WHAT DID I JUST READ??? did i finish this book or did it finish me?! i am a shell of a human. i fear i will never recover. chellsea abdullah my heart is in your hands and the years were well worth the wait 🥹💜💜

I absolutely loved the first book in this trilogy, Stardust Thief, because of the character development, world building, storyline, Ms. Abdullah's writing style/imagination and the sheer magnitude of the story. Book 2, the Ashfire King was even better, as we (the reader) were introduced the jinn kingdom under the Sandsea. Everything I loved about the first book, was expanded upon in the Ashfire King. It did take me a couple of chapters to get back into the flow of the story and the characters, but once I found my reading rhythm I was totally swept away. The only disappointment is that I now have to wait for Book 3!

A long-awaited sequel to one of my favorite fantasy novels of the past few years! I've been awaiting the return of Loulie and Mazen since the cliffhanger conclusion of The Stardust Thief, and this book certainly did not disappoint! As we enter the enchanting and dangerous realm of the jinn, the intrigue ramps up, bringing our cast of colorful characters into engaging conflicts that kept me hooked from start to finish! An absolutely stunning read, and one that left me so hyped for the third installment! Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my god I love this series so much! Mazen might be my favorite character of 2025. Everyone had such a great character arc and story. I need the final story now!!!!

📚 ARC Review 📚

Release Date April 15, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for my free copy of this book.

Loulie, Mazen, and Rijah have made it to the realm of the jinn. On the run from Omar, they thought they would find sanctuary there, a place to regroup and make a plan to save their friends Qadir and Aisha. But instead they find the jinn realm in turmoil. It is slowly collapsing beneath the Sandsea. On one side you have a queen trying to saving the kingdom by protecting the bindings. In the other a pirate who wants them destroyed to bring the world back to the surface. The only one who can break them is Loulie. Her and Mazen will have to decide what side to be on. Their adventure is just beginning.

This has been a long awaited sequel for a book I loved! The world building is fantastic and I was excited that this book went into the jinn realm. Learning more about the world made for a dynamic book. The book is told from three POVs which for me makes it better storytelling, especially when characters are not together. This was a great follow up and the ending was so good and I can’t wait for the third book!

Thank you to Orbit Books for allowing me access to a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 ⭐ - Many readers, myself included, who read The Stardust Thief when it came out in 2022, have been eagerly awaiting this second book amidst various delays to its publication. After receiving the digital ARC for this book, I did a reread of the first book to refresh my memory of all the details. The first book was well done, but after reading the second book (which I absolutely could NOT put down once I started reading) I think the publication delays may have made this book well worth the wait. The writing felt very much improved over the author's debut, and the character development was excellent, so much so that the first book feels a bit more flat after having read this next installment in the trilogy. The Stardust Thief now feels like a more basic, expected fantasy novel filled with middle east-inspired tales of jinn and magic, whereas The Ashfire King takes that story to a whole new level, and quite literally takes the readers to an entire new <i>world</i> as our main characters explore the land of the jinn beneath the sandsea. Now, I'm not as familiar with Middle Eastern lore as I am with Egyptian or Greek mythology, so the world building in this book felt very fresh and new to me, taking bits and pieces from the first book's stories and expertly weaving them together to craft this new world of the jinn that the readers are brought into for most of this book's storyline.

The character development was also very well done. Characters that the readers had a basic understanding of in the first book were fleshed out more thoroughly in this second book, with the author building additional layers of background history and depth of emotion that really give the readers a better feel for each of the main characters, especially Loulie, Mazen, Qadir, and Aisha. There's even a thread of romance that starts to weave it's way through the story, adding additional interest to the plot.

I also really enjoyed the built-in stories that were woven into the main story, especially once you start to piece together how the built-in stories of this book start to relate to the book's primary plot - in the first book it was more obvious and straightforward, with these stories being used to help explain some of the history, such as Mazen's mom. There's so much new world-building and centuries of history that the reader needs to understand to further the plot, and the way the author weaves these tales in is just so well done.

Overall this was an absolutely epic excellent fantasy read, right up to the plot twist at the very end setting up book 3, and I cannot wait to see how Chelsea Abdullah wraps up this trilogy in the last book.

I have mixed feelings on this one. Some of my issue may be the fact that it’s been like 84 years since the first one and I struggled to remember a lot of things from the first book. I liked the world, like anything to do with magic carpets makes me excited. I enjoyed seeing the plot pushed forward and the relationship between characters. Someone mentioned one character having panic attacks but it was dropped in the 2nd, that had been wiped from my mind so I can’t comment on that. I enjoyed the book for what it was but I’m sure how it stands as a sequel because I don’t remember it enough. I think this is a good bridge between adult/YA because easily digestible.
Reread the first one before this one.

After loving the Stardust Thief I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of its sequel, and I'm so glad that it matched all my expectations. Abdullah has crafted such a lush and exciting world, and I loved getting to see more of the grand magical aspects of the story come to life as the characters venture beyond their known world. The first book felt like setting roots, and this book felt like the author finally got to play with all the pieces that were put on the board.

I loved getting to expand on these characters, particularly Aisha's journey after the end of the first book. She was already a compelling and layered character and I'm so glad that this book allowed her to flourish and shows those complexities.

I do think that some aspects of the world building and magic system feel a bit fuzzy, and while I don't think it takes away enjoyment from the story it does cause me to pause and question what I'm reading. I also REALLY would have loved to see more Qadir, he was such an interesting and mysterious character in the first book and after all of the plot twisting at the end, I was really hoping to dig into him further in the sequel.

I really love this story and can't wait for what is sure to be a grand finale!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of The Ashfire King. Unfortunately I DNF’d this book at 48%. I read The Stardust Thief just before starting this sequel, I really appreciated the recap of the first book in the beginning of The Ashfire King and would love to see more authors doing this. I enjoyed book 1, I found it fairly mediocre but good enough to want to continue the series, however I struggled to get into the story in the second book. I found I was not interested in the plot, the characters, or the setting and I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on from one chapter to the next. I thought maybe I was just having an “off” reading day but then I picked up a different book and was immediately engaged with that book. I’m sure that a lot of readers will enjoy this book but it is just not for me and I do not plan on continuing the series.

Get ready for an adventure!
Chelsea Abdullah has a way of crafting words and a world that is so vivid you feel like you're there! She's an incredible storyteller and I loved all the Arabian lore, the myths, and the magic woven in.
This book starts right off where The Stardust Thief ended and it's a non-stop adventure from start to finish! The character development was great, got to know some more characters in depth, met some new characters, the plot was good, but man was I rooting for a little romance between Mazen & Loulie! It was almost there! Ugh!
I sure hope the wait for book 3 won't be as long as it took for this book to come out!
Thanks to NetGalley & Orbit Books for the digital ARC for an honest review!

The Stardust Thief was a fantastic start to the series, and The Ashfire King continues right where the first book left off. I liked that this installment provided more worldbuilding for the jinn - it was absolutely magical and the story's pacing was done really well. I liked Aisha's character development a lot, but I do wish that we had seen more of Qadir!
The magic system was a little vague at times, but the different settings and new characters brought a lot of additional depth to the world. The alternating POV was also really entertaining and I loved reading about the journeys of all the characters.
The ending has me needing more, and I can't wait to read the final installment! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC!

The Ashfire King is a thrilling sequel set in the lush world introduced in The Stardust Thief. The characters we met in book 1 are racing across the realms while dealing with forces that vacillate between enemy and ally as new secrets are unearthed and hidden intentions are revealed. In this novel, Chelsea Abdullah deftly expands this world filled with gripping magic and sweeping adventures, while the characters face trials and obstacles that force them to both doubt themselves and grow stronger because of it. Overall a fantastic read, and the reveal at the end certainly will leave the reader eager for the third book of this trilogy! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

rating: 4.25 stars

I absolutely love this series! I love Loulie, Mazen, Qadir, and Aisha.

This book, a sequel to Stardust Thief, had less plot twists than the first one, but nonetheless, was still entertaining to read. I liked how Hakim had a much bigger part. In the first book, he was a minor character. But in this, he moves up to a supporting character.

And Loulie and Mazen. They are such a slow burn, but I am rooting for them!

SPOILER:

One thing that confused me throughout the book was about the bindings, Like, is it a good thing or a bad thing to raise the jinn cities to the surface?

In all, I loved this book and this series. I would definitely recommend this series! I will complete my review on goodreads when it gets closer to the publication date.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

The Stardust Thief was an incredible start to the Sandsea Trilogy, and I am so pleased that The Ashfire King was as thrilling as its predecessor.

All the characters we love are back--Loulie, Qadir, Mazen, Aisha, Malik--plus several new characters to love and hate. The story picks up right where The Stardust Thief left off: Loulie, Mazen, and the ifrit Rijah have fallen through the Sandsea and into the world that Qadir (the eponymous king) had long before sealed off with ifrit magic. It is a land of jinn struggling to survive as that binding magic begins to fail--whether because of the deaths of the ifrit who created the seals protecting their lands, or because an ifrit named Nabila is using her magic to break the seals. Loulie and Mazen quickly get swept up in the war between Nabila and the jinn queen trying to thwart her, all while trying to figure out how to return to Qadir. Back on the surface, Aisha--still possessed by Amira, the ifrit known as the Resurrectionist--and Malik attempt to free Qadir, who was captured by Omar, the sultan of Madinne and Mazen's duplicitous brother.

This book is cinematic. The scenes are so vividly described and the characters through whom we experience the story (Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha) so richly depicted that it is easy to get lost in this world. Even the birds have personality here. It did seem like a bit of work to set the book up in the beginning, but all the effort paid off by the end when--in scene after scene--meticulously plotted elements from earlier in the story came together. Because the quests both above and below the Sandsea are relatively straightforward, there is more room to develop even minor characters and their histories than might have otherwise been possible in an overly complicated plot.

There are so many loose ends and unanswered questions that are teed up for the final book in the trilogy, as well as a looming problem for our band of wanderers, storytellers, mapmakers, and fighters to overcome. It really was the perfect middle book of a trilogy. I can't wait for the finale!

I was SO excited to get an ARC of The Ashfire King! I've been waiting for the sequel to The Stardust Thief for what seems like forever. I have the hardcover physical copy on pre-order, but couldn't resist reading it early. The story of Loulie and friends continues with drama, fights, and extremely cool experiences for the characters. I was drawn right back in to their world, and now just need to wait for book 3! Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

We jump right back into the world of The Stardust Thief (after a brief recap, thank you thank you) to Loulie and Maazen trapped in the jinn world and Aisha and Qadir and having a rough time on the surface.

I was excited to come back to this world and these characters. Aisha got a good amount of time to grow and evolve, which was probably my favorite part. I miss Qadir when he’s not around but thankfully Maazen and Loulie stick together. After all the misunderstandings in book one, the bond really solidifies in such a good way. The villain gets more villainous, the stakes get higher, the magic gets bigger.

There is a touch of second book syndrome going on; a rush of new characters, a significant amount of time when the characters are separated, a fair bit of set up for book three that slows it down. I didn’t love it as much as the first book, but I did enjoy it. I do think it has set up a very cool book three and I’m looking forward to it.

Going insane and feral over this beautiful sequel to a stunning debut—THE ASHFIRE KING weaves new worldbuilding and arcs for our favorite characters, while also introducing new faces and more chaos into the mix

Mazen, Rijah, and Loulie find themselves in the land of Jinn and are immediately thrust into the political turmoil Radir left behind when he went to the surface. While the Queen of Jinn wants Loulie to fix the bindings Radir and the rest of the Ifirit put in place one of the few remaining Ifirit wants her to break them, which will allow the islands to rise back to the surface. Whichever path Loulie chooses to take it must be soon as the islands are sinking far faster than they have in the past.

In the meantime, Aisha has made tentative peace with The Resurrectionist Queen, and after stumbling upon Hakim, they rush back to save Radir from Omar's grasp.


I feel like I waited forever for this book to come out!! Luckily it did not disappoint, we have just as much action and adventure as the first one, get introduced to a ton of new characters (Duha being my absolute favorite), and learn more about Radir's role in the mess that Loulie and Mazen find themselves in. Because yeah, he left a giant mess.

I think my favorite part of this had to be Loulie and Aisha's character growth. Loulie really grows a lot in learning to lean on both Mazen and Rijah, probably not as much as she should have, but she really understands that trusting others isn't such a bad thing. Honestly, was absolutely necessary to not bog down this story. There was much going on here. If we had Loulie from book one in this one, it would have been awful. Aisha thought, omg she really came such a long way by the end of the book. She's still the blunt human of very little words from the first one, but she finally figures out that she messed up bad in the first book. And, and oh, this is the best part; she finally starts getting along with The Resurrectionist Queen. Which takes her bad ass assassin to bad ass necromancer assassin, and I am here for it!

World building was, of course, exceptional, and while I felt like we had fewer stories than in the first book, all of the ones that we did get were amazing. Especially the one about the firebird.

What I did not see coming at all, not even a tiny bit, was who the actual bad guy was, not until like a chapter before they are revealed. I'm just completely out of the left field, and omg I loved it! I also didn't see the ending coming at all, but it made perfect sense, and I was kinda kicking myself that I didn't.

Overall, it's just an excellent middle book. I fell in love with the characters I already loved even more, was introduced to new characters that I adore, and can not wait to see how this ends!

As always, thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the eArc!

You can check out all of my reviews at my Blog! <a href = "https://kellysbooknook.wordpress.com/"> Kelly's Book Nook</a>

Thank you NetGalley! 4.5⭐️ Loulie and Mazen travel in search of a lamp in the land of the sunken sea while looking for Qadir, who has disappeared. Aisha and Hakim search for a way to rescue Qadir while escaping Omar, the brother who killed their father to become the sultan. To try and give a brief synopsis of this book would be impossible. Intricately weaved storylines fill the pages effortlessly. Different lands, leaders, magic, enemies, creatures and circumstances mingle as they struggle for power and allegiances. As exciting as book one in this trilogy but still feel it would benefit from a cast of characters and a short glossary. Anxiously awaiting the final installment!

After recently rereading Stardust Thief I was so excited to jump back into this world but I ended up pretty disappointed.

I had multiple issues with Ashfire King. My favorite part of Stardust Thief was Louie and Qadirs relationship and they don’t interact for about 85% of the book. Also there was pacing issues. I felt like the characters just kept getting into situations nonstop and then boom random story time. I honestly didn’t care about any of the new characters being introduced and was sad that the jinn world wasn't explored at a slower pace.