Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass)

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A client offers them a huge sum of money for killing Ioan Jayne, the crimelord of Rifthold, and his second Farran. years before meeting Aelin Galathynius, Manon's mother Lothian Blackbeak, and Tristan Crochan fell in love with one another, and Lothian became pregnant with Manon. A Valg soldier attacks them in the tent, and determines from Lysandra's blood that she is not Aelin. Petrah Blueblood stands in support of Manon as payment for the life debt owed after saving her during the War Games.

Aelin is traumatized by her months in Maeve's captivity and has a slight breakdown while Rowan removes her chains and mask; he sees that her skin has been completely replaced, removing her scars and tattoos. Cyrene leads Manon to the Crochans, who are skeptical; Manon quietly draws two Ironteeth covens to the combined witch force, to fight them and prove herself to the Crochans. When the group discovered the Lock is a witch mirror, Manon explains what they are and how they can be used.

The Crochans make plans to travel to Eyllwe to assist their own; they arrive too late to save anyone. It keeps her alive after she opens a portal in the god-world (to the hellscape we last saw in Crown of Midnight), leaving the gods to fight whatever comes through. As the threads of fate weave together at last, all our heroes must fight together, if they are to have a chance at a future. Manon was told that her mother died birthing her; in reality, Mother Blackbeak killed her own daughter after Manon was born. But I will fly against you, if need be, to ensure that there is a future for those who cannot fight for it themselves.

Deanna destroys Elena instead and the gods cross through a Wyrdgate to their world, intending to leave Erawan behind. The Silent Assassins, scattered throughout the fleet, had no banner, though none was needed to identify them—not with their pale clothes and assortment of beautiful, vicious weapons. Despite undergoing horrible experiences Aelin fights back, cracking the iron box enough for Rowan to feel her presence through their mating bond. Locked in that coffin hidden on an island within the heart of a river, the princess recited the story, over and over, and let them unleash an eternity of pain upon her body. Standing at 5’7”, Aelin’s body is lithe and toned, and nevertheless, she is blessed with impressive curves and well-formed breasts.

Disgusted with the immorality of slaving and Arobynn's choice to involve her in his deal, Aelin decides to rescue the slaves and convinces Sam to assist her. When Cairn, Aelin’s torturer, moves to burn her, it’s too much for both of them: Fenrys snaps his blood-oath and attacks Cairn.

Like they would get the chance to make things right, to redeem themselves and then find peace in death.

The story moves along slowly—well, maybe more deliberately than slowly—as we check in with a plethora of characters. Camped in the Staghorn Mountains, Aedion's scouting party manages to find six Valg soldiers in the mountain pass. Manon then rejoins the other Blackbeaks and goes to the Ferian Gap, where they are to select the wyvern they will use in battle. Maas mentioned this phrase often, and it ended up being something I should’ve noticed but never did. At the last moment, Aelin changes the gods' destination to the hellscape she encountered while still working as the King's Champion.

Aelin gruffly questions Yrene as to why she, the daughter of a healer, is in Innish working as a barmaid; she admonishes her for not pressing on and at least being penniless in Antica near Torre Cesme instead of miserable in Innish and criticizes her for allowing herself to waste away in the awful town for the sake of a clean conscience. When the third realizes that his friends are dead, he flees into the field by the cottage; Manon tracks him and murders him as well. Mother Blackbeak tracked him down; she taunted him, informing him that she had killed his lover and that she would turn Manon into a monster before slaughtering him. The Matron reveals Manon’s parentage and that Manon is the Last Crochan Queen and that the Matron purposely made sure Manon grew up as a “child of war, not peace.I loved when they voted against her at one point and that teamwork was required as they battled Erawan and Maeve.