Review: Queen of Shadows
09:17
By Sarah J. Maas
Source: Personal purchase, paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance,
Goodreads Synopsis:
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .
She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.
Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.
My Review:
I had such high hopes for this book. I loved the rest of the series, so this was easily my most anticipated read of this year. I even paid extra money to get it to ship quicker, and cancelled a previous order! Looking back, I think my hopes for this book were too high, because I was so disappointed.
The book got off to a good start. I was enjoying the direction the book was going in, and I found it to be addictive and fast paced. Although there was no clear direction for the book, I hoped that the only reason for this was because I hadn’t read much. I kept telling myself that it’s really long, so there’s plenty of time for something to happen. I honestly don’t really know where it went wrong for me.
There was nothing that specifically stood out as something that I disliked, though I think my main problem was the pacing. About a quarter of the way in, nothing had happened. Although there were small action scenes, and little plot twists here and there, there was nothing major that stood out to me as exciting. All of Maas’ books are slow to start with, so I really hoped that it was going to get better.
By a fair amount of the book (at least over half way), nothing had happened. We’d had a few speeches about how great Aelin was (which was really starting to get tiresome), but really nothing drastic or noteworthy. The plot was going nowhere, and looking back, I really can’t tell you things that happened. I was just so bored.
I was also disappointed with the way all the characters have changed. Although character development is to be expected, I didn’t like the way Aelin now hated Chaol (it’s as if Crown of Midnight didn’t exist) - in my opinion, I feel Maas just changed her mind halfway through the series.
The romance was just really unpleasant to read about. I didn’t like the people involved together, so for me, I would have preferred if it was left out. Although there really wasn’t much romance, it didn’t add anything to the story, and I was just skimming over the scenes. The next books in the series promise steamy romance, and I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.
I didn’t enjoy this book, but nothing really stuck out as terrible. There were some exciting parts, but much more excruciatingly slow chapters. I will be reading the rest in the series - somewhat because I’ve invested too much already to just give up on it - as I still hope that it can claw its way back again, and that I can enjoy the rest. I know some fans will really enjoy this, just not me.
Rating:
Hello! I'm D - a dog-loving feminist from the UK. You'll probably find me with my nose in a book or playing my clarinet
2 comments
Sheesh, two?! I'm so surprised! I hope I enjoy it whenever I read it, I feel bad that you didn't. I mean, it is Maas that we're talking about so like... yeah. Anyway, this was a really good review! :)
ReplyDeleteI know, so was I! I was expecting this book to be so good, so I was really disappointed. I hope you enjoy this book, I know most people loved it. I feel like everyone loves Maas and this book, so I'm sad to not like it as much as everyone else. Thanks, Aisha! ♥
DeleteThanks for commenting! I read and respond to every comment, so make sure to check back to see my reply. Have a nice day! ☺♥