Monet Edmundson's Blog - Posts Tagged "kingdom-of-ash-review"

"Kingdom of Ash" is the final book in the fantasy "Throne of Glass" series, and it’s 984 pages of battles and heartbreak. The series is written by Sarah J. Maas and the final book was released last month. Fans have been waiting for the conclusion to the series since the first book, "Throne of Glass," was published in 2012. Eight books later, "Kingdom of Ash" was published as a conclusion to the story of Celaena Sardothien and her court of warriors and sorcerers. The "Throne of Glass" series is a significant addition to the young adult fantasy genre, as it focuses on creating and developing empowered female characters.

It’s a feat for any author to write a book that contains a huge array of characters and give them an equal amount of time to shine. In "Kingdom of Ash," every characters’ perspective is shared, sometimes multiple times in the same chapter. Instead of this being confusing, it ends up bringing together plot points and character development, creating a multi-layered story. After several books worth of practice, Maas knows what she is doing.

It’s necessary to give the characters individual time to shine, as several stories were left unfinished in the preceding book, "Tower of Dawn." In "Kingdom of Ash," nearly all the main characters are separated from one another. The protagonist Aelin, the heir to the kingdom of Terrasen, is locked in an iron coffin. Her allies are spread thin, either trying to locate her or off on a separate mission of their own. When the book begins, Dorian, Manon, and the Thirteen are searching for Crochan witches. Rowan, Lorcan, Gavriel, and Elide are actively searching for Aelin all over Erilea. Meanwhile, Lysandra and Aedion are with Aelin’s army trying to protect what remains of her kingdom. At first, the sheer size of the book and the number of characters can seem overwhelming. However, once you start reading, you become absorbed in the atmosphere and energy that "Kingdom of Ash" radiates.

As the story moves along, the reader follows the events of Aelin’s capture and the adventures of her friends. First of all, Aelin is captured and tortured for two months. During that time, Aelin begins to deteriorate emotionally and physically.
While these chapters were powerful, they also dragged on endlessly. You become so emotional after reading about Aelin’s imprisonment. By the time I read about the final battle, all my emotions have been spent on Aelin’s capture. I expected Aelin’s final battle to pack more of an emotional punch. The one unexpected storyline of Aelin’s imprisonment was her blossoming friendship with Fenrys. Both are captured and form a strong bond at this time, which is felt throughout the entire book. This platonic love that they develop for one another is unexpectedly moving. Personally, I felt that it was the most heartfelt storyline in the book.

Once Aelin is out of the evil queen Maeve’s clutches, Aelin deals with severe PTSD. As devoted readers know, Aelin’s life has consisted of horrific and torturous experiences up to this moment. She has shown signs of PTSD before, but not to an extent that it was a part of her character.

However, in "Kingdom of Ash," this comes to a head. Immediately following Aelin’s release from imprisonment, she is unrecognizable as the character we’ve come to know. Her swagger and confidence are shattered. This is for two reasons: she can’t stop reliving her physical abuse and she can’t escape her bonds. She is strapped in handcuffs that can’t be broken and she is forced to wear an iron mask. I didn’t expect much from Aelin’s escape, but the scene where Aelin is freed and tries to remove her shackles and mask was heartbreaking. Out of all the moments in the book, this was the one that affected me the most. I normally don’t cry while reading, but the way Maas conveyed Aelin’s panic and hopelessness was overwhelming, and I felt close to tears. Aelin had already suffered and lost so much as a heroine, and at this moment, the reader wishes that they could help her.

While the focus of "Kingdom of Ash" is more on the war that’s taking place, Maas did spend some time focusing on Aelin’s internal struggles. Aelin’s had these internal debates with herself since Book 1 in the series. By the time that we reach "Kingdom of Ash," I had hoped that some of these struggles would have been resolved by now. Aelin was going around in circles and nothing was coming from it. The book would have been better if Aelin wasn’t blaming herself for everything and relieving her past mistakes.

When it came to the battle scenes, Maas pulled out all the stops! Some moments were in slow motion, where the reader could absorb every detail and interaction between the soldiers. Maas took great care to follow every character into battle, and the result was an array of gripping and exhilarating moments. I’d go as far to say that "Kingdom of Ash" has some of the best fighting sequences in the series. It was satisfying to see Aelin rebuild her strength and use some of the assassin moves she employed back in Book 1.

Speaking of throwbacks to the first book, "Kingdom of Ash" has plenty of them. If you’re someone who enjoys references and Easter eggs, then this is the book to read. There were an astonishing amount of references to the first book in the series. Aelin returns to Endovier, both Dorian and Chaol remember Aelin as the assassin she once was, and Nox Owen returns. Specifically, there is a special moment between the original three characters; Aelin, Chaol, and Dorian, who have been friends since the beginning. Long-time fans of the "Throne of Glass" series will appreciate these emotional and beautifully written moments.

Additionally, fans of Maas’s writing will need a sharp eye to spot a reference to her other series, "A Court of Thorns and Roses." There is a moment that Maas snuck into "Kingdom of Ash" that honestly came out of nowhere. For fans who haven’t read Maas’s other work, the moment might seem like a waste of time. However, for those us who have enjoyed reading "A Court of Thorns and Roses," the moment referenced in "Kingdom of Ash" was worthwhile and touching to read.

The last issue to address is character deaths. Maas isn’t known for mercilessly killing off her heroes and heroines, but "Kingdom of Ash" has its fair amount of death. When we last left off in "Tower of Dawn," there was no hope left for our little band of heroes. Yet in "Kingdom of Ash," some villainous characters finally get what was coming to them. While this is fulfilling to the reader, several character deaths are teased in the process. So many main characters are “about to die” in several moments. This takes away the shock factor of their eventual deaths if they do die.

All in all, "Kingdom of Ash" was a well-plotted and dramatic conclusion to the "Throne of Glass" series. There were plenty of filler moments and professions of love I could have done without, but the character development was amazing across the board. Maas will have more fantasy books published in 2019, and she plans to continue writing in the future.

The "Kingdom of Ash" hardcover is $19.99 and is available now through Bloomsbury Publishing.