Kingdom of Claw
By Demi Winters (2024) The Ashen Series #2
Fantasy Romance
★★★★★ 5 Star Review
In the aftermath of her Sillas journey through the Road of Bones, her dreams of a simple life have been shattered. Beaten, betrayed, and reeling from the revelation of her true name, she flees Kopa with Reynir Galtung, ruthless leader of the Bloodaxe Crew. But Silla soon discovers Rey has been keeping secrets of his own, and they're forced into hiding together. Stuck in a shield-home with the murderous man she thought she knew, Silla forms a new plan: master the magic flowing through her veins to save her sister. But before she can do that, Silla must face her most formidable opponent yet -- her own inner demons. Along the way, her relationship with Rey deepens and trust builds anew.
Saga Volsik has nothing to lose. They’ve murdered her family. Stolen her throne. And now they expect her to marry their son. But when she discovers her foster mother, the Queen, has been keeping the biggest secret of all, everything changes. Saga’s goal: dismantle Queen Signe’s plans piece by piece. The only problem? The handsome Zagadkian dignitary who knows far too many of her secrets.
Meanwhile, dark threads continue to weave themselves through Íseldur as magic long thought dead begins to wake. In this follow-up to The Road of Bones, both women will need to find the strength to step into their destiny and stop chaos from sweeping across the land. This installment digs deeper into Íseldur’s forbidden magic and the simmering attraction growing between two unlikely couples.
“Good men, all dead because of her. Perhaps living was her punishment.”
The story is written from different areas of the region at the same time so we know what’s happening with Jonas in Kopa, Saga in Sunnavik, and Silla and Rey in Kalasgarde. This type of storytelling was so helpful because it brought the story together really well and we got to see how certain things were linked. It also meant that the reader had insight into what was happening so we weren’t frustrated. I can get impatient with books where you are in the dark, this satisfies that need! This gave us room to properly enjoy the plot and focus on the mystery. Adding Saga’s storyline was absolute genius and added a perfect balance to the book that also served to create tension as the two sisters worked to help one another, completely unaware of the other’s actions. As one POV reveals information, it creates a nerve-wracking realization in the other. In the perspective of Jonas, the villain, we see he is annoying and twisted, but his reasoning for revenge is quite logical and realistic. His true betrayal of both Rey and Silla cut deep because there was previous trust built. Seeing him double-down on his need for revenge and self-victimization made him a character you hate. Rightfully so.
“Silla watched as light and dark swirled together, marveling at how his darkness made her light shine so much brighter. At how her light cast the deepest shadows from the darkness.”
Throughout the book both Saga and Silla are coming to realizations about their magic, whether it be through training or stolen information. As the reader, I was eagerly waiting to learn more about how the magic system works in this universe. We learned a lot about the types of magic and the higher powers involved. I think more is coming in future installments to further dive into this aspect of the series, but what has been provided so far fulfills my need for structured fantastical elements.
“You see blundering. I see progress. There is beauty to behold in the in between.”
The romance between Silla and Rey was 10/10! It was a perfect pace where they both went on their own healing journeys at the same time and ended up stronger together in the end. Of course things get a little steamy and with the foundation of trust and care, the romance is beautiful. Silla had tremendous character development!! Exactly what I hoped for. Silla seriously overcame a lot in this book. She was stronger and sharper than what we saw in Road of Bones. Her development was paced perfectly and we got taken along a journey with how she came to accept who she was and her magic. It wasn’t easy but her internal battles were written well. She’s 100% still Rey’s “sunshine”, but there’s a little less naivety and a newfound confidence in herself. We got Rey’s backstory and insight into his internal battles and let me tell you, it was PERFECT. It explained him so well and I like that he got some character development too. We see him in his home town of Kalasgarde and get introduced into some cool characters from his past.
“He needed her more than air. More than vengeance. More than anything he’d ever wanted before. He’d fought so long, so hard against the pull of her, but it had always been futile. She was inevitable.”
Saga has a very different backstory to Silla and has approached her demons a little differently. She portrays a bird stuck in a cage and has grown meek in the company she is forced to keep. We see Saga go through some highs, partnering with Ana to dismantle the Queen's plans, and some real lows, even as far as to contemplate taking her own life. Saga must overcome her fears and learn to fight back throughout this book. Meanwhile, we also get to see a romance build between Saga and Kass. Kass is a little crazy, but maybe that’s what she needs. Someone with a couple screws loose and a taste for violence to kill her enemies. I like it. There's a great twist towards the end of their story together that leaves me excited for the next book to see how things may play out between them. And of course I am wondering how this will transpire to the storyline.
“Fear was a thing to be felt, not obeyed.”
