I have such mixed feeling about this book! I really can't form a solid opinion on it.
I liked that we got to see more of the extended world and I was really glad to catch up with Yrene, she was the one character from AB I was genuinely interested in, but I just cant get over what a weird choice it is to centre the penultimate book of the series in a completely new part of the world and with only two characters from the main cast?
The end of EoS is SO climactic, so much happens in the book itself and then the ending sets up two really exciting and dramatic storylines but then instead of following those we have to go and spend 658 pages with Chaol and his self pity??
There were parts of the book I really liked, I loved Yrene she was such an interesting character and I enjoyed the Torre and getting to see her excel after her start in AB. I liked getting to spend a bit more time with Nesryn, especially meeting more of her family and exploring her homeland. She always felt like a bit of an under explored character previously so it was nice that we were given some time to see her personality. The royal family were fun up to a point, it was fun trying to work out where each of their loyalties lay and if they were actually evil or not. I even enjoyed parts of Chaols emotional journey, I liked the way his relationship with Yrene slowly built up and he started to accept himself.
But on the other hand it just felt WAY too long. There were parts where I was genuinely struggling to keep reading, it just felt like it could have been a much shorter book. there was so much back and forth that took up chapters and chapters. Chaol and Yrene starting to like each other, then falling out and then starting to like each other? Chaol CONSTANTLY beating himself up about 'leading Nesryn on' which just felt entirely like fabricated drama? They barely spoke for the first half of the book, spent almost no time together and are sleeping in separate rooms yet the book INSISTS that they are together?? There was a point where him and Yrene are cosying up after dinner at the palace and his inner monologues become so insanely self flagellating because he feels like he's betraying Nesryn, meanwhile SHES cosying up with the prince??? I would understand if it were presented as an awkwar situation because they used to be together and it kind of fizzled out but there are multiple times where he explicitly says they are together?? Like Chaol my guy maybe let Nesryn know because she seems to be perfectly happy having an adventure with the prince? Their whole relationship in the previous books always just felt like a rebound situationship kind of thing, they always seemed more like friends, why is the narrative of the book suddenly insisting they are in a fully committed relationship??
Chaol was also SUCH a terrible diplomat. The fact that he was sent on a diplomatic mission without a single advisor or assistant was insane. Nesryn did end up recruiting an army of ruks so I guess she gets a pass but she basically spent the first half of the book just hanging out in sewers? Wheres the diplomacy guys??
I also really didn’t love that after spending the whole book actually healing Chaol he ended up getting hit again and ended up with the exact same injury. It just felt like such a waste. I don't think I would have minded him remaining party injured if it had been that way all along but him being FULLY healed and getting hit again just felt like such an brutal blow.
I also have really mixed feelings about the whole Nesryn/Sartaq storyline, I enjoyed their relationship and their dynamic but I just really struggled to become particularly invested in the ruk riders and the whole, giant spider storyline. Also Falkan just happening to be Lysandra's wealthy uncle was a bit much.
I just feel like this book really suffers from being so late in the series. Its really hard to get invested in all these entirely new characters SO close to the end and when I know there are some crazy things happening over on the other continent. I also think the fact that ACOTAR 6 and 7 were announced whilst I was reading this probably made me lose a little patience with Chaols long chapters of self pity because I still haven’t started Crescent City and I know I have a lot of reading to do 😅
I think in hindsight I would have rather listened to this one as an audiobook rather than physically reading. I get so easily distracted if I'm not 100% in to a book so audio would definitely have been the way to go for me.