Name: Marissa Hamrick's review of Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Item: Empire of Storms
Rating: 4
Author: Marissa Hamrick

Sarah J. Maas

Kingdoms collide as Aelin continues her epic journey from assassin to queen in this instalment of the global #1 bestselling series. The long path to the throne has just begun for Aelin Galathynius. As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down? Contains mature content. Not suitable for younger readers.

Empire of Storms

Isabelle

"I love you. There is no limit to what I can give you, no time I need. Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you." 

Karen

emma adkins

And Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, knew the time would soon come to prove just how much she'd bleed for Erilea.

Her family--and her kingdom Two dreams long believed lost, she realized as the northern wind rufled her hair. That she would do anything ruin herself, sell herself to protect.

Rowan laughed again and Aelin thought she might never get sick of it, That smile. 

"Fireheart," he said onto her mouth. "Buzzard," she murmured onto his,

Rowan played with a strand of her hair grown almost to her breasts again. 

“No she had seen enough of the kindness and mercy of men She would never forget how those guards had leered at her naked body, why her uncle had sold her to Duke Perrington.

“She lifted her eyes toward the smoke-stained sky, the plumes parting for a heartbeat to reveal a star-flecked night. The Lord of the North flickered down at her. Perhaps the final gift of Mala to these lands this age, at least. Perhaps a thank-you to Elena herself, and a farewell. Because for Terrasen, for Erilea, Elena would walk into the eternal darkness lurking across the valley to buy them all a chance. Elena sent up a final prayer on a pillar of smoke rising from the valley floor that the unborn, faraway scions of this night, heirs to a burden that would doom or save Erilea, would forgive her for what she was about to do.”

“This war” she said quietly,”is but the second movement in a game that has been played since those ancient days across the sea.”

“Wondered if Erawan would first destroy her father's shining palace atop the mountain, or if he would burn the royal library--burn the heart and knowledge of an age. And then burn its people.”

“There would be no marker to tell the world where a Princess of Terrasen had fallen. There would be no marker for any of them.”

“Elena had never considered where she might die-never considered that it might be so far from the rocky green of Terrasen. That her body might not be burned, but devoured by the dread-lord's beasts.”

“She did not need the gift of her Fae ears to hear the prayers of her human army, both spoken and silent.”

“The bone drums had been pounding across the jagged slopes of the Black Mountains since sundown.”

Only the greatest sacrifice can turn the tide of war. War is brewing in the fifth book of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves increasingly at odds with those who don't. With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, dark forces stand poised to claim her world. The only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may take more from Aelin than she has to give, a quest that forces her to choose what-and who-she's willing to sacrifice for the sake of peace. Kingdoms collide in this fifth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

Paige Leitner

Aelin had known, though. That he was her mate. And she had not pushed it, or demanded he face it, because she loved him, and he knew she’d rather carve out her own heart than cause him pain or distress.

His equal, his friend, his lover. His wife.

That gods-damned bitch had put her in an iron box.

She’d whipped his mate so brutally that he’d rarely seen such blood spilled as a result. Then chained her. Then put Aelin in a veritable iron coffin, still bleeding, still hurting.

To contain her. To break her. To torture her.

"Let's clean you up first. Set that nose and wrist. I'll tell you what I know while I do."

Lorcan reached out, grasping her chin and forcing her to look at him. Hopeless, bleak eyes met his. He brushed away a stray tear with his thumb. "I made a promise to protect you. I will not break it, Elide."

She made to pull away, but he gripped her a little harder, keeping her eyes on him. 

"I will always find you," he swore to her.

Aedion drawled, even as his relief began to crumble his mask of arrogant calmness, "The useless sentries in the watchtower are now all half in love with you," he lied. "One said he wanted to marry you."

A low snarl. He yielded a foot but held eye contact with her as he grinned. "But you know what I told them? I said that they didn't stand a chance in hell." Aedion lowered his voice, holding her pained, exhausted stare. "Because 

am going to marry you," he promised her. "One day. I am going to marry you. I'll be generous and let you pick when, even if it's ten years from now. Or twenty. But one day, you are going to be my wife."

Those eyes narrowed- in what he could only call female outrage and exasperation. 

He shrugged. "Princess Lysandra Ashryver sounds nice, doesn't it?"

She snorted. "You two look like you enjoyed your summer in Doranelle. How's sweet Aunt Maeve?"

Gavriel's tattooed hands closed into loose fists. "You deny me the right to see my son and yet you barge into our room in the dead of the night to demand we divulge information about our blood-sworn queen."  

Fenrys let out what might have been a choking sound. 

"It's your son's decision, not mine. I don't have enough time to oversee or really care." Lies. 

"Aelin is my heart. I taught her what I knew, and it worked because our magics understood each other deep down- just as our souls did."

Lizzy Jensen

"I love you. There is no limit to what I can give to you, no time I need. Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you."

sadie

I love you. There is no limit to what l can give to you, no time I need. Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.

Madeleine Rose

Bigger tits won't prove or hide anything.

Marissa Hamrick

A thrilling novel with plot twist after plot twist. The incredible inner workings of Aelin’s mind never cease to amaze me and I can’t wait to find out how Rowan, her husband ;), rescues the Queen.

Isabella De Francesca

second best of the series? i thought there couldn’t be more plot twists but i keep getting surprised. 

the ending has me scared to finish the series 😭

Janet Akisanmi

second best of the series? i thought there couldn’t be more plot twists but i keep getting surprised. 

the ending has me scared to finish the series 😭

doing the tandem read alongside tower of dawn was the best decision i’ve made. together, they truly are the calm before the storm (aka kingdom of ash)

neele

Allysen

Throne of Glass is steadily becoming one of my favourite series despite all-mighty Aelin Galathynius. Her conveniently timed moves to win the war often strain credibility, pushing me to connect more deeply with the supporting cast.

Manon and her Thirteen captivate me with their journey of self-discovery, which feels more authentic than Aelin's path. Abraxos has completely stolen my heart—this gentle wyvern with his flower-collecting habits makes me dream of forming such a bond myself.

Elide's character serves as a perfect bridge between witches and humans. Her quiet strength and sharp intellect represent the possibility of understanding in a divided world, making her crucial to the eventual peace.

What stands out most in this series is Maas's portrayal of female characters. The women of Throne of Glass drive the plot through their abilities rather than serving as accessories to male characters. This refreshing approach to gender dynamics, where women are stronger and sharper than men, is the series' greatest strength and brings me genuine joy.

Bilge Ince

Throne of Glass is steadily becoming one of my favourite series despite all-mighty Aelin Galathynius. Her conveniently timed moves to win the war often strain credibility, pushing me to connect more deeply with the supporting cast.

Manon and her Thirteen captivate me with their journey of self-discovery, which feels more authentic than Aelin's path. Abraxos has completely stolen my heart—this gentle wyvern with his flower-collecting habits makes me dream of forming such a bond myself.

Elide's character serves as a perfect bridge between witches and humans. Her quiet strength and sharp intellect represent the possibility of understanding in a divided world, making her crucial to the eventual peace.

What stands out most in this series is Maas's portrayal of female characters. The women of Throne of Glass drive the plot through their abilities rather than serving as accessories to male characters. This refreshing approach to gender dynamics, where women are stronger and sharper than men, is the series' greatest strength and brings me genuine joy.

Mia Lisandra 

This was somehow even better than the other books. My heart truly breaks for Aelin but the master strategist she is I can only hold hope in my heart that she has planned her way out of this or a way for the others to find her at the end of this. I also truly love Lysandra, my heart hurts for as well and it makes me so happy knowing that Lysandra and Aelin found each other again in all this death and sorrow they found eachother. It’s truly sad and precious that Lysandra has so much truama that she refuses to stay in human form and yet she seeks female friendships. It’s really sad but really beautiful. Aedion is a dick for what he said to her, even Rowan understood that what she did she did because her queen asked her to and trusted her to and she had faith in Lysander to keep her word and help Aelin in any way she can. Anyways I really liked this and loved all the new players. 

khwaiish 

Wow. Just wow. I was so looking forward to Empire of Storm after reading Queen of Shadows, and this book was more than I could have wished for. 

I loved how we got to know all the characters better, and the timing of the narrative switches was perfect for the flow of the book. The amount of tension and emotions in this book is absolutely phenomenal and makes it such a page turner (I seriously read over 300 pages in a day because I couldn't put the book down). 

I didn't do the tandem read with Tower of Dawn, and at the moment I don't regret it because I think I would have hated to switch books while reading, especially because this one works so perfectly on its own, but I heard a lot of people say that Tower of Dawn is much slower and less action filled, so I'm curious and excited to form my own opinion in the tandem read debate! 

Also I loved Elide and Lorcan together. Get them together again🫶

Wow. Just wow. I was so looking forward to Empire of Storm after reading Queen of Shadows, and this book was more than I could have wished for. 

I loved how we got to know all the characters better, and the timing of the narrative switches was perfect for the flow of the book. The amount of tension and emotions in this book is absolutely phenomenal and makes it such a page turner (I seriously read over 300 pages in a day because I couldn't put the book down). 

I didn't do the tandem read with Tower of Dawn, and at the moment I don't regret it because I think I would have hated to switch books while reading, especially because this one works so perfectly on its own, but I heard a lot of people say that Tower of Dawn is much slower and less action filled, so I'm curious and excited to form my own opinion in the tandem read debate! 

Also I loved Elide and Lorcan together. Get them together again🫶

All I (and Lorcan and Manon and Aelin too, apparently) can say is.... I've only had Elide Lochan for a very short time, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.

rain

tandem read with Tower of Dawn

All I (and Lorcan and Manon and Aelin too, apparently) can say is.... I've only had Elide Lochan for a very short time, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.

It has been so far the best in the series, and one of my favourites books to date. The writting it absolutely immaculate and sets up the next book with page turning urgency. An incredible read.

I literally had to get an Audible membership to finish this book. The whole series is so unnecessarily drawn out, but I’ll be damned if I came this far not to finish it! 😤

Janice Walker

had a great time I’m gonna stare in a void

Cici Pearson

this woman is SICK IN THE HEAD!!!!!!!!!!

had a great time I’m gonna stare in a void

julie reads

absolutely insane. everything is connecting so crazily. sjm’s brain is INSANEEE like no other explanation. i love every character, im so sad that im at the end of this journey w them bc when i tell you that i care about every. single. one. of. them. 

CLAUDIA VALDES

Aims

i don’t want to keep giving this series 5 stars just because Manon Blackbeak is in it so 4.5 because I Need Aelin to communicate with her squad JUST A LITTLE BETTER

Jillian Roberts

Ana Belén

Only the greatest sacrifice can turn the tide of war.War is brewing in the fifth book of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves increasingly at odds with those who don't.With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, dark forces stand poised to claim her world. The only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may take more from Aelin than she has to give, a quest that forces her to choose what -- and who --she's willing to sacrifice for the sake of peace. Kingdoms collide in this fifth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

millena

congratulations sarah you just won the award for the author who makes me cry the most 🏆

the ending broke me into a million little pieces

Scarlett

no puedo con ese final, soy un mar de lagrimas

Jennifer Gosnell

Lots to like. Action-packed, interesting plots, good character development. Also enjoyed how all of the plots converged into one another. Suffered from being too long, and being a bit too confusing at times. NOT thrilled to be jumping back in the timeline for Tower of Dawn. But… guess we’ll see!

Maya 

WTF IS GOING ON!!! Aelin has got to be one of the smartest mcs to ever exist. I just love to see all her plans fall into place. THE HUNT BEGINS!

Marissa Hamrick &
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

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Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas