I wrote a small novel on all of my feels, and cut it back to the really important feels that I had. OH GOSH THIS BOOK THO. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. 
 I didn't initially cheer for Rowan and Aelin/Celaena to get together, mainly because Rowan just comes off as a little too perfectly imperfect. I mean, he's a wildly attractive, mysterious, fae warrior, with clear prior relationship experience, and years of time to build his deliciously warrior-like build. However, there is a strength in their relationship that Maas just nailed in the previous book, so I'm trying get on board that train and stay on. 
 Okay, I'm mainly trying to make excuses so I can get over Chaol/Celaena. Crown of Midnight just...there was something amazing there, but I guess this is where reality sets in - Celaena is dead, Aelin is alive. Celaena was perfect with Chaol, but Aelin isn't the same, and so maybe Rowan is the one for her now. But I do think, after all the crap that Chaol has put up with, he deserved something better, something more. So I'm a little incensed about that. 
 In this book, I liked Chaol well enough, but his constant "You left us and didn't come back to save us right away so I can't trust you" to "Yeah, I guess you were right" was just irritating, and Nesryn feels like she was thrown in the mix so we don't feel bad that Chaol is left in the dust that is the ever charming and marvelous Rowan. I will hold onto hope that Nesryn is going to be yet another character that has more of an impact in the future. The only redeeming thing about Chaol that I vividly recall in this book is his nearly unwavering loyalty to Dorian, and how he tolerates Aelin. 
 I clearly still have a hard time getting on the Rowan/Aelin train, but I'm getting there. It just feels too perfect, too typical YA romance. Ugh. I don't even know. I need another book to figure it out. 
 Manon is probably one of my favourite characters. I never found myself skimming over her storyline (which I find myself doing frequently for both Dorian and Chaol in Heir of Fire. I think her growth in this book was slower than I expected, but dang. I'm honestly beyond excited to see her role in the next book. BUT AELIN AND MANON FINALLY CONNECTED AND THAT IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO HECK YES IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. 
 Anyways, let's get away from that. This book is long and dense, long enough that it took me awhile to get through. I again found myself skimming over the little side stories because I wanted to know what was going to happen - how all of this planning was going to play out. That was probably the biggest thing that got to me - the book wasn't slow, per say, but it felt like it took forever to finally get to the execution of the plans. When the plan was executed though, holy dang - I devoured those pages. The characterization felt a little off, but I think that's because this is the first time that we don't need such complex and detailed descriptions and backstories about everyone . It feels weird to be taking a break from that, but it's something that I could appreciate. 
 I've basically binge-read this entire series. Throne of Glass was alright, enough of a hook to keep me wanting more. After Crown of Midnight, I literally sat jaw dropped, gasping over THAT ENDING. Heir of Fire was an interesting ride, one that eventually picked up speed and left me going 'OH HELL YES'. After getting to the end of this...let me tell you, I definitely shouted out loud at the end. This was a wild ride, a long one, but a wild one. I groaned when I realized that not only had I binge read the first four books - I realized that I had binge read them, and didn't take time to notice that THERE ARE STILL TWO MORE BOOKS LEFT. UGH. THE AGONY. Why did I do this to myself?