Empire of storms by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of storms is the fifth book in the Throne of glass series so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first books in the series.  This series is best enjoyed in order so I suggest you read Throne of glass, Crown of midnight, Heir of fire and Queen of shadows before you read any more of this review.

After a decade in hiding as Celaena Sardothien, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is ready to accept her birthright as Queen of Terrasen - but it seems that her people, or at least the Terrasen nobles, are not ready to accept a former assassin as their Queen.  Turned away from her homeland Aelin turns her attention to the evil Valg Prince who has finally revealed himself as the force that is stalking the land.  

Aelin may be growing into her power, but the challenge seems to get bigger to match.  She has gone from mere survival as an assassin through to an aspiring queen who has to face challenges from witches, elves, and Valg princes.  She has allies as well, but against unrelenting and vast numbers of enemies it seems as though the fight is hopeless but she won't give up.  All of her hopes and schemes are coming to fruition, but it may not be enough to stop the ancient evil that is rising on all sides.

I love, love, love this series and one of the most frustrating things about reviewing books in this series (and pretty much every book by Sarah J. Maas for that matter) is that to do a long/good review you have to offer some spoilers and I am loathe to do that so all I will say is that this series is amazing for older teens and adults alike (younger teens will struggle with some of the themes at times) - blending together all the best elements of classic epic fantasy series.  The one thing was that it was soooo long and demanded to be read in one sitting.  Looking forward to the final book in the series so we can see what is in store for Aelin and all her friends, allies, and family - because it promises to be epic!
This is an excellent series and highly recommended - but make sure you read it in order!

If you like this book then try:

• Throne of glass by Sarah J. Maas
• A court of thorns and roses by Sarah J. Maas
• Ink and bone by Rachel Caine
• Arrows of the queen by Mercedes Lackey
• The kiss of deception by Mary E. Pearson
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Grave mercy by Robin LaFevers
• The hunt by Andrew Fukuda
• Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
• The pledge by Kimberly Derting
• Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
• Daughter of smoke and bone by Laini Taylor
• The demon trapper's daughter by Jana Oliver

Reviewed by Brilla