Skip to content

Kingdom of Ash

Kingdom of Ash

Epic FantasyHigh Fantasy
Pages
988
Published
2018
Language
English

Synopsis

The concluding volume of the Throne of Glass series brings every thread of seven books to convergence. Aelin Galathynius, captured by the Fae queen Maeve at the end of Empire of Storms, is being tortured in a bid to break her will and use her power to forge a new Wyrdkey. Rowan and her companions tear the world apart searching for her. Meanwhile the armies of Erawan march, Terrasen is besieged, and every alliance Aelin spent the series building is now called to its purpose. Kingdom of Ash is the longest book in the series — over 900 pages — and the most operationally complex: multiple armies, multiple POV characters, and converging storylines across two continents. It is written in the awareness that every character who has survived to this point has earned their place, and it does not spare them. The resolution it delivers is hard-won, earned across seven books, and Maas has said she had laid out Aelin's path in advance right down to the book's very last line.

Prose complexity
10/10

Vibe

DarkAdventurousEmotionalTense
QuestMultiple POVsSacrifice

Genres

Epic Fantasy High Fantasy New Adult Romance Romance Romantasy Fantasy Dark Fantasy Young Adult

About the author

S
Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is a #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author known for her epic fantasy novels and their devoted global readership. She began writing what would become the Throne of Glass series as a teenager, posting early chapters online before the series was acquired by Bloomsbury. Her three interconnected fantasy universes — Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City — have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and been translated into dozens of langua...

Characters

Aelin GalathyniusProtagonist

Queen of Terrasen, held in an iron coffin and tortured for months by Maeve, who wants her power to forge a new Wyrdkey.

Rowan WhitethornProtagonist

Aelin's mate and husband; leads the cadre and Elide across the continent searching for her while the war closes in.

Maeve (Throne of Glass)Antagonist

Queen of the Fae, who imprisons and tortures Aelin, then bargains with Dorian for the Wyrdkeys.

ErawanAntagonist

The Valg king ruling from Morath, whose armies march on Terrasen; the war against him is the book's central conflict.

Manon BlackbeakSupporting

Her transition from antagonist to ally completes here; she seeks the Crochan witches and the final Wyrdkey alongside Dorian.

All characters in Kingdom of Ash

Frequently asked questions

  • How long is Kingdom of Ash, and is it the longest book in the series?

    Kingdom of Ash is approximately 980 pages in hardback — the longest book in the Throne of Glass series by a significant margin, and one of the longest single-volume fantasy novels published in the YA category. Its length reflects the number of POV characters and storylines being resolved simultaneously.

  • Does Kingdom of Ash have a happy ending?
  • Is Kingdom of Ash the confirmed final book in the Throne of Glass series?

    Yes — Kingdom of Ash was always intended as the conclusion and has been confirmed as such by Maas in multiple interviews. The series is complete at seven main books (plus the novella anthology). Maas has not announced any sequel series or continuation as of 2024.

  • Did Sarah J. Maas know how Kingdom of Ash would end before she wrote it?

    Yes. Maas has said in interviews that she had the ending planned from very early in the series and knew the book's final line long before she reached it — describing Aelin as having "decided to follow the path I'd laid out for her in Kingdom of Ash, right to the very last line." The conclusion is therefore the product of more than a decade of work aimed at a specific point rather than an ending arrived at late. (Note: an earlier version of this answer said she "wrote the final pages first"; no source supports that stronger claim, only that she knew where the book was going.)

  • What happens to Manon Blackbeak at the end?
Read all 23 reviews