Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

7 reviews

kelread's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a commentary/rating on the series itself, not just this book (which is roughly 500 pages too damn long): I don't get the hype. There are so many threads, so many arcs, character development is borderline contrived, some romantic relationships between characters baffling, and there are just. so. many. plotlines. and too. many. words. And good lord does Maas love to write a torture scene which is 100% not my jam.

TBH, I finished it out of spite.  

Diehard SJM fans will (and do love this). 

Fans of ACOTAR...it's a 50/50 chance and it's worth noting that there's not much spice (or, really, spark).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Blood

rainydays191's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? No

5.0

I'm quite literally speechless. I have never cried more, never smiled more, never felt more deeply for a set of characters. Nothing can top this.

It was truly devastating at the start with aelin captured and being tortured. I was sobbing. And then I'd remember Sam and sob even more. I didn't think I could possible cry more until Asterin and the rest of the thirteen came along. 
And Elide's cunning throughout the book and with the plan at the end, Yrene's courage, lysandra's strength to keep giving and take on the burden (even when Aedion was being an ass), Manon's character growth into becoming a queen of two peoples and taking them home, Asterin and the Thirteen's heartbreaking sacrifice to buy Manon and the witches a chance to go home - she deserved so much more that this world could give her and i hope shes happy in tbr Afterworld, (wish we saw more of Borte), Ansel of briarcliff's return and her companionship with both Aelin and Manon, Nesryn growing into the empress she will become, Evangeline melting Darrow's old heart. This is a tale of women supported with the magic of the old fae bastards who gave good comic relief. 

But Fenrys stole my heart in those first few chapters and the way he would've sacrificed himself twice for aelin. Their blinking communication still kills me. Gavriel was also such a sweetheart, helping elide during their journey. I'm devestated that aedion didnt get a chance at all to know him and the other way around too. Lord Lorcan Lochan finally stopped being an ass. 

I really wish we had more ilias and the silent master though (that was one thing I was disappointed with but honestly I didn't even miss it that much because so much was happening already). And the final goodbye to galan was pretty touching too - I'm intrigued by his character.

In fact that entire goodbye sequence was bittersweet. 

I love the little fledgling court.
The only thing that irks me is the fact that Aelin lost so much of her power, and Monon lost the Thirteen (each other's strengths). Why do the female characters always loose their power. I guess Dorian did too, but still, it's annoying. 

And finally chaol and Dorian. No words. I'm so glad we got to see their growth during the series, how they grew into their roles. I will always love them. My golden trio.

(And aelin, no character could ever top her. She bears it all no one else has to 😭)

I will always admire the way SJM was able to make us empathize with a fall in love with every single character regardless of how many pages we see them in. I'm still a little bitter that we didn't get to see Roland come back again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide

Minor: Child death

sierrabowers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

This was an amazing end to a brilliant series. I am in awe of the world that Sarah J Maas has created and the characters that have stolen my heart. I cried reading the ending because Aelin was a character that I came to know and love. After reading through all of her heartbreaking experiences, finally seeing the end is bittersweet. The ending was much better than anticipated and I cannot wait to read Sarah’s new book in January! Sad that the throne of glass series is over but it will forever be one of my favorites. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Death, Abandonment, Animal death, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Cursing, Grief, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Murder, Pregnancy, Torture, and War

tagau's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

5.0

Sarah J. Maas's "Kingdom of Ash" was a thrilling conclusion to her "Throne of Glass" series. From the very first page, I was drawn into a world of magic and falling in love with the complex characters that are both relatable and larger than life. In this final book, she brings all of her beloved characters together for a final battle against the forces of evil.

Maas keeps the tension high, with unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.There were moments of heartbreak and despair, as well as moments of triumph and hope. Through it all, Maas never lost sight of the emotional core of her story. Each character was given their moment to shine, and the relationships between them are explored in satisfying detail.

Overall, "Kingdom of Ash" is a fantastic conclusion to the series. The world and characters that will be something that I think of often, it is utterly unforgettable. I highly recommended this series for anyone who loves epic fantasy, strong female characters, and a thrilling, action-packed story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, and Slavery

Moderate: Dysphoria, Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, Mental illness, Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Pregnancy

sdemo08's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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

5.0

Whew. I got a little worried toward the end and wasn't sure if I could finish. There were so many plot points to keep up with and I felt like every couple of pages was some sort of mind-boggling plot twist, martyrdom, or marathon between characters racing to the finish before their clock stopped. Ultimately I liked it but I'm glad it's over.

[Fire on "black currant" crocheted blanket]

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Sexual assault, War, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Cursing, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, Gaslighting, Genocide, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

kat1105's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Child abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Torture, Abandonment, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, War, Vomit, Classism, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Violence

juliette_95's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Confinement, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Vomit