Three is that I've read most of SJM'S books, and I'll say this: SJM is utterly incapable of writing an unproblematic book. If someone asks me to name my favorite book or series, this comes out of my before any other book can even come to my mind. The plot armor after book 2 is kinda unbelievable. None of the main non-demonic characters die; there are some sad deaths, but they aren't really integral to the overall story. It lowers the stakes. And neither of the final showdowns quite live up to the buildup, partially in how they go down, partially in the villains not being as interesting as I would like. Aedion Ashryver was kind of an asshole, but I did enjoy his character. You could definitely tell how much he cares for the ones he loves as well as his soldiers and he was smarter than people gave him credit for.

Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set!The Thirteen was such an amazing group of witches and I loved them all so much, I cried to so hard when they Yielded.

She looked at them, at the three males who meant everything—more than everything. Then she smiled with every last shred of courage, of desperation, of hope for the glimmer of that glorious future. “Let’s go rattle the stars.” It looks like the white set is the UK version (exact same books just different covers) which is probably why they were harder to find. They do not have any illustrations of the characters in them tho. I do think that the original US versions may have. It does still have the maps in each book of course, and the set even comes with a 12"x18" poster of the Northern continent which I am totally going to frame!Cel’s boyfriends, whatever. I don’t care. Certainly no Queen Cersei or Future Queen Sansa to elevate the narrative in the kingdom’s capital. An elevated-extra fangirl has little worth here. The relationships. I don't want to give anything away, but I would be missing a huge point of why I loved this series if I didn't say it held one of my favorite relationships of all time. Matching a hero tends to be the author justifying how it could work, how it could make sense, usually by making the non-hero sweet or smart or supportive - here it's so well done, it's a true partnership, so well unfolded. I won't say more. Because Yrene is such a big part of the climax, I do think it makes sense for book 6 to be a full novel; it would be weird and deus ex machina-y if the big savior only previously appeared in a short story and a novella. Even if we have to endure the secondary romance of that book. And all that Chaol; she does fix him into tolerability, so there's that.

Two is that if you were looking for an engaging, diverse fantasy novel with likeable characters, you'll be severely disappointed. Queen of Shadows has always been my favorite because of all of the things that happen. Manon and Elide and also Manon and Dorian, but then also everything happening with Aelin and her court including saving Aedion but then reuniting with Rowan and Lysandra and just the more relationships that happened and grew between characters that weren't necessarily romantic.

Reviews

In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion. Empire of Storms/ Tower of Dawn - these two books happen at the same time and should be read in tandem. They both are about Celaena and her friends recovering from the events of Queen of Shadows but also recovering from the events of the previous four novels, how they move on from this point, all while building an army against the looming darkness that is engulfing Erilea. The plot, and how it carried from book to book. There was a greater storyline, but parsed out well between the books without feeling bloated or like it dragged on like some series can do (Looking at you, Outlander). The action moved around and it felt like a natural progression, the plot points grew from each other. I might have had broad ideas of how things would go but generally couldn't predict much (but when they happened, it made sense not something out of the blue). Also, I noted that the author did a good job of not leaving loose threads around - things were explained or tied together. Once you read this series, be prepared, because nothing you read after this will ever compare. I dont say that this is my favorite series of all time easily. I actually wouldn't say there's anything else that I've read so far or will read that will ever compare to this. This isn't just a series or a book. This is a work of pure art. I can't even put into words how amazing this series is. I dont think anyone can ever do this series justice. I originally started reading the series via the library, but decided part way through that I wanted to own it. It is a great series that starts off a bit slow, but if you give it a little time it gets really good. I wish there were more books in the series, but it did have a pretty satisfactory ending.