Kingdom of Ash Review
Summary
In the stunning conclusion of the Throne of Glass series, Aelin Galathynius has sacrificed everything for her people, but can she survive Maeve’s prison? Will her gathered allies be able to rally together and defeat Erawan? Will all of our favorite heroes survive this last battle?
My Thoughts:
I just can’t believe that series is over. What an amazing and beautiful ride that Sarah J. Maas took me on with some wonderfully developed characters. I felt a sense of completeness when I finished reading the conclusion, but I want more.
Aelin Galathynius is my favorite heroine of all time and she is such a different character in this book. Yes, she still has a little of her sass and hilarity, but she is a much more mature and balanced character. In the past books, she would just come up with these amazing plots that the readers and the other characters were not aware of. However, in this book, she has reached a maturity where she realizes that she can’t do everything on her own and she starts to depend and ask others for help. This is a humongous step for Aelin and I thought I would never see the day! I also was amazed at how much emotion and love that she showed towards other characters and how much she has changed from the cold assassin she used to be. I am so in awe of how much she has grown and how great a queen she is going to be. However, I wish I could have seen her as a mother, it would be so hilarious.
The cadre are probably some of my favorite book boyfriends of all time.
Rowan is such a wonderful character and he truly blossomed in this last installment especially. His dedication to Aelin and his brothers is so beautiful and I truly love him. I loved that we got to see more of his perspective in this book and his thoughts were growly and hilarious. I love him so much and he is the perfect match for Aelin.
Fenrys is just so perfect, I loved getting more time with him in this book and his friendship with Aelin is so beautiful. I actually might love him more than Rowan because he is just as hilarious and sassy as Aelin. I also just have always had a thing for werewolves and he is just perfection. I felt for him so much in this installment because he never really got to discuss the problems with his brother and it broke my heart. However, he finally was given the life he always wanted because he serves on the court of someone who actually values him as a person and not as a handsome soldier.
Lorcan also grew on me so much in this book and I loved him more and more with each chapter. His love and getting more information about his choices was really interesting. However, I wish he had been able to confront Maeve and the devastating things he did to him. Elide and Lorcan are probably my favorite couple of the entire series and this book was where they truly blossomed. Their banter was so steamy and their romantic, precious moments were so great that I read them multiple times. Elide was also very badass in this installment and her dialogue when she finally confronted her uncle was everything I wanted and more.
Gavriel was not as present in the installment as I would’ve liked, but I still loved him in it. The moments between Aedion and him were just so precious and I wish there were more of them.
Aedion really made me mad in this installment and I wanted to punch him several times. He treated Lysandra like crap and I was not happy at all. I think his anger should have been placed on Aelin because Lysandra was just doing a favor for a friend and honestly that trick would’ve only lasted so long. However, when he took the stick out of his butt, he was an ultimate badass that did not give up. Lysandra was also such an amazing fighter in every battle and did NOT get the recognition that she deserved. I mean….she turned into so many different animals and people that my head spun. I also wanted more steamy scenes with the two of them, but I was satisfied about what I got.
Dorian was the true MVP of this book. He truly blossomed into a character I never thought he could be and I was so impressed. He tricked Maeve in the best possible way and I was cheering for him the entire time. He has come a long way from the first book into a ruler that I could get behind. I loved to see his new powers in action and I laughed when he used it to trick Manon. I honestly didn’t know how broken he was into the end where he finally got a point where he could move on and forgive.
Manon and the thirteen were just so amazing. My heart is breaking for them and I don’t think I will ever recover. I wish we could’ve seen Manon visit the Wastes, but the flower was the only hope we got. Also, SJM, what the actual heck?! Manon and Dorian’s last scene together was a rip and it better be rectified very soon. I understand that there is some hope there, but it was such a slow burn that ended up to nothing. UGH!
I was just in awe of Yrene again in this book. She is the most badass pregnant lady of all time and she made Chaol bearable. Chaol was truly changed in this book and I was so surprised about how much I have grown to like him. When he and Aelin were reunited and he finally accepted her for who she was, all my hatred for him evaporated and I could truly forgive him. Yrene and Chaol are so perfect for each other and they have become one of my favorite couples of the series.
I had a few disappointments in the book, but they didn’t really affect my overall feeling of it overall. I really wish we had seen the kharankui more in action, especially when they were possessed by the valg princesses. I also thought that Nesryn’s chapters were a little too short. We were only given taste when I wanted more of a bite. I was also deeply disappointed in Maeve as a villain. She was just so annoying. I know that SJM is capable of creating some amazing villains, but Maeve fell flat. She had no true great powers and I just found her so whiny.
Overall, the conclusion to the series was so amazing and I am so sad that this thrill ride is over!
My Book Rating
5/5 Book World
5/5 Romance
5/5 Plot
5/5 Characters
Book Details
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy
Published by Bloomsbury YA on October 23, 2018
Copy Read: Hardcover
Pages: 984
