Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J. Maas Book Review

Wow. I can’t believe it’s over. After years of loving these characters as much as I do, my favorite series is over. I’m sad that I’ll never be able to visit these characters for the first time again, I’m sad because of stuff that happened in this last book, and I’m sad because I’ll miss the characters dearly. But, I’m also happy because it was amazing and everything that I wanted it to be. Fair warning, my review may be all over the place because I’m still in the mourning period and my thoughts are everywhere.

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Synopsis: Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together, at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

***SPOILERS***

So I read the released excerpt of the first two chapters when it first came out, and I thought I was prepared for the heartbreak. Turns out, I was completely wrong. I started reading Kingdom of Ash at work, and I wasn’t even a full page into the book when I began to tear up. I don’t think it really hit me that the Throne of Glass series would be over after this book until I read the “The Prince” and “The Princess” chapters again. And it hit me hard, as in devastatingly hard. Rowan and Aelin are at the top of the list when it comes to my favorite characters of the series so I’m not ashamed to admit that I squealed when I read that her official name is Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius.

Speaking of favorite characters, who else would now die for Fenrys? I knew I liked him in Empire of Storms, but I fell in love with him in this book, pretty much from the first moment we see him, helping Aelin with their silent blinking conversations. I just wanted to protect him the whole time, especially when he broke his blood oath to Maeve and it looked like he was going to die. I wasn’t really attached to his twin, Connall, so I didn’t care that much that he died, but I was sad because I knew it hurt Fenrys and it’s heartbreaking to see him so wrecked. He deserves so much better than he got, but I’m so happy he found a new family with Aelin and her court. Can we also talk about the fact that his last name is MOONBEAM?

I didn’t think it was possible for me to love Rowan Whitethorn more than I did in Heir of Fire or Queen of Shadows, but apparently, my Rowan quota wasn’t met yet because I have a whole new love and appreciation for him in this book. Everything he said, everything he did was for Aelin. The fact that he knows her so well was extremely evident because after they get her back, he knew just when to push Aelin and when to give her space. Even if you don’t like Rowan (which I personally don’t understand, but everyone has the right to their opinion), you have to acknowledge the respect he has for Aelin. The dream he has about their family in the future brought tears to my eyes, and I was honestly worried that they wouldn’t get to a point where that future was a possibility.

The amount of stress I was under when it came to Aelin’s rescue was overwhelming. I knew Rowan and the cadre would get her back eventually, but the longer she was with Maeve and Cairn, the more afraid I got because she was breaking and losing herself little by little, so I was extremely nervous until the moment Aelin was with Rowan and he took all the iron off her. I love that it wasn’t all up to Aelin to escape, especially because she thought no one was coming for her. Fenrys bought her time while she kicked ass across the camp (while shackled in iron, might I add) and Lorcan, Gavriel, Elide, and Rowan were there to help her out of the darkness.

It’s because of that love and hope for a better world that everyone gives it everything they’ve got. I don’t think there was a single character, main or supporting, that felt left out or as if they had no purpose. Everyone played their part, everyone drove the plot forward, and each perspective was crucial to read through because of their importance to the story. Yes, there were moments when I turned the page and was sad that it wasn’t an Aelin or Rowan chapter, but it also wouldn’t take me long to get invested in whoever’s chapter I was reading.

One of my hopes for this book, other than getting Aelin back, was to see Aelin and Chaol as friends again. Not just allies, but friends. When she sees Chaol for the first time since Queen of Shadows, she doesn’t feel any of the pain of their past. She only feels relief that her friend is okay and pride because he’s walking again, just like she knew he could. And when Chaol introduces Yrene as his wife to Aelin, there is no bitterness or spitefulness when she, in turn, introduces Rowan as her husband and mate. I may have a love/hate relationship with Chaol, but after rereading the series, I recognize that my whole my problem with him was how he treats and handles Aelin after he finds out that she’s Fae and has magic. After the events of Tower of Dawn, there is none of that resentment or stubbornness in him because he’s learned and worked through his issues with Yrene. He’s developed as a character, so when he sees Aelin in Kingdom of Ash, I’m happy that he’s back and that they’re in a place where they can be friends again. On the same note, the Chaol and Dorian reunion was beautiful and precious and everything I wanted for their friendship.

I may have been hesitant about Dorian and Manon’s relationship in Empire of Storms, but I am completely on board this ship. Dorian is still recovering from Sorscha’s death and being trapped in his own body by a Valg Prince, so I think he’s entitled to go through some changes and various emotions. Dorian and Manon compliment each other well, they’re both dealing with their own respective issues, but where one hesitates. the other excels at, so they help each other heal. Their constant bickering was one of the many highlights of the book, it allowed me to laugh even though I was stressed out.

Speaking of Dorian, the King of Adarlan had me very worried for his well being, especially when he was in cahoots with Maeve. I could handle all of his angst because, like I said, he has the right to be emotional, but what I can’t handle is Dorian seemingly getting along with Maeve, plotting with her to take down Erawan and get married. I didn’t want to believe that Dorian would do such things, but I couldn’t get a good read on him to know what he was actually planning to do. I thought he was beginning to sympathize with Maeve because of her “tragic” background and her having to leave her world. A few pages later, when Dorian left her to Morath’s destruction, I was so proud and sorry I ever doubted him.

There are a lot of losses in this book, as to be expected when you think of it as Sarah J Maas’ own Infinity War, and I’ll go over most later, but there was one that I didn’t expect to mourn over, and that’s Aelin’s magic. Believe me, I’d 100% rather her magic be gone than for her to die. I’m not complaining that it happened, I’m just sad that it did. I know she doesn’t need it, that she is not her magic, but she loves it. She spent years fearing it and trying to hold it back before finally getting to a point where she can accept that it is a part of her, just as much as Terrasen is a part of her. I can go on and on about how she starts to heal because of magic and how she begins to love it, but I already did in my Heir of Fire book review, so be sure to read that if you’re interested. All of this to say, I will miss and mourn Aelin’s magic just as much as the other characters that we lose in this book.

One of my absolute favorite things about this series, and in general, is the family aspect. They may not be a family by blood (with the exception of Aelin and Aedion and Gavriel), but they’re a family in all the ways that matter. They are all fiercely loyal to each other, even the new additions to the court like Fenrys and Gavriel, and those acts of loyalty are always the moments that make me cry the most. They love each other so much that they would sacrifice anything and everything to protect one another, even in Lorcan’s case, he loves Elide and respects Aelin (eventually) so much so that he becomes part of their court.

My Favorite Moments

(aka All the Times I Screamed or Cried)

basically all of chapter 3 and any interaction between Fenrys and Aelin
the blinking code they come up with to communicate with each other (this is also when I realized that I wholeheartedly loved Fenrys
Rowan’s dream of Aelin and their family
Yrene being pregnant
for a second I thought Maeve put some kind of Wyrdstone collar on Aelin because right after Connall dies, it says “onyx wind snapped for Aelin, wrapping around her neck. It squeezed, and she knew no more.” I SCREAMED
Nox’s comeback
when Aelin starts pounding on the lid of the coffin, actually bending it and Rowan feels her power
EVERYTHING about Aelin’s escape: Fenrys breaking the blood oath to buy her time, Aelin killing everyone she runs into across the camp, LORCAN’S SOB in his throat when he sees Aelin, using his power to call to her, Aelin’s sob when she hears Rowan in hawk form, Aelin telling him to go back for Fenrys, Aelin screaming to take iron off her, Aelin saving Fenrys with the blood oath
anytime Rowan calls Aelin “Fireheart”
Fenrys and Aelin still using the code around others, and basically their whole friendship
Aelin looting her and Rowan’s rings
Rowan and Aelin talking about them being mates and what Maeve made her see, Rowan telling her that he wanted it to be true. I just love them so much
Manon’s speech to the Crochans, about seeing kings and queens who love their kingdoms
Aelin and Chaol’s reunion, her crying over him walking again
Yrene and Aelin’s reunion
“Aedion is my pride.” – Gavriel
Moonbeam being Fenrys’ family name
Aelin admitting she has no idea what to do, that she wanted to die, that she feels like someone ripped her from herself
Gavriel being hurt that Aelin didn’t offer him the blood oath, being willing to take it
Elide not putting up with anyone’s shit, even Lorcan’s
Fae Queen of the West
Elide saving Lorcan, and Lorcan admitting that he loves her
Aelin releasing three months of her magic, Maeve’s death blow, on the incoming wave
Dorian destroying Morath
Aedion comforting Evangeline
Aedion finally admitting he loves Lysandra
The witches coming to Terrasen’s aid
Aelin’s new tattoo
Abraxos getting hurt, all of the Thirteen laying their hands on his wounds
The Thirteen’s Yielding, this hurt
Chaol crying at the sight of Dorian, their reunion was the cutest
you could actually hear Rowan’s heartbreak when they vote for Aelin to use the keys
Dorian’s father taking his place because he has no name
RHYSAND SAVING AELIN, FEYRE BEING PREGNANT
Aedion referring to Lysandra as his mate, Lorcan doing the same with Elide.
Gavriel reuniting with his son only to be killed four pages later. I didn’t lose it until the line “his tattoo throat ripped out.”
“Hers was not a story of darkness”
Rowan, Fenrys, and Lorcan being tortured
YRENE SAVING THE WHOLE WORLD
Dorian’s father sharing his name
“I am a god”
Darrow acknowledging Aelin as queen because Evangeline won back her kingdom
Aelin offering the blood oath to Gavriel
Lorcan saying he’ll bind his life to Elide’s
Aelin’s coronation
Aedion finally got the blood oath
Aelin taking all of the women who had fought by her side on the walk to the city
Aelin’s hardest goodbye being to Chaol and Dorian
“Tell me tomorrow.”