Reviews

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao

exquisite_tragedy's review against another edition

2.0

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night was one of my favorite YA fantasy books in 2023, so I’m soooo sad this final installment didn’t work for me at all. I was already a little wary after seeing this was going to be quite a bit shorter, but I still went into it with pretty high expectations. While it was still very mystical and immersive, this just ended up falling so flat. The characters were very simple and I felt like we got absolutely zero character development. It even felt like we lost character development between the two books. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but some of my favorite side characters didn’t get nearly enough screen time which was very disappointing. The climax and resolution was anticlimactic and I was a little let down by the epilogue. Also, for some reason this installment read a lot younger to me. Excluding one particular scene, I would have thought this was a middle grade book. That might work for some people, but I just wasn’t expecting it.

I still want to pick up future books from this author though. Considering how much I loved the first book, I can definitely see myself liking more books from her in the future.

Story: 2/5
Audiobook: 5/5 (narrated by Annie Q)
Length 12h16min

charlihammond's review against another edition

5.0

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Amelie Wen Zhao and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

I was genuinely so excited to read the second book in this duology after falling in love with the first book. It is steeped in chinese mythology and folklore, which I am finding is where my heart is at.

The writing is beautiful, descriptive and almost poetic in parts. I loved the plot of this installment and how it all played out. Our main characters Lan and Zen are really brilliant counterparts, the yin to the yang. We get to see even more character development and insight into their pasts, particularly Zen's. We are also introduced to some new characters and parts of the world.

The use of magic in this book is really unique and easy to understand. I love the concept of the qi of everything. Although the concept was new to me in this duology it made perfect sense and was described brilliantly. The descriptions of everything in this book make it so easy to see everything play out, even though I often struggle to 'see' what I am reading.

This book has shattered by heart in to a million pieces and I am not sure I will ever be the same again. I think Lan and Zen will live on forever in my heart.

If you love the celestial kingdoms duology then I'd highly recommend this duology too.

libraryofronjarathe's review

adventurous medium-paced

3.0

theunrulyasian's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.5

lau_vansunshine's review against another edition

adventurous fast-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

4.25

book_dragon_julia's review

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book just as I did the first one. The story was just as gripping and I couldn't put it down. I am sad that the book (and the series) are finished. Chinese mythology and folklore is fascinating to me so I think that made me enjoy the book even more. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy novels and who gave any interest in Chinese mythology/folklore 🐉😊

mackles's review against another edition

adventurous emotional

4.0

nicolesbookcase's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

I really loved this series! The writing was poetic and atmospheric, and I really felt so immersed in the world. The descriptions were illustrative, and I could really visualize the environments and cities so well. I loved the worldbuilding and the magic systems. The different types of magic were so creative and intriguing, and the fact that there were drawbacks and counterbalances to it made it that much more interesting. Gods and demons playing a factor into the magic just added a whole other layer, and  I was enthralled. I absolutely loved Zen and Lan and would absolutely die for them, and I was just as invested in the supporting characters. The ending was

so so sad, but I understood why the author did it. The whole series plotline was kind of leading up to it, so I expected it, but it was still sad.

I did enjoy the time jump in the conclusion/epilogue and liked how we got to see how everything turned out.

spazzz314's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

5.0

caidyn's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Still a very good book, but not as explosive as the first book. I did like the conclusion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, and Death