Queen of Shadows is the 4th book in the Throne of Glass Series written by Sarah J. Maas but it was the fifth book I read because of The Assassin’s Blade which is a prequal that was published after the first few books came out. So is Queen of Shadows the fourth book or the fifth book? I don’t know and it doesn’t matter because it is the last book I read. I am already starting the next book called Empire of Storms so I have moved on already. That is what you do when you read books, especially a series. You move on. You can’t live in the past. No matter how important the past feels or how your emotions were torn from your flesh you have to continue the story.

If you have stumbled into this review and have not read the previous titles then I don’t understand what you think you will get out of this. In fact, this review is just an obligatory assignment I have given myself because I write reviews for all the books I read even if they are just another in a series of books that, by now, speak for themselves. I am not interested in picking apart each eddy in the meandering river that is this book. Instead, I will give a quick overview and a share my impression and move on. If you haven’t read the previous books or my reviews then do with this as you please but don’t blame me if you don’t understand the things I refer to.

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In Queen of Shadows, Aelin Galanthyneus, AKA, Caelena Sardothien, comes back to Rifthold to do a bunch of stuff. Her first goal is to find and take back her family amulet that carries within it a wyrdkey which is one of three black rocks of power, kind of like the ring of power in the Lord of the Rings. The person who holds the amulet is Arobyn, who is her old assassin master but is now someone who she plans to kill in revenge for killing her former lover Sam. Aelin also plans on taking down a pillar in Rifthold to restore magic. She also wants to either kill Dorian or save Dorian depending on whether the evil inside of him has taken over or if he is still inside. She also wants to destroy the King of Adarlan and purge the kingdom of the evil that has taken over the city and avenge her slain family members.

We also learn more about Manon and the Blackbeak witches and what they are doing in Morath with their wyverns. We learn about the true nature of the Valg demons and their leader Erawan who has returned to take over the world. We also learn about Kaltain and her powers. We learn about how the Valg are impregnating witches to create abominations for the coming battle. Aelin and Rowan start to have sexy feelings for each other and Chaol almost gets killed trying to save Dorian. All of this happens and it is awesome and I enjoyed the ride. That is why I read these books. Because they are full of suspense, action, romance, and intrigue. They are all well-written and entertaining. They are popular books for a reason. That’s the review. It was great and you should read it. Review over.