*Quick Note: I followed the TOG “Romantic” reading guide, so I read this after having read, “Tower of Dawn”.

Aelin’s story continued in, “Empire of Storms” and aside from the obvious dangers of the Vlag King, Erawan planning to destroy the world, there was also other obstacles (like usual) that Aelin had to overcome. 

Right away from the beginning not only did Aelin have her own set of problems, but also Dorian, Manon, Rowan, and Ellide. Like the previous books, the story started to shift from Aelin’s storyline to the other characters and with this book nearing the end of the series, I was able to get both a deeper understanding of the characters and see shifts in alliances, and more. Manon for instance, her backstory was revealed in a way I wasn’t expecting, although in, “Queen of Shadows”, something about herself was hinted at throughout the book. Now in, “Empire of Storm”, with the big revelation that Manon was told, she shifted into different gears, and was taking control of her life in an entirely different way that I really liked. Another character who I’ve grown to love and cherish was Elide. Elide in the previous book was introduced and got some sense of her struggles and a lot more lay beneath her. In this story, Elide was able to use her quick thinking to save herself from tricking situations, and had me seeing her in an entirely new light. Not to mention, alongside Lorcan, the Fae male who was Rowan’s ex-friend and part of his former cadre, helped Elide along the way which I wasn’t expecting. I loved diving more into each character’s story, and much like the other books, everyone had their role to play, and it came together beautifully. 

Dorian was still dealing with the aftermath of his father’s death, reclaiming his kingdom only to then lose said kingdom due to witches invading Adarlan, and subsequently Dorian escaped during all the carnage thanks to Rowan’s help. I felt bad for Dorian because just when he thought he was “safe”, the guy couldn’t catch a breathe like ugh! I truly felt for bad for him. On the flip side, despite still dealing with a lot, Dorian was able to explore the use of his magic, and learn more about how to help others. 

Also on a totally different note, was it just me or was everyone finding themselves with the perfect or close to perfect romantic interest?! Obviously Aelin and Rowan were endgame since the beginning duh, but then there was hints ( at least that I felt) of Dorian and Manon potentially coupling up?! I don’t know, I just got some vibes from them especially the way how Manon couldn’t explain how she felt certain things towards Dorian and Dorian equally being fascinated by Manon. Oh and let’s not forget about Elide and Lorcan, something about Lorcan being all like, “no woman has ever been able to make me settle down, blah, blah”, right when I read that I couldn’t help the smirk forming on my lips and my mind thinking, “ahem I present Elide”, hahaha Essentially I couldn’t help but notice how everyone ended up paired with compatible people for themselves. Just like in, “Tower of Dawn”, with Chaol and Nesyrn finding the perfect counterparts for them, yeah absolute perfection in my opinion. 

With all the action and big stuff going down in this book, I gotta say I was LOVING THE ROMANCE! From Aelin and Rowan to Dorian and Manon’s flirtatious conversations to LORCAN AND ELIDE! AHHH I WAS GOBBLING EVERY SINGLE THING UP! I wasn’t expecting Lorcan and Elide to strike up something, but slowly and surely I could FEEL SOMETHING HAPPENING! I love Elide and seeing her utilize her skills was great, but also showing up Lorcan that she wasn’t some “weak, damsel in distress”, I mean sure she couldn’t fight a bunch of creatures by herself, but she was more than capable of handling her own ground. I was happy to see Elide find some happiness and while Lorcan was one of those characters who I wasn’t sure about, seeing him alongside Elide, I was shipping them together! Also Manon and Dorian were another unexpected couple, but hey, I kinda liked the vibe going on between them. Also Aedion and Lysandra! Phew all these couples had me smiling, smirking, and down right screaming with delight! 

Like majority of the series, with each book both the revelations and stakes kept getting raised and I couldn’t stop my jaw from dropping constantly. I mean I could literally go on and on about how each individual character experienced or found out pretty significant information that was vital to the plot and themselves!  

I’ve always thought that Aelin was an amazing character, but OMG SHE ALWAYS TAKES ME BY SURPRISE WITH EACH BOOK! The level of scheming, attention to detail in her plans, always being able to have a card up her sleeve, and the undeniable power she’s able to wield! Honestly I love Aelin so much, by far so amazing and fantastic! Especially in this book, just as I was starting to put pieces together, Aelin would throw a curve ball and reveal an entirely intricate thought out plan that only she knew, and used it to manipulate the odds in her favor. Aelin by far is among my list of strong female characters and of course one of my faves, she can do both good and bad things, but all for the sake of the greater good. 

OH MY GOD SO FREAKING GOOD LIKE AHHHHHH I CAN’T GET OVER ALL THE STUFF THAT WENT DOWN IN THIS BOOK! Like I thought the good stuff happened early on in the story, but nope! IT LEGIT GOT BETTER! TALK ABOUT TWISTS AND TURNS AND THE BIGGEST TRUTHS BEING UNCOVERED LIKE DAMNNNNNNN! I’m literally in a book hangover but again, so so sooooo freaking fantastic!