Empire of Storms!

Empire of Storms is where it really is at for me. This book gave so much more that the first few were missing, SJM filled in the gaps and evidently asked herself the same questions I was by the end of Queen of Shadows. I was struggling to understand "Why Aelin?" and "Why Terrasen?" We know she's special and we know her kingdom is important to her, but why is it important to her allies? Her friends? The rest of the known world?

SJM leaned on those questions and got me so much more than I expected by way of answers. Out the gate, we see Lord Darrow ask the same thing - why you?

I took the controversial stance that Darrow was completely correct to deny Aelin the throne. Especially the way her entire court went about it. I was so frustrated at Aelin's entitlement and haughtiness and complete ignorance to the customs and laws of her own people that I cheered when Darrow shut her down. Here's the thing: just because Aelin is traumatized by her past, doesn't mean she should be given the throne. In fact, it means the opposite of that.

A traumatized leader who steamrolls her court, responds to denial with threats and bullying, has a volatile temper, and is known to literally scorched-earth whoever she deems an enemy is not someone who should be blithely handed a kingdom. Aelin does not collaborate with her court, she won't process her temper, she refuses to be accountable for her behavior, and she chose to surround herself with people who never hold her responsible for herself. So when Darrow bluntly denies her and then tells her how she appears to the rest of the world, it blindsides her. Because that's what happens when you surround yourself with sycophants who never tell you when you're in the wrong.

I'm most angry at Rowan during this exchange, however. He's 300+ years old, has seen empires rise and fall, has been a part of courts throughout history, and he doesn't coach her on anything related to politicking or political maneuvering? He Provides no insight on how men like Darrow and the other lords might push back on her? No strategy for countering it? In fact, Rowan does exactly the thing Darrow denies Aelin the throne for - he resorts to threats of violence immediately when he doesn't get what he wants.

That reaction from both of them is why she shouldn't have the throne. Aelin won't be making decisions just for herself anymore, she will be making them for a nation. Her people will be the ones to suffer for her behavior, her outbursts, her decision to blow away anyone she disagrees with. And Terrasen is already in tatters. No army, fighting poverty tooth and nail, and the one man who held it together and kept them from destitution or genocide is being told he didn't do enough and has to hand over the country to a 19-year-old who did, in fact, abandon her people for ten years while they suffered.

Yes. I said it. Aelin was traumatized and endured so much. But from the perspectives of her people, she also spent a decade lounging in finery and indulging a career of murder. These lords and probably many of her people - Ren included! - see her having indulged herself in Adarlan's finery while they starved. Regardless of what we, the reader, know about her past, this remains true of everyone else's perception of her. She has to contend with that. She has to, unfortunately, prove them wrong. And marching in demanding a title and her throne without regard to the laws or customs of her own nation fails to do that.

I want to talk a little about Aelin's decision to give Lysandra land and title without thinking it through because Aelin's whole theme is not thinking things through. I agree she was right to give Lysandra that gift. But she should have recognized the limits of her power and posited it as a plan when she has the throne. By tipping her hand to Darrow about how she intends to reward a court he doesn't approve of, she opened the door to be blockaded by the men who already hold power there.

I understand that Darrow is stuck in the old ways, but you have to consider this from the perspectives of people holding on by a thread. They have been brutalized, subjugated, and impoverished. Darrow and their customs have likely kept them alive. Those customs kept Terrasen safe and secure for centuries before Erawan ripped the nation apart by force. I know Aelin wants to create a new kind of court, but the world her people are in has depended and succeeded with the old one. In fact, the "new court" of Adarlan rule is what put them in this horrifying state. Why on earth would or should they be receptive to ANOTHER "new court"?

I also want to point out that Aelin later in EOS agrees that she isn't ready for rulership and Darrow was right to deny it to her. So. Vindication.

Let's be very clear though: this doesn't mean I am pro Darrow speaking how he did and calling Lysandra a whore and dragging Aedion's reputation into this. Both of them approached that discussion completely incorrectly and did more damage to each other than anything else. Neither of them helped Terrasen in that room, but Darrow was right to deny her power.

What's so funny about that scene to me though?

If Chaol were there, he could have helped Aelin navigate it better than any of them. He knows court intrigue by exposure. He knows customs and rules and how to facilitate those conversations. Chaol could've saved that meeting. I'll die on this hill.

ANYWAY. The rest of this book.

Lysandra? Damn. She really rocketed to the top of my list. I loved Lysandra so much. The sea dragon fight in Skull's Bay made me shout about things while I read this book. I locked in for her. I would ride or die for Lysandra. I love her and Aedion's relationship and how much he respects her autonomy. His lack of caring about her former profession? Very attractive behavior. He understands intimately what you have to do sometimes. Also, Aedion pansexual king? We love that.

Elide and Lorcan, though. Let me tell you what. I loved them. A lot. I love Lorcan and Elide, I hope everything works out for them because they would be so cute and sweet. Elide is such an amazing FMC because she takes everything about keenness, insight, knowledge of human conditions, perception, and turns it into strength that outmatches a fae warrior sometimes. That is just such a cool spin on "weakness" in characters.

Manon continues to be the house fave. She was less present in Empire of Storms, I noticed, but I loved her in it anyway. And her and Dorian? Adorable. I like them together with their deeply parental trauma. Manon remains a mirror arc to Chaol, honestly. She's gravely injured and has to decide to rebuild her sense of justice. So does Chaol. They're two sides of the same coin.

I have THINGS to address, however. And you're going to hear them!

I don't appreciate or respect how Aelin and Rowan weaponize Aedion's parentage to their own advantage in one hand while telling him it's his choice with the other. They both took away Aedion's autonomy in this situation. They actually take it away from him a lot, which makes me very angry because Aedion is so mindful of everyone else's only for his to be removed at every turn of the dial.

Rowan weaponized Aedion against Gavriel when it suited him, robbing Aedion of the decision to tell his dad or not on his own terms. Aelin did the same. By the time Gavriel and Aedion encountered each other, there wasn't really much choice left for him except "talk to your dad or don't talk to your dad". I'm glad he got out his feelings at him and I love how Lysandra considers everyone else's perspective and accounts for their thoughts as well. I love a generosity of spirit thinker. However, I'm angry and begrudging at Aelin and Rowan for telling Aedion it was his decision and then making it for him.

In the end of the book, I went back to being frustrated with Aelin because, honestly, her being captured by Maeve is mostly her own design. I know that's not popular to say either, but Maeve was alerted to her whereabouts by Lorcan because Lorcan didn't know the fleet was Aelin's. His idea was to draw Maeve to them and then spark a fight between what he thought were two enemy armadas. It was actually a smart plan, I respect Lorcan for it. He did exactly what he should have with the information he had. Information Aelin denied to everyone. At any point, her capture could have been avoided if she had just shared her plans with the class. Her capture was very much one of her own making, which angers me for her and for everyone else. Not trusting her court made everything significantly worse for her and for everyone who trusted her.

I know she's traumatized, but here's the thing: trauma isn't an excuse. At some point, we are responsible for repairing damage that was done to us. No, we didn't cause it and it isn't our fault, but we are still obligated to repair the damage. This capture is a direct result of Aelin refusing to repair that damage or confront it with loved ones. I feel bad for her, I'm scared for her, I know this is going to be VERY BAD, but I also am frustrated that she did a lot of it to herself because she wouldn't take responsibility for her actions.

Finally (I swear), I need to talk about... The Plan.

Yes.

That Plan.

The Plan that Lysandra and Aelin made that relied on lying to two of the men in Aelin's life she says she loves. That plan... was fucked up. I can't even apologize for this. Autonomy and self-determination are two of my core personal values. They are immovable for me. Anytime someone denies information to someone that would affect choices they could make or robs someone of autonomy over their body or life, my walls slam shut and I will never make space for that person ever again in my life. Trust is irrevocably broken and I will remove that person from closeness with me forever.

That plan robbed both Aedion and Rowan of autonomy. Completely and entirely. It relied on rape by deception of Aedion to succeed. And Lysandra agreeing to it caused me grievous harm to my love for her. Aedion would never in a million years have accepted a plan that turned her into a breeding mare, but she turned around and agreed to one that made one of him. Aedion was right to be furious. If anything, he wasn't furious enough. And Rowan. Would they think he wouldn't know? He would just go along with it? I know there's a prevailing theory that Rowan would have known immediately, but it would be too late to stop Aelin and so they would work it out. However, I can only ever go on information I have that is said to me, not on what someone doesn't say to me. If it isn't said, I can't use it as information. They didn't say that. I'm hoping it gets expanded more in Kingdom of Ash so I'm reserving my decision to be furious about it or not, though, until I see the fallout.

When you're making a plan like that and it involves the bodily autonomy of another person, that person needs to be in the room. Full stop. The only person you can ever make decisions about with regard to their life and body is yourself. You can never make those decisions for another person. I am shocked and frankly kind of put off that Aelin, who had her autonomy robbed at every turn, would then do the same to people she loves. Again, hoping for more expansion on this insane plan in Kingdom of Ash, but right now I think Aedion was right to be furious and Rowan should've been more mad.

This book though? My favorite so far. I loved it. This was so sharp and snappy and paced so well. I loved the twist about Why Aelin (not going to spoil that bit for folks, that's just mean), actually. I think that is so tragic and frustrating and I liked it a lot. I am officially Elena's enemy, that's for sure. I loved how they mirrored Elena's irresponsible, reckless behavior and belief she was always right with Aelin's and how it resulted in all this. SJM handled that very interestingly and smartly.

I'm moving onto Tower of Dawn and so far? SO good. Can't wait to blast my love for Yrene into the sky forever.

And remember: Chaol could've changed the whole course of Empire of Storms with his quiet pragmatism and understanding of nonmagical folks. Yup. I stand on this. Chaol not having magic would've been a boon in that mountain tavern discussion and that's why it went to shit. Fight me.