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Are you looking for the gripping, dark YA Fantasy sequel to Before She Ignites? Scroll for an honest review of As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows and enjoy! 😉
Title: As She Ascends
Author: Jodi Meadows
Pages: 548 (hardcover)
Point of View: 1st person (mostly Mira)
Genres: YA Fantasy
Installment: Book 2 in the Fallen Isles Trilogy
Tropes: found family, the chosen one (kinda?)
Finally out of prison and on the run from Khulan warriors, Mira wants answers. Where are the dragons? Why are their governments giving up the most powerful noorestones? Is the peace treaty really only one big betrayal of the Fallen Isles and its people? Will they be able to stop The Great Abandonment? However, she will need to return to her family on Damina for most of these answers. Back home, where she must face her parents, her fears, and risk being swallowed by them.
Escape did not mean freedom. We still had to fight for that.
Realistic & Convincing
Wow, wow, wow, the character growth in this one is… just wow. I thought there was a great development of Mira in the first book, but there’s even more improvement in As She Ascends as Mira suffers from PTSD due to everything that has happened to her in the Pit. Overcoming fears while still being traumatized needs a lot of strength and, thanks to Meadows’ writing of ups and downs, Mira’s struggle is very realistic and convincing. And honestly, I was and still am so invested in this book that I’m proud of Mira. Of how far she’s come and how many demons (not dragons because that would be very insensitive) she’s slain in her journey so far. I’m excited to see what the next book has in store for us.
More Aaru
One of the most exciting things in As She Ascends is (drum rolls, please) Aaru. Not because he’s the most precious of them all and I love their connection. No, no, no, it’s because we get to see a little more than a glimpse into his backstory thanks to short chapters in his viewpoint set years before his incarceration. We get to know more about Idrisi people and how their society works and finally the reason why and how Aaru rioted. The author gifted us with his point of view just so that a certain part of this book could hit us harder.
And on Damina, not offering help was unforgivably rude. The Lovers demanded we offer, because love didn’t hesitate. Love charged forward and shone like a bright star.
A Deep Connection
Not being separated by a wall any longer changes Mira and Aaru’s connection. There is quite a delicious amount of romantic tension between these two and oh how I love that. I’ve loved their relationship in Before She Ignites, but since we get more insight and a better feeling for Aaru, it just gives their precious connection even more depth. And I can’t wait to see how it will play out in When She Reigns after that ending, because I’m sure things will have to change around again.
Gripping & Emotional
A very important topic this book touches on is how people will always twist religion for whatever reason. For their own personal gain, to shape other people so they fit in their principles, or to fuel hatred. This is what I love about Jodi Meadows’ writing, and not only in As She Ascends! She takes such real topics like religion and mental health and depicts them in a fictional world, reflecting ours.
This book will make you cry, will make you laugh, and will make you want for the third and final book. This is not often the case, but personally, I would say As She Ascends is even better than Before She Ignites. Gripping and emotional in all the right places, this is a worthy sequel!
Did I succeed in making you want to read As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows? If so, you can buy a copy here: Thalia | Amazon USA
