A review by amy_bc
The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I was completely enamoured with The Stardust Thief after I read it so l was so excited to finally read The Ashfire King. Thankfully Chelsea Abdullah provided a brief refresher at the beginning before diving right back into the story (I love that more authors are doing this).

The pacing was well balanced, there were quite a few slow paced sections but then some fantastic fast paced action elements were included that woke everything up. The journey across the Sandsea was spectacular and I loved how Abdullah was able to masterfully detail everything to draw the reader into each scene. Each action scene was packed with so much and the lead up to each was tense and climactic.

Everything, from the writing to world building to character development was just as captivating as the first book. We get to see more from each character, how their arcs develop for themselves and with each other. I wish there had been more of Qadir because he was thoroughly missed for the majority of the tale. Loulie and Mazen were amazing together and Aisha gave us so much more of herself throughout this adventure. She had some of the best dimension and depth drawn into her arc.

I'm sad I don't already have the next in the series ready to read.