I highly recommend reading The Assassin’s Blade before this book if you haven’t already as most of the characters and locations in this book actually originate from those short novellas, which provide you with some juicy back story and a better understanding.
 
First off, where do I even start? Empire of Storms was far better plotted than the last two books and moved at a much faster pace with drama and plot twists entangling you with all its perfect nastiness and wit. I swear this series just gets better and better and thicker and thicker. Also if you ever thought there was a love triangle at the beginning of this series, you were so very, very wrong, which is one of the many great reasons I love about this series. There’s a bigger picture when it comes to Throne of Glass and a thicker plot that you could ever have foretold. Sarah J. Maas has truly grown her book series into a tale that is richer, cleverer, more cunning, and more intriguing in ways that interlink the subplots together to unite the full story. The way this story has become something so much more than the first instalment is mind-blowing.
 
However, due to other POVs of other characters rather than your usual Aelin, can cause you to feel less connected with her character than in the previous books, but the reason behind why this is the case all comes together in the end and makes so much more sense. Seeing Celaena through other characters was something different but she is still the incredibly brave, determined, and selfless character you always knew her to be as her story gets even more complex and the writing style becomes more mature as Celaena becomes wiser.
 
All of the characters are absolutely amazing and have grown so much since the first book. The character development and secondary characters were satisfying to read and discover. I honestly don’t know how Maas does it, but she juggles and balances all of these characters perfectly for they are all just as equally important to one another with each character having their own personalities and stories to tell.
 
I understand how there has been a lot of debate about the steamy scenes in Storms of Fire and that many are calling it unnecessary, but it does add in something different and amusing to read and I do know of many who enjoy reading scenes such as them. Especially in an actual book, rather than some made up fanfiction. The sexual scenes in the book were tamer than A Court of Mist and Fury and it felt like Maas was trying to be as descriptive as she possibly could whilst managing to keep it as vague as possible for younger readers.
 
Overall, I am completely wrecked because of this book in the best possible way. It was astounding with so many amazing moments that wished to engulf me. If you want to ride one hell of an emotional rollercoaster, this book is the one for you as the plot and twists most definitely continue in this installment and only get more mind-blowing as the series continue.

If I wasn’t on board with the trend of adult colouring books, boy am I now. Especially since it has seeped its way into the book fandom community!
 
In all honesty, I had no clue that there was to be an adult colouring book for Throne of Glass, to be released alongside Empire of Storms, until it rocked up in my mailbox as a gift from Bloomsbury, which was a lovely surprise. You could say I flicked through the pages of this colouring book multiple times when I first got it and still continue to do so, every now and again. I adore how there are snippets of the story on the left hand of the pages to explain each scene that is drawn and what is happening in the picture and what part of the book it’s from.
 
Although I love this book, there is one problem… I DON’T KNOW WHAT COLOUR EACH OF THE PICTURES AUGHT TO BE. HELP ME. I NEED TO KNOW. But other than that… This colouring book is perfect and at least the little story snippets to the side do come in handy at times for colour guidance, which is what I, oh so desperately want and need. So in other words, you could say I won’t be colouring in this copy any time soon unless I purchase a second copy and some fancy colouring pencils. Probably watercoloured pencils or textures.
 
For those of you who have not yet finished reading Throne of Glass through to Empire of Storms, I recommend not reading the snippets as they do contain some major spoilers, so just bare that in mind if you are partway through the series.
 
The artwork is gorgeous and I’ve found it to be fairly easy to identify whom each of the characters drawn represent. Oh and did I forget to mention the quality of the pages? The colouring pages are quite thick with a nice smooth texture, easy for colouring in, and the thickness ensures that no colours seep through the back of the page and unto the other side or that rough bumpy indentations appear on the other side from the pressure of the pencils. Which is something I’m really happy about. But there is one thing I have observed, and that is the fact that some of the pictures in it don’t quite seem to fit in the rest as they lack a bit of detail and the drawings seem to be a bit larger in comparison to the rest of the artwork.

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Queen of Shadows, Book 4, will be out in September 2015), as well as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (out 5/5/15).

Sarah lives in Bucks County, PA, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much tea, and watches an ungodly amount of TV. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the historic and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with her husband and canine companion.