Kingdom of Ash
By: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4/5 Stars
** This review contains spoilers and I highly advise those who have yet to read this book/series to be aware!**
Summary: Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .
Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…
With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.
And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.
As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.
Review: ok sooo y’all this book....
Ok so I have a few thoughts here. First of all this book was great. The series... LOVE however I was a tad let down at certain parts in this book. I was literally like what the fudge SJM like this is not living up to my expectations here! and I like to think of myself as a person who doesn’t have completely high unrealistic expectations but alas.... the disappointment was painful.
Ok first half of the book was complete FIRE. I loved every minute and there was a lot of oohing and awwing and OMG I missed them all SO much (bc I did it had been a few months of agonizing waiting here!) I mean I missed Lorcan and Elide to death, Aedion is a fluffy snowball I cannot get enough of (his intense feelings for some reason were giving me total Sons of Anarchy vibes) also have major love for Lysandra, there was a lot of good things happening here!
“Aelin wiped her hands. “Well, that’s over and done with,” she announced, and strode to the desk and map. “Shall we discuss where you all plan to march once we beat the living shit out of this army?”
The rescue scene was also a very heck yes moment!
However for some reason my mutual respect and love for Aelin and Rowan kind of went out the window?!? For some reason I was getting major coward vibes from Aelin. Some of the things she said and did just screamed COWARD and idk it just did not sit well with me?? Plus omg Rowan was almost too doting on Aelin. Its like he put her up on a pedestal and worshipped her and not in the cute mutual respect sort of way that I adored from ACOMAF but more in the he was the annoying sidekick always panicking about his crazy mates schemes and I could
feel his stress all the time! I just felt there relationship was unbalanced and as mates there supposed to be more equal? and I was just not getting that vibe.
“To whatever end?” she breathed. Rowan followed her, as he had his entire life, long before they had ever met, before their souls had sparked into existence. “To whatever end, Fireheart.”
However can we all just take a moment to appreciate the complete BEAST Dorian has become?? Its like I turn around and Dorian all the sudden becomes completely badass like what?!? I mean Dorians character growth is by far the most impressive of all the characters. He went from soft bookworm to a sad boy with unbelievable destructive powers and I AM HERE FOR IT! Plus him and Manon... love them! Their like two cold hearted souls who have lost there way and share and breath in each others pain like its icy wind. I love how tortured they are together!!
“Tell me where,” Dorian breathed. He had mere minutes until even Vesta came looking for him. “Tell me where the third key is.” “Your life will be forfeit, too. If you retrieve the keys and forge the Lock. Your soul will be claimed as well. Not one scrap of you will live on in the Afterworld.”
Chaol comes back into the picture and while he is not my fav character I must say I don't hate him. His character almost took the opposite spin than Dorian. I feel like Chaol ends up turning into a love sick puppy dog who says the cheesiest cheese when it comes to Yrene. While I admit the two are cute they are not soul crushing lying omg on the edge of my seat I think Im going to die type of love but I think it was almost better that way to have a couple that was in a sense... the normal couple of the book?
“I hope you found peace, my brother. And in the Afterworld, I hope you find her again.”
Ok but as far as disappointing moments... I was a bit hurt and let down when it came to Lorcan and Elide finally getting together?? Like what even was that less than two pages shame of a disappointment!! Ughh after all that time and all we get is a measly TWO pages I need a little more than that! Also I was expecting a little bit more romance vibes and instead was left lingering with a sense of thats it? Also same sort of vibes with Aedion and Lysandra (love them) I loved all the scenes with these two even if some were gut wrenchingly heartbreaking and hard to read I just felt like their ending was very not them.
“Did you mean it? What you said.” He held her stare. Let some inner wall within him come crumbling down. Only for her. For this sharp-eyed, cunning little liar who had slipped through every defense and ironclad rule he’d ever made for himself. He let her see that in his face. Let her see all of it, as no one had ever done before. “Yes.” Her mouth tightened, but not in displeasure. So Lorcan said softly, “I meant every word.”
Also the fact that both Lorcan and Elide tied the knot at the end just seemed very monogamous and I get that SJM wanted to tie up everything in a neat little bow considering it was the end of the series but I was really kind of bored with a wedding ending. Do not get me wrong I love a good wedding plot but both these just felt thrown in there to throw them in there. Like I would have almost preferred Lorcan and Elides ending being Lorcan following Elide to Perranath and then them having a romantic moment there promising a future and perhaps an informal marriage proposal? and I just felt like Aedion and Lysandra should have just promised each other forever or at least had a referral back to the moment when Aedion on the beach promised Lysandra that he was going to marry her!! Like come on both of those would have just been so much more romantic and spicy!!
SJM world building and fight scenes remained AMAZING as always (ahem that fire wall scene) (ahem Elide going after u know who.. heart shredded!!) I also have endless love and respect for FENRYS because come on how could you not be obsessed with him after all that?!?
“I am here, I am with you.”
However I almost felt SJM took on too many POVS and that instead of each POV being a plot line of their own where interesting different things are happening I almost felt like I was reading the same exact story line just with different POV which was a tad boring at times especially when they were all together. Having so many POVS was just a lot to juggle and I feel that made some characters stories underdeveloped and lacking and is likely the cause for such abrupt ending between characters and the bow tying marriages.
“But just remember that this fear of yours? It means you have something worth fighting for - something you care so greatly for that losing it is the worst thing you can imagine.”
Overall SJMS Throne of Glass series is not one to miss! Although nothing can top the beautifulness that is her Court of Thornes and Roses series (rhysand my friends!!) This series was still a crazy ride with lots of moments I LOVED and characters I was completely heads over heels for! Overall this was an enjoyable read and I am probably going to fall into a reading slump because of all the FEELS in this book!
“And far away, across the snow-covered mountains, on a barren plain before the ruins of a once-great city, a flower began to bloom”
What do you guys think? TOG or ACOTAR? Did you love Kingdom of Ash? Haven’t read it yet? LMK in the comments below!
-BubblyB
