While the book started off kind of interesting, it really dropped off for me.

The plot points were all resolved and the ending was interesting enough but for some reason parts of the middle couldn’t hold me.

That’s part of the reason it took too long.

The beginning picked up with almost no time passing between it and the end of the first one.

Emory was still in trouble and the rebellion was still in hiding. The crazy guy was still in charge. In other words, there was no giant revelation early on. That came later.

Even still, the whole book dragged on for me. I physically couldn’t stomach some parts while other parts were so little to me that I almost skipped entirely. In the end, everything gets resolved. In an entirely surprising way.

It just wasn’t enough to drag the book up.

This book was received as an ARC from Clean Reads Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so caught up in the action of this book and the storyline of how Emory does not recollect her life in past years and has her focus on being the future queen of Kiero but when the Evil King Adair makes his mark and past memories are now being pieced together and her memories are becoming clearer and clearer, the plot can't help but thicken. Now with all the vengeance in the world, Emory is determined to buy the Black Dawn, avenge Adair and take her rightful place as Queen of Kiero. This book reminded me a lot of Red Queen and Throne of Glass for the plot so fans of those series will appreciate this one especially. A captivating read that will leave you on the edge of your seat, begging for more.

We will consider adding this title to our YFantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Queen to Ashes is the second installment in author Mallory McCartney's Black Dawn series. I have to say, I am absolutely stunned by the endings to this story. Endings meaning two characters face life or death moments. I dare say it's given me some time to think about my review before sitting down and actually writing it, or in this case, typing it. This is a story that features many different characters. But, let's start with Emory Fae, the presumptive Queen of Kiero.

Emory has abandoned her previous life on Earth. She joined the Black Dawn Rebellion in order to remove the Dark King, Adair Stratton. But, nothing was what it seemed, & she ended up making some really interesting choices at the end of the previous installment which has led her to her current predicament. She has to prove her allegiance to Adair, survive the numerous life or death trials she is put through, as well as learning everything she can in order to overthrow him.

Adair is the man who was once a good friend at the Academy and maybe more. That means becoming one of his soldiers and giving the Rebellion time to heal from their defeat. But, that's not the only challenges that Emory and her fellow Rebellion have to face. There are some really vile villains in this story. From the dangerous Oilean who are working to bring back their King, to another even darker force just waiting to rise. So, let's not focus all our time on Emory.

Yes, she is an interesting character, and yes, she has some brilliant moments as well as a sort of awakening, but if you ignore the others like Azarius, Lana, Brokk, Memphis, Riana, Nyx, & Alby. While Emory is hoping to make Adair believe she's on his side, the Rebellion is fighting for their very lives. One could say that most of the action and twists is with those of the Rebellion. It's fair to say that I am not at all disappointed by this story. I am fascinated to learn more about the other realms, including Daer, as well as finding out more about the Shatter Islands which is where part of the story ends.

I'm not sure where to start. I was debating between 2 and 3 stars, but I'm not entirely sure the issue was the book, it may have just been me. I really struggled with part 1. It didn't help that I barely remembered anything from book 1. I had a lot of difficulties connecting to the characters and the story. And the longer it takes me to get through a book, the more frustrated I get. However, I started to enjoy the book more once we got to part 2. I no longer had as many issues connecting to the characters and the story.

So like I said, this may have been a "It's not you, it's me" situation.