Kingdom of Ash begins with stillness. You feel yourself breathing, slow breaths in and out, almost afraid of what comes. You might want to remain still but you feel the pressure, flashes from Allies begin to break apart the grey, trickles of foreknowing are no longer still – through screams of agony, tears, betrayal, bonds of friendship, and blood of enemies – you will recognize the cadence of war drums slicing through the stillness, as they grow louder, your heart thrums a staccato beat – you know happy is relative and this book may not take you there…
Why this particular Throne of Glass installment had such an effect on me I can’t say – although the whole series has been (obviously) leading up to the final clash – I still didn’t expect the range of emotions Maas was able to pull from me. I cried more than once (seriously had to set the book aside and mop my face before I could see enough to continue). There is just a depth to the author’s writing in Kingdom of Ash that will surprise you (it surprised the hell out of me and I was already convinced she resided half the year on Mount Olympus)! I usually mow through books like I’m a World Champion Competitive Eater, but once I realized what I was tangling with, I took several deep breaths, put my other projects on hold, and enjoyed (addendum: I didn’t enjoy the puffy red eyes – hopefully, people thought I was trying out Halloween makeup)…
Aelin, Rowan, Lorcan, Fenrys, Gavriel, Elide, Manon (the Thirteen), Dorian, Chaol, Yrene, Nesryn, Sartaq, Lysandra, Aedion, even Maeve and Erawan – so many more – they all had paths bathed in grey stillness – they all had choices that added to the beat of drums – they all had a part to play, a voice to roar, an ending they wanted to be written. This is one series that you won’t bemoan coming to its end – the characters who mean so much to us deserve a finale, they deserve peace. I hope this book shakes you as it did me…
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