In typical Throne of Glass fashion, this was slow. But also in typical Throne of Glass fashion, it had me crying my eyes out by the end.

I feel like this took me forever to read but, more than anything, I think it was because I didn’t have that much reading time. It didn’t drag, it was just slow at certain points. I mean, it is a 690 page book.

Getting into details about a fifth book of a series is kinda spoilery, so I’m just going to leave you with my highlights for what I liked and didn’t like about this:

THE GOOD:
1. There was absolutely no Chaol or Nesryn in this whole thing. Thank you.

2. Manon finally standing up for her Thirteen and being awesome in every possible way. When her back story is revealed it made her all that more interesting, if that’s possible. However, I do feel like it’s Aelin’s story all over again:

a would-be queen who could save her people and allow them to return home is made into a deadly weapon with no heart by a wicked master/grandmother

. I also really liked her and Aelin together, I feel like they can become really good friends. Them two and Lysandra are the Erilean version of Charlie’s Angels.

3. Abraxos being a caring mother hen and a clever little beast. I just love him so much. He’s saved everyone’s lives countless times by now.

4. Fenrys. Okay, so we all know by now that I have 3 babies that need to be protected at all costs: Aedion, Lysandra and Abraxos. Well, we can now add Fenrys to my baby list too. I instantly liked him, I want him for myself. I loved his personality and how he gave everything up for his twin and still tries to fight that damn oath every day. I also really liked his relationship with Aelin, I feel like they could be best friends.

5. Aelin pretending to be Celaena and shamelessly flirting with Rowan in front of everyone. This scene had me grinning non-stop. The girl knows how to make an entrance.

6. Lysandra being fierce and full-on badass in Skull’s Bay. That battle with the sea wyverns with everyone holding their breaths and cheering for her. I’m so proud of my baby girl.

7. Aedion and Lysandra. I’ve been craving a love story between these two since Queen of Shadows and I was screaming when he made that promise to her in Skull’s Bay. I just… my babies deserve to be happy.

8. Aedion and Gavriel. I loved getting to know more about what happened all those years ago and having Gavriel actually caring. Deep down, Aedion is just a precious little boy with the purest of hearts and needs to be loved and protected instead of him willingly putting himself out there for everyone else because that’s what he’s been taught to do and he thinks his life isn’t worth as much.

9. The last 100-ish pages. As always, the last 100 pages are full of awesomeness. I’m not even going to say anything else.

10. All the reunions at the end. I got all the feels with everyone coming together and knowing that Aelin actually knew but she still set it all into motion and gave them all the tools and power to actually have a shot at this.


THE NOT SO GOOD:
1. Elide. I really liked her in Morath but in this book she’s just running around in all the wrong directions looking for Aelin and being hunted every other chapter.

2. Lorcan. I don’t get this guy. I didn’t get him in Queen of Shadows and I still don’t get him now. I feel like he was just thrown in here for

him and Elide to fall in love

. I like who he is when he’s with Elide but, how does that match with the Lorcan from Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows? It doesn’t. It’s like he’s a whole different person. And also, how is he demi-Fae? He has magic and immortality and not even Rowan can best him. What part of him is human and not Fae?

3. I found that this book centered around romance a little too much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for romance, but fantasies need slow burn romances that intertwine with the story. Like Aelin and Rowan in Heir of Fire or Aedion and Lysandra here, where we know they’re falling in love but nothing major really happens, because what’s the key word? Slow burn. Also, there’s nothing wrong with being single. Not every character needs to find true love, friendships make for as powerful relationships. It doesn’t make it rare or special if they all find love/mates at the same time. In my review for Queen of Shadows I already talked about how this series has too many fake love interests, but now some of the real ones just seem forced. I'm talking about

Elide and Lorcan and Manon and Dorian. Let’s talk about Dorian. He was pretty much a side character during this whole book and then when he’s with Manon I don’t recognize him. He becomes a completely different person.

4. The writing. Not in general, but there were details that pushed me right out of the story. For instance, I read the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy about a month ago and I swear some of the dialogue is word for word the same. And there are references and comparisons that are used a billion times, like comparing everything to the darkness or the gaps between the stars. In every damn book. I loved it the first time but now it just like here we go again *eye-roll*.

5. That tiny little detail about Vaughan coming over with Gavriel and Fenrys but not showing up at all. I mean, his hunting skills must be awful. That, or he just took it as a vacation.

6. The fact that I now have to get through a 660 page book about Chaol and Nesryn before getting to the end of this. I’m going to give it a try but just thinking about it bores me already.