BOOK | ‘Queen of Shadows’ Sarah J. Maas
'Queen of Shadows' is the third instalment in the six-part young adult fantasy series 'Throne of Glass' by Sarah J. Maas.
‘Queen of Shadows’ continues to follow assassin Celaena Sardothien after she’s lost everyone she loves - though she has managed to remain resilient, returning to the empire for vengeance, and to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, while confronting the shadows of her past.
Celaena has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius - Queen of Terrasen; however, before she can reclaim her throne she must first: fight for her cousin, and a warrior prepared to die of her; a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison, and her people, who are enslaved by a brutal king.
Maas doesn't hold back when writing lengthy novels, and at a whopping 650 pages, 'Queen of Shadows' may be long, but it's hardly as slow as its predecessor, 'Heir of Fire.' With each book, it seems Maas is developing as a writer, much to the delight of her fans; however, this doesn’t make it the standout novel of the series.
The third instalment in the series is a much more layered story, with alternating character perspectives and side quest-type stories along with the main Aelin/Celaena plot – and this had its pros and cons.
A specific subplot that becomes a heavy detraction from the novels (and more often than not a skim read, or even a complete skip of the chapters) was that of Manon. There is absolutely nothing that connects its readers to her and nothing that makes her interesting as a character. It gets to the point where she becomes a frustrating character that is like an annoying speed bump at various points throughout the novel that just makes readers want to throw the novel across the room.
Easily 400 pages of 'Queen of Shadows' is simply ingesting, planning, conversation, and obsessing over Aelin/Celaena –some might argue it is unnecessary. If only Maas and her team at Bloomsbury had significantly edited the novel down to a more streamlined and lean story, it wouldn't have been such a pain to read. It's also gotten to the point where at around 2,000 pages into the series, it starts to become questionable as to how much more can be taken in hearing about how brilliant 'Aelin/Celaena is.
"She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no-one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph." The first few times we read passages like this, sure, it is exciting. But this is a notion that becomes repetitive very quickly.
The Chaol romance seems to have sunk, and his friendship hardly there any longer. What Aelin/Celaena's new love interest in Rowan does with his tongue is borderline disgusting. Maas' love of the animalistic side of romantic relationships raises its ugly head once again. Chaol deserved better and Rowan, in his almost painful similarities to Rhysand in Maas' 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' novels is so beautiful, yet bland as a character. Just as much as Aelin is described in her power is how much Rowan is described in his beauty - everyone is so awestruck by him that it would change even the most amazing of female protagonists.
What happened to the dearly beloved assassin that readers fell in love with in 'Throne of Glass' and 'Heir of Fire'? She was smart, arrogant and sassy to boot. In 'Queen of Shadows,' well, Aelin is very different from Celaena. Aelin doesn't stop to consider her actions. Celaena would never hurt Dorian, yet her new persona is so eager to kill him when he's possessed by a demon. She never stops to think of what her actions would cause to the friends that she once so dearly loved. Aelin is now obsessed with Rowan, and that's all the series has become, it seems.
If you want a hot and steamy young adult romance, 'Queen of Shadows' is it.
'Queen of Shadows' is available now at your local bookstore, newsagents, and online.
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