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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
AHHHH this book was an emotional rollercoaster! I adore Loulie and Mazen, my precious babies. Their slow burn is everything to me.
I’m so intrigued to see more of Omar and his ridiculousness in book three. The world-building and all the new characters added so much depth, and I especially loved Azhar.
I’m glad Hakim got the arc he deserved. He is so precious. I’m praying Aisha catches a break—she’s really going through it.
And above all I am so excited to see where Qadir will go from here. That ending has rendered me speechless
Even though it had a slow start, it quickly became addictive. I’m so excited for the finale!
Thank you Hachette Canada for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’m so intrigued to see more of Omar and his ridiculousness in book three. The world-building and all the new characters added so much depth, and I especially loved Azhar.
I’m glad Hakim got the arc he deserved. He is so precious. I’m praying Aisha catches a break—she’s really going through it.
And above all I am so excited to see where Qadir will go from here. That ending has rendered me speechless
Even though it had a slow start, it quickly became addictive. I’m so excited for the finale!
Thank you Hachette Canada for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
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
What is that ENDINGGGGGGG
The second book in the installment features Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha as the primary POVs once more, with additional characters as they journey through the Sandsea and beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it was totally worth the three-year wait (do I have to wait another three years for the next one? D: )
The pacing was medium, occasionally slowing down in some areas, while the action-packed scenes made up for it as the crew tries to survive what's thrown at them (remember, it's just a merchant, storyteller, and well, a thief). I enjoy Abdullah's writing and the way the story builds, in addition to how easily I comprehend the fantasy aspects. I highly enjoyed Aisha and her POV, as she shows probably the most character development since the beginning of The Stardust Thief.
My only concerns were ofMazen and Qadir. 1) Mazen seems to be the sidekick and doesn't bring much to the table. He is simply a storyteller, and even with the newly acquired firebird, the most he can do is light ashfire in dim halls. I know he had saved Loulie several times, but I wish he had brought more to the fight. 2) Qadir. The amount he is mentioned mainly by Loulie during the first 75% of the book, versus how much he was actually present, was sad. I really loved him in the first book, so I was hoping to see his comeback much sooner, especially because this book title is "The Ashfire King". Also, can I just mention how I laughed at Ziyad by the end? He just kept popping up LOL I thought he was never going to die
Regardless, I love this series, and will continue reading on...!!
The second book in the installment features Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha as the primary POVs once more, with additional characters as they journey through the Sandsea and beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it was totally worth the three-year wait (do I have to wait another three years for the next one? D: )
The pacing was medium, occasionally slowing down in some areas, while the action-packed scenes made up for it as the crew tries to survive what's thrown at them (remember, it's just a merchant, storyteller, and well, a thief). I enjoy Abdullah's writing and the way the story builds, in addition to how easily I comprehend the fantasy aspects. I highly enjoyed Aisha and her POV, as she shows probably the most character development since the beginning of The Stardust Thief.
My only concerns were of
Regardless, I love this series, and will continue reading on...!!
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
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
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
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was easy to jump back into from book 1. World is very immersive. I loved the interspersed short stories within the book. Pacing was very well done. Good character growth throughout with only a hint of romance. Really enjoyed and would recommend to those looking for a character driven fantasy with little to no romance with an immersive setting.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I was completely enamoured with The Stardust Thief after I read it so l was so excited to finally read The Ashfire King. Thankfully Chelsea Abdullah provided a brief refresher at the beginning before diving right back into the story (I love that more authors are doing this).
The pacing was well balanced, there were quite a few slow paced sections but then some fantastic fast paced action elements were included that woke everything up. The journey across the Sandsea was spectacular and I loved how Abdullah was able to masterfully detail everything to draw the reader into each scene. Each action scene was packed with so much and the lead up to each was tense and climactic.
Everything, from the writing to world building to character development was just as captivating as the first book. We get to see more from each character, how their arcs develop for themselves and with each other. I wish there had been more of Qadir because he was thoroughly missed for the majority of the tale. Loulie and Mazen were amazing together and Aisha gave us so much more of herself throughout this adventure. She had some of the best dimension and depth drawn into her arc.
I'm sad I don't already have the next in the series ready to read.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Unfortunately, this book really missed the mark for me.
I absolutely loved The Stardust Thief, I loved the characters, I had TAK preordered as soon as I could, and I spoke nothing but highly of this author/series.
This book put me into a huge reading slump. Frankly, I was bored and confused. This felt like a completely different series that had no connection to the first book. Like a spin-off with the same characters.
The thing with the bindings made no sense to me. There were way too many characters that were not needed. The entire middle section with Nabila was so annoying- she is such a pain in the a** character I had no interest in learning about her.
I liked the inclusion of the marids, but Duha and Ziyad were just flat!
Not sure I’ll continue this series when the third book comes out in a decade or whenever. 🙃
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes