Kingdom of Ash is the final installment of the Throne of Glass series written by Sarah J. Maas and it is a doozy. What a climactic and satisfying ending to an epic story! If you haven’t started the series by reading either Throne of Glass or The Assassin’s Blade (you can start with either although I recommend starting with the Throne of Glass book) I highly recommend getting into this series. It has everything I like about medieval fantasy action and adventure with a romantic element that adds interpersonal drama that is both realistic and rewarding. There is magic, sword fighting, witches, wyverns, sex and so much more!

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I do not want to write a spoiler-heavy review or synopsis here. I would prefer that if someone were to read this they run out and start reading the series so the following is just a quick plot overview of the first book and some discussion about how much I enjoyed the series.

The series follows a cast of heroic yet flawed characters as they unwind the mystery of an evil force in their world that has caused death and destruction for hundreds of years. This evil force has taken over kingdoms and it is up to the main character Celaena Sardothien and her soon-to-be companions and lovers to make things right. While benevolent gods have made their wagers and intervened when they could even they can not stop the evil that seeks to infest the world with darkness.

We first learn of Celaena as she is taken away from being a slave in the salt mines of Endovier to enter a tournament in which the winner will become the King of Adarlan’s champion. We find out later that the King of Adarlan is the one that sent her to the slave mines but he will be dealt with later. Since Celaena was already Adarlan’s greatest assassin before she became a slave she is poised to win the tournament. While she is battling for her life in the tourney we find out that there is more going on behind the veil of this world and supernatural elements from another world are discovered.

Throughout the eight-book series, we follow Celaena’s journey as she discovers who she truly is to this world, to herself, and the immense power that lingers beneath the surface of her violent tendencies. As she moves about the world she disrupts the status quo, enrages those in power, and makes light of nearly every situation. She falls in love and learns how strong the bonds of friendship can be as they are both forged and broken and forged anew. She has a fiendish sense of humor but is always on the right side of the blade. Those that deserve her vengeance receive it but those that deserve mercy are given their chance to redeem themselves. Will she become the great leader promised to make the world a better place or will she become victim to the whims of the gods and demons that play with the lives of mortals? Read the series to find out.

Since this post is supposed to be a review of Kingdom of Ash I will say that it was great! I have enjoyed the entire series immensely and consider it one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read. The entire thing is well-paced, superbly written, wonderfully exciting, and suspenseful and the organization of the chapters, books, and series was masterfully orchestrated. I am very glad that this series was introduced to me by my friends and I am compelled to read more from Sarah J. Maas although I am afraid nothing will quite live up to the Throne of Glass series. I cried, I laughed but mostly I couldn’t stop reading. I highly recommend these books and I thought the finale was perfect.

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