Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, 7)

Together they will rise. Or together they will fall.

The epic finale to the complete, #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

Aelin Galathynius has vowed to save her people, but at a tremendous cost. Locked in an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. The knowledge that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, but her resolve unravels with each passing day.

With Aelin captured, her friends and allies have scattered. Some bonds grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever. But as destinies weave together at last, all must stand together if Erilea is to have any hope of salvation.

Sarah J. Maas's #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an explosive conclusion as Aelin fights for her life, her people, and the promise of a better world.

Other books in this series include:
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn
The Assassin's Blade (prequel novellas)

Sarah Janet Maas (born March 5, 1986) is a #1 New York Times bestselling American author who has fundamentally shaped the modern "romantasy" genre. Born and raised in Manhattan, Maas spent her childhood exploring museums and reading global fairy tales, though she often felt frustrated by the lack of fierce, compelling heroines in fantasy literature. Drawing inspiration from strong pop-culture figures like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sailor Moon, she began writing the stories she wanted to read.

At sixteen, Maas started drafting a dark twist on the Cinderella fairy tale—imagining her not as a servant, but as a deadly assassin. She serialized the story, originally titled Queen of Glass, on the writing platform FictionPress, where it quickly became one of the site's most popular works. She continued developing her craft at Hamilton College, graduating magna cum laude in 2008 with a degree in creative writing and religious studies.

Her debut novel, retitled Throne of Glass, was published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and became a massive international hit, ultimately spanning an eight-book epic series. In 2015, Maas launched her second major series, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR). Initially a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, the series transitioned her work into the "new adult" and adult fantasy spaces. The ACOTAR series became a viral sensation, largely driven by massive popularity on TikTok. In 2020, she introduced her third ongoing adult urban fantasy series, Crescent City.

With over 75 million copies sold worldwide and translations in nearly 40 languages, Maas stands as one of the most successful contemporary authors. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, whom she met in college, and their two children.

“Action-packed . . . What a ride!” ―Booklist on The Assassin's Blade

“A thrilling read.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Throne of Glass

“An epic fantasy readers will immerse themselves in and never want to leave.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on Crown of Midnight

“Celaena is as much an epic hero as Frodo or Jon Snow!” ―New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce on Heir of Fire

“Packed . . . with brooding glances, simmering sexual tension, twisty plot turns, lush world building, and snarky banter.” ―Booklist on Queen of Shadows

“Tightly plotted, delightful escapism.” ―Kirkus Reviews on Empire of Storms

“Turns a corner from sprawling epic to thrilling psychological fantasy.” ―HuffPost on Tower of Dawn

“A worthy finale to one of the best fantasy book series of the past decade.” ―Time on Kingdom of Ash

Sarah J. Maas’s epic fantasy novel, Kingdom of Ash, serves as the massive, emotionally charged conclusion to the Throne of Glass series. The story picks up in the immediate, bleak aftermath of the previous book, with the fiercely powerful Aelin Galathynius held captive by the sadistic dark Fae Queen, Maeve. Trapped inside an iron coffin and subjected to months of horrific physical and psychological torture, Aelin’s primary battle is a mental one, fighting to keep her sanity and her secrets safe from Maeve and her torturer, Cairn. Despite the agonizing pain and isolation, Aelin refuses to break, clinging to the memory of her mate, Rowan Whitethorn. Meanwhile, Rowan, accompanied by Elide, Lorcan, and Gavriel, is tearing across the continent in a desperate, frantic search for his missing wife, following faint rumors and relying on absolute faith to track her down before her mind is permanently destroyed.

While Aelin endures her captivity, her allies are scattered across the continent, facing seemingly insurmountable odds against the dark Valg king, Erawan. In the north, Aelin’s cousin Aedion Ashryver and the shape-shifter Lysandra are leading the defense of Terrasen. To keep the morale of their severely outnumbered army from collapsing, Lysandra is using her magic to perfectly mimic Aelin’s appearance, pretending the Queen is leading the charge. This heavy deception takes a massive toll on Lysandra’s physical health and deeply fractures her relationship with Aedion, who resents the lie and the danger it puts her in. They are fighting a brutal, bloody war of attrition, desperately trying to hold the front lines and delay Erawan’s massive, monstrous forces from marching on Orynth, the capital of Terrasen.

To the south, Dorian Havilliard and the witch Manon Blackbeak are on their own perilous quest. Dorian is determined to find the third and final Wyrdkey, which is necessary to forge the Lock and permanently seal the Wyrdgate, the portal allowing the Valg demons into their world. This mission requires Dorian to infiltrate the dark fortress of Morath, relying on his cunning and his growing, unpredictable raw magic to outsmart Erawan’s horrors. Concurrently, Manon is struggling with her own monumental task: fulfilling a prophecy to unite the Ironteeth and Crochan witches. She must overcome centuries of bitter blood feuds to forge an alliance between the two factions, knowing their combined aerial forces are the only thing that can match Erawan’s aerial legions.

Through sheer determination and a brilliant tactical gamble, Rowan and his team finally locate Aelin's prison. The rescue is brutal and bloody, resulting in Cairn’s death, but they successfully extract Aelin. She is severely traumatized and physically weak, yet her spirit remains fiercely intact. As they travel toward Terrasen, Aelin slowly heals and begins quietly scheming once again. She knows the devastating truth about the Wyrdkeys: forging the Lock requires a massive sacrifice of magic and life force. She fully intends to sacrifice herself and her immense, god-like fire magic to close the gate and save her world, carrying this heavy burden in secret to spare Rowan the pain of knowing she is marching toward her death.

When the time comes to forge the Lock, Dorian refuses to let Aelin die alone and offers his own magic to share the burden. The process goes awry when the gods they are bargaining with prove treacherous. In the ensuing struggle, Aelin uses almost the entirety of her monumental magic to seal the gate, but Dorian and the spirit of a past queen manage to pull her back from the brink of death. She survives, but her world-ending fire magic is reduced to a mere ember. Concurrently, a heartbreaking climax occurs in the war. To destroy a witch tower that is decimating the allied forces, Manon’s closest friends and elite guard, the Thirteen, sacrifice themselves in a massive, devastating explosion of magic known as the Yielding. This profoundly tragic act breaks Manon’s heart but serves as the ultimate catalyst, permanently uniting all the witches under her as their true Queen.

The converged storylines culminate in the massive, apocalyptic siege of Orynth. Aelin arrives with her remaining allies, bolstered by armies gathered by Chaol Westfall and Yrene Towers. The final confrontation is a desperate struggle for survival. Aelin faces off against Maeve, using her sharp intellect and sheer will to manipulate the dark queen's mind, ultimately destroying her. Simultaneously, Yrene Towers uses her incredibly powerful healing magic as a weapon, plunging it into Erawan and completely eradicating the Valg king from existence. With the dark leaders destroyed, the enemy armies crumble. The novel concludes with the surviving characters beginning the slow process of healing and rebuilding. Aelin, having survived the unimaginable, is finally crowned the true Queen of Terrasen, ready to lead her kingdom into a hard-fought, enduring era of peace.