The Ashfire King is a fast-paced, immersive fantasy with strong world-building and a cool magic system. I was hooked early on and loved the political tension and slow-burn character dynamics. The Ashfire King himself is a standout—complicated, a little unhinged, and totally compelling.

Some parts dragged slightly, and a few side characters could’ve used more depth, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

While I enjoyed the first couple books, this series just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

What a wild romp through the land of of the djinn!
This thrilling sequel to The Stardust Thief was beautifully written and so entertaining. The FMC Loulie and MMC Mazen are trapped in the djinn realm trying desperately to get back to the human world and Qadir whom they left behind. Still reeling from the events that lead to their sojourn in the djinn realm, you really get to see both Loulie and Mazen's character development. Loulie softens and a lot of her "grump" attitude falls away, and Mazen also REALLY comes into his own. I love seeing how he stood up for Loulie and his new found family. The story itself was full of jaw dropping moments and exquisite descriptions of the landscape. The purple sand beaches and strange trees bearing multi color fruit was amazing! I wanted to literally fall into this book. I also enjoyed the stories within stories and thought it was a wonderful call back to the origin of this story. The cherry on top being Mazen's fantastic storytelling skills, made my heart squeeze, he definitely made his Mama proud!
Overall, this was a lot of fun to read. I rated this book 4.5 stars. My only "ish" was the length. I felt it was a smidge too long and could have been condensed in the middle sections. During the 30%-60% section of the book, it was very easy to put this book down but I always came back. I will definitely be continuing the series and can't wait to see what happens!
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for giving the chance to read this lovely book!!!

I enjoyed returning to the world of djinn, ifrit, and marid, where stories and magic collide. Abdullah has a great series on her hand and I think she has definitely improved on book one here. Our main characters are thrust into a world where they are attacking disadvantage but yet they persevere. Louie, Mazen, and Aisha all have to deal with betrayals and the consequences of their actions, and interesting so doing they begin to pick up pieces to a puzzle that they are integral parts of. I love the eventual deepening of their bonds as they grapple with overcoming political machinations and power plays as well as discovering that maybe the world as they know it was once mich more.

Another aspect I enjoyed were the addition of the new characters who all had their own agenda and who also helped to build out the story more. I love that we got smart villains here who have obviously thought ahead and are steps ahead of our heroes. I did however feel as if there were moments of repetition but they didn't disrupt my enjoyment.

I will definitely be continuing this series.

4.25! This sequel had me right back in my feelings—dusty deserts, deadly jinn, and all the chaos I was craving. I adored The Stardust Thief, so diving back into this world felt like slipping into something familiar but still full of surprises. The recap at the start was genius (bless whoever decided that) and made it super easy to jump back in. The plot picks up fast, the magic is rich, and the character arcs? Even better this time around. I still have a soft spot for Aisha—she steals every scene—but honestly, I love them all. The vibes are adventurous with a touch of danger, and while some moments had me a little confused, I was never bored. It’s got action, friendship, moral grayness, and just enough romance to keep things simmering. If you liked book one, this one’s definitely worth the ride.

Thank you to Orbit USA and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC!!

This was a long awaited sequel, and in reading it you can tell it was a marathon to write. The refresher at the beginning is definitely essential in trying to remember everything that happened in book one of this trilogy. This is a complex world with a lot of moving parts, and can get confusing if you aren't paying attention. But all together it creates a beautiful world with fascinating characters.

Overall, this book is character driven. There'Us definitely copious amounts of important plot points, but the star themes are Mazen and Aisha's development specifically. Seeing their evolution over the course of this book was the major strength of this storyline. While Loulie and Qadir had my attention in book one, book two made me care far more about Aisha, Hakim, and Mazen.

Make no mistake, this is a slow read. It took me a good amount of time to get into it. It feels very snail-paced at times. I also didn't feel as much chemistry between our two love interests, and found myself instead far more invested in potential side character relationships. The ending I had figured out by the time I reached the final page, so it didn't hit quite as hard as it maybe could have.

Just like with the first book, my real love in this series are the storylines of the Jinn. I love learning about their relationships with each other, the pain and healing they need to go through, and how they've adapted to their circumstances. I find these storylines far more fascinating, and love every little tidbit we get. I can't wait to see how it all comes to a head in book three.

Overall, 3.5/5 for Ashfire King!

This was a treat 3 years in the making and man was it worth it. The world building, the character development and dynamics, and the hints of romantic pairings? They all got so much better in this sequel and now I’m just DYING for the third book! 😭

The story follows Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha as they deal with the events that ended The Stardust Thief. I won’t go into too much detail because it will spoil the plot of this, but all I’ll say is I just love the amount of adventure this installment got and the new additions to the character list was great. Abdullah’s versions of kickass morally grey women are now some of my favorite characters to date, but I still hold a special place for Loulie and Aisha. 🪔

While the plot did feel like it lagged here and there, I still had a fantastic time being back in this world and with these characters. It definitely satisfied that itch of needing an epic Arabian inspired fantasy ever since I finished The Daevabad Trilogy. 🧞‍♂️

My eternal love and gratitude once again goes out to Orbit Books and NetGalley for being so quick with accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review, and to the author, Abdullah, for writing such a fantastic fantasy! I will happily wait another three years for a stunning ending to this story! ❤️

Publication date: April 15!

Overall: 4.75/5 ⭐️

Thank you so much for the chance to read an arc of this book! I loved the first in the series and was so excited to be approved!

Into my review…
One of my favorite things that Chelsea Abdullah did in both of these books, was the incredible world building that makes you feel like you’re watching a movie in your head. Despite being trapped in cold Ohio while reading both books, everytime I pick this book up it felt like I was transported into the desert and the jinn realm. I really felt like I was up on a roof with the entire city of Dhabab before me.

I love all the characters in this series. The character growth that they all went through in this book was great, particularly Loulie and Aisha. Loulie starts off this book having just started to warm up to Mazen. But by the end of the book, she’s learned so much about trust and friendship 🥹 Aisha, my morally grey queen, really came to terms with her newfound ifrit ~friend~. She had to learn to accept her new reality and fight for her, begrudgingly so, newfound family (+ a lil revenge). We really got to see her open up more throughout this book. And Mazen, my sweet starry eyed storyteller. He’s still as starry eyed as ever but learned to trust himself and be brave. Also his relationship with Azhar 🥹🥹🥹 I need fan art of them together IMMEDIATELY!

In terms of other characters, I love how we got to see more of Hakim in this book and understand his backstory, history, and his surprising mentor. I wish we would’ve gotten a little bit more of Qadir throughout the book. He was almost nonexistent for a good chunk of the book, leaving you wondering what the heck was happening. I feel like we got a lot of our questions related to him answered, but I wish we would’ve seen him a bit more and gotten a bit more explanation and backstory for his relationship with the jinn realm (and how it relates to the ending of the book). In terms of other new characters introduced this book, I really loved Duha and her good hearted nature, but I need more backstory on her relationship with Nabila (and how Duha can remain so kind while Nabila is… well Nabila).

Miss Abdullah did a great job of keeping you on your toes in relation to the villain(s) of this story. I love how even though the main story didn’t focus on him, we still got to somewhat keep up with what the Stardust Thief was up to on the surface. The new villains introduced in the jinn realm were all multi-faceted and you never really knew who you should be fully looking out for. Even up until the very end I was kept on my toes and still left surprised and speechless at varying points.

For the most part, the story really kept me engaged and I feel like the world got even more threshed out throughout the book. As I’ve already talked a bit about the world building and writing, I won’t dive into it too much more. But overall just really think it was well explained and well written. There were a few lulls towards the early middle of the book but for the most part, the story was really engaging and full of action and adventure. The amount of times my jaw straight up dropped from reveals is too high to count! The hints of romance still managed to be present with the slow burn, REALLY slow burning. The hints of romance though were all really sweet and tied to character growth as well which I really appreciated.

Overall I really loved this continuation of the Sandsea Trilogy and can’t wait for book three (just please don’t make me wait too long, Im begging you! 🥺)

This was such a fun read - I loved the continuation of everyone's story! Also the recap at the beginning told as a story from Mazen? Much appreciated because it's been too long since I read The Stardust Thief haha. I loved getting to delve deeper into all of these characters, and the new landscape of the Sandsea was so fascinating and made for a really fun time! Also I need the 3rd book ASAP because that last chapter? Was not expecting that!

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It’s high time for book 2. It’s been about 3 years, but Abdullah fans are ready to dive into the Sandsea again (just don’t forget the pearl necklace).

If there isn’t some serious romance in book three, I’m sending my therapy bills directly to Chelsea Abdullah. 😩

3 Reasons to read/continue this series:

1. Abdullah dishes out world building that begs to be your next beach read.
2. If you’re starved for Arabic mythology driven stories (like me).
3. If “found-family”, clever & kick-🍑 female characters and stories-within-stories are vibes you like.

I will admit, I wished this book was more adult vs YA- only because I see multiple slow burns starting to take place and I wanted to see the 🔥🔥🔥🔥.

I will also admit, I struggled a little to imagine some of the more adventurous scenes, but it’s okay- I still had a great time in those chaotic moments.

Netgalley & @orbitbooks_us – TY for coming in strong and providing an ARC to one of my most anticipated reads this year. How soon till book three? 👀👀👀

I’m not even sure how to untangle my thoughts and feelings surrounding this novel to write a coherent review. As Chelsea Abdullah’s follow up novel to her debut “The Stardust Thief,” I went into this read with high hopes and I was not disappointed. Continuing our adventure with Loulie and the gang, the stakes got higher and the consequences become more messy. I thoroughly enjoyed the increased world-building surrounding the jinn realm below the Sandsea, and I particularly enjoyed the nuanced politics amongst the jinn and how our group had to navigate such a landscape. The character development throughout this novel was superbly done: Loulie became a little softer around the edges and more easily relied upon her friends for support, Mazen came into his own and became more confident in telling his own story, and Aisha learned to make the most of her situation and found who truly had her back. I absolutely loved getting lost in this story, and I cannot wait to get my hands on book three. If you enjoyed S. A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy, you will absolutely fall in love with this story by Chelsea Abdullah!!

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for access to this eARC for review; all thoughts are my own.

A Five Star read! I could not wait to read this book, and the wait was worth it. The Ashfire King, is the second book in the Sandsea series, and is filled with Abdullah’s magical world and lovable characters. I missed Quadir in this book, but got to know Mazen much more. Picking up this book was like grabbing a warm blanket and slipping into the familiar world. I can’t wait to return! Thank you Net galley for the arc!

Chelsea Abdullah’s The Ashfire King is just as sweeping a fantasy tale as book one The Stardust Thief was. The world-building intensifies in the second book as Loulie, Mazen, and Rijah find themselves under the Sandsea in the sunken Jinn realm.

Pulled between 2 warring factions of Jinn both convinced their method is the only way to save the realm-Loulie must decide which side is worth fighting for and how to make the right decision in the face of death on all sides.

Along the way, secrets abound, it turns out Qadir still hasn’t been completely honest with her but leaving him and Aisha behind in the desert to face Omar-bin-mailk and his thieves has Loulie desperate to do anything that is asked of her to make it back to the surface.

This book is also split between Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha’s POVs. And while there is a lot going on at all times but the pacing of this story is handled well and I never felt overwhelmed. True to her style, Chelsea slowly rachets up the tension throughout the first half of the book, leveraging world-building and small reveals to engage the reader before picking up the plot’s momentum in the second half.

I loved watching these characters grow and seeing their sweeping story unfold. The depth and the detail here truly made me feel transported to Madinne and Dhahab. The things that were revealed at the end of this book have me flabbergasted and I am so excited for the next book that will round out this trilogy!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

My review was posted to Goodreads on 4/5/25.
My Instagram review will be posted on 4/15/25.
My Amazon review will be posted on 4/15/25.

A solid follow up to the Stardust Thief. The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah picks up where we left off in the first installment, and I think that Abdullah took a lot of people’s comments to heart and focused more on the internal goings of our characters. With the first book, I felt as though the characters were pretty one dimensional and forgetful; I often found myself not really caring about what was happening to them. In this book, I feel we are given more depth to our trio, and get to understand more about what they are thinking and feeling. I liked seeing more of Aisha and her story, and feel that she really carried this novel. Her internal struggle of hating Djinn, yet having so many people she worked with being discovered as Jinn was really interesting. I also loved seeing her reunion with Omar.

Something that was lacking in this book, however, was Qadir. As a fan favorite, he was stripped from this novel, and his absence really shows. Mazen and Loulie don’t really have the same electric dynamic that Qadir and Loulie have. I felt as though a lot of this book dragged with the focus of Mazen and Loulie’s POVs, and wanted to get back to either Aisha or Qadir. I had this same issue with book one, so I hope that we get a bit more of an interesting plot with them, because Mazen and Omar’s dynamic is also something I’m eager to see.

The world building grows a lot more, and Abdullah does a great job describing this landscape, as well as the fights and battles. This story seemed richer and more laid out, especially the underground Jinn world. I think if you enjoyed book one, and want to return to a rich middle eastern world, you will love this. And if you felt the characters weren’t as strong in book one, I think you will enjoy this one, as they definitely grow more in this installment. I look forward to see what we have in store in the finale.

Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Publishing, and Chelsea Abdullah for the ARC!

I’ll be honest, I was underwhelmed by book 1 of this trilogy, The Stardust Thief. It was slow and hard to get into. But this changed all that. Action-packed and engaging, and with the helpful tool of one of your characters being a storyteller, so it’s natural to have a “previously on” blurb at the start of the novel.

I really enjoyed The Ashfire King! One of the things I loved most was how much more character-driven this installment felt compared to book one. While the first book was packed with action and plot twists (which I also loved), this one took a step back and let the characters breathe and grow—especially Mazen. The emotional depth added a whole new layer to the story. If you're into YA fantasy with great world-building and characters that actually evolve, definitely pick this up. It’s a strong sequel!

I enjoyed The Stardust Thief both times I read it (I reread it to refresh my memory prior to reading the ARC of The Ashfire King), but I think I liked this brand new sequel even more!

For me, the found family was strengthened a lot, and all of the POV characters had solid character growth over the course of the book. Chelsea Abdullah’s writing flowed seamlessly from Book 1, with the writing style and vibes being a perfect match to what was established in the first book. I really appreciated that the writing was so similar, because a large part of this story takes place in a different location from the setting of Book 1. Sometimes when a series branches off to a new location in a sequel, the feel of the story changes, but that didn’t happen here.

While this series doesn’t feel gut-punching in the way some others do (the Daevabad trilogy comes to mind), it still has very high stakes, betrayals, and innocents caught in the crossfire. The cliffhanger isn’t brutal, either. It’s definitely an “Oh no, that’s very bad” kind of cliffhanger, but the book closes in a more settled way and not so much in a “I need the next book yesterday” way.

There were multiple times while I was reading the second half of the book that I wished someone was buddy reading it with me so I could talk to them about it! I had a great time reading The Ashfire King, and if you love epic fantasy, then I think you will enjoy the Sandsea books, as well! The Ashfire King releases on April 15, 2025!

The prologue summarized book one in a lovely fairytale style, making it easy to become oriented in this book right away. As with the first book, I enjoyed the other stories and myths shared within this tale.

Loulie and Mazen processed their own grief while traveling the awe-inspiring land of the jinn and grew closer together. Loulie’s desperate attempts to communicate with Qadir kept his character and their relationship at the forefront while they were separated. Aisha struggled to control the power of the queen of the dead while plotting to eliminate Omar, but she softened slightly as she began to embrace her new found family. I was excited to get to know Hakim in this book.

The only downside was the POV shifts among Loulie, Mazen and Aisha slowed the pace of the plot because for much of the book the characters were on disjointed journeys.

Overall, book two was an action-packed and magic-rich continuation of the series, while also increasing the stakes and hooking me into book three.

Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

We’re back baby!! Louilie & Mazen are in the Jinn realm and Aisha was left to find Qadir in the human world. It was a slow start. Like taking a walk with friends and catching up. No where to be, just time to talk and be together. I usually don’t like when books start slow, but I enjoyed this because we needed the world building to get to the second half where we were sprinting. I mean that second half I didn’t want to put the book down. Every single character mattered to me. Every chapter held something important. I feel like I can’t give details without giving spoilers but you can’t miss this book. I already cannot wait for the next book because that cliffhanger has my jaw on the floor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.

After nearly three years of waiting, the sequel to “The Stardust Thief” (and the second of three books in The Sandsea Trilogy) was well worth the wait!

Although “The Ashfire King” picks up right where the last book left off, I very much appreciated that the author summarized the first book at the beginning so I didn’t forget any of the important details moving into this story (sooo much happened in the first book!). I loved that this sequel continued to jump between the POVs of Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha, because I equally loved all three characters after the first book.

Many new characters were introduced in this book (good, evil, and in-between). I was on the fence with the shapeshifter Rijah through the entire book. I didn’t really like them, but they had a few shining moments. I found myself desperately missing Qadir since he was absent for much of this book, and I really admired him in the first book. I absolutely loved the addition of Azhar and its sweet relationship with Mazen. I smiled every time the firebird appeared with a “jovial trill” or peeped in agreement.

I have two words that made me scream in delight: flying carpet! It brought in some wonderful “Aladdin” vibes without being too magical for Loulie. The budding romance was also lovely to see grow throughout this story. The overall growth for the main three characters was a delight to discover as the story unfolded. I continually rooted for all three throughout the story – I just wish they were all together sooner.

Overall, this second book was just as good as the first book! I simply can’t wait for the third and final book in this series to be released!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC.

I will admit that it took me almost half the book to really get lost in this world, that last half bumped this from a three star to a four star review with all of the action, character development, and gorgeous world building. I think the author did the best she could to re-introduce us to characters we hadn’t visited for almost three years but it was a struggle to remember who was who at first. That being said, once everything clicked into place this was a very enjoyable story with characters I can’t wait to see again. Hopefully sooner than three years from now!