“You and I are nothing but wild beasts wearing human skins.”

*Major spoilers for the first four books in Throne of Glass series*

Everything and everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. After training to use her magic with Rowan in Mistward, she has finally accepted her true identity as Aelin Galathynius, rightful Queen of Terrasen. She’s returning to Ardalan to rescue her once great kingdom, for vengeance, and to confront the shadows of her past. She fights for the friends and family she’s lost, for her friend trapped in an unspeakable prison, for her cousin who is willing to die for her, and for her people who are enslaved to the brutal king. She will team up with Chaol and other friends from her past to devise a plan to rebuild Terrasen. The witches are still working with the King of Ardalan, but Manon and the Thirteen are becoming more and more suspicious of the king’s intentions for them. Her grandmother refuses to listen to her concerns and tensions grow. Worlds begin to collide in the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series. 

Sarah J Maas’s Queen of Shadows is an epic addition to the Throne of Glass series. Seeing all the characters' point of views is amazing. Reading about Aelin is awesome; we’ve already read about Celaena for the past four books, but seeing her fully accept her true identity is wonderful writing. Her character evolved a lot during Heir of Fire and she has a different persona now; she’s still the same character but magnified. There’s a lot of dark stuff in this book though; Dorian has been enslaved by one of the demons and his point of view can be difficult to read. It shows the struggle inside his mind between him and the demon, how he struggles to remember things and how he has to watch the demon use his hands to commit horrible acts. Manon is one of my favourite characters. Seeing her struggle with her morals (and whether or not she should have them) is fantastic. You will definitely laugh, cry, and gasp in shock while reading this book.

If you enjoyed reading Queen of Shadows try the other books in the Throne of Glass series (Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash) or Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash.