Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

Reviewed by Charlene

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius has been imprisoned by a cruel queen, who is smothering her powerful fire abilities. She is a continent’s sole chance of being liberated from their wicked ruler and has many adversaries, who are becoming stronger each day she is locked up. When being tormented by the evil queen, Aelin comes so close, too close, to breaking from the pain, and only the tale she recited over and over again had kept her from doing so. Once upon a time, in a land long since burned to ash, there lived a young princess who loved her kingdom...

In Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas, assassin-princess Aelin Ashryver Galathynius has risked everything to free her country and save her people, but at what cost? She is locked in an iron coffin and tortured by Maeve and her right-hand man, Cairn, who heal her again and again so her skin is fresh to be whipped, burned, and stabbed at. Maeve is the Queen of the Fae, who has altered everyone’s mind to make them believe she is Aelin’s aunt. With Aelin captured, her friends are the last line of defense against Erawan, a dark and powerful king, Maeve, and their forces. Aelin needs to escape her dark prison and save her people before Erawan and Maeve destroy them all. 

One of the reasons I enjoyed this book is because all the characters have unique and different personalities and backgrounds. Aelin is a long-lost princess, manipulative, and clever, and one of her friends is the granddaughter of the Blackbeak witch clan matron, while others are even princes! Unlike some other books, where everyone is relatively the same, Kingdom of Ash has many different characters in different situations, including shapeshifters, kings and queens of monsters, possessed kings, and more.

Another cause for this book being so extraordinary is because it is not the cliche ‘damsel in distress and knight in shining armor’ plot and is very different from other stories’ plots. Aelin is strong-willed and doesn’t take nonsense from anyone. Every twist and turn in the storyline leaves you yearning for more and when you least expect it, something significant happens, making the story a whole lot more exciting. 

I recommend this book to those that like war, strategy, and magic, but people who don’t like gore and blood shouldn’t read it. I would rate this book a 9.5/10 because there is quite a bit of romance, which I don’t really like. This novel is the final book in the Throne of Glass series and you should read the previous books so you know who and what the characters are and understand what is happening. Go check this book out if you think it is the right book for you!

Bloomsbury Publishing, 992 pages