You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Review:
Having absolutely loved The Serpent and the Wings of Night and Six Scorched Roses, I was eagerly anticipating the conclusion of Oraya and Rein’s story in The Ashes and the Star Cursed King. The first book left me with a huge cliffhanger, so my expectations were sky high. While this second book didn’t quite hit the same high mark for me, it was still an incredibly solid read.
In the beginning, the story had a slow build, especially with the tension between Oraya and Reihn, which was understandably intense, but I felt it took a bit too long to get to the meat of their relationship. The development of their bond, however, was masterfully done by Broadbent. The slow burn enemies to lovers dynamic had my heart in knots, and the way their connection deepened was one of the book’s highlights. But the pacing in the middle could have been tighter. it felt like the plot was dragging a bit before the explosive final act.
Now, towards the end, I was on the edge of my seat. Around the last 20% of the book, everything kicked into high gear. The twists, turns, and revelations kept me hooked, and I didn’t know what was going to happen next. It definitely redeemed the pacing issues earlier on. As for the world building, I loved how Reihn and Oraya worked to bring two warring factions together…there’s a powerful message of unity in their efforts.
While I didn’t fall in love with The Ashes and the Star Cursed King as much as I did with the first book, I still really enjoyed it. I’m not sure if their story is completely over, but there’s definitely potential for more exploration in this world. And though the romance wasn’t as immediate and gripping as in the first, the emotional payoff by the end made up for it.
Audiobook Review:
The audiobook is a fantastic way to experience this story. The narration really brought the emotional depth of Oraya and Reihn’s journey to life, with the pacing syncing well with the highs and lows of the plot. The voices were perfectly chosen for the characters, and the delivery added layers to the intense moments of the story. While I did feel like the pace of the book slowed down at times, the audiobook kept me engaged through it all, and I was captivated by the way the narrators brought the complex emotions and tension to life.
Review:
Having absolutely loved The Serpent and the Wings of Night and Six Scorched Roses, I was eagerly anticipating the conclusion of Oraya and Rein’s story in The Ashes and the Star Cursed King. The first book left me with a huge cliffhanger, so my expectations were sky high. While this second book didn’t quite hit the same high mark for me, it was still an incredibly solid read.
In the beginning, the story had a slow build, especially with the tension between Oraya and Reihn, which was understandably intense, but I felt it took a bit too long to get to the meat of their relationship. The development of their bond, however, was masterfully done by Broadbent. The slow burn enemies to lovers dynamic had my heart in knots, and the way their connection deepened was one of the book’s highlights. But the pacing in the middle could have been tighter. it felt like the plot was dragging a bit before the explosive final act.
Now, towards the end, I was on the edge of my seat. Around the last 20% of the book, everything kicked into high gear. The twists, turns, and revelations kept me hooked, and I didn’t know what was going to happen next. It definitely redeemed the pacing issues earlier on. As for the world building, I loved how Reihn and Oraya worked to bring two warring factions together…there’s a powerful message of unity in their efforts.
While I didn’t fall in love with The Ashes and the Star Cursed King as much as I did with the first book, I still really enjoyed it. I’m not sure if their story is completely over, but there’s definitely potential for more exploration in this world. And though the romance wasn’t as immediate and gripping as in the first, the emotional payoff by the end made up for it.
Audiobook Review:
The audiobook is a fantastic way to experience this story. The narration really brought the emotional depth of Oraya and Reihn’s journey to life, with the pacing syncing well with the highs and lows of the plot. The voices were perfectly chosen for the characters, and the delivery added layers to the intense moments of the story. While I did feel like the pace of the book slowed down at times, the audiobook kept me engaged through it all, and I was captivated by the way the narrators brought the complex emotions and tension to life.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I barely remembered anything from the first book but I enjoyed this one! This was more looking into the backstory of everything and I love a backstory.
Raihn & oraya aka "I'm on my guard for the rest of the world but with you, I know it's no good"
They are also SO "I love you." "I know."
Raihn born to be a wife guy, forced to be the rishan king
Kinda weird to make their wings an erogenous zone but okay
Oraya: I fear only one person has ever truly understood me and I fucking hate the guy
They're taking the phrase "suckin and fuckin" to a whole new level with all this blood drinking
Love how they turned the remains of Vincent's sword into blades for oraya. She's not trying to wield his power anymore, she's making it her own. And that power is coming from her human side
I'd like to point out that everyone has very fantasy-sounding names and then there's fucking Simon
It's cool how in the flashbacks there are a lot of parallels, you may think it's one person's pov or that they're talking about a specific event but then it turns out to be something else
Vincent & Alana are so silver springs "you'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you"
Unfortunately Raihn has written-by-a-woman disease in that no man is this perfect (has basic human decency)
Raihn & oraya aka "I'm on my guard for the rest of the world but with you, I know it's no good"
They are also SO "I love you." "I know."
Raihn born to be a wife guy, forced to be the rishan king
Kinda weird to make their wings an erogenous zone but okay
Oraya: I fear only one person has ever truly understood me and I fucking hate the guy
They're taking the phrase "suckin and fuckin" to a whole new level with all this blood drinking
Love how they turned the remains of Vincent's sword into blades for oraya. She's not trying to wield his power anymore, she's making it her own. And that power is coming from her human side
I'd like to point out that everyone has very fantasy-sounding names and then there's fucking Simon
It's cool how in the flashbacks there are a lot of parallels, you may think it's one person's pov or that they're talking about a specific event but then it turns out to be something else
Vincent & Alana are so silver springs "you'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you"
Unfortunately Raihn has written-by-a-woman disease in that no man is this perfect (has basic human decency)
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Serè algo ambigua por ser el segundo libro.
Empieza con muy buen ritmo aunque a veces sentìa que decaì un poquito pero de inmediato volvìa agarrar el ritmo.
Los personajes si tuvieron un desarrollo y crecimiento, algunos los sentìa de adorno que no aportan a la trama lo cual lamento ya que se podìan aprovechar màs.
Algo que disfrute fue leer todos los secretos que se iban relevando y me dejaron en shock.
Toda la trama estuvo genial me mantuvo en tensiòn todo el tiempo aunque el final me dejó satisfecha pero no fue mi favorito se resolvìo rápido y conveniente para los personajes.
Algo que si me queda claro es que yo voy a leer todo lo que escriba Carissa Broadbent su forma de escribir me dejo encantada, si ella me pasa su lista del super me la leo fascinada.
Empieza con muy buen ritmo aunque a veces sentìa que decaì un poquito pero de inmediato volvìa agarrar el ritmo.
Los personajes si tuvieron un desarrollo y crecimiento, algunos los sentìa de adorno que no aportan a la trama lo cual lamento ya que se podìan aprovechar màs.
Algo que disfrute fue leer todos los secretos que se iban relevando y me dejaron en shock.
Toda la trama estuvo genial me mantuvo en tensiòn todo el tiempo aunque el final me dejó satisfecha pero no fue mi favorito se resolvìo rápido y conveniente para los personajes.
Algo que si me queda claro es que yo voy a leer todo lo que escriba Carissa Broadbent su forma de escribir me dejo encantada, si ella me pasa su lista del super me la leo fascinada.
i think i need to bite the bullet on this one.
i stopped reading it after it was revealed thatthe bracelet was the key to the god-map thing . i just got major ick...like the answer felt so unearned, total mcguffin vibes. and i get it, i really do -- the bracelet is meaningful more in a character growth sense and symbolic of oraya's personal journey grappling with her past. i'm not blind to that; i mean, oraya outright tells us so immediately after! i just wish that this story would stop pretending to be an epic fantasy with serious plot. there are many books that can balance both great character explorations and great plot (often enriching each other!), but this does not seem to be one of them. i was hoping to take a break and come back to it at some point, if only to say i did it... but it's been like a month and a half atp. i keep procrastinating picking it back up. and who knows, maybe i will one day! but i think putting this on the DNF shelf will let me breathe easier.
on a side note: idk whether the worldbuilding (which DID finally occur, thank goodness) can be counted as plagiarism of SJM? or is ACOTAR just like romantasy's LOTR now?? will sensitive bat wings, huge age gap romances and this weirdly specific inheritance system for the throne just become the romantasy norm, like how elves and dwarves are the fantasy norm?
i stopped reading it after it was revealed that
on a side note: idk whether the worldbuilding (which DID finally occur, thank goodness) can be counted as plagiarism of SJM? or is ACOTAR just like romantasy's LOTR now?? will sensitive bat wings, huge age gap romances and this weirdly specific inheritance system for the throne just become the romantasy norm, like how elves and dwarves are the fantasy norm?