This was a very meh follow-up to the first book. The characterization continues to be strong, and the magical system is fascinating. The idea of the contracts and the Gods opens so much for interesting characterization. The problem for me was that I could often see how things would play out before the plot got to the point. It left me with hundred of pages of a book where I felt like I could easily sum up their personalities and fates in a few sentences.

It was a fine read, I took off half a star because the epilogue annoyed me that much.

“You do not only live for yourself. You live for those that you have lost. You carry their legacies inside you.”
~~~
Rating:🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉
Hi yea so I’ve been emotional scared by Amélie, again!
I had so many emotions going through my head. The romance, the world building, fight scenes, AND THAT ENDING!
I can’t wait for yall to get back into this world. You will not be disappointed. Also have I bought every single edition…maybe…don’t tell my husband.
But Dark Star Burning; Ash Falls White is available for preorder! Releases 1/2/24, GO GET IT!
Thank you Underline for the chance to grab this AMAZING ARC at YALLfest, AND to Amélie for signing it too!

A beautiful and heartbreaking conclusion to the Song of the Last Kingdom duology! Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is a lyrical story of power, of resistance, of survival, of sacrifice, and of love. The themes of colonialism, legacy, and persistence resonate with current events and I highly recommend reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Man, where do I begin this review. I started out my year with Lan and Zen and now I’m ending the year with them. . . Feels rather fitting since this is the ending of their tale. 💔

I loved the new settings that Lan and Zen’s journey took the reader in this book. From the cold and wintery steppes to the hot deserts of the kingdom, it felt like the world got bigger without getting too overdone. 🗺️

Lan and Zen’s characterization and relationship took a step up, though I did feel like Lan was refusing to see the grey area of her grand plan and Zen’s role in it all. When the two finally met up and did find myself squealing with delight while quietly saying to myself “FINALLY!” Their lovers-to-enemies-then-back-to-lovers plot line really took over here and it honestly was so sweet. And their ending? . . . Yep, I should’ve expected the pain but not in the way Zhao did it 🥲

Tài, Dilaya, and Shàn’jūn are back and are beautiful side characters to the shooting stars that are Lan and Zen. I thought the banter between Tài, Dilaya and Lan was on par for a group of teens on a quest to find demon gods, but Shàn’jūn’s unending kindness to Zen was so heartwarming. I do hope we get a spin off with Tài and Shàn’jūn as the main characters as they are just too cute together. 🥰

The addition of Hóng’yì was both an interesting choice and man did he add to the complexity of the demon gods and their binders. He’s also a great example of what happens to those who are born privileged and will do anything for power. ☄️

In all, I was so happy to be back in this story and with the characters, and I’m deeply saddened to know it’s over. I really hope that this isn’t the last time being in this world! 🤞🏼

Big thank you goes to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for accepting my request in exchange for an honest review and the author, Amélie Wen Zhao, for ripping my heart in the best way possible. 🥹

Pub. Day: January 2!! ✨

Overall: 4.75/5 ⭐️

*An advanced digital copy was received from Netgalley in return for an honest review*

Preface: I have been waiting for this second book in this series, and was so happy to be given the chance to read it. This is the second book in the duology. As I've said in a previous review, I am a huge fan of books created by Asian American authors. After reading the first book in this series (Song of Silver, Flame like Night) I had been patiently waiting to see how Lan and Zen's story continues.

Quick Synopsis: Set in a magical Chinese folklore inspired world. ~ The story begins where the first book left off, with Zen binding himself the Black Tortoise, and Lan learning she has the Silver Dragon. All the Demon Gods are released but Lan and Zen don't plan on fight on the same side. Lan's mission this book is to kill all the Demon Gods with the Godslayer. Zen's mission is to use the power of the Black Tortoise and face off against their oppressors, the Elantians. They have a lot to do in the ~368 pages.

So, to start the review, I do want to say that this book is very fast paced. The characters go through each step of their mission very quickly, and each chapter switches from Lan's POV to Zen's POV. I was able to finish the book fairly quickly, just because there wasn't a lot of downtime in between their sub-missions. With that said, the pacing might be too quick for others. It felt like the book's climax came very quickly, and might have also felt a bit rushed. Especially considering that Lan's mission was to 1. Find the Godslayer, 2. Find the other Demon Gods, and 3. Kill them all.

I personally love my books to be a bit longer, because I love being immersed in the stories. I also have a fondness for adventure books and following characters on an adventure, but this one just felt like it all fell into place.

Characters:
Lan and Zen are the two main characters in the book, but of course they have their side characters that join them. There's also some new characters that get introduced as well towards the middle of the book. To me it felt that there was a lot of sudden character development for Lan, almost drastic at times, especially how she views the other characters.

--SPOILERS AHEAD --

TURN BACK NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SPOILERS




Let's talk about the Crimson Phoenix character. The portion of the story that goes through his palace, and the fight at the palace with Zen felt way too rushed for me. Lan found Shaklahira, became engaged to him, learned the Godslayer, and he fled.. all within a day or two? It felt like there was not a lot of development of the Crimson Phoenix character, and it didn't give us a lot of time to truly understand his personal motives. At the base level he wants to stay alive and live in hiding from the Elantians. I think this would have been incredibly helpful to learn more about this character, and perhaps why he's hiding, or why he's afraid of the Elantians. Especially considering that he's the FINAL BOSS.

Ok the final battle. The demon warriors were super awesome, and I personally would have loved to learn more about their history, and the demons, but I digress.
The final battle was epic, don't get me wrong. But it felt wrong to me. Having the Crimson Phoenix as the final boss felt too sudden. The Elantian chasing them through the two books died too easily, and should have been more of a final boss IMO.

The ~5 years later~ style ending was a little cliche to me as well. It ended a little too perfectly, with her having a son and remembering Zen, etc, etc. I didn't hate it, but it did seem like a perfect bow at the end.

--END SPOILERS --





All in all I was quite happy with the book and I think it gave a nice ending to this duology. A lot of reviews of SoSFLN said there was too much worldbuilding in the first book, but then I think it gave this book just too much adventure and not enough breathing room. There were a few things in this book I think would have been great if it was explained a bit more, but I'm not too upset about that. I still thoroughly enjoyed the Chinese folklore aspect, and the magic system in the duology.


Thanks again Netgalley for the ARC!

I haven’t felt pain like this in a long time, thanks Amélie.

First and foremost, thank you Random House and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my review.

You all know that Song of Silver was my favorite book of 2023 and this was a book I’ve been dying to get ahold of with high hopes. I will say that while it didn’t grab me quite the way that Song did, the writing carried me away into a fever dream of ache and longing and love and for that I award five stars.

There were some parts that felt a bit repetitive in the way that events unfolded, and some of the new characters I could have stood some more time and development of, yet overall this duology has affixed itself squarely as one of my favorite stories of all time.

The magic system remains one of my favorites and unlike anything I’ve read before (which is important to me). The way that Amélie writes feels like a song, its lyrical and sweeps me off my feet. I loved this book, I love her writing, I love these characters. The ending was not necessarily what I *wanted*, but it felt like the only honest way this story could unfold.

This book is for the reader that values a strong voice, demonstrative writing, subtlety, and gentle, beautiful romance that makes you ache. It is not flashy and it is not fast-paced, but it is, in my opinion, art and magic.

This was a fun conclusion to a fun story. I loved the mythology of the gods and demon gods and seeing how the relationship between Lan and Zen. The interactions between the different demon gods and the interactions with the gods and Their hosts. I love a good monster possession store and this is no different.I like how the personal relationships evolved and that the story had a concrete ending. I will be rereading very soon

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is the second book in a duology that began with Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, and this second volume picks up right at the end of the first. To truly do this novel justice, the two should be read together - something I only realized after I started reading. There's a lot going on in this book, and a clear memory of the events of the first volume are needed to truly understand the second. It took me several chapters to recall the appropriate details, and therefore took that long for me to get fully into the story.

This is a complex and fascinating story that draws on the folklore and mythology of ancient China, but with a unique twist that allows the author to make the story her own. It continues the story of Lan and Zen, a pair of students studying the use and application of qi - a study that takes them on a journey to find the Great Seal, to bind the demons that have been significantly, and negatively, impacting the events in their land for some time, and the Great Seal is the only weapon that can banish them. But the demons are continuing to grow in power, and if Lan and Zen can't find the Seal in time, even its power won't be able to banish the demons - including the two Great Demons that each of them host.

Recommended for teens and adults. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is the sequel to Song of Silver, Flame Like Night picking up right after the events of the first book. Lan is out to complete her mother’s work— destroying the demon gods. Zen is out to save the kingdom with the help of an undead army even knowing his soul is forfeit to the bond he made with the Black Tortoise. The battle for the Last Kingdom has begun.

Zhao’s conclusion to the Song of the Last Kingdom duology is a whirlwind of choices, feelings, and a race for the truth. The theme of choice and what might have been is reoccurring throughout the tale. Zen often pictures the life he would have had if his choice to bond with the Black Tortoise had been different. Another theme present throughout Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is the discovery of truth and knowledge. Zen finds the truth behind his grandfather’s past bond with the demon god. Lan has to discover the truth of the demon gods before she can seek to eliminate them including the truth behind the imperial family. This story is also not without its share of heartbreak every time Zen and Lan’s paths cross before ultimately having to go their own way. The one element I didn’t enjoy was the pacing. It alternated between feeling almost rushed to feeling stagnant. Overall, though, it is an enchanting tale and fitting conclusion to the duology.

This book fell short of book 1, in my opinion. This picks up right where book 1, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, ends. I think this book was much slower and there was a lot more internal infodumping and less action. I struggles to get into it and almost DNFed around the 40% mark but kept up with it. Other people seemed to really enjoy it though so maybe I just was not in the right headspace for it.

Compared to the first book, I felt the characters were handled very poorly. What happened to the character building that was set up in book 1? The side characters lacked personality and impact. There's so little relationship-building between Lan and Zen in this book that the "relationship" felt surface level.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for providing an eARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Having blown through the first installment of the series, I was super excited for the next one, and it 100% did not disappoint! Fantastic action, great character growth, and a really satisfying ending that ties everything together! Absolutely recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars!

When I read Song of Silver, Flame Like Night last year I didn’t know what to expect but ended up having a really great time. I was looking forward to the follow up, and luckily it worked out really well for me! In the first installment, I had some problems with liking the Lan and Zen as POV characters at the start, but this picks up right where we left off, and I really enjoyed their characterizations and perspectives. I was also thrilled to see more Dilaya, who was my favorite from the first book.

I think Zhao did a good job at keeping the story interesting and taking the reader to neat places throughout the kingdom; I really enjoyed the new landscapes as well as the new locations. There’s a lot of traveling in this book, which might not be for everyone, but I thought it was fun to see the broader reach of Elantian colonization. I also enjoyed the expansion of the magic/world building, especially surrounding the Demon Gods and the clans. There were some elements of this that felt like they were written for me (lotus seeds… iykyk). I liked how all of the characters developed and I thought their interactions were really good and I thought it was good to see how the events of the first book changed them as people and their relationships to one another.

I really liked Lan’s storyline and felt that it was the strongest. Zen did interesting things, though I ultimately felt like his side was less developed, albeit still interesting. There were some aspects where I wished we had gotten a wider scope, but since this is a YA series I’m not as fussed about it as I could’ve been. I don’t think the pacing for this was perfect, and it kind of reminded me of the pacing of the first book. It speeds up as you read, but I did feel the beginning took some time to get going and the last 25 or 30% felt comparatively much, much faster. I enjoyed this and found the conclusion satisfying, but I do wish the end had gotten some more time to breathe, which is why I’m rounding down. I think it’s also worth noting while the last chapter did something I’m usually not a fan of, it still felt appropriate and meaningful, so props to Zhao for that.

Overall, while I have my criticisms, I think it’s a good conclusion and a really fun ride, and it definitely was a satisfying conclusion to me. It reads well and I can definitely see myself re-reading the series.

Great follow up for this amazing fantasy, loved everything and the characters. How well it was done and how interesting the story keep being. Definitely loving this series

This was such a good read I loved it and was completely hooked from the first page. Definitely recommend

Wow. Just WOW. 4.5 Stars
Zhao is a poetic writer. From the character ARCs to the descriptions with the smallest yet meaningful details, her prose is gorgeous.

Following, Flame Like Night, I was a little worried going into this book, as I usually am with most sequels. however, Amelie knocked it out of the park. We jump right back into the story with Zen and his arc is crafted beautifully throughout the book. I wish that there was a little bit more romance on the page between these characters, but what was there was beautiful.
The Ending was a smidge predictable (more inevitable) but it still made me cry!! I already want to reread the entire duology again and never leave this atmospherically beautiful world that has been weaved from 26 little letters.

Thank you SO MUCH to Netgalley and Random House for the eARC :)

A very good book. Even though it's a continuation of another book, I didn't feel lost because there was enough background information woven into the story to make everything make sense. I enjoyed the plot and how the characters grew through the story.
It was a vibrant world. I loved the different magic systems.

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is the second and last book in this duology. It starts off where Song of Silver Flame Like Night ends. Zen and Lan have gone down separate paths, but they are still joined in the fight to eradicate the colonizers and bring power back to their people. They disagree on whether to use their powers to achieve it, however.

This was a beautiful read! The world building was amazing and made you feel like you were there. The characters were well developed and I really love both Zen and Lan. The love they had for each other, and the hard decisions they had to make were epic. This was a fast pace read with a lot of action that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I really wish there was a third book to this one. Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Delacorte Press for the ARC.

I was super thrilled to get an arc for this one! I'm a huge cdrama fan and a huge fan of the first book.

I ended up loving this one too, especially the ending. I'm glad Amelie Wen Zhao wasn't afraid to go there.

My only suggestion would have been to make this a trilogy and deepen some of the side characters stories. It's very straightforward with Zen and Lan's narratives, and it could have lulled in some of that space and developed even further.

But! I still loved it. The story felt incredibly grounded in its world and culture.

DNF the first book and couldn't get into the second. The author did a great job I honestly think it was me and where I am in my life right now.

I loved this more than book 1. Oh my gosh. The characters and the plot twists in this book blew my mind. I need more!