Spice guide
How Spicy Is Empire of Storms?
Short answer: Empire of Storms is 4/5 — Spicy — yes, it gets explicit.
Frequent, very explicit scenes integral to the read.
In Empire of Storms: Empire of Storms is the spiciest entry in the Throne of Glass series — Screen Rant calls it 'the turning point for Maas' fantasy series.' Multiple explicit open-door scenes between Aelin and Rowan appear from Chapter 38 onward (chapters 38, 39, 44, 52, and 60 are specifically flagged by StoryGraph readers), making this a notable and intentional shift from the earlier, near-closed-door instalments.
What readers think
Empire of Storms lands among the most divisive — yet most read — entries in the series. Devoted fans praise the escalating stakes, the satisfying payoff of the Aelin/Rowan slow-burn finally turning explicit, Manon's expanding moral complexity, and the series-recontextualising twist in the final pages. Critics — particularly those who started the series as YA readers — find the abrupt jump in sexual content jarring and feel it crowds out the fantasy plot, with one widely-cited review describing it as 'downright NA erotica scenes at least once every 70 pages.' Character dialogue is frequently cited as sounding homogeneous across the cast, and the ending's structural similarity to A Court of Mist and Fury (published the same year) drew accusations of self-repetition. The absence of Chaol — a fan favourite — throughout the book also splits readers. Despite criticisms, the final hundred pages are almost universally described as gripping, propulsive, and emotionally gutting.
How it compares
- Empire of Storms is spicier than Fourth Wing3/5
- Empire of Storms is spicier than A Court of Thorns and Roses2/5
- Empire of Storms is spicier than Twilight1/5
What you’re getting
- Spice
- 4/5
- POV
- multi
- Ending
- HEA / HFN
- Score
- 86.7
Content warnings: Graphic violence, Death, Violence, Gore, Blood, Torture, Major character death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Kidnapping, War, Grief & loss, PTSD, Abuse.
Is Empire of Storms spicy? Your questions
Is Empire of Storms spicy?
Empire of Storms is spice level 4 out of 5 — Spicy. Frequent, very explicit scenes integral to the read.
How explicit do the spicy scenes in Empire of Storms get?
Empire of Storms is the spiciest entry in the Throne of Glass series — Screen Rant calls it 'the turning point for Maas' fantasy series.' Multiple explicit open-door scenes between Aelin and Rowan appear from Chapter 38 onward (chapters 38, 39, 44, 52, and 60 are specifically flagged by StoryGraph readers), making this a notable and intentional shift from the earlier, near-closed-door instalments.
Is Empire of Storms spicier than Fourth Wing?
Empire of Storms (spice 4/5) is spicier than Fourth Wing (spice 3/5).
Does Empire of Storms have a happy ending?
Yes — Empire of Storms delivers an HEA or HFN (happily ever after / happy for now), as romantasy readers expect.
How we rate spice
Every romantasy on The Otherworld is rated 0–5 on one consistent scale: 0 closed door, 1 sweet, 2 mild, 3 steamy, 4 spicy, 5 scorching. Empire of Storms sits at 4.