Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7) by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Kingdom of Ash

Series: Throne of Glass, #7

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Pages: 992

Genre: YA Fantasy

My Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

This review will contain spoilers from all the books in the Throne of Glass series including book 7, Kingdom of Ash. I also want to preface this by saying this won’t be much of a “real” review, but rather more of my personal feelings (ranting and raving, I guess?) on the characters and how this series wrapped up.

However, despite my soon-to-be rant, I want to also say that I really did enjoy this book and I am overall satisfied with how things ended. I think SJM’s writing has improved so much in each book, and she really does know how to write a kick ass battle/action scene. And while I did think this book could’ve been shortened by at least 200 pages, I was loving the action and felt like I was transported in the middle of it.

Okay, so here is a messy hodgepodge of my thoughts! SPOILERS BELOW!

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⇒ Right away I felt like the book progressed SO SLOWLY. Aedion and Lysandra’s POVs was boring me to tears, and Aelin’s captive scenes really dragged and dragged. This book really needed to be shorter because it gave me the worst slump of my life.

⇒ Speaking of Aelin, her “prison break” scene was my absolute favorite part. It was so wonderfully executed and I felt every single piece of raw emotion. Brilliant, I tell you! And when she reunited with Rowan for the first time and gasped, “Fenrys” (implying he needs to go back and get him)? I died. Such a great scene.

⇒ So, let’s talk about how The Thirteen got SCREWED. Is it just me or does SJM think they’re the most “disposable” characters in the series? Because they seriously got the shaft. Asterin was one of my favorites but she and the Thirteen were basically used as a plot device. I actually cried and I am NEVER a crier.

⇒ What was up with Dorian shapeshifting? *insert major eye roll* I really, REALLY do not like it when an already-powerful character all of a sudden discovers another powerful ability. Oh, how convenient! Now he can shapeshift so he can spy on Erawan. And when he shifted into a woman? Dorian, THEY’RE LEGS. They’re not any different than the legs you have as a dude. It was like reading a really cringy scene written by a male author who doesn’t understand the female body: “And then she walked down the stairs boobily in just her panties.” Legit expected that. *bangs head against desk*

⇒ So, uhh, was Chaol even in this book?

⇒ I really love Yrene and I’m glad she ended up having a huge role in the end. At first I was convinced she and Chaol were going to die after they were bonded in Tower of Dawn. But then I realized SJM was pregnant while writing this book and there was no way she’d kill off a pregnant Yrene.

⇒ Unpopular opinion time: I don’t like Lysandra’s shapeshifting powers. I love Lysandra as a characters but, again, I feel like shapeshifting is too CONVENIENT of a power to have in the fantasy world, and it gives me no suspense when she’s in a battle scene.

⇒ Nesryn and Sartaq were just… there? More plot devices, I suppose.

⇒ Lol @ Maeve. That is all.

⇒ My thoughts on Rowan still stand: Dude is a dud.

⇒ I wildly giggled when I read the Rhys and Feyre cameo. But Aelin flying through different worlds immediately made me think of the wild, psychedelic scene from Doctor Strange. And then imagining Rhys give her a little “boost” made me chuckle. But, my Rhys-loving heart was living for that scene. SJM would probably get so much hate but I’d fully support a TOG/ACOTAR crossover.

⇒ I would read an entire book on Lorcan and Elide’s romance. Forever and always.

⇒ The ending wrapped up a bit too… perfectly. I mean, I’m glad no one else died (but I’ll always be bitter about the Thirteen) but it was just a neat ending. Perhaps a little too tidy, especially when just ten days after the war everyone is dancing. But I guess SJM would want to leave it open to any possible future spin offs?

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So overall I really did enjoy this finale despite my rants above. And I do think that if you’ve been a fan of this series from the get-go then you’ll like how it all wrapped up. I personally was disappointed with how many scenes dragged and dragged, and how horribly the Thirteen got thrown under the bus. But I hope my random thoughts weren’t offensive to anyone, and I truly hope you enjoyed this book! If you didn’t, I’d love to hear why!

xx,

Amy