In overall I really enjoyed this book and the direction plot is taking. Character development was very believable and I'll touch more on that later. There were some underwhelming aspects and some plainly irritating parts, but with a book this long and with a set of characters this huge it was understandable.

Okay, so the original plot of Throne of Glass was extremely laughable to me, but with more extensive world building and plot development with each book I'm really starting to enjoy it. However, the main villain still seems pretty underwhelming and tame to me, but I have hope. Especially with the change of the scenery and more drastic progression in things that should come in the next installment.

Now onto my favorite part, character development. I read this book quite late, and with the series being so popular, I obviously heard a lot of opinions on it before going in. The main sentiment seems to be that Chaol's character got butchered in this book, and it get's compared to Tamlin's character progression in ACOTAR. To me, it can't get more different than that. Chaol is still a loveable character in my eyes, he just got more realistic. All of his struggles and questions he has, both for himself and for those around him are very valid. He's a man of honor and he committed his life to the service of a king, it's only normal for him to be wary about foreign courts, rulers and foreign forces - which magic is to him. I liked his point, about the dangers of unchecked and uncontrolled magic. Of course, we all cheer for a free world, but it posed a very interesting counterpoint. I also LOVED Aelin's progression, her growth and her coming to terms with her heritage. She became a character I genuinely like and root for now, unlike in the past books. I also appreciate her and Rowan's relationship so much, even though Rowan's development seemed a bit off to me. He became a completely different person, but without the gradual and realistic build-up, as in Aelin's case. However, I do LOVE this new Rowan. Them fae princes, amirite? And I expected a lot more "territorial fae bullshit" from other reviews, but it was pretty minimal and called on by Aelin every time it happened. SO yeah, not sure if I missed anything. Oh and I LOVE LYSANDRA, she's probably my favorite character here, and I can't wait for her to find some love and happiness. I'm also super excited about Manon's and Elide's stories, and that whole plot was a joy to read about. Nesryn had a lot of potential, and she could have been one of my faves as well, but she remains undeveloped as a character in this book. I simply can't wait to get on to the next installment! And WOW, I was impressed by Kaltain so much!

Things I really liked:
- Character development
- The ending (it broke my heart in a good way)
- Female friendship
- Aelin's friendship with Dorian
- Rowan and Aelin
- Manon and Dorian yooo
- Lysandra
- Kaltain

Things that sort of irritated me:
- Main villain seems pretty weak at this point
- Reveal of Arobynn's intentions (I expected something better tbh)
- Endless exploration of slums and city streets

Things that left me pondering:
- Okay, so the entire "centuries old immortals getting together with teenagers" thing has always been pretty iffy to me, but with the reveal of Aedion's parentage it got even creepier because, in a way, it puts their age in perspective. It's not that abstract anymore, as it seems to be if you mention someone is centuries old and leave it at that. I'll probably elaborate on this a bit more in the future.

Rowan and Lysandra come to life in this book and I love it. Also Aelin’s leadership style (aka that of “surprise motherbooker”) comes out!!