Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas Review!

[@SydneyTalksBooks]

"unlike this book, i completely and utterly remembered chaol westfall and how important he was to this series." ......me

[@o_o-lj1ym]

I hope he gets a redemption in tower of dawn

[@magggmae]

@@o_o-lj1ym it’s so good so far!! Read it!

[@o_o-lj1ym]

@@magggmae yes I finished series now. The tower of dawn and kingdom of ash were amazing

[@magggmae]

@@o_o-lj1ym I’m on tower of dawn and I really hope kingdom of ash doesnt disappoint!!

[@o_o-lj1ym]

@@magggmae it was a perfect ending. If you’re aware of ACOTAR, there’s a special surprise towards the end...

[@hellomelinoe420]

the only consistent thing in this entire series is the damn rattle the stars line lol

[@AClockworkReader]

Lollll so true 😂😂😂

[@iz3986]

Allison Cantelli and thats a stolen line too lol

[@smilee2566]

@@iz3986 really? From where?

[@iz3986]

Astrid Leonhardt Disney's Treasure Planet - they say something like 'you're gonna rattle the stars, you are'

[@smilee2566]

@@iz3986 well shit.

[@myhuckleberryfriend]

Such a great review, I fell in love with the tog series because of the main three characters! I wish Sarah had stuck with them, developing their relationships, rather than creating a hundred new half baked characters who are all obsessed with Aelin.

[@AClockworkReader]

I agree, I loved the dynamic between Chaol, Dorian, and Celaena! "half baked characters who are all obsessed with Aelin" perfect description is perfect 😂❤️

[@haileybubs9851]

OMG YES!

[@danieldelatorre9564]

@@AClockworkReader A common complaint from people who don't like her books is they feel like they're too long and they don't like the books spefically for that reason.

[@nisharangdal781]

"all of the male characters are the same with different coloured hair or eyes." - Amen by the end of the video: Everything you've said in this video - Amen

[@apollotheegawd5872]

Nisha Rangdal I mean....u not wrong😂 but u not right either

[@leohooper7201]

I disagree what about Aedion

[@averihobbs4649]

I feel like Empire of Storms is a complete different series than Throne of Glass...It just feels so different and weird and I miss Dorian as the puppy-giving, flirty prince and Aelin just seems unnecessarily harsh and I dunno I have mixed feelings on this book

[@mayfia]

EXACTLY!!!

[@katiecarstairs2280]

worldsoffiction yeah samw

[@meganbright4990]

Ikr

[@maja2851]

I just hate hate hate the way Chaol has been treated since QoS. From ToG to HoF he had a great and natural character progression, he was starting to see what was truly right and wrong but still his main priority was Dorian and his safety. I despise how the fandom is treating him as this unredeemable asshole that has *always* been problematic and saying he never *truly* loved Celaena. People tend to forget he was the one that sent Celaena away to Wendlyn to save her, and he defied everything he used to believe in, went behind his king's back and risked his life to fight for what was right. I'm looking forward to Tower of Dawn, but I'm scared that Maas is going to destroy his character even further...

[@katiecarstairs2280]

Maja omg thank you so much! You just spoke out of my soul😭 He was and forever will be my favorite character and I still wish Maas would have made a trilogy out of it where she would have ended up with Chaol or Dorian😭😭😭

[@erikadeandrade2119]

I thought i was the only one who loved chaol until i saw this video and these comments, thank you :')

[@augustussinclair1626]

@@erikadeandrade2119 same 😭 our baby needs more love and appreciation

[@o_o-lj1ym]

@@augustussinclair1626 tower of dawn is all about him

[@Alaurapeterson]

You held that book up for this entire video... like I kept waiting for you to put it down. xD Arms of steel!

[@AClockworkReader]

My arm was DYING by the end but I was determined 😂😂😂

[@musiclover12369]

'ROWAN IS BORING' FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT

[@ducksducksducks1884]

Caseykins who is Rowan?

[@rowanilsley2941]

How dare you! 😂

[@katiecarstairs2280]

Caseykins I ABSOLUTELY AGREE!!!!

[@chescavibes]

THIS VIDEO IS EVERYTHING I WANTED my biggest issue with rowan is that when we met him he was critical of aelin and I was all for their FRIENDSHIP. I was excited that we had a male character who wasn't as far up Aelin's ass as every other male character in these books are,, but now he is far up Aelin's ass as well and won't stop glorifying her every MOVE even when she's acting terrible

[@AClockworkReader]

IM SO GLAD ❤️❤️ I'm right there with you, I loved their friendship in Heir of Fire and I was so disappointed when it started developing into a romance :/

[@nightpool4946]

I would sacrifice Aelin, Rowan and all the fae for Chaorian and Malide - good pure ships.

[@aishachaudhry4728]

fallowsong preach

[@tormlen]

I liked Manon and Dorian together in theory, but when it actually happened, I was not a fan. There was something about them that just felt so forced. Also, while I don't necessarily care that the sex scenes were descriptive, they were just poorly done. It was overwritten, cheesy, and there was no sexual tension. I could tell there was supposed to be tension between Manon and Dorian, but to me it came off as not at all sexy, creepy, and bordering on non-consent to me. I actually liked this book overall, but I did not love it. The scene with the sea wyverns saved a lot for me, as well as the same two scenes you mentioned. I'm just grateful my favorite character is Abraxos because I don't think she's going to ruin him by making him a love interest haha.

[@thequeenofbooks24]

Ashley Jinx same same same!!!! That's exactly me!!

[@paradiselostinbooks5076]

Ashley Jinx omg this! I was so excited for Manorian and then SJM just...fucking...I don't even know. I can't. I HATED IT.

[@shalicial93]

I don't ship Dorian and Manon as a couple. I ship them the same way I ship Harry and Luna. Troy Bolton and Chad. Alex and Jace. Deep emotional bonds but as far as a relationship goes that's not for Manon and she's not ready for that yet. Especially with someone like Dorian. He's OOC right now but he's the most selfless person in the books. That goes by the way he constantly helps everyone when they don't deserve it. And I feel that if things do get serious between him and Manon Manon will get scared and run. And Dorian will be hurt. She is good for him though. She can teach him to be string, how to fight, how to lead. Manon is actually the ONLY PERSON in EOS who snaps her fingers in Dorians face to wake him up. Saying that he is a king and he needs to start speaking up more. But Manon is not the relationship type. I hate to agree with Aelin but Dorians pretty face is not going to make Manon change her mind. Even though we all know Aleins pretty face can charm anyone out of any thing. But I picture Manon as an Amazon woman you know? Riding the skies with her 13 and being free. Single and empowered. And Dorian far to much stuff to wort about right now.

[@moonsauce88]

I agree with a lot of this, minus the “bordering on non-consent” part (he specifically asks for consent/the word “yes”) 🤷‍♀️

[@mattb5881]

Lmao his love interest was Asterins wyvern

[@WonderlandBookss]

I enjoyed the book but I do see the huge problems with it. I wholeheartedly agree with you about Rowan and Aelin. I can't stand their characters or their romance. my favourite character is Manon and I'm so annoyed with how Sarah just reduced her down to Dorians play thing. Honestly if Sarah had of cut out all the gross Manorian/Rowaelin fluff and sex scenes she would have been able to have Charles in the book but after the way she wrote him in QOS I feel like she just doesn't give a shit about him because all she cares about is the romance and that's not why people are reading these books

[@milablacksheep802]

THERE'S MANORIAN SEX? Oh God, no please...

[@leightaylor992]

Watching you go off about Rowboat Whitetooth just made my day 10x better

[@AClockworkReader]

"Rowboat Whitetooth" IM DYING 😂😂😂

[@aliceliu6512]

Aelin went from one of my favorite female protagonist in ya literature to one of my least favorite characters I have read. She was constantly thinking about Rowan, doesn't appreciate anyone else besides Rowan, and Rowan Rowan Rowan has become Aelin's personality. I hate rowan(whoops) so much

[@haileybubs9851]

The only people I like in the series are Chaol and Dorian. Now SJM like hates Chaol and Dorian bows down to Aelin.

[@apollotheegawd5872]

HaileyBubs choal and Dorian r my favorite characters. Dorian becomes a savage in empire of storms and kingdom of ash

[@magggmae]

@@apollotheegawd5872 savage as in??? Bad???

[@apollotheegawd5872]

@@magggmae savage as in he tricked and trapped Maeve and destroyed morath by himself. They should’ve let Dorian handle shit from the jump. Man was clearly the strongest one there

[@averysnider2838]

They still my fav 😏

[@enchantology]

LOVE THIS, GIRRRRRRL. A note on Chaol that's been haunting me a lil bit - so he was cut out in EOS and she's basically writing a novella that would be what was happening to him in this book and making it separate. It feels super weird to "other" a disabled character like that and remove him from the central narrative to tell an arc that is probably going to end up being about overcoming his disability or something, idk. She said she couldn't ~fit~ his arc into EOS and that just seems soooooo weird to me given how much fluff was in this book. CRINGEY.

[@AClockworkReader]

Is she really?? I completely agree, if she was really planning on telling his story, there was no reason not to include him in here. There was SO much fluff!!

[@enchantology]

A Clockwork Reader Yep. She announced he was getting a novella a few months ago and I was watching Jesse's Q&A with her and she confirmed that it's basically just what we missed in EOS and that she couldn't fit his stuff in. Clearly someone needs to sort out her priorities lmao

[@ak-zo5js]

She didn't put Chaol into this book because it would take you to a different part of the world and the story wouldn't flow as good. She also did it because she wanted to be able to build the world more and not just quickly describe it before jumping into Chaol's tasks

[@enchantology]

Audrey K She has previously had characters in different parts of the world within the same book and dealt with it fine.

[@ak-zo5js]

Yes, but they were all related to the same thing. Chaol is off with healers and not really doing anything rn besides possibly convincing a army to help, so the flow of EoS would have been stopped to go see what Chaol is doing. I'm sure he'll be back in TOG6 with an army and we get a novella about what happens so it's not like we never get to see him again

[@X_MissMary_X]

Yes I DESPISE Aelin! She was a whiny tyrant in this book who took and took from everyone. I also hated that "I was secretly fixing everything this whole time HAHAHA" device-- it felt for all the world like SJM had written herself into a corner and just pulled a solution out of her butt. And YES I also find Rowan mind-numbingly dull. I sped-read all of his perspectives.

[@thesassfandom]

SO happy you are one of the only booktubers who understands my hate for aelin.

[@AClockworkReader]

I could rant about her for dayyyyys lolll 😂😂😂

[@emmak9053]

You just explained literally ALL the problems I have with this series. Mostly about Aelin and Rowan. I can't stand either of them and kind of hope one of them dies in the last book because I genuinely can't stand the thought of an eternally Aelin-Rowan Terrasen. Is that bad?! Lol

[@MG-vw2qy]

I do like Manon and Dorian's relationship so I enjoyed all those moments but I agree completely that Manon needed more development than she got in this book. I mean she found out a HUGE thing about her family and we literally spend a few lines on that and then she just accepts it! I wanted to see her struggle with that and come to terms with it and that would have been way more interesting than yet another sex scene

[@avahattam1451]

my gosh i totally get you with the all heterosexual couples. i was so ready for manon and asterin to be a thing that when i realized they weren't, and that there were no single characters left, my heart broke a bit ;-;

[@AClockworkReader]

Right!!?! Honestly I was rooting for pretty much every couple that didn't happen in this book 😂

[@friezaisking2279]

There cousins

[@hemanistallard9480]

sweet home alabama

[@darrianbreedlove6833]

I have the same opinion! This was probably the most disappointing book I've ever read. The first two books were amazing, and I loved the trio of Dorian, Chaol, and Celaena so much! Now the series has gone so far downhill and the characters are all so annoying and different now. I'm so glad that others disliked this book and post their thoughts on it despite the backlash most get if they even point out a flaw in this series.

[@tovaportmann]

Let's not forget Aedion is her 'cousin' unless she's a Lannister I doubt that Aelin is the incest type.

[@Ms1112223334567]

Have you read ACOTAR or ACOMAF? Because I feel like after ACOMAF came out, EoS becomes a little too similar to SJM's other books.

[@paradiselostinbooks5076]

sproutling I had that exact thought. ACOTAR is such a better series because it feels like it’s own independent story whereas TOG has changed so much and especially w EOS it felt like out of nowhere it got super sexual and just trying too hard to be like ACOTAR.

[@afangirlarchive5007]

I love this review! I agree with almost everything you said. I really disliked this book and was disappointed because until this point in the series, ToG was one of my favorites. hate Aelin so much and that dislike for me really stated with QoS and I never really liked Rowan either. All the "Fae male territorialness" scenes were so annoying. They just didn't need to be there and they shouldn't be normalized in a fantasy world. I never shipped Rowaelin ever and after they discussed "conquering" on pg. 570. The line was literally something like "Perhaps if I'm queen and I'm bored I'll consider making myself empress." I just paused and was like um excuse me. It was just a whole new level of arrogance for me. I also didn't appreciate how when they were in Skull's Bay and Celaena/Aelin made an appearance, they were like "oh it was Celaena in the room, not Aelin." Things like that just make me go but I thought they were the same person. I was so excited for Dorian and Manon's relationship and that just went downhill. And if we are getting a novella about Chaol surrounding what he was doing during this book, I don't think it should be a novella. Novellas shouldn't be required reading for a series and if what Choal did was important then it should've been in the book. I also did not appreciate how this was basically Harry Potter done badly. Lysandra is the only reason I ever continued reading this book. I really hope the next one is better. Sorry for ranting I just really have so many thoughts about this book and I still can't help being in shock with how much I disliked it. Even after my 28 minute video, I still feel like I haven't gotten it all out yet.

[@shalicial93]

Agreed. It PISSED ME OFF CAUSE IM A HARDCORE DORIAN FAN! He literally had everything. He had the continent and he had a strong kingdom but SJM literally took it all away from him just to give Aelin whenever she wants it, and all for his God damn "character development " as she likes to call it. Its just soo badly timed for Dorian. We don't even known if him and a Chaol will meet again before the final book And there's no one there to help Dorian get out of this state that he's in. And that what pisses me off. Even more so cause SJM has Dorian helping everybody but not doing any thing for himself. He sat back in EOS and watched Aelin gain all these allies for her and didn't do any thing for Adarlan. It pisses me off cause I think really do see in my heart that Dorian is the most selfless person in the book right now. People talk about and love Aelin for sacrificing herself to save the world when.we all know if the shoe was on the other foot ANY of the characters would do the same thing. I just hate how SJM took everything away from Dorian only to give it to a girl who isn't half the person Dorian is.

[@shalicial93]

He would be the far superior monarch. He would be just and fair. You can't say the same about Alein. Whose ass kissing court threatens anyone that tells her like it is and doesn't agree with her. Not to mention she's cocky, brash, and impulsive. Her fae blood is not an execuse for that. Celeana was for more likeable than Alein imo. She came back in QOS arrogance incarnate. It was literally through the roof! And she wouldn't be a good ruler cause all she would care about is HER and HER PLANS. Dorian ain't like that. He knows his capitol city is in trouble but in EOS helped Aelin gain allies for her. She would never do the same for him or anyone else.

[@xAlxyz]

LMAO finally I found someone on Booktube who shares most of my issues with this series. Aelin is my least favorite character (why is nobody talking about the HEINOUS plot she set up with Rowan, Lysandra and Aedion as basically pawns for serving her kingdom in the case she gets rekt?) Also gave 0 fucks about RowAelin ship sailing, everything was so clear since the beginning. Aaaand laughed so hard with the part that Dorian used to be a cinnamon roll in previous books, but then became a fuckboi to cope with his emotions. Manon is totally just a rebound and any romance will be effectively shoehorned in by the writer. Speaking of the writer. Am I the only one who noticed how terrible she became with writing? Descriptions were straight outta cringe town. And I don't refer just to the sex scenes. We went from "You will rattle the stars!" awesome to "Pure maleness" chickenshit.

[@escapedscienceexperiement9824]

I find it funny that Rattle the stars is directly lifted from Treasure Planet (Disney) and it's nearly identical.

[@beautythebook2483]

you perfectly articulated all my feelings! I feel like Aelin and Chaol's relationship was the most naturally developed and wasn't used as a plot device and then Rowen was thrown in for only God knows why and tanked the entire plot just for the sake of their relationship. I love Celaena I hate Aelin... Dorian for lack of a better word a jack ass in this book I felt like he almost just used Manon for sex and it rubbed me the wrong way because that's not the way Dorian was being developed, we also need to bring back Chaol, Nesryn though can stay gone. Ugh.

[@shalicial93]

Dorian DID NOT USE MANON FOR SEX. She consented to him. He consented to her. Both of them were in bad states of mind at that time and they just wanted a distraction for a little while. That's all it was. There's nothing wrong with a quickie every know and then. Chaol and Nesryn do the same thing. It was just sex. A casual hookup. Dorian did not use her for any thing. I know it sounds wrong but they just were both upset and needed each other at the time. Both of them were like outsiders on that ship. We all knew Dorian slept around a lot but we've never seen him like that before. As I said he's not in his right state of mind right now. The same way how after his father died he wasn't in the right state of mind when he freed the continent. That was a big decision and I don't think he should have made it. There was a comment Alein made on like page 570 of EOS that went like this "Maybe in a few years down the road if she ever gets tired of being queen she would think about thanking the continent" and I was like WHAT THE FUCK SARAH! You took it away from Dorian only to give it to a hotheaded arrogant bitch whenever she wanted it. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES AELIN BETTER THAN DORIAN!!!!!

[@magggmae]

You just called Dorian a Jack ass. For having sex once. In five books. Are y’all okay 😭

[@magggmae]

@@shalicial93 I love you

[@genhp]

I loved what you said about the dumb overly-territorial fae thing. I find it very incongruent with the relationship themes in ACOTAR series so I'm very confused why SJM wrote this so prevalently. Overall I think the relationships were the most disappointing thing about EoS :/

[@jaimeheather]

When you said "velvet wrapped steel" I laughed out loud because I'm like 98% sure a line similar to that ("steel encased in velvet" or smth) is also used in fifty shades of grey to describe Christian at some point and like that's a whole other level of shitty literature 😂😂😂

[@momowoods2859]

Ik when I hear her say that,I was like "WTH!?,a writer literally wrote that down on her own story?" and also just thinking about it..it sound like out of an Hentai.

[@AreFlamingosPink]

I hope that you keep reading the series because your reviews of them are the most entertaining thing. I haven't and probably will never read throne of glass but I love you talking shit about the books

[@scarlettmcmillan198]

There was this one scene where Elide meets Aelin and her court or whatever with Lorcan, and it just got to me. I CANNOT STAND HOW EVERYONE IS PUTTING THEIR “claim” ON ELIDE. I literally had to close the book and just scream. Aelin straight out doesn’t even ask Elide or anything, she just comes out with, “I lay claim to her. Witch-blood in her veins or no, she is Lady of Perranth, and she is mine.” Emphasis on mine. Um excuse me wtf. And then Manon comes, and again without even looking at Elide, says “And if I lay claim on her for the Blackbeaks?” And then, of course, romantic Lorcan claims her also. Nope NO I can not. I can nOt. If I were Elide I’d just leave because tf.

[@mythaelle]

finally, someone who thinks that rowboat whiteboy is utterly boring and serves no purpose in the book other than to praise aelin.

[@snazzydarcyreads]

This has given me LIFE - so happy to finally find a review/discussion that I agree with! Rowan is TRASH. Ugh, and Aelin's character!!!! 100%. She is no longer relatable in any way whatsoever, and like you said: untrustworthy. I am no longer on her side. The jealousy bit really pissed me off too, it would be a HUGE turn off to me if my partner behaved the way Rowan does towards my guy mates. Once again, 100% agree with you on the Manon/Dorian situation, the kind of character he was ... was just not what I thought Dorian would be. He's a squish, ya know? If I DO read the final book, it will be for the witches. Hopefully in the last book Chaol makes his RIGHTFUL return. xx (sidenote: your hair is absolutely beautiful).

[@melissaknowlton6814]

I agree with everything. It's gotten to the point where the first book and EoS are so disconnected that they could be from separate series. Sarah J Maas at this point is honestly popping books out left and right for both ToG and ACOMAF and honestly I wish she'd just slow down, reread her books, and figure where to go from there. I also feel that she's just added too many characters and she's not juggling them well which is why there will be 100+ pages where one just gets pushed to the side. And ngl, I had zero reaction to when Aelin was taken by Maeve. You know it's bad when you could not care less about the main protagonist

[@scrollsofdragons362]

We have the same exact thoughts. Manon and Dorian I liked until Dorian became this alpha ass and Manon thought Aelin was the best thing ever, and thier relationship should not have happened, hate that everyone is a white cis straight who cant remain single and everyone being paired up, no, no, no. Aelin, she just gets worse to the point that I was on the side of Maeve because she was beating Aelin up and I was liking that Aelin was getting that treatment. Dont talk to me about those sex scenes lol. The whole Mate thing means all those past love interests and ships meant nothing and was just a waste because her and Rowan are fated. Aelin being a mastermind was so eye rolling. The thirteen were amazing and the plot was enjoyable, it was just everything else.

[@shalicial93]

Can someone please tell me ONE time in EOS Dorian was an ass. He me was OOC and that's perfectly understandable given what he's been through. But I have never seen him being anything other than a selfless person all throughout that book. So can someone please tell my why they thought Dorian was an ass in EOS.

[@mikaelaelisabeth3373]

literally everything you just said was ON. POINT. absolutely perfect review in my opinion! x

[@arialydia8095]

I really like Aelin, but Rowan.... ugh no. Their relationship is so forced to me, it feels like Maas decided Aelin needed a 'happily ever after' so gave her him but she didn't need that

[@Mel-mu1hk]

I agree that Rowan and Aelin suck xD I loved this review so much and, while i didn't hate this book as much as you I still had a crap-load of problems with it. Also...I am not okay with the lack Chaol. I was rooting for Manon to be a lesbian. It makes sooooo much sense! She hates men. The only people she even likes are other women. It made so much more sense than the Dorian and Manon relationship.

[@AClockworkReader]

I'm 500000% down with lesbian Manon. What petition do I sign to support that??

[@addictivegamer102]

Omg I want Manon and Elide together. But at the same time, I value their friendship more.

[@eileen9898]

While I agree 100% with lesbian Manon, she doesnt hate men - she is just indifferent about them I think?

[@lonelywolf7132]

addictivegamer102 oh my that would be AMAZING

[@Camila-yh7jr]

I thought I was the only person who thought these things! I agree with every single point! I had issues with this series before, even though I really enjoyed the first few books, but this book just made me so angry at times. I can't stand Aelin, or Rowan, the relationships in the book, and I thought the plot was so slow in this book. I hate that romance and love in this book is basically defined by being overprotective and sex. I feel like all the characters are reduced to sarcasm and their love interests.

[@aizahkhan872]

THANK YOU! CHAOL WAS SO ESSENTIAL TO THIS STORYYYY

[@wackydacky5753]

You had me at "I can't stand Aelin's character"

[@madrigalv5302]

okay but like am I the only one who ships manon and elide?

[@dreferre21]

I disagree that Manon was reduced to a love interest, mainly because their scenes together are very sensual and they're looking to satisfy themselves. Also for Dorian a lot his comments on needing a woman stem from the fact that Sorscha died and it wasn't completely out of the ordinary that he wanted someone who wouldn't leave him/someone who could stand him in a way that Celaena/Aelin and Sorscha couldn't. Also yes yes yes yes yes yes yes on Aelin and Rowan. I really dislike her character to such an extent, and Rowan as well. Also while I do dislike the territorial thing on so many levels, fae are like these primal beasts who unlike humans rely heavily on animalistic instincts and that's more of just a cultural thing with them and I was happy that Sarah toned it down in this book because Rowan and Aedion both acting like that 100% all the time in QoS annoyed me. Also ! Elide is disabled, I feel like many people forget that and I personally loved her parts in this book, she's so strong without needing to know how to fight and she just gets through with her mind and I appreciated reading that throughout the story where most of our females are warriors who can kill with a look. As for Aedion and Lysandra I didn't ship it in QoS but I'mOn board for it now. However I HOPE that since Lysandra is Aelin for now, that Aedion and her won't get together at all and I also hope Lorcan and Elide manage a platonic relationship because I actually really enjoyed that part and then they kissed and I ran for the hills. As for Meave I don't like she's kept behind smoke and mirrors because it allows Sarah to use her when she sees fit with whatever power the story needs and I disliked that Meave was more focused on than Erawan in this book after just finding out he's the big bad. I'm really happy to see Dorian go to Morath though and mess shit up with Manon. I hope they get the third key and Dorian uses themSimilarly to how Aelin used them in this book. I'm also very concerned with how things are going to go in the last book because we have ~King~*shudders* Rowan hunting his ~wife~ *shivers* and Lysandra is Aelin so that's gunna get sticky then we have Manon and Dorian in Morath and then Chaol is going to be (presumably) with an army but no one to speak to on that regard and the story seems like it's going to be in so many places when it should coming together so that kind of concerns me a bit. I did like seeing more of the world and I also have to disagree that the last 3 books disregard the first 2 because in book 2 there's a bunch of ground work for the Valg, the keys, and the Elena /Nehemiah story that wouldn't make sense in EoS had it not been introduced in ToG and CoM but in other aspects the series has gone from a dot to the size of Jupiter and it does make someParts of the story weak. And lastly I was really mad that Chaol wasn't in this book but Sarah said his story was too big / disconnected to fit into EoS so she's writing a novella (she said it's around 250 pages long ?? So I guess it makes sense being the book would be 950 pages w his story) she said his novella deals with a lot of him having to understand his physical and mental struggles being disabled and it's a big part of his journey that she likes writing and she said that when she thought of it she would rather have his story be separate from the novel just because it's more of a slower paced journey tht focuses on his trails and his recovery from not only QoS but everything that's happened to him as a whole. So I'm excited to see how that turns out. HOWEVER I am kind of mad because the novella will be mandatory reading (??) because Sarah said there's some set up for the last book in it regarding Antica and the Southern Continent and the Torre Cesme so I just don't like that the Assassins Blade and this novella aren't advirtied as mandatory BUT if you don't read them there's some stuff that won't make a little sense.

[@pipernahulu9373]

Aelin and Rowan's relationship would have been much more meaningful if Lyria was actually his mate and if Sam was her mate. Like everything they went through doesn't even matter because they were gonna end up together anyway.

[@nuriamolano132]

I agree with you 100%. I have stopped reading this long time ago because of the way Sarah J Mass treats her characters ( my poor Chaol :().

[@Xk8rsx]

I get you with the territorial male thing, it's really unattractive. With the exception of Dorian...I feel like he's the only one that isn't all territorial cos of course he's with Manon, she's different, she won't take anything from him. I'm only saying it cos Dorian is my favourite lol I like Rowan but he can be annoying too.

[@Xk8rsx]

And also, in the beginning I thought Dorian was gay. I thought the reason he didn't get anywhere else with Aelin was because he was in love with Chaol lol

[@ak-zo5js]

Dorian isn't territorial because he's not Fae

[@Xk8rsx]

Kristina Volnero Alein and Dorian are friends. Sure they had something going on but that only lasted a short time lol but I get what you mean. I still think Dorian could love Chaol tho. I'm keeping hope alive

[@Xk8rsx]

Kristina Volnero I know, I agree with that not all need to be in a relationship. I do like Adeion and Lysandra tho, I think them along with Manon and Dorian are gonna be faves for me.

[@madrigalv5302]

I'm 5 months late to the party but I just hate how being fae is an excuse for being a piece of shit. idk it you've read acomaf but you have the example of 3 fae males who respect the females they love, and respect eachother and everyone around them

[@roisins8100]

OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH !!!! Everything you said is an exact echo of my own thoughts whilst reading this book. It was driving me mad that it seemed like nobody else thought the same but now oh my god so happy that i've found this video!! ♥

[@scarletburdette7662]

I do agree with the relationships. In the 3rd book, all they focused on was Aelin and Rowan's friendship and the the 4th book, BAM. In love. I hate Dorian and Manon's relationship. It makes no since! Despite this, I love the series

[@sarahmcdonough7713]

This book (and QOS) "undoing" everything the others accomplished is SUCH a good way of putting it. The reason I loved TOG was because it was refreshing. I'm 21 and have been reading YA since I was 10. I've seen it all. Celaena felt a bit more special than all the other "badass strong snarky etc" female characters I'd read, the character development was quite good, and I felt that the relationships between Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian were pretty reasonable and believable, not the typical instalovey, inconsistent love triangle rife with miscommunication. TOG wasn't groundbreaking or anything, but it felt like it was diverging from the YA trilogy mold a bit. Then QOS and EOS...... They feel, to me, like the the most average, bland, cliche YA fodder imaginable. Completely nonsensical and unnecessary love interests, a boring protagonist, an over complicated war plot that doesn't actually make a lot of sense, and is revealed though a series of twists. QOS and EOS were exactly what I thought I was avoiding when I read TOG.

[@autumnbehon942]

This one was my lowest rating out of all the books, too. I had so many problems with it. I literally read it for the side characters, because Aelin drove me insane. Also, the whole overly protective male shit is so annoying. Especially since everyone is all magically linked up, yet all the men are obsessed with Aelin.

[@TheKaitlynturnage979]

THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT HOW THE MALES ARE THE SAME.

[@sapphirejones4765]

i stopped at book 3 and i’m....not sorry

[@sapphirejones4765]

i hate how celeana (i cannot spell her name) has been reduced to a - to quote polandbannas20 - “a bland, responsible person, who has sex with rowan”

[@sapphirejones4765]

i HATE rowan

[@sapphirejones4765]

i thought manon and the other girl were lesbians so i was really mad about how they were both paired up with a random man and dorian, of all people

[@emmagreenily]

I love watching your videos because we read a good amount of the same books but we often have really different reactions. which I think is so interesting. and I do agree with some of what you say but overall I loved this book

[@AClockworkReader]

Thank you! ❤️ I really appreciate that and it makes me happy that you loved it! I agree I think it's really interesting to see people's different reactions to books 😊😊

[@emmagreenily]

it's so much more fun when people have different opinions!! I think a lot of people are hesitant to give their honest opinion and it's one of my favorite things about your channel that you do. so I applaud you for that :)

[@bisexualizukumidoriya]

i feel so validated in my hatred of rowan

[@laurenandcats]

I am so fed up with the territorial thing like you said and OMG. Aelin’s constant lying, scheming behind everyone’s back, and making a martyr of herself. And LYSANDRA?! Just agreeing to pretend to be Aelin for potentially the rest of her life…WHAT?!?! Oh, and how are they supposed to get around the fact that Lysandra can’t do fire magic? It’s infuriating. I’m going to finish the series but damn.

[@mollyringer5501]

Did you finish the series? Was the ending surprising/worth it? 😂

[@laurenandcats]

@ I did! And no lol. I still hated her. The last book OMG, she pissed me off so much. Manon? That part was good and gut wrenching. Arlin can go to hell 😆

[@lilassia69]

Finally ! I agree 100% with you. Don't really understand how some people can ship Aelin and Rowan. He's boring and territorial as hell, the only purpose he has in this series is to be Aelin's love interest. I'm sad about the character development of a lot of characters, especially Celaena. Eventhough she was flowded at the beginning of the series she was still relatable in some ways. But now Aelin just became a charicature, and she turned out to be so unlikable, really it's a shame and I'm not even talking about poor Chaol and what she turned him into just because she wanted readers to ship her OTP so badly. I never was a Celorian but I hope that they'll end up together or at least that she won't end up with Rowan. Dorian is one of the only characters who is still likable, I'm praying hard for SJM to not ruin him. Thank god the story line is still interesting, I just feel sad that one of my favorite series turned out this way. I just hope that she'll not ruin the characters of ACOTAR the way she did with ToG.

[@Angela-hj4ew]

To be honest, Manon and Elide would have made a great couple.

[@natalieramones]

I really enjoyed this book, also this series 😝 but after watching this I can definitely understand how some people wouldn't like it! I really enjoy Sarah's development in her series. And I can totally see how people are annoyed with the whole territorial male thing, but I've always thought that Sarah writes really strong female characters that NEVER put up with it. Throughout the entire book Aelin is always commenting on Rowan's territorial thing and always puts him in his place. I feel like the females are all capable of holding there own, even Elide who is "disabled" doesn't put up with Lorcan and despite her ankle she is a strong character. So yeah the territorial thing is weird but idk I don't necessarily have the view that it's bad 😝 but I get where you are coming from! Great review! 👍🏻lots of great discussion material in his vid lol

[@AClockworkReader]

Thank you so much for being supportive! 💕 I totally agree that a lot of the female characters are very strong, that's what drew me into the series in the first place. That's why Manon is my absolute favorite!! 😊

[@alinapetersson9464]

I totally agree with u tbh, and this video was great and brought up really good points to why you wouldn't like these book/s, and I understand them, even though I personally really liked them

[@milkpops11]

9:43 exactly. Rowan is only there to further aelin's scheme and in no way has his own dreams, plans or agenda. Whatever she says he does it without ever questioning it. Doesn't matter what he wants. All he has in mind is to remind everyone that he has a claim over her? He has no personality whatsoever imo

[@julianabelford5598]

12:10 I agree so much. As a person who read this book when I was fourteen I DID NOT need to read that in a book. Especially since that at the end of HoF I just assumed that they would stay friends. Then in comes QoS and all of a sudden they're madly in love with each other.

[@jennifer4312]

Yes!! Literally every male character is: SUPER attractive with golden locks, tall and chizzled,with perfectly tanned skin...LIKEC’MON

[@Mel-wenli]

Hi! I'm sorry I'm 5 years late, but I completely agree with you. Like I've been reading this book since forever - or it seems , and am now near the end. Well after the first few chapters , I had to stop and go check if it was just me thinking the book was painful to read . And I read a lot of things( yeah mostly spoilers, but didn't care since I spoiled myself everything while looking up Celena after reading the first book of the series ), I thought I was prepared to be deceive at this point but duh, reading it is a hundred times worst. I mean all the characters don't seem like themselves , the relationships makes no sense, and the plot... which plot ? 25% of the book actually has the structure of it. The rest... so many useless things, and I don't get it. I loved Celena , hate Aelin. The relationship she has with Rowan ? I thought it was platonic ( that's what SJM said in the previous book, something like "there was nothing romantic about being in a bed next to Rowan ,blah blah, needed / missed affection of a friend" A FRIEND. Anyway, there's so many things disappointing me , and I don't get how some people could love this book. I'm not only talking about my opinions cause who cares but, as an aspiring writer, I think the plot, the 'characters dev', the relationship btw them, etc... that's bad. Like real bad. I honestly think herself, was annoyed at this point. ( which is something I get, since she wrote that when she was younger but still). The structure of the first books proved she is a talented story-teller (more story writer , I mean that's the way she organized the story was amazing ), so how could she write that kind of a fanfic ? Anyway, thank you for your review ;)

[@layla7844]

I totally agree with wht you said in this review. I had a huge problem with the lack of diversity not only with the characters but also the relationships. I was hardcore rooting for Manon and Elide to get together but that got totally blown out of the water. I'm also really upset with the fae territorial bullshit, it was way over done and was tiring by the end (especially because there was so much of it in sjm's other series). I however am not complaining about the lack of Chaol in this book. I never liked his character not even in the first books and more so in QoS because of his jerky attitude towards Aelin, but now that I cant stand Aelin maybe I would like him more. While I'm upset with how this book turned out I cant decide if I didn't like it, I think the only reason I didnt hate it was because of Manon, Lysandra and the badass action scenes. I really loved your review though you put words to the thoughts I was having about this book.

[@shalicial93]

Maybe you should try to understand why Chaol was the way he was in the first place. He grew up around people that hated magic. And he was COTG. Meanig that he was honor bound to protect. The first time He probably ever saw a fae was when Celeana transformed in that tunnel. She was yelling and he saw pointy teeth, pointy ears, and a murderous expression. That's not a very good first impression to make. And Chaols attitude towards her stemmed from him knowing what a threat she is. He heard abo it what she did in Doranelle and wondered what the he'll would she do to Rifthold. So yeah......I think his actions were justified. Aelins weren't though. She said bad things as well. Yet no one expects her to apologize for it.

[@chezehead8]

I am so glad to find someone who doesnt love every book they read. Every book review I read here lately are such a bore. Thank you for a fresh review.

[@nomdeplume1358]

😭😭😭😭I feel like my love for this series stemmed from all the hype like...everyone loved it and I felt like I had to love it too...and then the hype down and I took time to really assess and analyze the series and it just completely fell apart.

[@janaikean1028]

I love watching your videos and hearing your opinions about books, and while I completely agree with some points you made in this video (especially about fae male dominance, and our mutual hate for Rowan), I don’t believe that any author has the obligation to give readers an lgbt character or relationship in any of their books. If Sarah doesn’t want to write about homosexual relationships, then she shouldn’t have to. It’s up to you whether or not you choose to continue reading the book, because at the end of the day, no one is forcing you. I don’t mean to be rude or offensive, but it’s a bit frustrating hearing this, because not everyone has the same views on the LGBT’s. Keep in mind I’m not speaking for everyone, but this is just my opinion :)

[@o_o-lj1ym]

Manon and Dorian didn’t even have a proper relationship it just looked like a rebound

[@13mrsmellark]

I literally agree with everything you said. rowan and pretty much every other male character's territorial-ness annoyed me so much. and the fact that maas normalized it made it so much worse. the lack of diversity frustrated me SO MUCH. the fact that there's not a single non-straight relationship and that they're all white too is so disappointing. the only characters i still like are lysandra and manon but even manon's relationship with dorian made me like her less. though i do prefer malide i could have gotten behind manorian if not for the complete butchering of dorians character that happened in the process

[@shalicial93]

Agreed. Dorian is so Out Of Character right now and its understandable given everything he's been through lately. But it's like no one even cares about that.And I don't like how SJM threw his and Chaol for their development at the worst time. At the end of the series. When she was getting ready to wrap things up. And no one knows how big the final book is gonna be. Chaol is getting butchered as well, but she's giving him a novel(cause she knew fans would be mad if she didn't) and he has this opportunity to come back from his disability stronger. Dorian isn't getting that. I just don't want him to still be in the stare that he's in when the TOG series is over cause he deserves better than that. I would really love it if Dorian was the main protagonist in the final book. But we all know they as not going happen.

[@vanillatwilight127]

Love your review! Completely agree with what you said. I'm going to wait for the reviews of the last book to decide if I'm going to finish the series

[@AClockworkReader]

I kind of want to do the same thing but I know I'll probably cave and read it first just so I can review it 😂

[@Lilac-and-Gooseberries]

Sorscha was mixed race and later Yrene but that’s the next book. Also Fenrys has no love interest, though it’s pretty clear he’s another who’s in love with Aelin.

[@3lentiya_052]

I’m going to keep my mouth shut, because there are so many things about this review that I don’t agree with. However all I’m going to say is I believe Sarah J Maas’s writing in amazing and all her characters ( even the villain characters ) have so much depth and thought to them. The plot is not constant and that what makes the series different. Also if you haven’t read tower of dawn please do, because it addresses your thoughts on Chaol :)

[@claryy8]

I agree with almost everything you've said, expect the part about Elide and Lorcan. Elide, Lorcan, Manon and Dorian were like the only characters I really cared about reading EoS.

[@TinyNDangerous]

At this point my favorite part about this series is watching/reading people rant about it. 😂

[@Sleepydino11]

Chaol isn't in this book because he was on his own mission that doesn't immediately tie in to the happenings in this book. He is getting his own book to tell what he was up to and he will probably be reunited with everyone in the next book.

[@forgottenshadows843]

I enjoyed everybody's story except for Aelins. Shes completely changed to the its a let down. Though I absolutely love the witches. Also... I miss Chaol. Love you girl

[@wowlover3000]

Forgotten Shadows he has a book explaining what he was doing while this happened. I think his book helped better understand his character

[@NeighborhoodMoon]

I haven't read the book--do not plan to after I read some spoilers and was turned off by them--but after reading so many reviews (yours included) I just see that everything that disappointed me (and more) in QoS is just on steroids in EoS. I loved your review! I like how you're actually critical about the series, recently a lot of people seem to be against criticizing it. xxx

[@AClockworkReader]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊 Yeah I definitely think this one expanded upon my least favorite parts of QoS so I had almost exactly the same criticisms lolll

[@laurenbastian1906]

My thoughts exactly. I feel like Maas is misreading (or miswriting in this case) her audience. What was so interesting about the first and second (and third I guess) books was the balance between character relationships, mystery, and GOOD ACTION. I can't stand the filler in these last two books. I probably won't buy the last book.

[@aliceliu6512]

I feel as if Dorian is the only non-territorial male in the series and he's too underrated

[@dankhnw8]

I like it when she lies to us. In QOS I was delightfully surprised. Still, I respect your opinion

[@M.M.Y.B]

I just took it as an Ex Machina. Like, all of a sudden she has an army and she planned the whole thing out long ago, but as she finds more and more about the solution, she doesn't adjust so she's still captured?

[@holshr8291]

Despite the awfulness of the sex scene in itself, there was another thing about it that made me hate Aelin and Rowan even more. Literally, right before they do this, they had come from a battle on Skull's bay, (or whatever it's called.) That THEY CAUSED. (Aelin literally summoned the bad guys with the sole purpose of beating them and looking like a hero) INNOCENT PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE DIED. (I feel like people actually did die but I can't remember. Either way that's not the point) People were definately injured. And then THE SAME DAY Aelin and Rowan just run off to the beach and have sex. Like, what???? The disrespect and lack of care for what they had just done, I can't.

[@marriah256]

just reading this series now but i’m still so blessed i found this bc u have all the same thoughts i do

[@MoodReaderMary]

100% I agree with what you said about Dorian and Manon's relationship. Even in Queen of Shadows I was iffy on the possibility of them having a relationship.

[@ariannaj5789]

I was anticipating your review and it did not let me down. I agree with everything you said.

[@ariannaj5789]

Also, I basically skipped all the Rowaelin scenes because i could NOT stand either one of them, and you talking about them made me even more annoyed about it even though i didn't even read it. All the topics you touch on are making me realize why I hate this series even more lol

[@AClockworkReader]

I was so ready to skip over them too omg 😂😂 I had to pull myself through though for the sake of the review lolll Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 😊💕

[@thebookprincess3533]

OMG! MY THOUGHTS ON AELIN AND ROWAN AND AELIN & ROWAN TOGETHER ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS YOURS!! THANK YOU FOR ADDRESSING HOW UNRELIABLE AND ANNOYING AELIN IS AND HOW BORING AND DEPENDENT ROWAN IS IN EOS

[@CAblackwood100]

Everything I had a problem with with this book, you voiced better than I could have. I would have dropped f bombs left and right. I have never read a book that made me hate an entire series that I've read and used to love. But this book just...showed me that it's possible. As for the last book; I think I'll just read all the spoilers, watch all the video reviews, just to see if it will even be worth my time and money. But right now, I highly doubt it. I'm just gonna mourn over what this series could have been.

[@missyg5533]

I kinda wish u would finish the series seeing as u love Manon... her and the 13 are my favs ! I cried more than i ever cried before in KOA

[@marianaluna6119]

I read Empire of Storms one year ago and I liked it, but now, after watching this review about it, I really changed my mind.

[@Vanessa_maecarpio]

There was a gay relationship if I remember correctly, it was during Aelin's stay in Wendlyn. But still... I love watching reviews like this because you see how powerful books are. They give so many emotions, and it doesn't mean that it must be butterflies in your stomach. Books can make you cry, angry, laugh, and that's what's beautiful about books.

[@irenanovotna364]

I like the series, but, I do have to say I agree on a lot of your points. I LOVE Dorian, and sadly, he really wasn't given much in this book. Most of the times it felt, as if none of the other characters (except Manon) liked him or even cared about him. That sucks, since he's a great, caring and kind character. He was the only one, who even remember Chaol, like... And on the matter of Aelin... I don't know. In some books I liked her and then in some she was just was just soooooo infuriating! gruaahh. And although I like Rowan an Aedion, it is true their possessiveness is just... ugh. Kudos for the review, I liked the books and you didn't offend me, which is great *thumbs up*

[@o_o-lj1ym]

My favourite characters are manon and Dorian But I don’t really like them together too much

[@cranberrijuicc]

I really loved this book, but at the same time I agreed with everything you said in this review! Let's be real, Sarah J Maas can't write sex scenes for shit xD

[@TheCupcakesCookies]

I agree with you that empire of storms ruined the series. I heard from quite a few people that the A Court of Thorns and Roses stories were better, so I decided to read them, and honestly they're so much better. I would love to hear your opinion on them too!

[@M.M.Y.B]

Dude! They are golden. Also, in that series the mating system is presented as more of a genetic pull that can change with the feelings of the people.

[@Tolomasdruid]

This book felt more like an fanfic for me than an new entry in the series.

[@hafsa8320]

damn you crack me up😂😂 but Chaol does have a full book dedicated to him

[@ilianatangarova6759]

I love his series! I could honestly see the series was definitely going somewhere else from the second book, and I actually wanted it to! I kind of agree with the Aelin and Rowan together, but I love the separate characters!

[@wordsoftheroses]

Love this review! While watching this I just kept saying 'yes thank you for noticing that'. I am so over the territorial crap it's just annoying especially now that every character's relationship is a carbon copy. I agree I thought that moment on the beach with Lysandra and Aedion was adorable right up until Aedion couldn't stand another make breathing near Lysandra. It also annoys me that everyone HAD to betogether like seriously? For me, Elide and Lorcan didn't even make sense. From the pervious books I thought Elide and Manon to get together. That's were their characters seemed to be developing. I think they'd be adorable together. There really needs to be more diverse relationships epically if everyone character ever has to be in a relationship. Also with the amount of characters in this book I have no idea why Chaol was cut out, especially if he was 'supposed' to be rallying troops for Aelin's army. Maybe he got in the way of all the sex and coupling up, with trying to adapt to being paralysed and what life know means to him. Must've brought down the mood.

[@AnimeCalypso47]

honestly QoS and EoS felt like SJM's fan fiction of her own books, I'm so done

[@pugmcmuffins9282]

Hi I just wanted to say I appreciated you opinion and honesty during this review. I love ToG but I disagree with one thing. I am bisexual myself but I had absolutely no problem with the cast being completely heterosexual. When I meet a character, the fact that they are gay or transgender or a person of color is literally an after thought to me. When Aedion said he was bisexual a part of me rolled my eyes because nowadays it's feeling like it is less about representation and more of checking off another box on a PC list. It like the Charmed reboot. I understand that the OG main cast was white but I loved the characters despite the lack of representative in Hispanic characters. Now the reboot is cringy as hell and all the main cast has to say for itself is that it is better because not only is one MC gay but they are all women of color. Why should that be a big deal? That would be beside the point. Is representation great? Yeah. But when creators focus too much on representation you don't get someone unique. You get a gay/lesbian/bi person who isn't white and that is literally all I know about them. Also I can see why she wrote out Chaol. He got a whole nother book written about him and many important truths were uncovered that is of the utmost importance plus he will find out immediately that Aelin is gone. He had a very important role plot wise and I just wanted to put your mind at ease. Plus she also threw in a good lesson about being disabled. As many people do when they lose the use of their legs, they either overcompensate or give up entirely and feel ashamed of the loss of their mobility. He felt useless and depressed and so angry but by the end, she shows that disabled doesn't mean useless or shameful. As far as representation goes, this one did not feel forced. It was real struggle and true growth in Chaol without just checking in a PC box. :)

[@anony_mous2042]

I feel like SJM just began to half-ass the rest of this series, once she figured out that they'd continue to sell and have a fan-base no matter the quality. Everything - the plot, characters, romances - seems very formulaic to me :\\ Really sad too, considering how much potential the beginning of the series had.

[@ilukaclifton853]

i actually love the throne of glass series and i finished the last book a few months ago but i totally agree with everything you are saying