In this wrap of the duology, Ashes of Gold takes place near exclusively in Ghizon. 

While there were some really great elements to this duology’s close, I felt often distracted and frustrated by the over emphasis on Rue’s being hard on herself and being self-critical while she found her inner strength and trust in herself. 

This certainly won’t bother all readers, but hence my giving this book a 3 star rating. Elle’s ties to Houston and the Third Ward are part of what put me onto this series, so their not being present much (East Row crew) in this close to the duology was a bit of a disappointment, even if some folks were more present in this novel (Julius, etc). 

Finally, as a reader I felt dissatisfied by the resolution of Jhamal’s dishonesty and complications in the plot, given so much of the novel was dedicated to Rue and Jhamal’s being stuck in a prison cell and Jhamal’s nursing Rue back to health.