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First thing to say is, if you think the book is a hefty tome, the audiobook is a marathon - over 33 hours! And yet there is so much going on in this final instalment that it doesn't feel anywhere close to that! The story is a long, slow build, full of emotion, revelation and pay offs, with set piece battles and skirmishes that give you all the action and drama you could want. It really is a masterclass is how to draw an epic story to a beautiful and satisfying conclusion, with no real threads left properly hanging... although, like everyone else, I really want to know what Lorcan did! š¤š And there is absolutely scope for her to return to the series one day (I would LOVE to see Aelin, Feyre and Bryce together, with Rhys, Rowan and Hunt sharing a bottle of whiskey or five and despairing of their womenfolk's inability to behave...)
That being said, I do think reading this one has far more emotional impact than listening to it. Somehow, I got more immersed in the world when reading from the physical page, and I found it easier to digest the many different changes in POV. The sheer number of characters that SJM manages to balance is incredible, and she does it so well, but if you do struggle with multiple perspectives this is not going to be a book you'll enjoy. The secondary characters all have such wonderful story arcs though; there's something in each one of their stories that makes them so easy to fall in with and like. I'd argue it's the most 'even' ensemble cast of the author's works and all of their conclusions are pitch perfect.
There is a small part of me that wonders if the story did get away from SJM slightly towards the end. It all works and ties together, but there are a few small things that feel a bit fudged in here. By no means does this spoil my enjoyment, but it does send my brain off into questioning mode; not great when you're trying to concentrate on the narration! Likewise, where this book is so long and there is constantly something happening, it's very easy for the story to get away from the reader. Trying to remember who comprised which group was often an issue, especial without the written reminders of the physical book, and while the battle scenes are well handled, there's a lot of repeated tactics etc that kind of make them merge into one a bit.
I'd also say this is probably the weakest of the audiobooks in terms of narration. Elizabeth Evans does a sterling job, but where she uses identical intonation on certain words and phrases *cough* for a heartbeat *cough*, it does make it a harder listen. She certainly can't be accused of being monotone or boring to listen to, but equally there were certain moments that I don't think hit quite as hard as they should have because there just wasn't the oomph/gentle sincerity/depth of emotion in her voice. The engagement just faded away, which is a shame.
I am 1000% looking forward to the dramatised graphic audios when they arrive, as I suspect they will pick up on a few of the issues that arise with the 'straight' audiobook and give us the missing ingredient. Still, well worth listening to!
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Ableism, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Classism
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief
Minor: Pregnancy
Graphic: Confinement, Torture
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Violence, War
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Pregnancy
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, War
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Torture
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, War
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, War
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Death of parent
And I will not be afraidā¦.
CAUSE IVE OFFICIALLY FINISHED READING THROUGH THE SJM UNIVERSE AND I DONāT KNOW HOW TO COPE WITH ITš
Holy shit monkeys. WOW. Justā¦ wowā¦.
I feel like I adored all of the SJM sagas but Throne of Glass really got me feeling lots of feelings. It was a slow burn love story between me and the series because it started off being real meh and turned into one of my all time fav series. I loved it. Seriously. Iām gonna force anyone who will listen to me to read it.
Onto Kingdom of Ash in particular:
This finale was epic. So much heart was put into it and the war and chaos and grief aspects were beautifully done. For a series with a crazy amount of characters, all of their stories were all lovingly ended and tied with a bow. Even Aedion, whom I shanāt punch. (Iāve forgiven his antics)
The sense of peace and hope this book ended withā¦ TEARS!!! So many tears were shed throughout, though. And even though I believe the ending was perfect I STILL WANT MORE DAMMIT!
I want an entire epilogue book thatās written 10 years in the future cause I wanna check on everybody and see how theyāre all doing! They deserve a happy book like ACOTAR got with frost and starlight.
In conclusion, Iām gonna miss these characters very very much.
Anywho, Iām distraught. Bye. āļø
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail