Title: Queen to Ashes
Author: Mallory McCartney
Publication Date: February 19, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 293
Summary: From Goodreads: ““You lived your entire life feeling like half of you was missing. Fight for the missing part. Fight for this.”
Emory Fae has abandoned everything she thought she knew about her previous life on Earth. Stepping up to her role as Queen of Kiero she makes a startling sacrifice- feigning her allegiances to Adair Stratton, the man who murdered her parents and casted Kiero into ruin. Emory’s memories slowly piece together, and she soon realizes the Mad King may not be all he seems— and the man who was once best friend, may be fighting beneath the surface.
With the King’s attention on her, can she buy Black Dawn Rebellion enough time to recuperate their forces? And when the times comes, will she be able to kill Adair, ending his tyranny and rising herself as the rightful Queen? Fighting to hide her secret, Emory navigates the brutal trials of the Mad King, trying not to lose herself in the process.
Sequel to Black Dawn, now a bestselling series, the sparks are ignited, as Emory learns the cost of freedom, and her title. Will the rebels unite in time? A sinister force has spread across the land, stripping everyone bare- their betrayals, their secrets, their intentions. But above all, what will their decisions cost? By refusing to give in to the darkness, will Emory rise as Queen?”
Review: I was given an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
When Mallory messaged me on Bookstagram asking me if I’d be interested in reviewing Queen to Ashes, I couldn’t respond quickly enough. I enjoyed Black Dawn, and it left me wanting to know what was going to happen to Emory, Memphis, Brokk, and the rest of the rebellion. I’m so glad to report that Queen to Ashes did not disappoint, it left me on the edge of my seat, and it made me fall in love with Mallory’s characters even more.
My favourite thing about this book is all the badass female characters. Even though I found myself getting slightly annoyed with Emory at times, there’s no denying that she’s a strong, talented, independent woman who is willing to work to achieve her goals. Some of the other amazing and powerful female characters in this book include Nyx, Lana, and Kiana. Reading about these ladies and how badass they are was awesome, and I loved seeing their character development throughout the book.
The other thing that I loved about Queen to Ashes is the world building. Kiero is a vast world with so much to see and discover. I enjoyed journeying along with the characters as they visited different parts of the land and I also enjoyed learning about its history. I also enjoyed learning about the different worlds and how they’re all linked together, and I felt like this helped with my overall understanding of the story.
Finally, I loved the villains in this book. I thought the Oilean were terrifyingly evil and I didn’t like reading about them right before bed because I didn’t want them to haunt my dreams. I thought Adair was a wonderfully evil king and I was fascinated by his kingdom.
My only complaint about this book is that I sometimes had a difficult time keeping track of what was going on. There are a lot of characters and a lot of magical abilities to keep track of, and at times I found myself having to reread parts figure out what I had just read.
Overall, Queen to Ashes is a magical, action-packed adventure full of badass characters and spectacular world building. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and the ending has me counting down the days until the next book comes out so I can find out what happens next.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars!