Previously on this very site, I shared my thoughts on a new fantasy book – The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah. Now, two years later, I am sharing my thoughts on the sequel, The Ashfire King.
Note: This copy of the book was sent to me from Orbit Books to read and share my thoughts on, but this review is my own honest thoughts and in no way influenced.
When The Ashfire King was announced, I was so very excited for a sequel to a fantasy book I loved, but also intrigued and tentative about the story and how it would unfold. Needless to say, it matched up to The Stardust Thief and absolutely surpassed my hopes. Every part as magnificently magical and beautifully written as the first book, The Ashfire King felt like the perfect continuation of an epic story.
Book: The Ashfire King
Author: Chelsea Abdullah
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: Out Now
Rating: ★★★★★
As usual, here is the synopsis for this book, taken from Storygraph:
A thief and a prince trapped in the crumbling, magical realm of the jinn must figure out how to save one world in order to return to their own in The Ashfire King, the second book in this epic series of myth and magic, perfect for fans of The City of Brass and The Bone Shard Daughter.
Neither here nor there, but long ago… After fleeing a patricidal prince, legendary merchant Loulie al-Nazari and banished prince Mazen bin Malik find themselves in the realm of jinn. But instead of sanctuary, they find a world on the cusp of collapse.
The jinn cities, long sheltered beneath the Sandsea by the magic of its kings, are sinking. And amid the turmoil, political alliances are forming, and rebellion in the jinn’s capital city is on the rise. When Loulie saves the life of a dissenter—one of her bodyguard’s old comrades—she puts herself in the center of a centuries-old war.
Trapped in a world that isn’t her own and wielding magic that belongs to a fallen king, Loulie must decide: Will she carry on someone else’s legacy or carve out her own?
The Stardust Thief captured my heart so easily with the transportive writing, the way the stories within the story were so seamlessly woven together, and the way the stories felt so reminiscent of the stories I grew up hearing and reading. These elements all remain so strong in The Ashfire King, yet the book never feels like a repetition of the first one. The Ashfire King feels like a perfect continuation of the story and development of all the characters.
The Ashfire King delivers everything a sequel should: an expansion on the world and characters with a plot that thickens more on every page, and it left me only wanting more. There are new adventures, the familiar friends are back with some new faces, and of course, lots of chaos. Picking up almost from the moment The Stardust Thief ended, from the word go, the gang return with more mischief, more adventures and a gorgeous story one cannot help but lose themselves in.
Abdullah’s writing in The Ashfire King remains stellar as ever, every bit as magical and immersive as before. She manages to write books that are beautifully detailed, rich with characterisation and world building and epic in every sense of the word. On top of that, she manages to balance a plot perfectly between tense action, heavier scenes, and the emotional and tender moments. The depth interwoven into every aspect of this book all bring this world she has crafted to life right before one’s very eyes. The magic and political system introduced in The Stardust Thief becomes more layered in The Ashfire King, all whilst keeping the mesmerising and fantastical feelings so perfectly captured in the first book. This intricate writing style shows just what an imaginative and creative mind Abdullah has, and what a truly skilled storyteller she is.
The character growth for everyone from The Stardust Thief is starkly written, and across the pages of The Ashfire King, we see only more evidence of this. The Loulie, Aisha and Mazen we meet in The Ashfire King feel like such different versions of themselves compared to when we first met them in The Stardust Thief. The relationship dynamics between the three are so much more layered and interesting to read about. Aisha, in particular, has come on so far in this book in regards to her relationship and opinions of the Jinn.
Each character has their own distinct voice, and the POVs of each chapter are expertly contrasted. When reading the various characters’ own internal monologues, there is a real feeling of intimacy, that we are intruding on their innermost thoughts and feelings. I found that with Loulie and Mazen, their own internal thoughts were so touching to bear witness to. Additionally, I really enjoyed the way Abdullah writes morally grey characters. I feelAbdullah is an author who clearly understands how not to just write morally grey characters to fulfil a trope, but to use this literary device in a way that is effective. I found her characterisation fascinating, and at times it was really hard to categorise a character as good or bad; the motivations behind their actions and emotions were rational and logical, and the complexities of these characters made them such intriguing additions to the book and interesting to read about.
Despite all the action from The Stardust Thief and The Ashfire King, which means the gang will definitely need therapy after…it is clear their journey is far from over. At the end of The Ashfire King, unanswered questions remain, and it feels the world Abdullah has crafted is on the brink of a big shift, one I cannot wait to read. The cliffhanger and unanswered questions do not feel frustrating, but rather just left me desperate for the next book already!
Whilst The Stardust Thief had elements of darkness throughout the immersive fantasy setting, The Ashfire King has a real tonal shift where the reality of the situation hits a lot harder. Everything is a lot darker, and the stakes are higher. The book also has a real timeless feel to it, in the sense that although this is a fantasy and is set in a time long ago, The Ashfire King still feels very relevant. There are elements of the plot and characters that are being echoed in today’s society, making the emotional impact of the book hit that much harder.
Despite the darker change of the plot, reading The Ashfire King and being reunited with everyone just felt like coming home to me. Reading The Stardust Thief felt like home, as it was reflective and reminiscent of the stories I read and heard growing up, so to have this feeling return once again in The Ashfire King was wonderful. Getting to explore new settings and meet new characters with Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha was brilliantly exciting. I was absorbed by every aspect of The Ashfire King from start to finish.
Overall, it is very easy to say without a doubt that The Ashfire King absolutely matched up to the wonder of The Stardust Thief, and I have now been left desperate for the next instalment. A mesmerising and fantastic continuation of a series, The Ashfire King is a book that was worth the wait.
The Ashfire King is out now!
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