Link to video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar0YQRCldik ( )

Aurora has escaped but she has this scary magical power that she can't control and that makes her a target for those who would exploit her. The story is pretty far removed from the Sleeping Beauty fairytale now, but it has a lot of action and Aurora is slowly figuring out who she is and what she can be. And she is learning who she can love in this new world full of strangers. ( )

Oh, Aurora, you had me, right up till the second you killed ALL the dragons! Why?!! (she asks as she drops to her knees, screaming at the heavens.) All to save your kingdom and your people. Sigh. Sure you saved the one but still...ugh.

My biggest issue with A Wicked Thing was how passive Aurora seemed for the majority of the story. I understood why she was the way she was, but it wasn't all that interesting. Not the case at all in Kingdom of Ashes. The book opens with Aurora on the run, hunted by the King, and struggling to control her magic.

I loved the dynamic between Aurora and Finnegan (even if I found him a little too arrogant for my tastes), and I loved discovering the kingdom of Vanhelm along with Aurora. Dragons? Yes, please! Throw in a (not totally unpredictable) mystery surrounding Aurora's magic, Celestine, and the bargain Aurora's mother made -- I thought I was safely on my way to an ending I'd love.

I couldn't stop turning the pages: Aurora facing the first dragon; the rose left on her pillow with the creepy note; descending into the scary, dark cave and facing another dragon; treachery by Lucas resulting in potentially fatal injuries to Finnegan. As a result Aurora does the one thing she KNOWS she shouldn't do. Strike one. During the trade she partakes of the "thing" rather than fighting to take it away. Strike two. Fast forward to the climax and her answer to saving the kingdom and controlling her magic is to destroy all the dragons! Strike three. That's when I stopped liking her, stopped caring about the story, and basically wanted her to die. Harsh, I know, but that's how I felt.

After a few days' contemplation, Kingdom of Ashes was better than its predecessor in so many ways that I have to give it a full 4 stars... even though I loathe Aurora for what she chose to do at the end. ( )

I like the nontraditional approach to the Sleeping Beauty tale and Aurora's development as a character, but I can't help but feel that the story could be better. It could be the writing style, but I've had a lot of trouble getting into this book and having it keep my attention. I will say, the last third of the book was relatively easier to get through - filled with dragons, revelations from witches, and the like. Fun enough to read, but not great. ( )

I didn't think I was going to pick up book two after I read A WICKED THING, but I saw it on EDELWEISS and thought, why not?

Aurora is on the run and thankfully an ally comes to her aid and gets her out of her kingdom before the king can get his hands on her. I enjoyed following her journey and thought that she did a really good job of standing up for herself and learning how to use her magic to best help her people. I didn't think much of Finnegan in A WICKED THING, but I happened to like him quite a bit in KINGDOM OF ASHES. Both him and Aurora get close in book 2, but not close enough. I wanted some epic romance, but we just got some light flirting and a few things more than that. Where's her happily ever romantic ending?

I ended up liking book two more than I thought I would. I got to know the characters better which was needed after A WICKED THING and I thought the introduction of the dragons added some more danger to things. Even having enjoyed KINGDOM OF ASHES, I have some huge issues. This is the last book in the series and there were so many things left open. The wicked enemy is still out there, Aurora's kingdom is still in upheaval and the romance, where is the romance I was hoping for? Sigh. I don't know. This didn't feel like the end and I am not satisfied.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )