Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) review

I've never done a book review on this blog before, but I've decided it's time. Because I frickin' loved this book and we need to talk about it.

So I've mentioned that I'm reading the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, right? Right?? Like every other person who browses YA fantasy, I'd been seeing the series and I'd read reviews and I'd heard people talk about it on Instagram and so forth and onward...so I knew it was one of those YA fantasy series.

You know...

a) popular and trending

b) maybe shouldn't be...?

c) undoubtedly has a gorgeous heroine who's probably an orphan and probably secretly a princess or has magic or something, undoubtedly has a love triangle, and undoubtedly has an evil king.

And hey, I got two out of three. Can you guess which two? Air Conditioning. Because heck was I wrong that it shouldn't be popular. Dude, where is the movie(s)?!?!? How is this series not everything everyone is talking about!?

Okay. Review. Focus.

Well, speaking of focus, this is the type of story that makes me lose just that. Ask my co-worker. He got to listen to me whining because I wanted to be reading. Ever since I started this series I always want to be reading.

But I'm going to try to focus long enough to say something articulate about this story and its characters.

Granted, as already discussed, the three must-have clichés of YA fantasy are fully present. Personally, I can live with clichés. (If you've read my books, you know that...ahem...I write clichés) I figure they're cliché for a reason--we all love them. (Though I am getting a little sick of love triangles.)

Beyond that, though, I can honestly come up with few complaints about this series. Which is extremely rare for me, I'm quite a nit-picky snob when it comes to books. So let's just agree that it's practically perfect and let's talk about why.

THE CHARACTERS. My gosh. Yes.

Quite often, main character falls a little flat. A book may have spectacular supporting characters (probably a delicious love interest) but the MC just seems...eh. Well, not here, folks. Celaena may fit that gorgeous-orphan-heroine-who-is-secretly-special tag, yet she is a very dimensional, relatable, interesting, likeable character. She is genuinely flawed, not the type of wishy-washy flaws authors sometimes settle for like "clumsy" or "has too big a heart". But she is also likeable and relatable and believable. And pardon me for saying it, but she's a badass.

The variety of secondary characters are also equally awesome and well-developed. And, one of my favorite things about this series is that even the characters you initially don't think twice about turn out to have secrets and strengths and an important role to play. So far, I've been pleasantly surprised by the character arcs of Kaltain, Manon, Elide, and Lysandra.

The characters are really where it's at for this series, but the plot and world-building are not to be overlooked. The plot progresses nicely. There's never a dull moment, even in the "down time." Alright, fine, things may have sagged a little in Heir of Fire, but I was still hooked from beginning to end.

The fantasy elements are tantalizing. I love the Fae. I adore the Fae. I also can't help but love the culture and aesthetic and just the vibe of the witches. And personally...I like some good old-fashioned fantasy magic, and there's plenty of that to be had.

So all said and done...why aren't you reading the Throne of Glass series yet?!