Empire Of Storms Review

Plot/Storyline- the events of this book take place after Queen Of Shadows where Aelin is trying to get to Terrasan and reclaim her throne but of course there are many many obstacles in the way of it and seeing her rise to the occasion and defeating those odds as a queen and not an assassin is somewhat new, seeing her trying to handle her court and the lords of Terrasan locking her out of her own city and the fallout of that is very intriguing. 
Character development- 
Aelin- despite having finally accepted her role as Queen you still see a hint of Celaena in Aelin with is great you see her true to her nature, you see it in her actions the secrets she keeps even from her court you see it in her emotions and it's good to see that's she isn't this unrecognisable person you've grown to love over the series. She's the perfect Queen who is a badass and doesn't take cr*p from anyone she does what is best for her and for the people she loves and the home she's trying to reclaim. There was a point in the book where Aelin is on the verge of losing Dorian because of her overpowering nature and she feels the need to protect him but still listens to what he says because she values her friendship with him. 
Rowan- Still love his relationship with Aelin and the rest of the court and his devotion to her is and her cause is great and his relationship I feel is tested in a sense when his 'cadre' shows up. 
Aedion & Lysandra- this book you see Aedion kind of questioning Aelin's authority, not in a threatening sense but he feels left out when Aelin makes plans without telling him since he's supposed to be protecting her. His relationship with Lysandra was moving seeing them grow and develop this attraction was natural and I loved seeing that. Lysandra and Aelin's friendship was at it's strongest in this book and seeing Aelin trust Lysandra fully was touching. 
Dorian and Manon- Dorian now without a crown and broken was hard to read, but seeing him and Manon together was such a nice thing that he was finally able to start mending himself. His relationship with Aelin is complicated they're friends but Aelin is more overpowering and Dorians kind of in her shadow despite being a king he does what she says. seeing Manon fight her grandmother and rebel against authority and question her upbringing was a wonderful because the past books have been leading to the moment where she takes a stand and isn't just her Grandmothers puppet anymore. 
Elide and Lorcan- They were in Queen of Shadows but this book is where their characters really developed, they found this comfort in each other and Lorcan going from a stone cold B*stard to really care about Elide was great to see despite his 'love' for Maeve and his hatred for Aelin. Elide going from this weak timid servant to this bold and clever woman was inspiring how despite her flaws and past she was determined to find Aelin and help her no matter what, using her mind and that sharpness to survive against all odds.
Cadre- seeing Rowan's old buddies come back was so great that Aedion finally got the chance to meet his father Gavriel and see where he comes from and get the chance to tell him how he feels, since his only family is Aelin having his father though Aedion doesn't care for him is a positive thing for him and getting his fathers help to save his beloved cousin will be great to see. Fenrys character is very outspoken with his feelings, seeing his hatred for Maeve just shows the kind of person he is and that he is able to tell right from wrong and the way he looked up to Aelin and how she inspired him was great to see, that he was willing to go against Maeve for her.

Writing- Sarah J Maas has a unique style of writing which I love and this book is finally where all the plot lines band together and everyone is finally reunited in a sense. when the Manon plot was introduced it felt like a completely different story and it didn't really relate to what was going on elsewhere but in this book, you'll find the stories really intertwine and they always have and the past books have been building up to this moment.