LittleMissMichii𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Empire of Storms
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Throne of Glass (Book 4/8)
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Sarah J. Maas
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Young Adult, Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: October 12, 2023 @ 12:45PM
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★☆☆☆
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ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ, ɪᴛ ғᴇʟᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ᴅʀᴀɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ɪᴛ ᴜᴘ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ɪᴛ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ʙᴏʀᴇs ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴢᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ғᴜʟʟ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛʏ, ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴛᴀɪɴ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ, ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀʏs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ sᴏ ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘᴏɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʀᴀɴᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪғ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ɪᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ, ɪᴛ'ʟʟ ᴅʀᴀɪɴ ᴍᴇ.
｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ｡
ﾟ。 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙
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I genuinely thought that since this book was 600 pages long, the plot would start at the very beginning because the last time, it ended where they were preparing for the war that I assumed would happen in this sequel. I expected action and battle about a book that is said to be about action and battle but I expected to much because literally nothing happens for the first hundreds of the book. The first three books were slow but this one is slower that I had to double check if I was actually reading the right sequence thinking that I picked up the wrong one.
Pushing through with the pace with utter stubbornness, I gave it a chance to build up the idea of recruiting fighters and training warriors or the likes that is what one would assume that'll happen, but no, it gave us an erection 5% through. I already shared my thoughts about Aelin and Rowan's relationship and this book just cemented my hatred for them. Their relationship never had the gentleness of Chaol/Celeana or the thoughtfulness of Dorian/Celeana, the patience of Dorian/Sorscha. They're straight up written as if they came from an erotica novel. Not to say that I am against erotica or dislike the idea of steamy romances, I don't mind explicit scenes in literature however, if those scenes are inserted in ways that doesn't help the pacing of the plot, show the dynamic of the relationship or add any nuance to the characterization of the characters at play then what is the point? m̶y̶ a̶s̶e̶x̶u̶a̶l̶ a̶s̶s̶ h̶a̶s̶ s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶a̶r̶d̶s̶ t̶o̶o̶ y̶o̶u̶ k̶n̶o̶w̶ There may be a character that is said to be hot headed and impulsive becomes hesitant in bed because the narrative may have them ruin everything that they commit to and they're afraid of ruining a moment between them and their partner, in which their partner reassures them. But no, it was just sex for the sake of sex. It was too physical and not enough emotional, not enough connection, for all the flowery language that SJM describes their longing for each other carnally, she never wrote them as anything else.
Dorian and Manon also become a thing in this book and somehow SJM places the poor guy that has trauma from witnessing Sorscha flat out getting guillotined right in front of him get: "𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯," 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥. "𝘛𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦." 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮. in the context of flirty banter/sexual tension with another woman. SJM remembered enough of what happened in the last book and decided to bring back for what should've been in a more painful and personal scene, but she decided it'll be better if she would just use it as a bridge for the two to have sex in the future (they did half way through the book).
Apart from Dorian's character assassination (he is no longer his own character rather a copy paste of all the other e̶r̶o̶t̶i̶c̶a̶ men in the series and ACOTAR) Manon gets more spotlight only to have her become Aelin 2.0, a very special white woman who came from a very special bloodline that is destined to rule and ends up with a great warrior who they have constant arguments and sexual tension.
Apart from the never ending weirdly good looking white cast of the book, the plot wishes it was Game of Thrones with its continuous talking of politics and war. They keep talking yet nothing is ever happening until the last few chapters of the book. It's quite literally crammed in 85% in or so. The amount of things that happen in this book are plenty but at the same time nonexistent, one would think that with the number of plotlines told in a single book, it'll be a fun and engaging with many loops and turns but alas, with too much going on, nothing really came of it.
Oh and side note, this book is full of words like “mate”, “female”, “male”, “masculine”, “feminine” and all the other weirdly specific animalistic terms that ended up becoming annoying as it progressed than be a little enjoyable part of the worldbuilding. It's almost like SJM wanted to write an A/B/O novel but wanted it to be for non-furries and straight white couples who adhere to strict beauty standards.
Just four more books to go and I'll finally be free.
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