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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
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
The Ashfire King is a thrilling sequel set in the lush world introduced in The Stardust Thief. The characters we met in book 1 are racing across the realms while dealing with forces that vacillate between enemy and ally as new secrets are unearthed and hidden intentions are revealed. In this novel, Chelsea Abdullah deftly expands this world filled with gripping magic and sweeping adventures, while the characters face trials and obstacles that force them to both doubt themselves and grow stronger because of it. Overall a fantastic read, and the reveal at the end certainly will leave the reader eager for the third book of this trilogy! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
adventurous
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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
The Stardust Thief was an incredible start to the Sandsea Trilogy, and I am so pleased that The Ashfire King was as thrilling as its predecessor.
All the characters we love are back--Loulie, Qadir, Mazen, Aisha, Malik--plus several new characters to love and hate. The story picks up right where The Stardust Thief left off: Loulie, Mazen, and the ifrit Rijah have fallen through the Sandsea and into the world that Qadir (the eponymous king) had long before sealed off with ifrit magic. It is a land of jinn struggling to survive as that binding magic begins to fail--whether because of the deaths of the ifrit who created the seals protecting their lands, or because an ifrit named Nabila is using her magic to break the seals. Loulie and Mazen quickly get swept up in the war between Nabila and the jinn queen trying to thwart her, all while trying to figure out how to return to Qadir. Back on the surface, Aisha--still possessed by Amira, the ifrit known as the Resurrectionist--and Malik attempt to free Qadir, who was captured by Omar, the sultan of Madinne and Mazen's duplicitous brother.
This book is cinematic. The scenes are so vividly described and the characters through whom we experience the story (Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha) so richly depicted that it is easy to get lost in this world. Even the birds have personality here. It did seem like a bit of work to set the book up in the beginning, but all the effort paid off by the end when--in scene after scene--meticulously plotted elements from earlier in the story came together. Because the quests both above and below the Sandsea are relatively straightforward, there is more room to develop even minor characters and their histories than might have otherwise been possible in an overly complicated plot.
There are so many loose ends and unanswered questions that are teed up for the final book in the trilogy, as well as a looming problem for our band of wanderers, storytellers, mapmakers, and fighters to overcome. It really was the perfect middle book of a trilogy. I can't wait for the finale!
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
All the characters we love are back--Loulie, Qadir, Mazen, Aisha, Malik--plus several new characters to love and hate. The story picks up right where The Stardust Thief left off: Loulie, Mazen, and the ifrit Rijah have fallen through the Sandsea and into the world that Qadir (the eponymous king) had long before sealed off with ifrit magic. It is a land of jinn struggling to survive as that binding magic begins to fail--whether because of the deaths of the ifrit who created the seals protecting their lands, or because an ifrit named Nabila is using her magic to break the seals. Loulie and Mazen quickly get swept up in the war between Nabila and the jinn queen trying to thwart her, all while trying to figure out how to return to Qadir. Back on the surface, Aisha--still possessed by Amira, the ifrit known as the Resurrectionist--and Malik attempt to free Qadir, who was captured by Omar, the sultan of Madinne and Mazen's duplicitous brother.
This book is cinematic. The scenes are so vividly described and the characters through whom we experience the story (Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha) so richly depicted that it is easy to get lost in this world. Even the birds have personality here. It did seem like a bit of work to set the book up in the beginning, but all the effort paid off by the end when--in scene after scene--meticulously plotted elements from earlier in the story came together. Because the quests both above and below the Sandsea are relatively straightforward, there is more room to develop even minor characters and their histories than might have otherwise been possible in an overly complicated plot.
There are so many loose ends and unanswered questions that are teed up for the final book in the trilogy, as well as a looming problem for our band of wanderers, storytellers, mapmakers, and fighters to overcome. It really was the perfect middle book of a trilogy. I can't wait for the finale!
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
A good continuation of the first book. I loved learning more about the djinn and their world in this book. Qadir and Loulie didn't interact as much in this book and I did miss that because I love their familial relationship. I was a little disappointed that we didn't really get to know Rijah as much as I thought we would in this book. Overall I thought this one was a lot of fun. I finished it in like a day. The one problem with ARCs is that you have to wait longer for the next one to come out and I'm very excited to see how this story ends.
adventurous
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
Edit: 20 august 22: it has a cover!!! Eeek this is exciting
Carol L,
I completely agree at the lack of thought for a person with feelings at the recieving end of these ridiculous ratings.
After having read the first in this series I personally can not wait to read the rest! [a:Chelsea Abdullah|21632010|Chelsea Abdullah|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1625383654p2/21632010.jpg] write faster please ;)
Carol L,
I completely agree at the lack of thought for a person with feelings at the recieving end of these ridiculous ratings.
After having read the first in this series I personally can not wait to read the rest! [a:Chelsea Abdullah|21632010|Chelsea Abdullah|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1625383654p2/21632010.jpg] write faster please ;)
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Finally finished the arc. OMG WHY WOULD IT END AT THAT AAAARGH???
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The cover is here!!
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FaXp4bQaQAEcEYZ.jpg">
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The cover is here!!
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FaXp4bQaQAEcEYZ.jpg">