Reviews - The Ashfire King

334 reviews for:

The Ashfire King

Chelsea Abdullah

4.16 AVERAGE

heliotropish's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

awesomeeallyson's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous 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

I fear I might be alone in my review of this book, but I didn't love it as much as I loved The Stardust Thief, which to be fair, I read almost a year ago at this point. I think I did myself a disservice by not re-reading the first before diving into the sequel. I had high hopes for the The Ashfire King, but I could not get invested in the story. The characters felt like strangers to each other which made it hard for me to pick someone to root for.

The pacing of the story also felt really odd to me. There were some scenes I found myself glued to but then other sections I found myself zoning out during and losing focus. This plot is incredibly well thought out, but there's a lot of deceit and moving parts. If you miss one thing you quickly start to lose the entire plot. I love Chelsea Abdullah's writing, but this sequel just didn't do for me what I had hoped. That ending though - if there's one thing Abdullah is good at it's ending on a cliff hanger!

I will be reading the third but I will also be doing a full re-read of the entire series before I get there.

restlessranda's review against another edition

3.0

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: Complicated

reviewsbyleyla's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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: Complicated

amorrill's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

cherireads's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous 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: Complicated

readingwithmamakenna's review against another edition

4.0

ARC Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @orbitbooks_us, @netgalley and the author @chelsabdullah for the #gifted e-book.

Chelsea Abdullah delivers an epic, richly woven sequel in The Ashfire King, and it absolutely burns in all the best ways. Our sharp and endlessly fascinating Midnight Merchant returns, and the stakes are higher, the betrayals deeper, and the world even more magical than before.

Set in an Arab-inspired fantasy realm teeming with ancient cities, vanishing islands, and lived-in ruins, this book is pure adventure. We’ve got sailing in sinking sand, spies (including birds—yes, birds), fire magic, grief-forged bonds, and a legendary smuggler tangled in a dangerous quest. There’s even a dare involving a magic carpet.

Schemes unfold in every corner. The cast expands with not one but two ragtag teams, all working toward conflicting goals that twist and turn like a desert storm. Abdullah shines in blending myth with emotion, layering her story with tales within tales that challenge what’s true and what’s merely legend.

The line that stayed with me?
“She had made herself into a weapon so that she would not falter.
And she would not. Never again.”
Powerful. Fierce. Exactly the kind of heroine and story I crave.

If you loved The Stardust Thief, this sequel ups the ante in every way. Magical, dangerous, and emotionally grounded—it’s a ride you won’t want to end.