Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass Book 7)

There is a lot going on in this final chapter of Sarah j Maas Throne of Glass series so the book is longer than most of the others but does not feel as if it is full of fluff but rather a great meaty book with just enough pages to to tie up the plot points and subplots neatly and leave the reader happy but wanting more. For those who read the last book review before deciding if they should read the series I will say that this epic fantasy will satisfy almost any reader of the genre. While the series itself starts out geared more towards young adults and those who love epic fantasy the last three books do up the ante up yet with the romantic scenes that have a romance bin feel to it in the love scenes. Out of this book which is 1000 pages you might have a handful of pages that are more steamy but I do think it is enough to take it from a PG-13 to closer to a rated R. So the series does swing a bit but the quality of writing remains high. Overall this book like most of the series is high-quality fantasy in the world building plot and setting. The characters come to life and have a depth to them. In this last book there is quite a bit of jumping around between the chapters two different points of views and for those who only read a little bit of a Time this might be a problem in keeping track of what's going on. Still the story is pretty straightforward for the most part. There is little to complain about and it was a joy to read. They were a few editorial mistakes very few considering the length of the book itself. I do think that that there is a bit of continuity error in the strength of the bad guys. In their introduction the Valg princess pretty hardcore individuals could barely be harmed outside of our main protagonist is magic. They had magic that could overwhelmed and blanket and entire area and who's magic could not be countered buy those of wind and such. However in this book we see that their magic is countered by magic that previous could not stop it and they are taken down by fairly easy means compared to there unstoppable nature in their introduction. Lol but the truth is part of the reason this disappointed me a bit was because they have been built up to be that awesome... Or terrifying. this can also be applied to the two main antagonist of the series in the final confrontation that was still exciting but left a little to be desired in my opinion from what was promised. Again this is a good read particularly when it comes to the action and pacing of the story itself. There is real emotion connected to the characters and when crap hits the fan the reader feels it. The relationships arcs between the characters grow and shift he weighs that while a bit predictable are nonetheless interesting. From beginning to end the story flows in such a way that it feels like you've read an entire book series in one book. Some of the side characters that seemed more time in previous works do feel slightly neglected but not enough to really complain about because when we do see them it is impactful. that is the glorious problem with having a book with such great characters is that side characters are still Side characters and have to give away to the main protagonist and such. in the end if you read this book series you will not be disappointed but you will be tired because it will keep you from sleeping because it's always just one more chapter.

What can I say about this massive novel other than OH MY GOD WHAT A MASTERPIECE. I loved EVERY SINGLE PAGE. With this end to the Throne of Glass series being 980 pages – there was A LOT that happened, and I obviously will not be able to capture everything in this review. This review will most likely be spoiler free for the first half and then the second half will contain spoilers that I simply HAVE to talk about, but I will be sure to put a disclaimer warning everyone not to proceed unless you’ve read it or like me absolutely love spoilers. You do you. (although I managed to not be spoiled at all!) First and foremost, I know a lot of people are talking about the length of this novel and the fact that its nearly 1K pages. I’ve read several reviews saying that the length was unnecessary and that AT LEAST 200 pages could have been cut. Honestly, I thought the length was perfect. Yes, it is long. Yes, it is a commitment to read it and get through it. But this book is written so well, and the story is so fantastic that I flew through it and it was over before I even realized I was close to the end. Also, to those that feel it should have been shorter I just want to say I hear you, but to someone that absolutely LOVES this series (and I consider it my favorite) I would have been fine with it being even loner if that’s where Sarah felt the story needed to go ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A major point I want to talk about with a lot of Sarah’s books is that she portrays mental health/illness/awareness incredibly well. Without spoiling anything there are a lot of parts in this book that speak indirectly on something tragic happening to a character and how they handle it. I think she does a wonderful job portraying that it is OKAY to NOT BE OKAY. It is okay to need time to deal with the pain and suffering in your own way and on your own time. I love how some of the characters in this book deal with situations like that. The world building in this novel and in Tower of Dawn was tremendous, and such an improvement from her earlier books. I can see her growing as an author and I love where she is headed. We were able to see so many new and even various places in Erilea and I loved every word of it. I was happy we got to experience more of this world outside of Adarlan. Another way Sarah has grown as an author is by showing us the amount of character development she puts in to these novels. I thought Kingdom of Ash in particular showed how characters have changed and grown throughout the whole series and I loved seeing it all come together and how it impacted their role in everything that happened. Okay, on to the SPOILER section! So, if you have not finished and don’t want to be spoiled TURN BACK NOW! The first thing I want to cover is Aedion. He seriously bothered me throughout the ENTIRE book. He was being such a self-righteous, pompous ass towards everyone but especially Lysandra for shifting to Aelin and impersonating her (WHICH IS LITERALLY WHAT AELIN INSTRUCTED HER TO DO), and Aedion just couldn’t get past the fact that his Queen didn’t “trust” him enough to tell him. That wasn’t the case at all, we all know how Aelin operates and it’s a “you don’t need to know until my plan is revealed to the world” scenario. Because of this he was bitter and cold towards Lysandra for most of the book and took until she was knocking on deaths door for him to realize how terrible he was being. Thankfully she is a strong woman and all but told him to f*** off until she was ready to deal with how awful he was towards her. Again, with Aedion (I swear most of my issues with this book revolved around him) his anger towards his father was SO DAMN DRAMATIC I could not handle it. He is so angry towards his father for, in my opinion, no valid reason. His father didn’t even know Aedion existed until Queen of Shadows and all he wanted was to be with him, protect him, be a father towards him. All Aedion did was be bitter and aggressive with him. Well, what goes around comes around and Gavriel ended up dying in the last battle and now Aedion will never get to have his father. Only then, only when Gavriel put his life on the line for Aedion did he finally see how mistaken he was. I cannot roll my eyes hard enough at that. I know that there quite a few people out there who straight up won’t even read Sarah’s books anymore because of some insensitivities portrayed throughout her stories. The one that irritates me the most is in Empire of Storms Aedion makes a comment about loving men and women and that it’s more about who they are as a person rather than whether they are male or female. But I am also bothered by the fact that this was a one sentence in another massive book and then it is literally never brought up again. I was truly hoping it may have been explored a little in this book. Okay, can we talk about Dorian for a minute? Just a minute? Because holy god did Dorian show some serious character development and an unholy amount of power all of a sudden. I feel like his power was seriously amplified in this novel compared to the previous books. Suddenly he was able to “absorb” other powers? He killed the spider that could shape shift and then he taught himself how to shape shift? I don’t know if I should be impressed or terrified. I think his power exceeded even Aelin’s and definitely went unchecked. But even with that I am happy that him and Aelin together tried to forge the lock and seal the Wyrdgate but in doing so Dorian’s power was diminished and Aelin lost the majority of her fire-bringing abilities. I loved this part of the story because to me it showed that they are still flawed, they are not all powerful but even without their power they can still lead and rule with conviction. The saddest part of this book to me and I’m sure many others was when the Thirteen (minus Manon, because main character ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) gave up their lives to the yielding to ensure the Witch tower would be destroyed. The sacrifice they made, and the heartbreak Manon went through was absolutely heart wrenching. I did not see it coming at all, which made it an even more fantastic and emotional plot point. When that chapter was over, once I was done sobbing I had to put it down and walk away for a while to collect myself and return my heart rate to a resting pace. I know this review was wordy and long (the longest I’ve ever written!) but I felt it was necessary to convey my feelings toward this book and the series as a whole. I thought the ending was absolutely perfect and I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. The last page alone had me crying like a baby curled up in the corner (the flowers guys, the flowers). I thought the end of this series was more than I could have ever hoped for these characters that have become my friends. Even though I won’t be able to read these books for the first time again I am happy I will be able to thoroughly enjoy them in my rereads, because this series deserves nothing less than being read and loved all over again.

** spoiler alert ** Kingdom of Ash was the epic conclusion to the Throne of Glass series. I don’t know if it is possible to talk about it without giving away spoilers, so you’ve been warned. There were many intense scenes throughout the book. Action packed, this story had me on the edge of my seat every hundred pages or so. Aelin’s escape was pulse pounding, heartbreaking, and impactful in equal measure. Aedion leading the battles in Terresan was stressful and epic. The battle of Anielle kept the hits, both emotional and physical, coming. Elide’s desperate search of the battlefield had me glued to the page. Dorian’s assault on Morath had me totally fooled and confused until the end. I shouldn’t have fallen for it. It turned into one of the smartest parts of the book. When Lysandra fights as Aelin my heart was racing. When Manon shows up to Terresan just as Morath is approaching had me in tears. The hope they offered when all hope was lost was beautiful. Then the fate of the 13 had me wrecked. For me this was the emotional pinnacle of the book. No other part moved me as much as this sacrifice, going out in a blaze of light. For being 980 pages long, I didn’t feel like it was too long. Everything had purpose and direction. There are some 600 page series finales that could have been 300 pages shorter, so for this many pages to be merited is quite an accomplishment. I did find the big moments with Aelin to be more predictable than usual. When they mention the dam in Anielle, right away they tell you about what would happen if it came down. So your first thought is “Well, obviously, that’s coming down.” So when it does, it’s not as surprising. How Aelin had been tunneling her power that whole time was surprising but the big moment of the dam coming down was not so. Additionally, later when they read about that wrydmark that can open portals to move from place to place, it is once again obvious that it is going to be utilized. What I can’t figure out is why they didn’t use it to move the army when they agonized again and again about how they were never going to make it to Terresan in time. Did they want to save that trick as a final surprise? I know it is written as she doesn’t think of it until later. But they still traveled for days after that. So the use of the portals was a nice final surprise for Maeve, but I thought it could have been utilized sooner. The timeline of the story was a little confusing for me as well. I think I would need to go back and write down every movement in time and see how the days add up, but while reading it seemed like things were being told to build the suspense and the drama and not necessarily as they line up specifically day by day. The ending for me wavers between love and okay. On one hand, it was epic and beautiful. It built to a final battle and left us with the satisfaction of seeing the demise of all that was evil. Good triumphed and all of the characters we loved, lived to fight another day and live in peace. Everyone goes off to rule their specific parts of the world and make a better world there. It was heartwarming, witty, and hopeful. There is a lot to love about seeing the characters you adore live on in the peace they worked so hard to achieve. The bit with Rhysand and Feyre was so amazing I read it like three times in a row. On the other hand, toward the end I got a little sick of it being the end of everything and then they get saved by another random army of people coming to save the day just in time. I like the incorporation of all of the different kinds of people, but it was a few too many times of this is the end, see you in the afterlife, ope just kidding, here’s another army to save the day. I liked Aelin and Rowan’s final plan, but maybe was a little sick of everything being built up as the final moments only to have that rewritten a few sentences later. So maybe shaping that part a little differently would have resonated with me more. Additionally, in the nicest way possible, I was expecting more important people to die in the end. As I said, I am torn because I’m really happy that most everyone ended up alive. But for such an epic battle with such a dark presence to overcome, I was waiting for more loses. Not that I could pick anyone to put in that position, but it seemed a little too perfect that all of the couples ended up alive together. A strange thing to be torn about but that it what I observed while reading the book. The most wonderful part though was that after finishing such a favorite series, it made me want to go out and read more so I could try to find another series that would grab on to my heart the way this one did and take me on a memorable journey.

I just finished this series a couple weeks ago and am just now recovering from the emotional rollercoaster. This book was intense, at times devastating, and well worth the entire book series to get here. While the early books in the series were fun reads, they didn't really grab my soul until I got to Heir of Fire. From there on I couldn't put the books down. I stayed up way too late reading till my eyes hurt. Sarah J Maas has a very effective style of writing that causes the reader to constantly be on a cliffhanger waiting to find out what happens to this character or that character next. I truly don't think there was a moment in any of the last 3 books where I wasn't tense and desperate to find out what comes next. I think doing a tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn was the right choice but definitely elevated that tension. I honestly think the most surprising thing was how this book brought me to a place of love, understanding, and compassion for some of my least favorite characters. If you had asked me mid-way through the series what characters I liked or hated, my answers would have been a far cry from where they were at the end. Every character has a full arc, and none of them are surface level characters. They all have flaws and strengths. They all make poor choices that affect others. They all have emotional trauma they struggle to work through. While there are some aspects of this ending that I felt were a bit out of place in the story arc, most of the ending was well done and wrapped things up nicely. It will take a while before my soul is ready to do a re-read on this series, but I am looking forward to it when it happens.

Whew! That was a wild ride! I've been following this series for five years. Preordering the books and rereading countless times. This is the series that really brought me into blogging. My own personal Harry Potter, if you will. I love this series and this ending is nothing but bittersweet. Mild spoilers for the beginning of this book and major spoilers for the rest of the series. 1. The characters. This last installment was a MASSIVE undertaking for Maas. Throughout the previous six books, we've been accumulating characters and backstories. Aelin, Chaol, and Dorian forming the backbone with Rowan, Nesryn, Yrene, Sartaq, Elide, Manon, Ansel, Rolfe, Gavriel, Lorcan, Fenrys, Dorian's father, Maeve, and Erawan all playing major roles. This series would make an absolutely fabulous reread with all of the character interactions that you can trace from book to book. I loved each and every one of the characters. They each had their own complex backstory that propelled their choices incredibly. Something I wish Maas had payed a bit more attention to, however, is their own unique voices. When I see a specific character from another's eyes, their unique voice is absolutely there, but once we merge into their POV, it becomes difficult to distinguish them by voice and tone alone. Moving on to Aelin, she went through such a character arc in this installment. I'm sure y'all remember that amazing arc she went through in HoF as she truly accepted her magic and her birthright. This is a little like that but scaled down and taken in a different direction. As I'll talk about in the next section, there are so many full circle moments that really caused her character to grow. 2. The plot. As I said above, there are SO many full circle moments and I loved it! I'll be repeating this throughout my review, but this series would make for an excellent reread in order to catch all of the individual strands that Maas mapped out so wonderfully. More practically speaking, this is 980 pages which is longer than any of the others in the series (it's a contender for the longest-books-I've-ever-read list) which means that keeping the tension levels right throughout is a task in of itself. Maas does a very good job of this throughout the book, allowing small breaks in the tension for the reader to stop for a breath. Something that always irks me about any fantasy that involves a war and a chosen one is how easily and quickly the wars are won through some special power of the chosen one. There was none of that here as each of the members of Aelin's squad contributes in a major way. As I'm sure many have seen, there are some very striking similarities between the ending battles in LOTR and the ending battle in this novel. Personally, this doesn't bother me too much but it is something to consider if you're a LOTR fan. Worth a quick mention: the symbolism associated with Aelin's torture and physical journey. Suffice to say there is an ample amount of circling and implied character self. Going along with that, there are so many reoccurring motifs that really enriched the writing and the plot in general. 3. The romance(s). There are so many relationships happening here. Aelin and Rowan, Yrene and Chaol, Lysandra and Aedion, Nesryn and Sartaq, Elide and Lorcan, and Dorian and Manon. I don't mind the large cast of characters in general (in fact, I prefer it to the alternative) but I do think that this many romances is a bit too much. I love each of the romances individually, in a vacuum (excepting one which I'll talk about in a minute), but collectively, it's a lot. Some of the romances are well-established (Aelin and Rowan for example), and some are more fledgling relationships only introduced in the most recent books (#5 and #6 were really books for relationship development). I love the overall timeline (this series takes place over a good three or four years including Assassin's Blade) and it's entirely realistic but I could have lived with one or two fewer romances. The one romance I'm unsure about is Dorian and Manon's. Granted, while Dorian is a major part of the series and has been from the beginning, he isn't given too much character development (I loved Chaol's arc and I wish Dorian's followed suit) so his evolution from Sorcha to Manon was a bit whip-lashy for me. One other issue I wanted to bring up: the heterosexuality. I don't mind all of the romances being 100% heterosexual in books (author's choice, after all) but in previous books, Maas introduced several LGBT+ reps (most notably Aedion and Manon) but they promptly melded into the heterosexual atmosphere. In the southern continent, there is some great representation, but they're all mostly side characters and none are allowed to have the spotlight. Overall, there are just so many relationships in this final installment and there definitely should have been at least one that was not heterosexual. 4. The world. I love this part. In the book, there is an extended map at the beginning and it's so interesting to look back at ToG and see how far it's expanded as we've been acquainted with more of the world. During the war, I loved how Maas moved the armies around on the map, paying careful attention to routes, climates, and opposing army positioning. I could really see them all moving around the continent and the consequences of their choices. I would have loved more detail on how the different peoples of different cultures interacted with each other (other than the Crochans and Manon). There are so many different peoples all converging for this cumulative war on Morath (there's another LOTR reference for those of you keeping track at home) all for the promise of a better world (side note, I LOVE how quotable this book is) and I would have loved more cooperative scenes. The Final Verdict: A massive culmination effort that soars a bit too close to the sun. Rampant heterosexuality and the muddying of voices kept it from it's true potential. 4 stars

Book: Kingdom of Ash Author: Sarah J Maas Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars Well, this is the end of yet another good series. I really have enjoyed reading these books and I have loved going to all parts of the world. I know a lot of people have complained about the length and how it is nothing like the first book, but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was great that Sarah gave everyone a great ending. One of my favourite thing about these books was how the characters aged, very similar to Harry Potter. I know people have complained about this throughout the series, but it’s good to change. This is something called character development, which is what a lot of you complain about many books lacking. I loved how the aging brought out so many different levels of the characters. I was like a lot of you. I was 20-21 when I started reading the series. Now at 26, I find myself still relating to the characters. I just love the growth, I guess is what I’m getting at. So, with a large cast of characters all trying to have their own time in the spot light, it does get a little choppy at first, but once you get used to it, you can see the magic. I really did like how instead of forgetting about some of the characters, Sarah extended the page length. In case you didn’t realize, this book is almost 1,000 pages long. I was really happy with the way everything was presented and how we got to see an actual end for most of the characters. The best moment of this book was the Aelin, Dorian, and Chaol reunion and the fact that it took place where it all started was just magical. I was really afraid that we would not get to see these three together again, but we did! I also really like how they have gone their own ways, but they still have each other. The bond of friendship between those three has really been what has carried me through this series. There were times that it wasn’t the greatest, but in the end, I’m glad that they all found each other. I loved all of the battle scenes and how Sarah really made it so we got to see them from more than one characters’ point of view. She also didn’t make things always go so great for the characters. We get to see what war is really like. A lot times fantasy novels present war as something to celebrate and we don’t get to see the loss. Here we do. We get to see just how much of an effect that war has on people. Now, like I said, it wasn’t all bad, but we still get that very real element. So, now, we have to say goodbye to this series. It’s hard, because I am really attached to it. There will be other series, but this is like Harry Potter, it will always have a special place in my heart. I just want to thank Sarah for giving us these series and these characters.

Epic ending to a great series. Plan nothing else when you begin this series because these books are hard to put down. I enjoyed this series very much but still like "A Crown of Thorns and Roses" better. It would be hard to find a better male character than Rhys, but Rowan........just as heart-stopping. I wasn't thrilled with their first meeting but he was a man of many layers that needed time to get to know. GREAT READ......both series!

*spoilers for the previous books in the series* Where do I even being. This was my most anticipated book of the year. This book has been six years in the making and it truly built to something phenomenal. I first read Throne Of Glass as an ARC, so I’ve been with this series from the beginning and it’s so bittersweet having to say goodbye. I was dying to see how this all finally ended. How an assassin built her way up to Queen, but I also didn’t want to say goodbye to these characters. Sarah J. Maas is probably my favorite author and I love her books, but this series is my favorite of them all. At the end of it all, I am emotionally spent, but man was it worth it. Aelin. Oh man. Aelin is such a force and I forever love her. Waiting these two years with Aelin in that gods forsaken box has been killing me and the journey Aelin goes through in this one is not easy. Aelin has been through so much already, but the world just does not seem content to let her be. I’m forever in awe of her determination and her strength. She gives so much and never asks for anything in return. I have loved watching her grow over the course of this series and she'll forever be one of my all-time favorite characters. And then we have Rowan. We all know how much I absolutely love Rowan. It’s always crazy when I remember that he wasn’t even around until the third book and even then it takes him a while to get his act together. But man I can’t even begin to imagine what this series would be without him. He’s become so integral to it all and he’s just wonderful. And the way he just adores Aelin is heartwarming. I love those two together and it’s just abundantly clear that this was where they were always meant to be. And now where do I even go. I guess Lysandra. Lysandra is probably my favorite character in the entire series (aside from Aelin and Rowan). She’s just so strong and fierce and will not cater to others. And her friendship with Aelin is one of my favorite things. Another character who didn’t become a real presence until later in the series, but I can’t imagine it without her. She does so much and deserves so much more appreciation. Then there is Dorian who has held my heart since the first book. Another one who has come so far. I love him. He’s become such a good man and King. And when one mentions Dorian, you also have to mention Chaol. He and I went through a rough patch, but I love the man he’s grown into. In so many ways this all started with Chaol and Dorian and Celaena and while the cast has grown quite a bit, none of this could have happened without a Prince, a Captain, and an Assassin. And I can’t forget Yrene. Oh how do I love Yrene. And Elide! So many strong women and I love how they each bring their own strengths to the table. All of the women in this story truly shine and get to show their dynamic personalities and different kinds of strength. Oh and I can’t forget Fenrys who just…I love him so much. And Lorcan and Gavriel and Aedion and Evangeline and Nesryn and Sartaq and Manon and Abraxos and Asterin and Ansel and The Thirteen. I just love them all. I even love the villains for the evil they bring. Both Maeve and Erawan are chilling. This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. This book is long and there is so much that happens, but I still could have kept reading and reading. These books never go the direction I think they are going to go and they somehow wind up better than I could ever guess. I will never get tired of the twists and turns and all the secret planning. I live for Aelin’s scheming and surprises. But really, all of these characters excel at surprising the reader. Gosh this book, there’s a lot that happens and it’s not all easy. This book is emotionally draining and I cried through a good portion of it and man did it devastate me in parts, but I also loved it with all my heart. It’s just so good and this series built to such a stunning conclusion. Kingdom Of Ash was everything I could have ever hoped for. It’s always daunting going into a conclusion for a beloved series, but this delivered in every single way. I know this is a series I will continue to revisit again and again.

Review: Kingdom of Ash was one of the best books I've read this year. It is the ultimate conclusion to Aelin Galathynius's story, where every character, every story and every detail that took place in her long journey to Terrasen culminates in an epic finale where all the loose ends are neatly tied up. Pros: Sarah J. Maas excels in meticulous detailing of every incident that takes place in the book. Each of the characters have a very well developed arc and a depth to them, their conversations witty and lifelike. The series has had many layers to it which finally comes together in a full circle. Sarah also manages to give each main character a pivotal role in the story, each shining in their own way. The emotions are raw and real, hitting you right in the feels. Cons: (no spoiler) I felt like one of the core elements, something that had the power to change the entire story, was done injustice to. Also the book was bleak at some places, where just action wasn't enough and thus being mentally draining to read those few pages. Conclusion: It is a hard and emotionally daunting task to finish a series you love, especially when the book happens to be thousand pages long but Sarah pulls her readers to it effortlessly and also manages to make them stay with them till the very end to see them rattle the stars. All in all, a really amazing conclusion to an amazing series. Must read. Star Rating: 4.5/5 Age Recommendation: 15 and above.

Que final mais ÉPICO para esta saga 🤯🔥! Não há mesmo palavras. Arrebatou completamente o meu coração e deixou-me de rastos da melhor maneira possível. Estas personagens e esta história vão ficar comigo PARA SEMPRE ❤️‍🔥. Este livro deu-nos todas as respostas que precisávamos, fez-nos sofrer lado a lado com as personagens, e juro… passei quase o livro inteiro com lágrimas nos olhos 😭💔. Mas acima de tudo, entregou o final feliz que estas personagens e esta história mereciam — e foi tão, mas tão merecido. Incrível, extraordinário, envolvente, comovente… uma das melhores sagas que já li ✨📚. Ainda estou a recuperar e já tenho vontade de reler tudo outra vez.

"Kingdom of Ash" brings a spectacular close to the thrilling "Throne of Glass" series, and I couldn't be happier with the ending! Sarah J. Maas wraps up the epic journey of Aelin and her companions with mastery, tying together all the loose ends with grace and a deep emotional impact. The battles are grand, the stakes are higher than ever, and the emotional rollercoaster is intensely satisfying. This finale is a masterpiece of fantasy literature—so well done that it left me in awe. A perfect conclusion to a series that will forever hold a special place in my heart!

La mejor saga de libros y el mejor final

This book broke me in so many ways and rebuilt me all the same. I don't have words to describe the deep feelings this series has unfurled.