Cait’s Review of “Kingdom of Ash” by Sarah J. Maas

By: Cait Marie

I am going to be real honest here. I have no idea where to start with this one. This was the book I had been waiting for–counting down the days for–since January. The anxiety and excitement I had for its release was unlike anything I have ever experienced.

Now, because this is the last book of the series, there will be spoilers from the other books. If you have not read the other seven Throne of Glass books, stop reading this and come back when you’re done. However, if you have read those but haven’t finished Kingdom of Ash, don’t worry! I will not be spoiling anything until the very end and there will be clear warnings ahead of time.

Kingdom of Ash picks up two months after the end of both Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. Aelin is imprisoned by Maeve. Rowan, Lorcan, Gavriel, and Elide are searching for her. Aedion and Lysandra are in Terresan, leading the armies and pretending Aelin is there with them. Dorian is with Manon and the Thirteen searching for the Crochan witches. And Chaol, Yrene, and Nesryn are sailing north with the khaganate armies.

Basically, it is 1000 pages of intense anxiety. But it’s completely worth it. It’s worth the tears and heartache because it is fantastic! I was really worried about this one. I don’t like endings, so I kept dragging it out, but once I reached the halfway point I couldn’t do that any longer.

Without giving too much away, there are definitely sad parts. However, overall I was pleased with the book. There were parts that reflected back to the first book that made me say “aw” out loud. There were reunions that made me squeal like a 12-year-old girl. I am pretty sure I have never said “oh my god” more while reading one book. It was crazy.

The book is well written and Maas still amazes me at how well she manages to make you love the characters so deeply. I was so attached to the characters in this series, even the ones I wasn’t fond of to begin with. For example, when Manon was first introduced in Heir of Fire, I hated the chapters that were her POV. Yet, she ended up being one of my favorites! The same goes for the Lorcan/Elide chapters. However, Dorian is and always will be my favorite. He’s my precious cinnamon roll, and I love him with all my heart.

For those of you putting off reading this final book, stop. Yes, it will make you cry and break your heart, but it will also make you cry while smiling. It’s a roller coaster, but I enjoyed the ride.

*SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS*

I’m not going to go into extreme details, but here are some spoiler thoughts before, during, and after reading:

• I cried by like page 2.
• Aelin’s torture chapters broke my heart, but not as much as when they finally found her and they couldn’t get the iron mask off.
• All I wanted was a Dorian-Chaol reunion. It took almost 800 pages to get it, but it was worth it. I sobbed so hard. It was ridiculous.
• Every time I got to a Dorian chapter, my hands would get all sweaty because I was so anxious. I have never been so terrified to lose a character.
• Elide riding out to find Lorcan while the dam was about to break. I could not breathe.
• I think I said “Aw Fenrys” about 50 times throughout the book.
• I thought Manon was going to do the Yielding… I really did, and I was dreading it. Losing the entire Thirteen hurt.
• But not as much as Gavriel. I just wanted Uncle Kitty Cat to be reunited happily with Aedion. We did get that briefly, but I wanted more.
• Maeve is/was the actual worst.
• That whole thing with the king being nameless BLEW MY FREAKING MIND!!! I just kept saying “What?!” Crazy stuff. Did Maas have that planned out since the beginning??
• All my ships made it through with minimal damage! I was so happy!!
• The end, when Aelin, Dorian, and Chaol were together… I was so happy. It was the original trio and it just made my heart smile. I cried again when they said goodbye to each other. Shocker!