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3.5/5
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The re-read marches onward.
Rating: 4.5/5
Pages: 720
Started: 22 July 2023
Finished: 24 July 2023
Summary:
Elide, deposited outside of Morath by Manon, has two goals: to find Aelin Galathynius, and to deliver Kaltain's mysterious chip of stone, gravitous with power, to Celaena Sardothien. When she encounters ancient Fae warrior Lorcan in the woods, she decides that by combining her cunning and his immortal strength, the two of them can aid each other in their tasks. What she does not know is that Lorcan's task is hunting the stone she keeps in her pocket.
Take back Terrasen. Defeat Erawan. Gather more troops. Avoid Maeve. Find the Wyrdkeys. Seal the Wyrdgate. Don't get killed in the process. Aelin and her allies are short on time and in desperate need of an army, but they have no choice but to continue their missions, hoping that scheming and loyalty will bring them through.
Thoughts:
The reveals in this book are honestly quite masterfully and thrillingly done. Between the armies Aelin gathers, the conniving Rowan does with his cousins, and the revelation of Rowan and Aelin's relationship, there is a lot of excitement and a lot of brilliant scheming that's very fun to read. The reveals of lineage and fate and the idea that Aelin is the promised, the one fated to save the world, is also really cool, especially considering all the foreshadowing present in the previous books.
It's also really interesting to look at how SJM creates romantic pairings. She crafts each set of characters to perfectly fill some need in their partner, and while it's wildly unrealistic it's also a cool approach. Aelin is fierce and unbreakable because Rowan cannot have a repeat of his then-thought mate. Aelin needs someone unapologetic and equally unbreakable. Lysandra craves honor; Aedion has spent his life craving the freedom that Lysandra's shapeshifting symbolizes. Looking forward a bit (since I refuse to re-read Tower of Dawn) Chaol, the miserable misogynistic piece of trash, wants gentleness and submission, anything to make him feel protective and masculine after the ego-blow of trying to date a woman with power and ambition. Not to say that Yrene isn't a good or strong character, but it's telling that Chaol ends up with the only protagonist in the entire series who isn't a warrior in some way or another.
Anyway. We move onto Kingdom of Ash next, and I can't wait. More suffering! More death! More misery! But also heroism and magic and some very righteous comeuppance. I'm extremely excited.