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tjthebooknerd 's review for:
Kingdom of Ash
by Sarah J. Maas
2.5/5
I feel like I was fine with the rest of this series but this book really dragged. It’s a shame since the series started off so strong. And of course I couldn’t let things go unfinished.
Things I liked
- The thirteen sacrificing themselves to help the cause
- Aelin’s torture - as horrible as this was for her, it was such a contrast to her usual swaggering self
- The freezing/unfreezing cycle that helped them trap Morath under the lake
- Interesting theory: around chapter 32 is when Dorian first shifts. He changes into someone with green eyes and blond hair wishing to be anything he is not. There is a theory he has shifted into his cousin Roland - who died after Manon killed him (as he possessed a Valg collar). At the end of this passage Manon was quite sad, which makes sense. If there was a love triangle thing still going (and he was still enamoured by Aelin) it would be interesting to see him shift into Rowan… but maybe that’s heading to fanfic territory!
- A bit of humour to finish off - when Dorian transforms into a woman and is curious about his new acquisitions….
Things I didn’t like
-Too many viewpoints!! I feel like we got less of everyone’s personalities and feelings and more jumping from battlefield to battlefield to rely events.
-Sometimes with these battlefields it’s all going devastatingly bad and then something or someone swoops out of nowhere to save the day (Aelin’s unexpected arrivals to Dorian’s/Aedion fights, her randomly finding ancient treasure with help from the little people - sorry if these are poor examples, I got this feeling as I was reading and didn’t write enough details!)
-Aelin and Dorian sealing the keys away. I was under the impression one of them would die if they attempted this. Somehow Dorian’s dead father was able to assist and Aelin end up losing her super fire power BUT to me that didn’t seem to fit the promise that was set out from the beginning. I have been combing Reddit forums to make sense of this ending!
-Aelin was made fae permanently so I assume she is immortal now?! I thought she was going to go through some dramatic settling or something. I was actually looking forward to see what happens when a ‘settling’ occurs.
-Sorry to be a hater - but - I don’t think enough of our main characters died. Given that they went through so many battles and everything I was expecting at least one of our coupled MC’s to be left heartbroken. But I think I have realised SJM loves her happy endings, which I know others love, just not for me I suppose hehe.
I feel like I was fine with the rest of this series but this book really dragged. It’s a shame since the series started off so strong. And of course I couldn’t let things go unfinished.
Things I liked
- The thirteen sacrificing themselves to help the cause
- Aelin’s torture - as horrible as this was for her, it was such a contrast to her usual swaggering self
- The freezing/unfreezing cycle that helped them trap Morath under the lake
- Interesting theory: around chapter 32 is when Dorian first shifts. He changes into someone with green eyes and blond hair wishing to be anything he is not. There is a theory he has shifted into his cousin Roland - who died after Manon killed him (as he possessed a Valg collar). At the end of this passage Manon was quite sad, which makes sense. If there was a love triangle thing still going (and he was still enamoured by Aelin) it would be interesting to see him shift into Rowan… but maybe that’s heading to fanfic territory!
- A bit of humour to finish off - when Dorian transforms into a woman and is curious about his new acquisitions….
Things I didn’t like
-Too many viewpoints!! I feel like we got less of everyone’s personalities and feelings and more jumping from battlefield to battlefield to rely events.
-Sometimes with these battlefields it’s all going devastatingly bad and then something or someone swoops out of nowhere to save the day (Aelin’s unexpected arrivals to Dorian’s/Aedion fights, her randomly finding ancient treasure with help from the little people - sorry if these are poor examples, I got this feeling as I was reading and didn’t write enough details!)
-Aelin and Dorian sealing the keys away. I was under the impression one of them would die if they attempted this. Somehow Dorian’s dead father was able to assist and Aelin end up losing her super fire power BUT to me that didn’t seem to fit the promise that was set out from the beginning. I have been combing Reddit forums to make sense of this ending!
-Aelin was made fae permanently so I assume she is immortal now?! I thought she was going to go through some dramatic settling or something. I was actually looking forward to see what happens when a ‘settling’ occurs.
-Sorry to be a hater - but - I don’t think enough of our main characters died. Given that they went through so many battles and everything I was expecting at least one of our coupled MC’s to be left heartbroken. But I think I have realised SJM loves her happy endings, which I know others love, just not for me I suppose hehe.