Sarah J. Maas’ Empire of Storms Will Break Your Heart (Again)

When we last left Aelin at the end of Queen of Shadows, things were a bit nuts—but aren’t they always when it comes to the Galathynius heir? Having just saved both her cousin Aedion and her friend/past lover/ally Prince Dorian from certain death, you’d think Aelin would get a chance to relax. Instead, everything seems more tenuous than ever. In a desperate attempt to take back her throne and defeat the darkness trying to take over her world, Aelin and her band of dangerous warrior-buddies have to build an army, discover ancient secrets, and deal with heartbreak after heartbreak. To help you prepare for the emotional upheaval, we’ve compiled this list of tears you should expect to cry as you read 700 pages of Sarah J. Maas goodness.
1. Infuriated Tears of Injustice
Aelin is the rightful heir to the throne of Terrasen. Unfortunately, not everyone else sees it that way. Between the general stupidity of people who don’t understand that they need to unite with Aelin in order to save the world and the number of other totally uncool, unwarranted things our favorite characters go through, we promise you’ll shed a few tears at the unfairness of it all.
2. Joyful Tears of Badassery
If there’s one thing that makes up for all the angst, it’s the wonderful way Aelin faces her enemies with nothing but a healthy dose of sarcasm and two fists full of fire. How can you love a girl who saunters into her enemies’ hideouts and casually informs them of how they’ll be helping her? There are so many cutting comebacks, your wit-loving heart will weep.
3. Beautiful Friendship Tears
One of our favorite things about the Throne of Glass series is the way Maas writes strong female friendships—including the growing bond between Aelin and Lysandra, and Manon’s (glacially) slow spread of emotional warmth toward a few select individuals. There’s nothing that brings tears to our eyes like two girls bonding over a bloody battle.
4. Lovely, Romantic Feelings Tears
We’ve been waiting and waiting for Aelin to finally find a man worthy of her. And grumpy, angry Rowan? He’s perfect. Even though they’re surrounded by death on literally all sides, Aelin and Rowan still find the time to be adorable and romantic and supportive. It’s a beautiful (sexy) thing.
5. Tears of the Forgotten Past
You know what’s a real low blow? Finding out from a long-dead ancestor you’ve been doomed forever. Or having one of your centuries-old immortal buddies fill you in on a heart-wrenching piece of your own personal history. And it seems like almost everyone in Empire of Storms gets dealt a nice, emotional gut-punch from the past.
6. Betrayed Again Tears
Between the betrayal based on a past grudge (we’re looking at you, Lorchan) and the betrayal caused by unavoidable, magic-type force, Aelin can’t trust anyone. And how’s a queen supposed to raise an army of allies when she’s constantly on the lookout for a knife in the back?
7. Sad, Sad, Nothing-Will-Ever-Be-Okay-Again Tears
The rest of the book is heart-wrenching. But the end goes straight past wrenching all the way to ripping your heart into tiny, tiny pieces—but in the best possible way. Facing an unexpectedly terrible foe with next to no hope, Aelin is left with one choice: go down swinging. With only one book left to go and everything looking grim, we just might shrivel up into a dehydrated husk before next September.
Ready to weep? Empire of Storms is on sale now!