Leslie’s Reviews > The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King > Status Update

“‘You don’t have to be fine.’ She said it so simply. Like it was just a truth, nothing to be judged or disagreed with.”

I don’t know why but this hit me HARD! It’s a simple line from Mische (she’s one of my all-time fave literary characters BTW… we could be besties!) but it’s so impactful. So many times we say “I’m fine” but don’t mean it. IT’S OK TO NOT BE FINE!!! ❤️

I’m struggling w/ Oraya’s character. Similar to Violet in “Iron Flame”, she’s pissing me off! Violet was whiny w/ the whole “he isn’t honest with me & telling me every deep dark truth he has…” blah blah blah. Oraya is pissing me off with her unwavering loyalty to dead Vincent. The man who said humans were livestock, who eliminated the WHOLE FRIGGIN CITY where she was from, etc. OVARY UP WOMAN! 🤬