EMPIRE OF STORMS Thoughts and Feels

"Nameless is my price."

My much-awaited 5th book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas! And boy oh boy, this installment is amazing! This is better than Queen of Shadows and that's enough for me to be glad about this book! Lol!

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Mainly because it still managed to give me feels eventhough I have a few issues with this book. Nevertheless, though, those issues didn't affect my enjoyment for this book.

If you haven't read the series, you should definitely try.

This post will be full of spoilers about my thoughts and feels for Empire of Storms.

Let's get straight into it!

First, this book is better than QoS and I'm so glad about it. QoS is my least favorite in the series because:

1. Different Chaol
2. The plot was very slow moving.
3. Chaol!
4. Not much Dorian which I think will be more interesting because he's possessed by a valg.
5. It felt like the book was focused on how beautiful Rowan is and how he and Aelin were lusting for each other.
6. CHAOL!

My QoS Thoughts and Feels (and rant) is in this link. LOL

So what Sarah did in this book was eliminate Chaol totally which kinds of bugs me. (Issue #1 lol)

There were so much going on in EOS and so much action and it felt like we were finally back on track with the main plot about destroying Erawan and finding the Wyrdkeys.

Not so much cheesy lusting between Rowan and Aelin which was greatly appreciated by yours truly. Not that I wasn't a fan of Rowan. I like him as him they just annoy me when he and Aelin were having their moment. I don’t know why it still feels forced to me, the romance between Rowaelin and seems like SJM is shoving it to my face. (Issue #2)
But this book is still full of romance and smut and ships and instalove. *rolls eyes* (Issue #3)

THERE IS NO CHAOL WESTFALL IN EOS!!!!!!

But fine, not like it would help if he's still mending his leg. I don't think I will want to read about Chaol and Nesryn talk hoping they can help yet they can't do anything about the war in Eyllwe.
Or with the tone this series is going on, I don't think I want to read Chaol being so OOC again and or Chaol and Nesryn are lusting over each other.

But still, THERE'S NO CHAOL IN EOS!!!!!!!!

He's a goddamn major character since book 1 and he's not in EOS!
Chaol does not deserve this.
(I still haven't read the full WH Smith exclusive chapter - which is actually a Chaol chapter. I read a snippet about loving Celaena which is a small part of Aelin and got cold feet when he learned who Celaena is. Whatevs)

Well, now I get it why we will have a novella about Chaol. Will it be about him mending his leg up until he meets with the squad? Maybe!! I can't wait!

My favorite characters will always be Chaol, Aelin and Dorian. They were the first that I met and they will always be my favorite because of that.

I love Dorian in this book!

It's so sad what he's been through. What they've all been through.

I cry for Dorian because Chaol wasn't on his side at the time he needed him. They weren't on each other side when they needed each other the most. Aelin felt like she stopped being friends with Dorian, they didn't even have a small moment to talk about things - they are friends!
He doesn't know how to control his power and he's asking for Rowan's help. I just think he's lonely and sad and broken. I hope in the next book we will see his strength more. I want him to stand on his own and confidently claim his rightful place as King of Adarlan.
OMG I cringed on that Manorian dom/sub scene. That's so not Dorian. That's so OOC.
Why do we even have sex scenes in this book if they're not that important in the plot?

Thank gods for Manon Blackbeak! I think she's making Dorian man-up you know, I think.
Planting things in his head like, "Aren't you the King of Adarlan?"

But OMG MANON BLACKBEAK WAS SUCH A BAD ASS. Okay, she is eversince we met her but in this book, she embraced who she is now. She acts on it. She's not a monster. I cry during Asterin's execution. I know she wouldn't do it but that scene was so emotional because she's capable of killing her cousin and she's also capable of saving Asterin to whatever cost and she will pay it - and so she did! Great character development. Applaud!
She's the most interesting storyline in this book.

I have a love hate relationship with Aelin because sometimes I don't really like her choices and we have to live with it because she rules. I also don't really like her because she overshadows other Queens and Kings when they should be all equal. But this is her story, so whatever. I just hope that sometimes, we give Dorian a chance to step up. To be one step ahead Aelin. Or Manon to be one step ahead of everyone. Or Rowan. Even Aedion.

Ohh, in QoS, I rant about Aelin's court just following her orders and we don't see them in action where in these guys are capable of defending a nation. Maybe QoS just really sucks and mostly to give way for Rowaelin but in EoS, oh boy, they roast Aelin and they were in the battlefield which was amazing.

But then again, it will come to a point that I will be reminded that I love Aelin and we are okay again. Haha. That ending was so good. Do everything to Aelin but do not fucking do to her again what she endured in Endovier. Do not fucking ask her to give up one thing for another to be free because she'll do just that. 

I hate it when Aelin don't tell us her plans but it's a clever way of Sarah J. Maas to keep us in the dark and surprise us (methinks she's using this strategy for convenience in the plot if she needs it lol)

I wasn't expecting that ending. I knew not to trust Lorcan even when he's being softened by Elide. He's still Maeve's minion!

Of course Aelin will give herself for Elide's freedom and I was crying the whole time until I was asking Rowan to follow her, find her, free her. I was a mess. It's so hard to see Aelin go through that again. She's been through enough. And fuck she'll do it again to save her people. And fuck if I wasn't touched with the whole army she gathered. And fuck she didn't get to see it. And fuck I missed Celaena. She was so much better as Celaena.

So Aelin has 2 wyrdkeys that is now in possession of Dorian. Really hoping Dorian will step up!

I knew Aelin will not get her crown/throne back in Terrasen that easy and I just feel for her when she silently cry after that meeting.

Erawan didn't appear that much in Part 2 which I think the battle with him will be saved for the final book.

There were moments in the 2nd part that kind of a bit dragging - when they were on their way to Eyllwe - when nothing much is happening.

Oh, I love that this book showed different elements of a fantasy novel. Pirates. Check. Carnival. Wow, check (would love more of that). Dragon. Check, altho it was just Lysandra. Magic, assassin, fae, valg/demon. You know the likes.

I think Maeve's plot is something that we have to deal because they have unfinished business in HoF and because Maeve is really just that greedy.

Imagine we are having this series because Elena fucked up during her time and now Aelin and Dorian were the chosen ones to defeat the Valg.

And OMG, how long will they know that the Aelin they met in Eyllwe was in fact Lysandra?

I don't want to mention ACOMAF at all but I will because SJM pulled a feysand moment to us when Rowaelin were apparently secretly married. Not just married, but actually mates. Oh lords, is anyone surprised? Not me. I was a bit disappointed because we already did this on ACOMAF. I was more surprised that it's convenient to reveal that those Rowan and Lyria moments weren't actually a mate-thing moment. Maeve manipulated Rowan's feelings toward Lyria.
Awkward sex scenes.

I think eversince QoS, I was having this feeling that this series have a different feel and tone to it compared with the first 3 books. The characters that we first met in the first 3 books have a different tone now and different vibe and I felt somehow cheated? And I am being introduced to a lot of Fae males and that their "wonderfulness", "hotness" and "beauty" are being shoved in my face even though I don't care about them that much for such? While the character we've met from the start, because they're human, are being left on the sidelines and being kept silent? Is this some kind of manipulative writing?

My favorite moments in EOS are:

• Manon saving Dorian during the attach in Rifthold.
• Manon saving Asterin and tried to kill her grandmother instead (but failed. Another time).
• Lysandra the sea dragon.
• Elide and Lorcan moment in the carnival, when Lorcan went to Elide's tent before the ilkens came. Also the scene after that.
• The gathering of Aelin’s army in Eyllwe.
• The whipping eventhough it's so hard to read that part and I'm crying but it was beautifully crafted.

That's it for this post!

tl;dr: I love Empire of Storms I think it's better than QoS but it's not without my issues on the series and I'm so excited for the last book in the series!

Have you read Empire of Storms? What did you and didn't like about it?

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Thanks for reading this!

"Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you."

Love,

Kaye =)