A LOT happens in this book. Holy crap. A+++ for plot movement.
I should have known that Aelin showing up in Terrasen after two decades would not be as simple as just stepping up to her throne. Darrow tells her she is not the Queen unless the other nobles give their support, but I notice the text – AND her squad – continue to call her a Queen for the rest of the book. Fuck you Darrow, you’re not the boss of us!
Honestly this book is lousy with Royals. Heads of State getting down and bloody with the rest of the enlisted feels like something that has fallen out of fashion even in this pseudo-medieval world, but this team is going to wrest power the old-fashioned way.
A small thing that really bugged me; in their travels through the country she leaves gold coins for people who are kind to travellers in need – and then she stops because she realizes she’s only doing it to assuage her guilt. DO NOT DO THAT. I promise you, if you are giving money to people who need it and are worried that you are only doing it to make yourself feel better – do it anyway. They need that money and they legit do not care what your motives are – it will still change their life for the better.
Ahem. Rant over.
I continue to adore Elide. She is so smart and so brave. And she and Lorcan together are hilarious. He has no idea what hit him and he is so mad about it. Honestly, he’s the one who’s token should be a lion, he’s like a cat that’s been dropped into the bathtub.
As far as I’m concerned the real MVP of this book is Abraxos. Not only does he figure out that Dorian would be a safe place to bring Manon when she’s injured, but then he goes and rounds up the Thirteen just in time to to kick ass and save the good guys. I am completely fascinated by the difference between the wyverns and the ilken. Maybe because the ilken were built out of human parts and the Valg find it easier to corrupt humans than whatever the wyverns were made out of? Abraxos in particular is such a sweetheart that even Aelin comments on it.
Speaking of Lorcan and Manon, I think one thing that doesn’t get really explored in the text is how fast Aelin takes people into her crew. Aelin and Manon at least had that life-debt in their history, but Lorcan has threatened her life in the past and she tricked him out of the wyrdstone and she knows he holds a grudge. She even has Fenrys and Gavriel, who she knows will have to obey any order against her that Maeve gives them. But she just… lets them stay on the ship with her. Accepts their help. She wraps people into her cause and she believes in it so much that they do too, whatever they might think of her personally or what side of the conflict they start off in. Seriously, they should have just asked Darrow to spend a couple of weeks with the squad and he would have been swearing fealty for life.
I was so delighted when Ansel showed up again, and I loved how they immediately started giving each other shit. I knew she was going to make a reappearance and I love their relationship. Now they just have to find Yrene and all my favourite predictions will have come true.
One character that did not appear to have a lot to do in this part of the plot was Dorian. Apart from his role in putting Manon and Aelin together he mostly provides backup firepower. I suspect that Maas is holding him in reserve for a big plot twist to come.
The reveal that the Gods are just beings from another plane who are trapped there – that was actually a relief? I hate God-driven plots and it’s even commented in text that there are a lot of God whispers pushing the characters together. So the idea that it’s a bunch of aliens trying to further the goal of getting home just… feels better to me? I don’t know how to explain it, I’m just more comfortable with the idea of over-powered busybodies than I am with mystical prophecies and chosen ones. Not that there’s a lot of practical difference in this scenario.
So the rest of the Gods should totally be kicking Deanna’s ass across the metaphysical plane right now for almost fucking up the plan.
Another thing that I thought about when they were watching the visions from the mirror, one of the biggest reasons Brannon’s plan failed is because he kept it a secret. He was an immortal fae, but even fae can be killed and not one other person knew what he had planned. At my job we have an entire department called Business Recovery Plan who specifically know what to do if somebody at the top of the food chain gets killed or if our main offices get bombed or whatever, and this incredibly important fae with a plan to save the whole world didn’t have a plan B. It didn’t have to be Elena (it would have been a really Good Idea for it to have been Elena) but somebody should have been able to take on the job if something had happened to him. And because of that secrecy she took the weapon that could have won the war and just delayed it for a few centuries.
And I find an interesting parallel there with how often Aedion gives Aelin shit for not telling them enough about her plans. Like this is a genetic failing or something. Aelin does start looping them in more to some extent, but she keeps the final play a secret from everybody except the two women she needs to help make it work – Manon and Lysandra. (To be fair, this is entirely because the men will try to stop her.)
I got to say, so far this is my favourite book out of the series so far just because of all the plot twists. Aelin’s plots and plans are incredible and so are Maeve’s. I will say the one claim that I find dubious is Maeve claiming she pushed Aelin and Rowan together. Any matchmaker will tell you, it’s not that easy.
So now, more predictions!
The Mycenians will show up as a force at some point. So will the Crochane witches. Neither will be as extinct as is currently believed.
Somebody from the squad will die. Given that this is romantasy, I believe that it will not be any of the men who are currently paired off (or hoping to be), so Rowan, Dorian, Aedion, and Lorcan are safe. (And obviously it won’t be any of the women, c’mon now.) I’m going to go with Gavriel, because I think it will make for a big emotional father-son moment.
And I am in luck right now because Tower of Dawn just showed up at my library so on to the quest to save Aelin!