Well hot damn - things just went insane. While it stretches the imagination a bit to think that one young woman has gathered so many favors/life debts and can make so many secret plans that no one else guesses at and figures out everything faster than everyone else...it's YA and it's fantasy and Mass sure as hell knows how to write a wild ride that can make you look past all that and just get lost in the story. PLus, maybe that's why she wrote all those prequels - to explain all that... And while it similarly stretches things that each of these main characters are equally blessed by gods, equally important, and just pairing off together one couple at a time...that's what these stories are for. Legends are not written about the normal people. This type of destiny, of story, it brings together all the special people in a world and, as in any case when equals find each other, connections form. Honestly, I enjoyed every second of this read and am deep enough into this saga that all those things that stretch the imagination, blow after blow after blow, just pull me farther and farther in. And really, the development of Maas as an author has been profound throughout this series. The overdone foreshadowing and "special flower" shit from book one has turned into a masterfully done plot style, based on little hint dropping and a whole lots of secrets that build to some of the most amazing reveals. At the beginning, I really was sympathizing with Darrow and, partway through, with Aedion's criticisms...Aelin seemed to be getting lost in her power and too cocky for her own good. But boy were we all wrong. And it's heartbreaking, the lengths to which she would go, did go, to save her friends and her people and her land. Though that she expected no one to go after her...she had to know that wouldn't happen, not with Rowan at least. But I'm happy to see Lorcan and Gavriel standing with Rowan on that quest (and am super excited to see where Elide and Lorcan end up.) Plus Lorcan will be a great character to watch evolve, as he is able to be his own person and tries to make up for his mistakes. I'm a little nervous about where the wrap-up will go, what with the whole life sacrifice thing. I'm not a huge fan of the main character being sacrificed and even less of a fan of awkward methods of getting around that. Destiny brought them this far, it' snot likely to let go of something that big. But there's always Dorian. Though I'd hate to see him make that sacrifice, especially now with the whole Manon storyline, and I'm not sure if that would be better or worse for the cliche of the story. But til now Maas has made it all happen, so I'll give her the chance. I like Lysandra and Aedion's relationship a lot, the way it has played out, and I'm very interested to see where it goes now that she's playing Aelin. And OMG that whole plan: Lysandra being Aelin, Aelin having married Rowan and knowing she's be taken, and making plans with Lysandra about heirs through Aedion so they look like her. What an insane plan - and seriously, what a massive trick to play on a whole world of people! The creativity behind writing that is amazing. And also slightly terrifying to think that someone has that much power, in general. That worry, that all these characters have enough power to do all of this, is terrifying. And let's end with Maeve - holy balls what an awful, horrifying, manipulative person. Although I'm not 100% sure I understand her motives completely, maybe I'll get a better idea once the next book comes out, I think she's a perfectly written evil. Willing to do whatever she needs to get what she wants - not evil just for evil's sake, not born evil, like Erawen. But the type of evil that is grown and nurtured as a "normal" person twists themselves that much to reach their own ends. So even worse, because they justify it. We'll see what she does when she finds out she doesn't have the keys. And when she comes down from her worked up celebrations of success to realize she freed all her best fighters and they've now teamed up to come after her. Whoops. So I am super ready now to read the end of this story, as Aelin's misfit armies all come together to fill their debts and take on Erawen, while her closest friends act as if she is still with them as they head back to their own lands to keep hope alive (and maybe we see the return of Choal? I didn't miss him, honestly, but I feel like if he doesn't show back up, it'll be weird) and a small group, moves forward to bring Aelin back to finish this out. I wish them all luck and I am not looking forward to the wait for this final book.