Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Jacket illustrations ©2016 by Talexi

​Aelin Galanthynius has struggled to finally be able to reclaim her throne, only to find that there is still a long way to go. With war fast approaching, Aelin must find a way to raise an army, protect her court and her people, and find a way to tip the odds in their favor without a kingdom to call her own.
Sent on a quest by her ancestors to find and retrieve the only thing that may be able to trap the evil creatures invading her world and seal them into their own dimension. Aelin realizes that she is willing to do anything to protect those she loves and her country. But how much will it truly cost her in the end?
If you may recall, I was less than pleased with the fourth installment of this series. I had almost decided to stop the series altogether. Thankfully, some of the more minor characters continued to intrigue me, enough so that I read this fifth installment. I am thankful that I did.
The writing remains similar to that of the rest of the series. The vocabulary is strong but not challenging or difficult to understand. The sentience structure is good, neither too long nor too short. The descriptions of the settings and characters are detailed and easy to picture.
The story line itself takes up where the previous one left off, without any major time gaps and continues to follow multiple characters through their separate journeys. The level of excitement is elevated and continues throughout the novel. The pace is driven and fast, though reasonable and fitting to the action taking place.
I was relieved to learn more about the minor characters that held my attention enough that I continued reading. I also found the new creatures introduced in this novel to be extremely interesting.
I was extremely happy to see that Manon and her thirteen and Elide, as well as some of the more minor and interesting characters, had a larger chunk of this novel dedicated to them.
I was slightly surprised by the amount of sexual interactions in this novel, though the fourth one helped to prepare me for it, given its age group. I was even more surprised by how detailed it was, given the targeted age group and the fact that it is not a Harlequin novel.
I would recommend this novel to young adults who enjoy fantasy novels.
I borrowed a copy of this novel from my local library and I have received permission from the publishers at Bloomsbury to use the cover artwork featured above. 

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