A review by nicolesbookcase
Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao

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.