Empire of Storms

Because Empire of Storms is the fifth installment in the Throne of Glass series, the first four books are integral to the understanding of the plotlines, the characters, and the thematic developments. The first book begins with assassin Celaena Sardothien in Endovier, a salt mine run by enslaved people in Adarlan. Prince Dorian Havilliard and his friend, Captain of the Guard Chaol Westfall, free Celaena from enslavement in exchange for her participation in a competition in Rifthold to become the King’s Champion (the king’s personal assassin). Celaena agrees and trains with Chaol to become a better assassin, although because she was raised in Arobynn Hamel’s assassins’ guild, she already possesses numerous skills in this field. Throughout the first book, Elena Galathynius appears to Celaena and guides her to uncover the truth of the presence of the Valg in Rifthold. (The Valg are malicious, parasitic demons who possess and feed on humans, effectively killing them.) During Celaena’s journey, Princess Nehemia of Eyllwe helps her to understand the Wyrdmarks (an ancient runic language used to cast spells). Celaena seeks to win the championship, even though her main opponent was under the influence of the Valg at the behest of the evil Duke Perrington.

In the second book, Celaena functions as the king’s assassin while working to uncover the truth of the rebel activity that is brewing in Rifthold. Meanwhile, Prince Dorian discovers that he has magic, and Celaena struggles after the rebels kill Princess Nehemia. Celaena blames Chaol for knowing about the threat and failing to tell her. Celaena also discovers the truth about the Wyrdkeys and the Wyrdgate, which, when combined, create a portal to other worlds and also have the power to destroy those worlds. After Celaena and Chaol face an attack from a Valg monster, She goes leaves to Wendlyn under the guise of assassinating their royal family, when she is really hoping to train with the other Fae. Celaena’s true identity is revealed; she is Aelin Galathynius, the Queen of Terrasen, and she is also half-Fae. 

Aelin trains in Wendlyn with Prince Rowan Whitethorn, who belongs to the cadre of Queen Maeve, Aelin’s distant aunt, who is Fae. Prince Rowan teaches her to shift into her Fae form and urges her accept her past and her powers. They fall in love, and this development culminates when Aelin forces Maeve to break Prince Rowan’s blood oath to her so that he can swear an oath to Aelin instead. In Rifthold, Dorian hides his magic from his father but is forced to reveal his powers after his father kills his love, Sorscha, who worked for the rebels. Dorian’s father puts a Valg collar on Dorian, forcing a demon into his body. After Dorian’s collaring, Chaol quits working in the castle and tries to work with the rebels in Rifthold. Meanwhile, Aelin returns and reunites with her cousin Aedion Ashryver. Rowan arrives in Rifthold to join the resistance as more and more Valg appear in Rifthold. Meanwhile, the Ironteeth witches (a species of witch created when Valg and Fae mate) join with Duke Perrington in exchange for wyverns that serve as aerial mounts. The Ironteeth witches include Manon Blackbeak, the heir to the Blackbeak clan. Manon takes pity on Elide, the niece of Terrasen lord Vernon Lochan, who joined with Duke Perrington to improve his own social standing. Manon starts to turn against Duke Perrington when he begins using witches for Valg breeding experiments. Manon helps Elide to escape after Kaltain Rompier uses her power to blow up Duke Perrington’s stronghold in Morath. (Kaltain also gives Elide the Wyrdkey to pass along to Celaena Sardothien—Aelin.) In Rifthold, Aelin frees Dorian from the Valg collar, and Dorian destroys the glass castle and kills his father. As his father is dying, he reveals that he was controlled by a Valg demon and that Duke Perrington is controlled by the Valg King Erawan. 

Aelin’s character arc is central to the books, and her transition from Celaena Sardothien to Aelin Galathynius is significant. In Empire of Storms, Aelin finally returns to the country of Terrasen, although Terrasen does not accept her initially. She transitions from denying her real identity and her home to accepting both. She also becomes far more self-sacrificial; in Crown of Midnight, she refuses to help Nehemia protect the kingdom of Eyllwe, preferring instead to hide in the shadows as an assassin and maintain the status quo. Now, however, Aelin makes peace with the sacrifices required of her and even goes out of her way to put out the fires in Eyllwe. Aelin is not the only one who endures great changes, for Dorian transforms from a carefree prince who relishes parties to a king who carries the trauma of losing his love and killing his own father. Likewise, Manon also changes, growing increasingly emotional and finally realizing in Empire of Storms that she has a heart and soul capable of love. This revelation prompts her to turn on the Ironteeth witches. The drastic changes in these characters are matched in intensity by the deepening of the themes surrounding leadership, power, and the complexity of destiny and free will. Aelin gains more power and becomes more of a leader, but she also wrestles more meaningfully with the idea of destiny and questions how much of her life has been under her own control and how much has been planned by Elena or the gods. The question of destiny will become even more important as the series continues in Kingdom of Ash.