Review: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

Author: Sarah J Maas

Genre: New Adult High Fantasy

Published by: Bloomsbury

Publication date: 23/10/18

Pages: 992

My rating: ★★★★★★

 

The epic conclusion to the Throne of Glass series is finally here, and I can confirm it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. It took three days for me to be able to even open the book, let alone start reading it.

This review is spoiler free for Kingdom of Ash only.

before I start, and I’m saying this as I know some haven’t read it. Tower of Dawn is essential reading before diving into this one. I know some don’t like Chaol etc, you’ll miss out on so much and a lot won’t make sense. Trust me, it’s awesome with some familiar faces, too! You can read my review here.

Omg, what an epic conclusion to one of my all time favourite series! It took three days to pluck up the courage to even open it. Despite trying to make it last last longer, I failed until I got the last page. If you don’t finish it, it never ends, right? I did pick it up again and read that last page after going to her event. I sobbed, it was so beautiful, perfect and everything I wanted and then some.

Aelin is still in Maeve’s clutches after the Events in Empire of Storm, with Rowan, Lorcan, Elide, Gavriel and Fenrys hunting them down. Meanwhile, Manon and the Thirteen are hunting the elusive Crochan clans, Lysandra is impersonating her in a desperate bid to keep Aelin’s kidnapping under wraps, while they’re fighting against Erawan’s armies. I can’t say anymore because I probably will unintentionally spoil it. This is also going to be a gushy review, though I guess this is to be expected with Sarah being one of my absolute favourite authors!

Okay, back to the beginning. Be prepared, have lots of chocolate and tissues on hand, the parts with Aelin in the coffin are heartbreaking and hard to read. I sobbed through it all, it’s incredibly well written and was like a knife in the heart. I love the villains and always find them particularly interesting, I despise Maeve with a passion though. It takes a lot for me to despise a character, and it really didn’t take long. Aelin has come a long way since her days as an assassin in Throne of Glass, without losing her trademark swagger and arrogance we all love. The world and war raging around them is so vivid and beautifully written, it felt like I was really there. I don’t know about anyone else but I got some Lord of the Rings vibes with the epic war scenes, without losing the essence of Erilea and her style of writing and storytelling.

Now the gushing part! I love how relationships develop, paths cross, their place in the story,how the events in Tower of Dawn tie in nicely and just everything else. Everything, ranging from Chaol and badass Yrene to those epic plot twists. I can’t even be eloquent about it. One of my absolute favourite parts? Page 800, I had to put it down for hours because I couldn’t contain my excitement. Sarah did mention something in relation to this at her Empire of Storms tour and I’ve been hoping for even a hint of it being true. We got that hint and then some, you’ll know it when you get there. You won’t even have to think about it, you’ll get it. I just love every single tiny thing about it, and Lorcan. I love him, as much as I love Chaol, after this book I need a Lorcan spin-off book so bad. And that ending, it was so utterly perfect and everything I could have hoped for after so much heartbreak. You’ll know what I mean when you read it. I can’t recommend her books enough, I’m always left wanting more. I’m beyond excited to get my hands on The World of Throne of Glass next year! I will never tire of this stunning world Sarah created.

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