Ultimately I was left exhausted, bear in mind a good exhausted upon closing out this novel. The span of emotions inspired as a result of reading Kingdom of Ash ranged from hopelessness, laughter, exasperation, joy, despair… I think you get the point.

That being said, I was hooked from beginning to end of this wild adventure. The dread that the author will succumb to pressures of deadlines and fan impatience before fully flushing out the final concept, i.e., Divergent and Hunger Games, ultimately leaving a bitter aftertaste following the completion of the novel. The fear that the book will fail to live up to lofty expectations set in place by the preceding novels. There is always a heavy level of apprehension intermingled with the obvious excitement when picking up the last book in a series. Sure there were bumps along the way but Maas navigated the stormy waters to a delightfully detailed world spanning multiple cultures, continents, and magical species. Adding significantly to my appreciation for this literary world is how much the series grew from the initial one dimensional, predictable themes. I doubt I would have believed you if you’d told me after that first installment I would grow to be a huge fan of Maas and the series as a whole. Overview (No Spoilers): It is hard to believe it has been almost three years ago since I first picked up Throne of Glass.

Kingdom of the ash