Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

It’s hard not to review the final book in the series as a culmination of all the books that came before. Additionally, trying to put aside the preceding pieces, look at the book as a single installment, and not include spoilers is nigh on impossible.

So, I’m not going to try that angle.

Maas’s storytelling is stellar. Maybe more so than in her other series, Throne of Glass displays a steady building of the world, the lore, and her characters that not only feels expertly executed and stands up to re-reads, but also allows the symphony of her overarching plot to build on top of what came before and transform the story for what will come after.

Each book allows the reader to know more about the world and provides the perfect balance for wonderfully organic character arcs. I especially love the growth displayed over the course of the series by her main character, Celaena / Aelin. She starts out alone and fiercely independent and ends with the grace of the leader she was meant to be, along with having learned to ask for and accept help, assistance, and advice. Her own struggle — pushing up against the weight of the very trope often found in similar fantasy books — of not wanting to accept help is incredibly relatable, but so is her understanding and growth of overcoming the complexity of being the flawed hero, while still steadfastly remaining the hero of the story. But she learned she doesn’t have to, and often cannot, go it alone.

Re-reading this series this year so that I could finally read the last two books that I had neglected long enough was the exact right move. Having a high fantasy series like this going throughout the year is exactly what my reading needs and something to which I often come back.

Also, the next time I go in for a re-read — I am totally doing the tandem combo move.