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Throne of Glass: Queen of Shadows Empire of Storms Tower of Dawn Kingdom of Ash
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas book cover 🌶️ 3/5 Moderate Tap the cover. Start tonight. →
Book profile · reviewed 26 September 2026

Empire of Storms

by Sarah J. Maas · 2016 · 693 pages · Epic Fantasy · Throne of Glass · first 3/5 novel

Empire of Storms is the 693-page 2016 ToG novel where published heat becomes 3/5 Moderate: explicit sexual content plus fantasy violence, found family + enemies-to-lovers. After Queen of Shadows. Not the 980-page finale.

693-page heat jump: first 3/5 ToG novel here, explicit + fantasy-violence CW.

Mood · Intense HEA guaranteed
First 3/5 ToG 693 pages Found family Explicit + violence

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I need this in my hands tonight → Don’t read it. Hear the first sentence →
15 seconds · then you will not stop
693-page heat jump: first 3/5 ToG novel here, explicit + fantasy-violence CW.
Sarah J. Maas · Empire of Storms
0:00–0:15muted preview
693-page 3/5 jump · explicit + violence CW Kindle before this tab cools Audible trial often $0
693-page heat jump: first 3/5 ToG novel here, explicit + fantasy-violence CW.
Feels like: 693-page heat jump: first 3/5 ToG novel here, explicit + fantasy-violence CW.
TL;DR: Spice 3/5 — explicit enough, never gratuitous. Very slow. Intense. HEA. Not Tower of Dawn’s romantic-mood 660-pager.
Mood
Intense
Spice
🌶️ 3/5 Moderate
Pacing
Very slow
Length
693 pages
Ending
HEA guaranteed
Lane
Epic Fantasy
Series
Throne of Glass

Empire of Storms bibliographic record

Title
Empire of Storms
Series / position
Throne of Glass · first 3/5 novel
Author
Sarah J. Maas
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
First published
2016
ISBN-13
9781619636071
Pages
693 (this edition)
Language
English
Genre
Epic Fantasy
Spice (SBC)
3/5 Moderate · open-door

How Empire of Storms actually reads

Open-door ToG. Same found-family DNA as Queen of Shadows, new explicit tag.

693 pages. Very slow. Intense epic fantasy. HEA on this leaf.

Author-recommended order next is Tower of Dawn (660 pages, romantic mood, 3/5) then Kingdom of Ash.

Who should read Empire of Storms tonight

Swipe right if…

  • Queen of Shadows is finished
  • You wanted the ToG heat jump to 3/5
  • 693 very-slow pages fit
  • Found family + enemies-to-lovers still works
Yes — see Kindle or Audible below

Swipe left if…

  • You wanted to stay at 2/5 Warm
  • Explicit content is a dealbreaker
  • 693 pages is too long
  • You have not read the earlier ToG novels
Queen of Shadows (2/5) instead →

Where the heat actually lands

3/5. First explicit-sex tag on a ToG novel in this set.

0–30%

Charged, then open

3/5 does not stay at Queen of Shadows’ Warm ceiling.

30–60%

First explicit payoff

On-page heat that still serves the ensemble plot.

60–90%

Consistent 3/5

Multiple scenes. 693 pages still spend on war-scale story.

90–100%

HEA

Guaranteed here. Tower of Dawn is the parallel-path 660-pager next.

Throne of Glass series order

After Queen of Shadows. Next HowTo titles are Tower of Dawn then Kingdom of Ash. This leaf is not the 980-page closer.

Queen of Shadows648 pages · last 2/5
Empire of Storms · this book693 pages · 3/5 heat jump
Tower of Dawn660 pages · romantic 3/5
Kingdom of Ash980 pages · war closer

Full table: Throne of Glass reading order. →

How do you want this in your head in the next ten minutes?

If you already know

See the set

Do not bundle out of panic. Read twenty pages first.

See editions →

Content heads-up

Published CW on this 693-page first-3/5 ToG leaf: explicit sexual content and fantasy violence. Heat jump after the 648-page 2/5.

Tropes: Enemies To Lovers · Found Family · Emotional Enemies To Lovers

Books like Empire of Storms — pick the rail

Previous 2/5

Queen of Shadows

648 pages. Found family. Still Warm. No explicit-sex tag.

See /books/queen-of-shadows/

Next HowTo night

Tower of Dawn

660 pages. Romantic mood, not intense. Still 3/5.

See /books/tower-of-dawn/

Same craving

Books like Empire of Storms

Empire of Storms · 3/5 Moderate · Enemies To Lovers + Found Family · Throne of Glass · first 3/5 novel · 693 pages · Intense · Epic Fantasy · CW: Published CW on this 693-page first-3/5 ToG leaf: explicit sexual content and fantasy violence. Heat jump after the 648-page 2/5.

Empire of Storms questions

How spicy is Empire of Storms?

3/5 Moderate. First ToG novel in this batch with explicit sexual content, plus fantasy violence. 693 pages.

Is this the last ToG book?

No. Tower of Dawn and Kingdom of Ash are still ahead.

Does it have a happy ending?

HEA guaranteed on this profile. 693-page; Throne of Glass · first 3/5 novel; First 3/5 ToG; 3/5 Moderate; 693-page heat jump: first 3/5 ToG novel here, explicit + fantasy-violence CW..

Is there an audiobook?

Yes. Search Audible for Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. 693 pages, 3/5. 693-page; Throne of Glass · first 3/5 novel; First 3/5 ToG; 3/5 Moderate; 693-page heat jump: first 3/5 ToG novel here, explicit + fantasy-violence CW..

What changed from Queen of Shadows?

Page count 693 vs 648, spice 3/5 vs 2/5, and an explicit-sex tag is added.

Last chance to stop scrolling

Take the 693-page heat jump only after the last 2/5 novel is done.

When you are ready, start with Kindle, paperback, or Audible.

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After this one

One Friday book. Mood and spice already checked.

Send Friday’s match →
Empire of Storms · 3/5 Moderate
3/5 jump. 693 pages. Explicit + fantasy violence. Not the finale.
Buy now → Listen free →