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A review by gretchenplz
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.5
3/5 ETA: I can't stop calling this a poor woman's LOTR, so, clearly, I'm still mad about things.
Now that I'm done, I will state that I think reading "The Assassin's Blade" first is the way to go. Not somewhere in the middle. I would have cared more about Sam to not already know his demise and would have been so much more overjoyed at the return of characters in the final books would have felt more rewarding and not an "Oh, I figured they'd be back."
I will concede that I definitely enjoyed this book more than I had others. I have quarrels (many), but I am happy I read the series, and I'm surprisingly settled with the ending.After what happened with Nesta, I'm usually on team "Let the lady keep her powers," but I have been on team "Aelin needs to lose her powers" since Day 1. The girl was already nearing future tyrant status before she discovered her powers, so her giving them up makes sense and is a logical way to let everyone live in the end.
This book was definitely the best in terms of Aelin as a character. This was definitely her at her least annoying (which is certainly saying something, since she is definitely still annoying as fuck), and I did spy some character growth. Finally.
I stand by saying that Aelin and Rowan are the least interesting characters in the series, with Yrene, Chaol, Elide, Lorcan, Manon and the Thirteen, and Dorian just exponentially more compelling, complicated, and worth rooting for. It takes more for a character to be interesting and strong than for them to simply be hot, snarky, and possess otherworldly powers. This is a weakness when it comes to SJM's main characters, 100%.
I also think that she really does herself a disservice by forcing her characters to do things outside their established character set, sewing discontent that she very quickly has to walk back to bring pairs back together. Not every romance needs to have a third-act breakup (Aedion & Lysandra, Elide & Lorcan).
I'm glad that Chaol got the redemption he deserved. He should never have needed it from the beginning, as I don't think that he ever did anything wrong, but I digress.
Manon and the Thriteen. That's all I will say. They might have left a permanent mark on me.
My biggest issue with this book and SJM in particular is the plagiarism. I am not stupid. I know that, across the fantasy genre, there are certain things that crossover from story to story. That there are certain things that will be in every fantasy book that is written. However, authors need to make their use of these concepts unique, to not just blatantly steal dialogue and scenes directly from the works of others. The number of times I went "Hey, that's just like in Lord of the Rings" was too many to count, and that is just endlessly disappointing. I could say the same with Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and even Grey's Anatomy. If I read your dialogue and can immediately place that dialogue as iconic dialogue from another series, you've got an issue. ETA (2/23): Currently rewatching ATLA and screaming because she blatantly stole from this, too!!!!!! The tunnel under the mountains??? GIRL PLEASE>
My other main issue is the fact that SJM clearly did not plan a single thing about this series from the beginning. She didn't even plan anything about this book from the beginning. The surprise reveal of the Fae and Wofl People at the end is a case in point. Just another "Oh, Aelin and Rowan are just smarter and cleverer than everyone else!" It's obvious because of all the storylines that just had to be BOOP quickly ended in this last book so we could BOOP wrap up other plotlines.
Also, this book could have been 400 pages shorter. Fight me.
TW: PTSD, trauma response, etc.
Now that I'm done, I will state that I think reading "The Assassin's Blade" first is the way to go. Not somewhere in the middle. I would have cared more about Sam to not already know his demise and would have been so much more overjoyed at the return of characters in the final books would have felt more rewarding and not an "Oh, I figured they'd be back."
I will concede that I definitely enjoyed this book more than I had others. I have quarrels (many), but I am happy I read the series, and I'm surprisingly settled with the ending.
This book was definitely the best in terms of Aelin as a character. This was definitely her at her least annoying (which is certainly saying something, since she is definitely still annoying as fuck), and I did spy some character growth. Finally.
I stand by saying that Aelin and Rowan are the least interesting characters in the series, with Yrene, Chaol, Elide, Lorcan, Manon and the Thirteen, and Dorian just exponentially more compelling, complicated, and worth rooting for. It takes more for a character to be interesting and strong than for them to simply be hot, snarky, and possess otherworldly powers. This is a weakness when it comes to SJM's main characters, 100%.
I also think that she really does herself a disservice by forcing her characters to do things outside their established character set, sewing discontent that she very quickly has to walk back to bring pairs back together. Not every romance needs to have a third-act breakup (Aedion & Lysandra, Elide & Lorcan).
I'm glad that Chaol got the redemption he deserved. He should never have needed it from the beginning, as I don't think that he ever did anything wrong, but I digress.
Manon and the Thriteen. That's all I will say. They might have left a permanent mark on me.
My biggest issue with this book and SJM in particular is the plagiarism. I am not stupid. I know that, across the fantasy genre, there are certain things that crossover from story to story. That there are certain things that will be in every fantasy book that is written. However, authors need to make their use of these concepts unique, to not just blatantly steal dialogue and scenes directly from the works of others. The number of times I went "Hey, that's just like in Lord of the Rings" was too many to count, and that is just endlessly disappointing. I could say the same with Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and even Grey's Anatomy. If I read your dialogue and can immediately place that dialogue as iconic dialogue from another series, you've got an issue. ETA (2/23): Currently rewatching ATLA and screaming because she blatantly stole from this, too!!!!!! The tunnel under the mountains??? GIRL PLEASE>
My other main issue is the fact that SJM clearly did not plan a single thing about this series from the beginning. She didn't even plan anything about this book from the beginning. The surprise reveal of the Fae and Wofl People at the end is a case in point. Just another "Oh, Aelin and Rowan are just smarter and cleverer than everyone else!" It's obvious because of all the storylines that just had to be BOOP quickly ended in this last book so we could BOOP wrap up other plotlines.
Also, this book could have been 400 pages shorter. Fight me.
TW: PTSD, trauma response, etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Suicidal thoughts