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!

I was so excited for this sequel and it did not disappoint! I'll definitely be purchasing a physical copy and re-reading again in the future.

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is the thrilling and cinematic sequel to Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. Lan and Zen parted ways after Zen made an unimaginable choice. Now with the immense power of a Demon God at his side, Zen is fated to pay a terrible price. As Lan, Zen, and the colonizers race for the legendary Demon gods, who will ultimately win the battle for the Last Kingdom?

One of my favorite things about Zhao’s writing is how lyrical her words are. They are stunning and create a beautiful visual picture as you read. Yet, the pacing never falters and the focus of the story remains strong. One of my favorite tropes is when magic requires a price, which the Demon Gods definitely do. Zen had a very compelling character arc that I was very invested in. He is a good person who is willing to make immense sacrifices for his people, including deals with demons and accessing forbidden power.

Zhao’s fight scenes always contain a delightful multitude of layers. One of my favorite fight scenes is between Lan and Zen- two people who love each other, but are on opposite sides. The tension and chemistry between them was amazing! The worldbuilding is very detailed and vivid. I really appreciated how Zhao portrays grief and how to continue to live after loss. Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White is an excellent and bittersweet conclusion to this duology. I can’t wait to see what Amélie Wen Zhao writes next!

Thank you to Amélie Wen Zhao, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

I absolutely loved the world building in this duology. I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can re-read it with the students in my YA bookclub.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for an eARC of Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White!

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Song of Silver, Flame like Night, so imagine my absolute level of ecstatic-ness when I was approved for book 2! Amelie Wen Zhao completed this duology is the most perfect and beautiful way and I’m always stunned by her ability to craft words. I absolutely adore this duology and will definitely read it over and over again.

》ARC Review: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White《

Amélie Wen Zhao’s follow up to Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is an epic finale that weaves words like poetry, crafts action like song, and sings romance like destiny. This story is one that will make your heart glow, make your heart take flight, and make your heart break. It does not shy away from the inevitable, rather it embraces it, heightening its impact upon arrival. These characters are ones whose fiery spirits inspire, whose journeys strive for more, and whose endings felt just and right. 4.5✨

》The Leads《

Zen. It is with Zen we begin this story. His arc is as tremendous as it is heart-wrenching to see unfold. It becomes clear early on just how inescapable his destiny is. Yet within destiny is fated love, a red string tying his soul to Lan’s. His love for Lan, even as they stand on opposing sides, is unrelenting. He dreams of meeting her in another life, a life of peace where the only worries are first loves, adds a touch of tragedy to his journey. Does his path have a chance for happiness in the end? Read to find out!

Lan. Lan is heroine of the tale. Protecting the hopes and dreams of peace for so many, including herself. Yet selflessly she maneuvers, for she is willing to risk it all to see a new dawn, even if it’s one her eyes will never witness. Lan is beautifully strong heroine, vulnerable yet made of steel. Her heart stays the course, even if that means beating to that of Zen’s. Lan is not one who is willing to forgive easily but that boy in her past haunts her. And the love and bond she has with him is unyielding.

Both Zen and Lan are fantastic leads. They present different perspectives while each evolving into who they are meant to be.

》The Romance《

Zen and Lan’s love story is thing of destiny. An inevitability you want to cherish and protect, even as your heart breaks and breaks and breaks. Every time they are on page together, the story brightens, it breathes, it measures in beauty. However,The romance is where I admit I wish the narrative turned onto a slightly different path. So much of the plot hinges on the fated love story of Zen and Lan, yet they spend more often than not away from one another on page. Yes, we know they love each other— especially when we are in Zen’s chapters, it’s clear as day, but the knowing was not always enough. I needed to see it too. I was desperate to see it because every glimpse was magic, but never enough.

This, for me, is the sole qualm, albeit a mighty one, for I do believe the story could have blossomed all the more had that romance been allowed to touch upon more often.

》The World-Buildng《

The world-building is extravagant, it’s colorful, it’s powerful and it carries over from the first book and builds and builds within this one. It’s quite the magnificent feat to see develop.

That said, I must admit that my enjoyment of this book is not being reflective in this rating, for it was hard for me to hold on to it. I had a very hard time engaging with the plot, principally its world-building, but the reason I did not lower my rating is because I can’t help but feel this trouble in engaging is of my own doing.

This duology is very intricately crafted, every character, every subplot, every name is likely to lead to somewhere or someone significant. I felt I entered into this book close to blind, and that is because I did not reread nor look for a recap of the first book.

I mention this because if, like me, you have trouble storing a detail-heavy story in your mind and/or it has been a while since you read the first book, I think your experience will be augmented if you walk into this sequel with a good recall of its predecessor.

》The Conclusion《

Zhao has another triumph at hand. Her writing is beautiful and soothing on the soul. Her characters come to life: you laugh with them, you grieve with them, you love with them.

I’m so very glad I read this story.

Thank you NetGalley and RandonHouse for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Concise Review:
Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White was a captivating read, containing romance and interesting characters and revelations, magical events, and an epic battle.

Detailed Review:
How The Story Read:
Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White begins where Song ends. The romance and overall story ARC were equally important to the story. For the most part, Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White, is told in dual perspective. The settings were very picturesque. The final battle was epic. There was some sensuality and battle violence.

Overall Thoughts:
Overall, I felt Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White, was very well and elegantly written. I would highly recommend Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White to other readers, both young adult and adult romantasy readers.

Extra Thoughts:
This would be the fifth novel I have read from Amélie Wen Zhao. Every book I have read thus far has been a five-star and favorite read. I will continue to read more books written by Amélie Wen Zhao.

I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy through Netgalley, and I give my honest review voluntarily. My review is my own thoughts and opinion; my experience in reading this story.

This was a really fun read. My caveats might be that I think this series could have benefitted from being a trilogy instead of a duology. The final part of the book seems a little rushed, and I would have enjoyed more details on some of the final parts.