Given the intense cliffhanger of the first novel, I was eager to find out where Lan and Zen’s stories were headed.

But to be honest, I struggled with this conclusion to the duology, mainly because it had been over a year since I read the arc for book one and found that it felt impossible to remember anything due to the large cast of characters (and how they were all related). It also made me remember how loosely defined the magic system and world building are. There isn’t much help built into the writing itself to remind readers of these things and while the other extreme of info-dumping is avoided, I felt like this follow-up needed more in terms of giving readers footing to anchor ourselves from where we’d left off.

It didn’t help that so many things happened plot and action-wise. But strangely, I also felt like this book struggles with pacing issues, as the first book day: I wanted to simultaneously rush through certain chapters (usually the “journeying” moments in the story) but also wished certain moments were slowed down.

While I liked what Zhao tried to do with the resolution and found it to be a rewarding one, I felt like the journey getting there was a bit too bumpy and jarring to fully appreciate it.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night was a surprise for me last year. I went into it blind, and ended up enjoying it a lot! I had been looking forward to the sequel - I really wanted to see what was next for our main characters Lan and Zen. I was surprised and pleased when I was granted the digital arc! I had a great time reading this follow up, and was able to jump right into this story as it picks up right where the first left off.

What I loved most about this book was the traveling. I really enjoyed following along the characters as we journeyed to new lands and locations. It gave similarities to many of my favorite high fantasies, and I think truly elevated the experience of this story. I love expanding on the amazing world Zhao created, and learning more about the Demon Gods and magic surrounding them. I also loved the way we see the consequences of the events of the first book play throughout this sequel, especially in the way the characters grow and interact with each other.

I think this book is a very satisfying conclusion to our story. The last section was much faster than the rest of the book, but the progression was well done and felt natural. I do wish we could have spent a little more time on the ending, it needed a little more space for everything to hit and settle a little more. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and I think it was a wonderful and satisfying conclusion to a fun duology.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Delacorte Press. All opinions are my own.

just rip my heart out it would hurt less

This was a FANTASTIC conclusion to this duology, I am floored by how much pain I'm in and also able to acknowledge what a genius series this was

This is an overall consuming and intriguing YA fantasy sequel. While I would recommend reading the first book close in time before getting into this one, it has a slower start that builds to lead to an intense ending. The world-building is deepened and broadened in this book, and the main characters continue their personal arcs and growth in new ways. Themes of balance, sacrifice, history, the things that bind us, and politics/power are further explored in this book, making it quite a thought-provoking read. This book brings the story to a close, and while it may be ultimately satisfying, I would definitely have some tissues handy. Overall, this completes a fascinating YA fantasy duology with intricate world-building, unforgettable characters, and thoughtful themes. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love Amelie Wen Zhao and will read anything she puts out.

This was another wonderful book by her

Welcome to my stop on TBR & Beyond Tours' (@tbrbeyondtours) book birthday celebration tour for Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao (@ameliewenzhao)! This epic conclusion to the Song of the Last Kingdom duology came out today, and is not to be missed! Today I'll be sharing some of my favorite quotes over on my blog (link in bio) from Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White as well as a spolier-free review for the series here on Instagram.

I absolutely loved the first book in the Song of the Last Kingdom series, so I jumped at the chance to read an early copy of Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White. After setting up a high-stakes plot arc in Song of Silver, Flame like Night, Amélie Wen Zhao had a lot of work to accomplish to give the series a meaningful and satisfying end. She more than delivered this ending, taking readers on a nearly 500-page rollercoaster of magic and emotions! I especially enjoyed getting to spend more time with some of the side-characters from book one as they took on bigger roles in the sequel (I live and die for Dilaya). Overall, both books in this series more than earned five-star ratings from me!

My Recommendation:
If you love character-driven epic fantasy novels, you need to pick up this series as soon as you can! This duology is a wonderful example of the strengths of YA Fantasy as a genre, with a meaningful plot that will keep readers engaged until the last page! I would especially recommend this book to fans of Spin the Dawn, as both books possess fierce female leads with swoon-worthy love interests!

An awesome finale! A lot of going on, but then you can follow it smoothly, you will not be lost. The pace is right, and the characters are great. I love them! On of the finale that you’ll just be in awwww moment, i may not cry but for sure to someone you will be floored. I just love it! Love the first and the sequel, a great action and adventure read and heart on it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC! I do my reviews on my social media platforms. I am currently working on getting through my reviews so stay tuned! Leaving a rating as a placeholder for me and to not effect the books rating in order to post this. Thanks again!

What a great way to end a series!I really enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down. I will read anything this author writes!

excellent book. was so excited to receive this ARC. it became one of my top favorite reads. cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you for providing me an ARC copy of this book. Great sequel to Song of Silver, Flame like Night. It is a YA fantasy that is inspired by the tales and culture of old China. The first half of the book moves very slow, but enjoyed Lan and Zen even more as the characters were well developed. 4 starts and 1 chili pepper for spice level.

This sequel and conclusion to this amazing duology was perfect! It is filled with stunning world building, enchanting magic and heartbreaking romance! What more could you ask for! It is such a great YA duology and I can't wait to read more books from this author!

I dnfed this book very early on. I struggled through the first one as I felt nothing happened and the use of the word rat fart put me off by the amount of times it was used. Thank you for the opportunity but I will not be continuing with this series.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This is a truly unique and exceptional book and I cannot wait to read more! I'm highly recommending this one as the prefect conclusion to a perfect story.
As it's the second book in the duology, I'll say it's very obviously a continuation of the first book and I really don't think it's the kind of book you can jump into without having read the previous volume. Don't even try it. And the first book is so good that it wouldn't even make sense to skip it.

A beautiful ending to an amazing duology. The action was amazing, the love story was heartbreaking, and the deaths were bittersweet. but in the end, it was the perfect ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the e-arc!
I have been waiting for this sequel! I was so lucky to receive an e-arc of Song of silver, Flame like night and I have been waiting for the next one ever since. Young adult fantasy is so stepping it up, especially with such fantastic, unique books like this. Also this book includes a little recap which I am so excited about! Let's make this standard because I always have such a hard time remembering books.
When are the absolute best things about this book are the characters! Almost every single overview I see of the story always how to tell fantastic Lan and Zen are for good reason. This book definitely focuses more on them and I wish we got to see a little bit more from the other characters but I do love Lan and Zen so Im not too mad.
And I really have to give props to Amélie Wen Zhao for the writing style of this book. I think the flow and the storytelling was just absolutely phenomenal.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

I'm still emotional over the ending of this series after a day of letting it sit with me.

This was such an excellent sequel and my gosh, the LOVE it told--between Lan and Zen, between them and their people and their culture and their land... it was such a beautiful tale and I wanted to immediately re-read both books after I finished. The ending is bittersweet but so satisfying and I legitimately almost full-on cried from the beauty of it. There were some things I wish had gone a bit differently, but that's a typical reaction and in no way a detraction from how phenomenal a story we got.

My only issue was the repetition of some recap, which had me skimming some sections, but it's perfect for readers who happen to pick up this book not realizing it is a sequel. Everything in the first book is plainly and helpfully provided whenever context is needed (though, like I said, it gets repeated sometimes and multiple times at that). It will likely make you want to pick up the first book to get the full story. If you're reading them back to back though, it may feel like unnecessary fluff.

This is easily one of my favorite book series in a long time, though. It really just sucked me in and made me feel and my goodness, I cannot recommend it enough.

Lan and Zen are coming to terms with the powers they've inherited and while they both want to protect the Last Kingdom from the Elantians, they have different ways of going about it. Lan thinks the demons should not be involved at all and their powers left alone but Zen thinks using the demon's powers is the only way to save them. Overall, a solid sequel that had a few pacing issues but ultimately wrapped up the duology. There was a lot of back and forth of Lan and Zen getting frustrated with the other's viewpoint, but they were ultimately fighting for the same thing.

An exciting end to a duology! Just as beautiful written as the first. The world building is good and the plot is pretty solid too. There were some inconsistencies with pacing and the character development wasn't as strong as book 1 but it was still a good read.