2. Queen of Shadows
Published: Sept. 1, 2015
Queen of Shadows is the fourth book of the Throne of Glass series, and it’s one of the most important. It’s also one of the most entertaining because, for the first time, we get to see Aelin’s magic in full force, and I’m not talking about the fire. Throughout Queen of Shadows, Aelin proves over and over again that she’s playing chess while nearly everyone else is playing checkers. She’s always thinking 10 moves ahead.
In Queen of Shadows, Aelin returns to Rifthold to kill the King of Adarlan and save the country before moving on to Terrasen, her home. While she left as Celaena Sardothien, she is returning as Aelin Galathynius, who is Queen of Terrasen by right. Throughout the book, Aelin must confront her past, honestly, to move forward. She teams with Chaol’s group of rebels to learn more about Dorian, the King, and the Valg.
While Aelin learns more about what’s required of her in Queen of Shadows, the book spins this story in a new direction. It shifts the focus from Aelin vs. the King of Adarlan to the larger war to come: Aelin, Terrasen and allies vs. Erawan. Let the games begin!
Best Moment: Okay, so two moments stand out to me. First, Dorian and Aelin teaming up to break Dorian from his collar, destroy the castle, and kill the King is huge. They also learn that Erawan is actually Duke Perrington after the King reveals that they found a Wyrdkey long ago, which was then used in Morath to unlock Erawan. The other moment is in the final pages when Aelin returns to Terrasen after all those years away.