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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
💜💜💜💜💜
I love this series so so much. The wait was worth it and I am now going to go and obsessively think about that ending. Thank you for another wonderful adventure in a lovely world Chelsea. I am so looking forward to what is in store for us in book three.
I love this series so so much. The wait was worth it and I am now going to go and obsessively think about that ending. Thank you for another wonderful adventure in a lovely world Chelsea. I am so looking forward to what is in store for us in book three.
adventurous
tense
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Just finished this book and now I want book 3 immediately... 😭😭
adventurous
funny
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It’s high time for book 2. It’s been about 3 years, but Abdullah fans are ready to dive into the Sandsea again (just don’t forget the pearl necklace).
If there isn’t some serious romance in book three, I’m sending my therapy bills directly to Chelsea Abdullah. 😩
3 Reasons to read/continue this series:
- Abdullah dishes out world building that begs to be your next beach read.
- If you’re starved for Arabic mythology driven stories (like me).
- If “found-family”, clever & kick-🍑 female characters and stories-within-stories are vibes you like.
I will admit, I wished this book was more adult vs YA- only because I see multiple slow burns starting to take place and I wanted to see the 🔥🔥🔥🔥.
I will also admit, I struggled a little to imagine some of the more adventurous scenes, but it’s okay- I still had a great time in those chaotic moments.
Netgalley & @orbitbooks_us – TY for coming in strong and providing an ARC to one of my most anticipated reads this year. How soon till book three? 👀👀👀
I’m ready for that family reunion. >>>rubs hands together<<<
I’m ready for that family reunion. >>>rubs hands together<<<
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It has been a while since reading book 1 and even with the roundup offered here, I still felt as if I need a reread. Especially as I found that this story was full of happenings and characters.
There are teeny issues with the writing style like repetition when it comes to specific characters, but overall I felt as if the pacing was good. I'm unsure whether all the characters that are focused on added too much bulk to the story even though it kept me interested and engaged. I'm definitely looking forward to the conclusion.
There are teeny issues with the writing style like repetition when it comes to specific characters, but overall I felt as if the pacing was good. I'm unsure whether all the characters that are focused on added too much bulk to the story even though it kept me interested and engaged. I'm definitely looking forward to the conclusion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’ll be honest, I was underwhelmed by book 1 of this trilogy, The Stardust Thief. It was slow and hard to get into. But this changed all that. Action-packed and engaging, and with the helpful tool of one of your characters being a storyteller, so it’s natural to have a “previously on” blurb at the start of the novel.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
I enjoyed The Stardust Thief both times I read it (I reread it to refresh my memory prior to reading the ARC of The Ashfire King), but I think I liked this brand new sequel even more!
For me, the found family was strengthened a lot, and all of the POV characters had solid character growth over the course of the book. Chelsea Abdullah’s writing flowed seamlessly from Book 1, with the writing style and vibes being a perfect match to what was established in the first book. I really appreciated that the writing was so similar, because a large part of this story takes place in a different location from the setting of Book 1. Sometimes when a series branches off to a new location in a sequel, the feel of the story changes, but that didn’t happen here.
While this series doesn’t feel gut-punching in the way some others do (the Daevabad trilogy comes to mind), it still has very high stakes, betrayals, and innocents caught in the crossfire. The cliffhanger isn’t brutal, either. It’s definitely an “Oh no, that’s very bad” kind of cliffhanger, but the book closes in a more settled way and not so much in a “I need the next book yesterday” way.
There were multiple times while I was reading the second half of the book that I wished someone was buddy reading it with me so I could talk to them about it! I had a great time reading The Ashfire King, and if you love epic fantasy, then I think you will enjoy the Sandsea books, as well! The Ashfire King releases on April 15, 2025!
For me, the found family was strengthened a lot, and all of the POV characters had solid character growth over the course of the book. Chelsea Abdullah’s writing flowed seamlessly from Book 1, with the writing style and vibes being a perfect match to what was established in the first book. I really appreciated that the writing was so similar, because a large part of this story takes place in a different location from the setting of Book 1. Sometimes when a series branches off to a new location in a sequel, the feel of the story changes, but that didn’t happen here.
While this series doesn’t feel gut-punching in the way some others do (the Daevabad trilogy comes to mind), it still has very high stakes, betrayals, and innocents caught in the crossfire. The cliffhanger isn’t brutal, either. It’s definitely an “Oh no, that’s very bad” kind of cliffhanger, but the book closes in a more settled way and not so much in a “I need the next book yesterday” way.
There were multiple times while I was reading the second half of the book that I wished someone was buddy reading it with me so I could talk to them about it! I had a great time reading The Ashfire King, and if you love epic fantasy, then I think you will enjoy the Sandsea books, as well! The Ashfire King releases on April 15, 2025!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Torture
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Many thanks to Netgalley and Orbit Books for an advanced eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.
2. 75 stars but I will round up to 3 stars. This one didn't hold my interest as much as book 1 did. I will say the characters that carried this book where Aisha, Malik and Hakim.
To be honest my favorite parts of this book were the scenes with Aisha and Hakim. Loulie's POV just dragged the book on for what seemed like forever. She seemed to run through this book with little regard to actions and reliant on others to get her out of messes. Malik I feel has potential! It really truly is a slow start with him but I feel the potential and am excited to see how continued real world experience will continue to shape his personality.
I feel like Ziyad made more appearances that was strictly necessary and got boring after a while. Like oh no.. what else could go wrong. Oh right this guy.. again.
The slaughter of proper English language also burned my eyes but seems to be a theme for the past few years.
I would read book 3 purely to see what happens with Omar and Qadir.
2. 75 stars but I will round up to 3 stars. This one didn't hold my interest as much as book 1 did. I will say the characters that carried this book where Aisha, Malik and Hakim.
To be honest my favorite parts of this book were the scenes with Aisha and Hakim. Loulie's POV just dragged the book on for what seemed like forever. She seemed to run through this book with little regard to actions and reliant on others to get her out of messes. Malik I feel has potential! It really truly is a slow start with him but I feel the potential and am excited to see how continued real world experience will continue to shape his personality.
I feel like Ziyad made more appearances that was strictly necessary and got boring after a while. Like oh no.. what else could go wrong. Oh right this guy.. again.
The slaughter of proper English language also burned my eyes but seems to be a theme for the past few years.
I would read book 3 purely to see what happens with Omar and Qadir.