Kingdom of Ashes

Rhiannon Thomas's Kingdom of Ashes is the sequel to A Wicked Thing.

Asleep for a hundred years, awoken by a kiss. Aurora's life was supposed to be a fairytale.

But since discovering that loyalty to the crown and loyalty to her country are two very different things, Aurora knows she can only dream of happily ever after.  Once the enchanted princess, savior of her people, she is now branded a traitor.

Aurora is determined to free her home from the king's tyrannical rule, even if it means traveling across the sea to the kingdom of the handsome and devious Prince Finnegan- someone who seems to know far more about her magic than he should.  However, Finnegan's kingdom has perils of its own, and any help he give Aurora will come at a price.

As Aurora and Finnegan work together to harness her power- something so fiery and dangerous that is as likely to destroy those close to Aurora as it is to save them- she begins to unravel the mysteries surrounding the curse that was placed on her over a century before... and uncover the truth about the destiny she was always meant to fulfill.

The Breakdown:
1. I felt that this book was a little of a sophomore slump for Thomas.  It did not draw me in as quickly as the first book.  There were times that it felt like Thomas was really wrestling with the characters and the story to make them play out the way she wanted.

2. I did, however, like Aurora's struggle with what she wanted to do with her magic.  She is trying to find out who she is and what she wants for her kingdom.  She has been told by so many what is is meant to do, and she struggles with if that is really what she wants to do.

3. I, also, liked getting to know Finnegan better. Mostly in A Wicked Thing, he comes off as the charming prince, but Thomas hinted at deeper things for him.  In this book, she really fleshed out his character more. Getting to know his personality, and his thoughts and dreams really made him a well rounded character in this book.

4.  I was disappointed with how Tristan was treated in this book.  He was such a big part of Aurora's life in the first book, and shaping what she believed.  That I was sad that his appearance in this book felt almost as an afterthought.

5.  The ending to this book felt incomplete.  It  left me wondering so much, and not crazy about the direction Aurora's character takes at the very end.  So far, there has not been another book in the series announced, so I am left wondering if this was the end, or will Thomas continue with Aurora's story, because there feels like there should be more.

To Read or Not to Read:
Maybe Read- depends if Thomas goes further with the series.