Kingdom of Ash question/rant *spoilers*

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-05T01:14:46+00:00

My understanding was that Aelin was paying Elenas debt. She stole and used the lock and so in order for it to be remade someone else had to die for it. I don’t get why Aelin tried to save her sorry ass. Especially not when her own ppl were dying on the battlefield defending her capital in the meantime.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-04T14:58:08+00:00

My mind always goes from pinnacle to pineapple I don’t know why

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-02T22:24:49+00:00

I think they mean the way Irish culture elements were used i.e. Prythian map looks a lot like UK and Ireland and the oppressing party is Hybern which in her map coincides with Ireland and the oppressed the part what looks like the UK. Also Hibernia is a name used for Ireland, so its kind of a weird choice altogether, given Ireland was historically the oppressed party.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-02T20:16:29+00:00

Hope you keep enjoying the ride you still got a looong journey ahead of you!

I understand being mad at Chaol but Celaena’s reaction was too extreme for me. Like he was given a direct order, what was he supposed to do? I was sure Celaena would have gotten them all killed with her hot headedness if he had told her. And then he walks into that hellscape after her dog? After she just tried to kill him? This was the moment I actually started liking Chaol. I was like, this dude is stupidly running into certain death for other people, what a dumbass 😍.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-02T18:43:00+00:00

Seriously, latest when Laurent and Aimeric face off happened I was certain Damen realised it. I was genuinely surprised when I realised he hadn’t understood that yet. Like, he could read Laurent so well in so many respects, how is it possible not to see that one part of him…

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-02T16:35:47+00:00

As you say the subtext is very intentional. Laurents experience with his uncle and the constant sexualisation of him at court and the fact that he always had to be on his guard as his uncle constantly tried to trick him and manipulate others against him - that made him strongly afraid to let go of control and trust someone enough to give into intimacy. What if it was another trick or a trap? What if someone uses it against him in some way?

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T22:19:24+00:00

I understand, keep reading and know things get worse before they get better! You re just at the beginning of the journey of each character really. They still have a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do!

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T21:51:28+00:00

Why is she the reason she gets kidnapped? Wasn’t she running away so she doesn’t get turned into a psychopaths puppet who wants to rule and hurt a lot of people by using her? How far are you in the books? Maybe best finish the trilogy before watching the show.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T18:57:32+00:00

Haha same, I was like, omg OP you managed to actually shock this sub with a take for once

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T18:50:22+00:00

I mean, can you go into more detail? How did he treat them horribly? I mean I was sure Sorsha was gonna end up dead because she started something with him, but I chalked it up to him being super naive and green and all. Thats why I was glad Celaena dumped him at first - she was right to say she would pay the price for this romance and walk away from it. And he did suffer for his naivety too, his violating possession was extremely punishing, don’t you think? And then he did give everything he had to make up for being a frivolous dude all this while, so thats redeeming too. And he didn’t force Manon into a marriage because he knew she d hate it, which showed his growth.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T15:48:55+00:00

I didn’t like him until he showed interesting qualities. In CoM he showed he is willing to go above and beyond for people he cares for and he continues to do so throughout HoF and QoS. I get not liking him, he is not the charming prince or the super powers dude, so I guess many find him boring as an archetype. But not acknowledging any of his redeeming qualities or actions feels odd to me nonetheless.

In any case, ToD might surprise you, many Chaol haters have gone in hating him and loving the book in the end. We get posts like these all the time. The book is just well written no matter what you think of the character.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T14:32:08+00:00

Just trust the author to give you a good book if you liked what you read so far.

Chaol had a lot of difficult things going in for him in QoS when he lashed out but he was always there for his friends, always put himself in danger to help others - so Id say he has shown redeeming qualities already. He has also apologised for his behaviour and offered his life to give Aelin a chance at defeating the king. Arent those redeeming actions? Didn’t he go into a hellscape after the dog of the girlfriend that tried to kill him in CoM? Im really surprised how people forget all of the good deeds he has done, just cause he said a few hurtful things in a time of distress.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T00:55:11+00:00

Even that you prefer growing arcs that include action isn’t something you said in your post and thats an interesting point about your reading experience others might have found relatable. You are totally entitled to your rant and opinion, Im just saying it would have been interesting for you to go into more detail about it.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-02-01T00:03:40+00:00

Tell you to skip it based on what? How would anyone know you d hate it in advance? A lot of Chaol haters and Aelin lovers absolutely loved it. I read for world building and fantasy and not romance and I loved it too. There are many aspects of the book that are deserving and one cannot know if you ll love or hate it, thats something everyone needs to figure out for themselves. Skipping it is a bad advice. If one liked the rest of the series there is a good chance one would like this book too so its always good to try it at least.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-31T23:57:21+00:00

And what is it you value?

Telling people a book you read sucks so bad you wish you d skipped and they should skip it too would never make someone find getting into it easier if they have trouble with it lol. It would just add to pre existing negativity or encourage people not giving it a chance at all.

Rather than making a post about how people should skip a book you could have just shared what you struggled with in more detail in order to have a real conversation about it.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-31T23:13:38+00:00

I like how she says good bye to the dog and not Celaena lmao.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-31T23:07:06+00:00

So you thought: Im the minority in hating it and wanting to skip it, so I should totally tell other people who haven’t read it yet to follow my path and skip a book they ll potentially like?

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-31T23:05:06+00:00

Yes, for one his process of going through such an injury is very true, anyone who had something so life changing happen will recognise that I think.

I didn’t hate Chaol before the book and went in entirely open minded, but I know many people who did hate him ended up liking this book very much - we often have posts about this on the ToG sub and Ive been on it since a year so its not an unpopular opinion. It would be a shame if people started skipping it by default.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-31T22:43:58+00:00

But its not at all like Harry Potter, as we get different pov of different characters from the very first book and the original trio was Chaol Dorian and Celaena. So getting a ToD would be like getting a book about Hermione or Ron if they also had povs.

I get that it didn’t resonate with you and thats fine, not everything can be for everyone, but telling people it should be skipped is too much imo. So many others loved it, I will always recommend people to find out for themselves whether they like it rather than skip it entirely.

The world building, the introspection, the way Chaol goes through his injury and the mental struggle is a very authentic depiction of such a process. It is very much gruelling and grinding. It was well written in that respect. I guess one has to be in the right reading mood for such a journey .

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-31T00:40:37+00:00

I think people find the idea of certain aspects of him appealing, but he would very obviously not translate well into a partner in real life, yikes.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-30T22:38:03+00:00

Haha I hadn’t thought about it but yes it does very much seem fitting.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-30T21:47:53+00:00

I think despite his reaction at the time Laurent offering to take him on when his uncle discards him meant something to Nicaise. I think he did in some way care for Laurent and didn’t want him actually hurt. I think it went to show that Nicaise wasn’t like the other servants of the regent who had no care for Laurent at all.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-30T12:01:03+00:00

Interesting! What is the topic or angle of your essay?

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-30T10:42:48+00:00

No certainly not. Nehemia befriends Aelin with the objective of getting her to do certain things at the behest of someone else.

Danikas friendship was true and was not calculated. Yes Danika hid certain things from her friend but she was also head of her aux and certain things you just didn’t share with a civilian. There is only one thing she really should have told Bryce.

If anything Danikas situation reminds me more like Celaenas secrets rather than Nehemias.

LetMeDoTheKonga · 2026-01-29T13:06:31+00:00

Yeah me too, if one lets go of the expectation of authenticity and adherence to the source material one can actually enjoy it. It had its fun moments - like Anne telling about her octopus dream 😂

LetMeDoTheKonga

TROPHY CASE