Kingdom Of Ash By Sarah J Maas Book Review
I finished Kingdom of Ash at the beginning of November 2018, and it still has a lasting impression on me to this day. With all sorts of thoughts swirling in my
head these past several months, I wanted to make a review. It is yo girl emilia, and I am here today with a BOOK REVIEW!!
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas is the eighth and final book in the Throne of Glass series. To sum up the series in one word without spoiling the whole series, I would say that the Throne of Glass series is: dramatic. But most definitely in a good way.
The Throne of Glass series is set in a high fantasy world where you have different kinds of creatures, magic, bloody battles, disputes of power, and one badass assassin named Celaena. Celaena was banished to salt mines, known as Endovier, as a punishment for past crimes. One day, Prince Dorian successfully frees her from her slavery with a cost. He asks her to represent him as a component for a competition to become the King's personal assassin. If she would win, she would have freedom.
Now, that is only the synopsis of the first book, Throne of Glass. The series just keeps getting better and better after that. You are introduced to new characters with hilarious one-liners and big hearts. What I meant by the series being dramatic is that Sarah J Maas (my queen), does such a good job building suspension, depth, and the element of surprise in so many scenes.
Now, if you have not read it, please leave now so I don't spoil anything for you (don't be like me who got spoiled for a ton of stuff).
To be quite honest, I kinda expect Graviel to die. I know that sounds awful, but before this came out and I was looking on Tumblr for what people thought was going to happen in this book, I was going through the list of characters that could possibly die. I thought that Graviel was one of the most plausible due to how he is a character that wasn't super major in helping with the plot. For example, Aelin and Dorian had blood to forge the lock, Yrene has the ability to heal Valg, etc; Don't get me wrong, I cried when he told his son, Aedion to shut the gate as he saved everyone while also killing himself. But I also sorta suspected it??
Now the character death(s) I did not expect was The Thirteen (well, 12 if you exclude Manon). I sobbed when they each came up to Manon and said goodbye.
I'm not gonna lie, their deaths were super badass and awesome. When Asterin went STRAIGHT for Manon's grandmother, whew, I was crying but also cheering for her. Their deaths just happened all so fast and I just felt awful for Manon. I really loved the memory she described for each of her 12 and how she was just so shocked by their actions. I am just glad that they got to see their Queen wear her crown finally.
Aelin has gone through so much. When I realized that all of her scars were taken away from her, my heart ached for her. I cried so hard when her fire was taken away, but the way that Aelin accepted it and knew that it was for the best, I knew that Aelin is so powerful without her fire. Years of being an assassin and a diplomat have given her the skills she needed to defeat her enemies and become the rightful Queen of Terrasen. When all of the flowers bloomed all over Terrasen, I cried just like Aelin because she definitely deserved it after the years of hardships she went through.
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas is the eighth and final book in the Throne of Glass series. To sum up the series in one word without spoiling the whole series, I would say that the Throne of Glass series is: dramatic. But most definitely in a good way.
The Throne of Glass series is set in a high fantasy world where you have different kinds of creatures, magic, bloody battles, disputes of power, and one badass assassin named Celaena. Celaena was banished to salt mines, known as Endovier, as a punishment for past crimes. One day, Prince Dorian successfully frees her from her slavery with a cost. He asks her to represent him as a component for a competition to become the King's personal assassin. If she would win, she would have freedom.
Now, that is only the synopsis of the first book, Throne of Glass. The series just keeps getting better and better after that. You are introduced to new characters with hilarious one-liners and big hearts. What I meant by the series being dramatic is that Sarah J Maas (my queen), does such a good job building suspension, depth, and the element of surprise in so many scenes.
Now, if you have not read it, please leave now so I don't spoil anything for you (don't be like me who got spoiled for a ton of stuff).
S P O I L E R T E R R I T O R Y !!!
984 pages of glory! 984! I cannot believe that the series is finally over. I feel like Sarah J. Maas did a wonderful job wrapping up the series while also leaving you with so much to think about. After finishing the book, I spent like 2 weeks thinking of alternate universes, headcanons, how the book ended, and I was just so happy. I was so happy that this book was causing my imagination to go wild. I want to talk about a couple of things throughout the book, what I liked, and a couple of things I had trouble with.#1: The Characters that died
To be quite honest, I kinda expect Graviel to die. I know that sounds awful, but before this came out and I was looking on Tumblr for what people thought was going to happen in this book, I was going through the list of characters that could possibly die. I thought that Graviel was one of the most plausible due to how he is a character that wasn't super major in helping with the plot. For example, Aelin and Dorian had blood to forge the lock, Yrene has the ability to heal Valg, etc; Don't get me wrong, I cried when he told his son, Aedion to shut the gate as he saved everyone while also killing himself. But I also sorta suspected it??
Now the character death(s) I did not expect was The Thirteen (well, 12 if you exclude Manon). I sobbed when they each came up to Manon and said goodbye.
I'm not gonna lie, their deaths were super badass and awesome. When Asterin went STRAIGHT for Manon's grandmother, whew, I was crying but also cheering for her. Their deaths just happened all so fast and I just felt awful for Manon. I really loved the memory she described for each of her 12 and how she was just so shocked by their actions. I am just glad that they got to see their Queen wear her crown finally.
#2: My issue with the time
One of the first chapters of the book was Aedion's chapter and he mentions how his Queen (Aelin) had been suffering for 10 years. See, I thought that he meant that AELIN WAS IN THE COFFIN FOR 10 YEARS! I lost my shit, I started crying within the first 20 pages. Later, I realized that it was only about 2-3 months that had past, not years. Aedion was referring to the massacre in Terrasen when Aelin's parents were killed, but I do have to say that it wasn't 100% clear. Plus, I know Sarah J. Maas had a ton of narratives and plot lines to write for the 10+ characters in this book, but I was still a little bit confused when I was making a timeline in my head.
#3: My favorite settings
I think Sarah J. Maas does a fantastic job with descriptions of places in her books. She incorporates nearly all of the 5 senses (because how do you describe a castle with taste, "Oh the brick looked like it could taste like dust" 10/10 makes sense 👍👍). Additionally, she sets up the scene by not drawing it out with sentences involving complex descriptions, she makes it pleasing (or scary) to read. Here are some of my favorite scenes/settings in KOA:
After Rowan, Lorcan, Gravriel, and Elide saved Aelin and Fenrys (well, Fenrys saved Aelin and she ran away, then.... oh it takes too long to explain) the Little Folk show them a path to a cave with pools for Aelin to cool off and for them to escape on a boat without being noticed. That's right, COOL CAVE TIME! I loved the description with the glowing worms that made the cave look like the night sky. It felt so calming to reads the descriptions of the pools of water Aelin swam in and the smooth cave walls. Then, of course, you have the cute scene where Aelin and her cadre just completely sack a treasure cave where Aelin and Rowan give each other their wedding rings (awww).
Another one of my favorite scenes was the battle at Anielle. We have all of the crazy siblings of the Southern Continent, Aelin and her cadre, and then a SHOWDOWN between the Valg and the humans/fae. I loved the description of Aelin's gold armor that she took and the whole perspective of the battle from so many characters. I was dying laughing when I read the reactions of Aelin in the gold armor she stole from the Anielle vaults.
Continuing with the Battle of Anielle, the suspension leading up to the dam breaking was insane. The constant switch of perspectives with the fear of the dam breaking, Elide riding out onto the battlefield to fetch a dying Lorcan (she saaaaavvveed him!!!), and Rowan's perspective of the most badass thing ever. Aelin landed onto the battlefield, right as thousands of gallons of water were hurling straight towards her. BOOM! Aelin released all of her power that she had been keeping deep inside her while she was in captivity, the power she was saving as a killing blow to Maeve. I was blown away by the writing and the events of the scene. Rowan also released a huge amount of power because he was making sure that Aelin's fire doesn't burn the skin off of all of their soldiers.
Another one of my favorite scenes was the battle at Anielle. We have all of the crazy siblings of the Southern Continent, Aelin and her cadre, and then a SHOWDOWN between the Valg and the humans/fae. I loved the description of Aelin's gold armor that she took and the whole perspective of the battle from so many characters. I was dying laughing when I read the reactions of Aelin in the gold armor she stole from the Anielle vaults.
Continuing with the Battle of Anielle, the suspension leading up to the dam breaking was insane. The constant switch of perspectives with the fear of the dam breaking, Elide riding out onto the battlefield to fetch a dying Lorcan (she saaaaavvveed him!!!), and Rowan's perspective of the most badass thing ever. Aelin landed onto the battlefield, right as thousands of gallons of water were hurling straight towards her. BOOM! Aelin released all of her power that she had been keeping deep inside her while she was in captivity, the power she was saving as a killing blow to Maeve. I was blown away by the writing and the events of the scene. Rowan also released a huge amount of power because he was making sure that Aelin's fire doesn't burn the skin off of all of their soldiers.
#4 The Conclusion
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| This is my favorite fanart of Aelin, credit to the Queen, Charlie Bowater |
Rowan was so supportive of Aelin and never stopped looking for her. When Rowan skinned Carin for the atrocities he committed against Aelin, I knew that he would always protect Aelin. Rowan becoming the King of Terrasen was such a cute scene and I love how Rowan has always fetched sweets for Aelin. I felt so bad for Rowan when Graviel died, one of his greatest friends now gone. When Rowan also had a dream of Aelin with their adorable children, I got so happy, but so sad, holy crap they're gonna have cute kids.
Dorian talking to his father one last time while forging the lock was so dang sad. I do have to admit that when his father revealed his name was Dorian after not knowing it for YEARS, I died laughing at the irony. Dorian is now King of Ardalan and when Manon was teasing about marrying him I was like DO IT!! JUST DO IT!! Neither Dorian or Aelin died from forging the Lock (thank goodness) and I just hope Dorian lives a good life being an uncle to Chaol and Yrene's babies.
Speaking of Chaol, he has actually had one of the largest amounts of character development in the series. He had gone from a brute and one of my least favorite characters to a father that is willing to do anything for his friends and family. I loved his development in Tower of Dawn and his relationship with Yrene. Yrene is so sassy and makes sure that Chaol doesn't make stupid decisions and is compassionate to others. I wish them a PEACEFUL life that is indeed needed ;)
Aedion had dealt with a lot during the book. He was the leader of several armies and his leadership came into question a lot after each battle they lost. I was very frustrated with Aedion's interactions with Lysandra throughout this book. I understand that he was heartbroken that Aelin was kidnapped and Lysandra was shifting to be her, but that is NO REASON to throw her out in the cold with only a coat. Aedion soon realized that he was being an extreme jerk and I am glad that Lysandra did not quickly forgive him. At the end of the book, his birth father, Gravriel, sacrificed himself to protect Terrasen RIGHT when Aedion was happy that he was his father. His grief will last a while, for the father he never had, but I know that he will be happy to serve in Aelin's court.
Lysandra is one of my favorite characters. Not only because her name is really cool, but because she is such an inspirational character that is willing to sacrifice everything for her friends and her country. She was fighting until the very end to defend Terrasen and when she hugged Aelin on the battlefield in her snow leopard, I was like YES GIRL POWER! I am glad that she forgave Aedion and is such now a big part of Aelin's court.
I am so sorry that I didn't get to Elide, Lorcan, Nesryn, Sartaq, and Evangeline, they are all so amazing and I love them all (I definitely ship Elide and Lorcan, and Nesryn and Sartaq so much), but this blog post is getting so dang long. Overall, all the characters deserve the peaceful ending that they got. I really really enjoyed this book AND this series and I am so sad that it is finally over. I am so thankful for Sarah J Maas writing this series. She is definitely my favorite writer and I love every book she puts out. Let me know in the comments below what you thought of Kingdom of Ash and what you thought of the Throne of Glass series. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts and feelings about this book. I have never cried so much over a book before. 😂
Love,
yo girl emilia
Social Media:
Book Instagram: @emilialikesbooks
Blog Instagram: @yogirlemilia
Youtube: Emilia Mrugala
Dorian talking to his father one last time while forging the lock was so dang sad. I do have to admit that when his father revealed his name was Dorian after not knowing it for YEARS, I died laughing at the irony. Dorian is now King of Ardalan and when Manon was teasing about marrying him I was like DO IT!! JUST DO IT!! Neither Dorian or Aelin died from forging the Lock (thank goodness) and I just hope Dorian lives a good life being an uncle to Chaol and Yrene's babies.
Speaking of Chaol, he has actually had one of the largest amounts of character development in the series. He had gone from a brute and one of my least favorite characters to a father that is willing to do anything for his friends and family. I loved his development in Tower of Dawn and his relationship with Yrene. Yrene is so sassy and makes sure that Chaol doesn't make stupid decisions and is compassionate to others. I wish them a PEACEFUL life that is indeed needed ;)
Aedion had dealt with a lot during the book. He was the leader of several armies and his leadership came into question a lot after each battle they lost. I was very frustrated with Aedion's interactions with Lysandra throughout this book. I understand that he was heartbroken that Aelin was kidnapped and Lysandra was shifting to be her, but that is NO REASON to throw her out in the cold with only a coat. Aedion soon realized that he was being an extreme jerk and I am glad that Lysandra did not quickly forgive him. At the end of the book, his birth father, Gravriel, sacrificed himself to protect Terrasen RIGHT when Aedion was happy that he was his father. His grief will last a while, for the father he never had, but I know that he will be happy to serve in Aelin's court.
Lysandra is one of my favorite characters. Not only because her name is really cool, but because she is such an inspirational character that is willing to sacrifice everything for her friends and her country. She was fighting until the very end to defend Terrasen and when she hugged Aelin on the battlefield in her snow leopard, I was like YES GIRL POWER! I am glad that she forgave Aedion and is such now a big part of Aelin's court.
I am so sorry that I didn't get to Elide, Lorcan, Nesryn, Sartaq, and Evangeline, they are all so amazing and I love them all (I definitely ship Elide and Lorcan, and Nesryn and Sartaq so much), but this blog post is getting so dang long. Overall, all the characters deserve the peaceful ending that they got. I really really enjoyed this book AND this series and I am so sad that it is finally over. I am so thankful for Sarah J Maas writing this series. She is definitely my favorite writer and I love every book she puts out. Let me know in the comments below what you thought of Kingdom of Ash and what you thought of the Throne of Glass series. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts and feelings about this book. I have never cried so much over a book before. 😂
Love,
yo girl emilia
Social Media:
Book Instagram: @emilialikesbooks
Blog Instagram: @yogirlemilia
Youtube: Emilia Mrugala
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