Kingdom of Ash

The Throne of Glass series is part of the new-adult fantasy genre, a subdivision of young adult that features protagonists in their late teens or early 20s and includes increasingly explicit depictions of sexuality and violence. In her work, Sarah J. Maas draws on a variety of sources. In The Kingdom of Ash, for example, the Fae, Queen Mab, and the Little Folk come from Celtic mythology; the depiction of witches from Eastern European folklore; and the Southern Continent’s khaganate structure from the nomadic Turkic and Mongol societies of the medieval period.

The Kingdom of Ash is the last novel of the series; as such, it describes the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil that have been amassing in the other novels. A brief synopsis of events leading up to this final war follows. Aelin’s world is plagued by parasitic demons called the Valg, who hail from an unnamed home dimension and use Wyrdkeys to travel between worlds through Wyrdgates. Two Valg Kings—Orcus and Mantyx—have long since been banished from the world by Maeve—a Valg Queen disguised as Fae—but the final Valg King, Erawan, remains. Throughout the series, Erawan secretly possesses Duke Perrington of Adarlan as he searches for the Wyrdkeys to bring back his brothers, find Maeve, and conquer the world.

Erilea is the main continent of the planet on which this series is set. Erilea comprises several autonomous kingdoms: the Western Wastes (former Witch Kingdom), the Deserted Land (home to the Silent Assassins), Ellwye, Melisande, Terrasen (Aelin’s home, recently liberated from Adarlan control), and Adarlan (a kingdom known for its brutal conquest of Eastern Erilea). The Southern Continent contains the Torre Cesme (an institution for magic healers) and the Khaganate. The Faerie continent east of Erilea contains Doranelle, ruled by Queen Maeve, and Wendlyn, ruled by the Ashryver family.

Aelin begins the series as an infamous assassin named Celaena Sardothian. She becomes acquainted with Prince Dorian Havilliard of Adarlan and its Captain of the Guard, Chaol Westfall, when she becomes the King of Adarlan’s personal assassin. She eventually reveals that she’s half-Fae and the presumed-dead heir to Terrasen. After training to use her magic in Doranelle, Aelin falls in love with her instructor Rowan. Together with her allies Aedion, Chaol, and Lysandra, Aelin kills the cruel King of Adarlan. Dorian becomes king after his father’s death and manifests powerful raw magic. Meanwhile, Manon Blackbeak and the Thirteen train with Ironteeth witches to ride wyverns for Erawan’s army, until Manon befriends Elide Lohan, a former Terrasen noble who makes Manon question Ironteeth ways.

Kingdom of Ash occurs after the simultaneous events of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. In Empire of Storms, Aelin travels to Terrasen and marries Rowan; Manon allies with Aelin and begins to search for the lost Crochan witches; Dorian comes into possession of two Wyrdkeys; and Aelin learns that as descendants of gods, either she or Dorian must sacrifice their life to banish Erawan from the world. The novel ends on a cliffhanger as Maeve arrives in Erilea and captures Aelin. In Tower of Dawn, Chaol—paralyzed from a battle injury—journeys to the Southern Continent to gain allies for the war and heal with the help of Yrene Westfall. He learns that the continent’s healing magic repels the Valg and can exorcise Valg possession without killing the host.

Kingdom of Ash depicts a complicated world war. Important terms include:

• The Bane: a legion led by General Aedion Ashryver
• Blackbeak Clan: a clan of Ironteeth Witches containing The Thirteen, an elite group of wyvern-riding warrior witches led by Manon Blackbeak.
• Crochan Witches: witch offspring of the Valg and Fae who take after their Fae ancestors; as the former rulers of the Witch Kingdom, they are ruthlessly hunted by the Ironteeth
• Ironteeth Witches: witch offspring of the Valg and Fae who take after their Valg ancestors, the Ironteeth comprise three clans: Blackbeak, Blueblood, and Yellowlegs
• Kharankui: spider followers of Maeve, this species includes the Stygian Spiders that spin spider-silk, a rare and near-indestructible material
• Morath: Adarlan city ruled by Duke Perrington (who is possessed by the Valg King Erawan), used for breeding Valg soldiers
• Rukhin: archers who ride large birds called ruks from the Southern Continent
• The Silent Assassins: an order of assassins from the Red Desert that Aelin trained with as Celaena Sardothien
• The Western Wastes: the former Witch Kingdom that witches are cursed from returning to
• Wyverns: large dragon-like creatures created by Erawan and ridden by the Ironteeth