a lot of the characteristics that were likable about him in the past are not really part of his personality anymore. Not to say I disliked him, he just felt inconsistent and sometimes like an entirely different character. 

Final Thoughts:

Well, in all honesty I don't have much to complain about here. This was definitely one of my favourite books in the Throne of Glass series (if not my favourite). Aelin has matured even more, and in many ways is now the queen we have been waiting for. Although she was definitely getting there in Queen of Shadows, she was still sticking her toes in the water in some aspects. Not to say that she is faultless, no - her mistakes make her human (part human, at least), and they occur just often enough that you are never quite sure of the outcome of a situation, or the guaranteed safety of her court. This makes this a wonderful page-turner at every stage. With enough romance and drama to keep you going through the difficult parts, tons of action at every turn, and all of the intensity and excitement needed for such dramatic events. If you have enjoyed each Throne of Glass novel more than the last, you certainly won't be disappointed here. If you're reading the first few and aren't sure you want to commit yet, then be advised that it gets so much better.

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What did you all think  of this book/this series? Please leave a comment if you'd like further reviews of this series, or a more in-depth, highly spoilery analysis.