Exasperated, Luke reminded me we were about to be surrounded by family in approximately 15 minutes and what would they think of my red puffy eyes.

While driving to the second wedding, Luke starts to hear my sniffling then all out crying at one of the most heart wrenching scenes I’d read in recent memory. I was reading one of the final big scenes on a Saturday where we were fitting in two weddings in one day. Speaking of that ending, let me warn you of all the tears in your near future. My lingering complain resided around several loose ends that felt glossed over, without really wrapping up those key characters fates or emotions following the big events leading up toward the conclusion. Despite this series often skirting the YA/Adult barrier, especially with the later novels, the ending was resoundingly feel good and predictable, however was highly entertaining and a more than satisfactory conclusion to a series I’d so highly enjoyed. 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 ash series