Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so so good. With The Stardust Thief already being such an incredible book I expected nothing less. I worried as many fantasy series tend to fall flat in the second novel, but Ashfire King defies that fate. The pacing was done exceptionally well and the character development was done really well. Very excited for the next installment!
It has been so long since The Stardust Thief! I'm thrilled that Abdullah put a little summary recap in the beginning. It jogged my memory, and it is greatly appreciated! We pick up where we left off in book one.
My favorite thing about this series is the characters! Several characters come together and form a little found family—a heads up to those who love that trope. We delve much deeper into several of these characters, and many have a lot of growth. I loved the short stories throughout the book! They were short, but impactful.
Mazen was a character that probably grew the most since the first book. He comes into his own and makes some huge jumps in his character. I adored his relationship with everyone. He's unsure of himself but constantly leads with his heart. He has come a long way in this book. Qadir takes a step back in this book. He is one of my favorites, so that was a little disappointing. I get why it happened, but I was not happy about it! I did find myself struggling with Aisha's chapters for a while. I know she's struggling to find balance with herself and who she's carrying. I do love her snarky attitude when she's around the group. Some of her lines are pretty hilarious! I want to point out there is no romance in this book!! We get hints of something happening, but you are not getting a romance here. :)
A lot of the beginning and middle were slow-paced. We don't get much movement in the overall plot. There are a lot of new characters, some that I love, but it takes time. It's very character driven, and Abdullah is expanding our world. I loved getting to see more sides to this world she's created. It's not until about 60% that the plot takes off. Even though it's a slower-paced book, I still enjoyed my time with it. The ending was fantastic, and I did NOT see that coming!
Overall, this was a solid sequel with slower-moving parts. The characters had a lot of character growth. I enjoyed their overall arcs. The ending to this was insane and makes me want to read book three now! I did not see it coming, and I'm usually pretty good at figuring stuff like that out. If you enjoyed The Stardust Thief, I think you will enjoy this one too. I do hope we don't have to wait as long for book three!
Thank you, Orbit, for the arc!! All thoughts and opinions are my own
My favorite thing about this series is the characters! Several characters come together and form a little found family—a heads up to those who love that trope. We delve much deeper into several of these characters, and many have a lot of growth. I loved the short stories throughout the book! They were short, but impactful.
Mazen was a character that probably grew the most since the first book. He comes into his own and makes some huge jumps in his character. I adored his relationship with everyone. He's unsure of himself but constantly leads with his heart. He has come a long way in this book. Qadir takes a step back in this book. He is one of my favorites, so that was a little disappointing. I get why it happened, but I was not happy about it! I did find myself struggling with Aisha's chapters for a while. I know she's struggling to find balance with herself and who she's carrying. I do love her snarky attitude when she's around the group. Some of her lines are pretty hilarious! I want to point out there is no romance in this book!! We get hints of something happening, but you are not getting a romance here. :)
A lot of the beginning and middle were slow-paced. We don't get much movement in the overall plot. There are a lot of new characters, some that I love, but it takes time. It's very character driven, and Abdullah is expanding our world. I loved getting to see more sides to this world she's created. It's not until about 60% that the plot takes off. Even though it's a slower-paced book, I still enjoyed my time with it. The ending was fantastic, and I did NOT see that coming!
Overall, this was a solid sequel with slower-moving parts. The characters had a lot of character growth. I enjoyed their overall arcs. The ending to this was insane and makes me want to read book three now! I did not see it coming, and I'm usually pretty good at figuring stuff like that out. If you enjoyed The Stardust Thief, I think you will enjoy this one too. I do hope we don't have to wait as long for book three!
Thank you, Orbit, for the arc!! All thoughts and opinions are my own
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Stardust Thief was one of my favorite books of 2022, so I’m thrilled that I loved this one as well.
It was so wonderful to get back to Loulie, Mazan, and Aisha and see where the events of the first book have taken them; Loulie and Mazen are now in the Sandsea and Aisha remains in the human realm, and Abdullah does a great job at balancing them, especially during the times where the cast is separate from each other. There is a very helpful recap at the start of the book, and as always I love the way Abdullah weaves in stories within the story. The worldbuilding is excellent and I love the influence of Middle Eastern folklore, and it’s very apparent that this book is steeped in love. I didn’t reread The Stardust Thief before picking The Ashfire King up, but it was easy to get swept back into the world and find my footing.
This is a bit of a middle book in that it definitely feels like a bridge, but plenty happens that keeps it compelling and there were times I found it hard to put down. The characters are the standout, so even if the plot was maybe a little slower than the prior installment, I wasn’t bothered. I loved seeing familiar faces, but the new characters were also a pleasure to meet and had interesting histories. I think everyone’s development over the course of the book was good and I’ve loved watching them grow and change. I’m curious to see how Abdullah will wrap everything up in the final book, but I will absolutely be seated for it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Abdullah is so underhyped it's frankly criminal. I reread book one in anticipation of this release, and I was still absolutely delighted to see how creatively she recapped the first book's plot at the start of The Ashfire King (we love our long-winded prince!!). It takes about 20% or so for the plot to really thicken in this installment and for the quest to kick in, but once it does, the action moves at breakneck speed. I need an entire glossary of the ifrit stories (please!!!!), because they are so fascinating and also I can't keep them straight, and every time Loulie tells herself "wow this magic really is too complicated for me to understand," I would think, same girl. My understanding of the magic that holds together the jinn realm is about as solid as the magic holding together the jinn realms, but I was still having a great time.
I love our little cast of found family misfits so much, and seeing the character development for each of our primary crew - Qadir, Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha - was so gratifying. The friendship and partnership between Qadir and Loulie is so damn pure and heartwarming and I just love seeing them fight for one another, and Aisha's journey to accepting the limitations of her own abilities and experiences is well done. I also deeply appreciate the exploration of duty and unasked-for responsibility in Qadir and Mazen's storylines and the ways the narrative questions the stories we tell about war. I cannot wait to see where we journey in book three.
I love our little cast of found family misfits so much, and seeing the character development for each of our primary crew - Qadir, Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha - was so gratifying. The friendship and partnership between Qadir and Loulie is so damn pure and heartwarming and I just love seeing them fight for one another, and Aisha's journey to accepting the limitations of her own abilities and experiences is well done. I also deeply appreciate the exploration of duty and unasked-for responsibility in Qadir and Mazen's storylines and the ways the narrative questions the stories we tell about war. I cannot wait to see where we journey in book three.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Seriously the little bird isn’t the only slow burn in this book. An interesting story about intent versus impact, and those who have to remedy the fallout of decisions made by rulers. I’m not sure if it was me or the book but it felt a bit long. Still I am curious and want to see what happens in books three.