King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby Review: Is the 2025 Thriller Worth the Hype?

Today, we will be reviewing the thriller and mystery novel King of Ashes by S. A. Crosby. It was considered one of the best books of 2025 and we had to see if the hype was real. Keep reading to find out what we thought about this novel and if you should read it too!

I am still trying to make a dent to my list of books that were released last year that I want to read. After seeing this novel on a ton of lists, I knew I had to get around to reading it. And what a thriller novel to choose as my first for the year.

King of Ashes Summary

Roman Carruthers is living his best life in Atlanta, managing rich people’s money and solving their problems. But one phone call from his sister brings him back home to Jefferson Run, Virginia. His father is in a coma after a hit-and-run and as the eldest, Roman steps in and takes charge.

Now, he returns to his former life and must help his younger brother Dante pay off his debt to gangsters that only know violence. To survive, Roman must infiltrate their gang and learn everything about them. But to do so, he must play by their rules no matter the cost Because Roman will do anything for his family.

His sister Neveah has started investigating the disappearance of their mother. She wants to know what happened to her and as she digs deeper, she believes she knows who the perpetrator is. Will Roman be able to keep his family safe from the violence surrounding his family? Will Neveah get the answers she seeks and will it give her the closure that she and the family seeks?

Commentary

I enjoyed reading this novel and I can see why it made so many end of year lists. The novel picks up fast and dives straight into the action. The characters are what makes this novel and for me, that was ultimately why I didn’t like the book as much as I wanted to.

That isn’t to say that the novel isn’t goof because it is. I ended reading it in two days. The one of the flaws of the novel is that it is predictable. After reading one third of the book, I correctly guessed the plot twists and predicted the fate of most of the characters.

A big reason why I was able to predict it accurately was because Cosby makes it pretty obvious which direction the novel is going to head. He sprinkles some hints but what ultimately sealed it for me was the characters themselves.

By analyzing his characters, you can guess what they are going to do and I think Cosby made it too obvious. This reminds me of fantasy novels where a prophesy is told that is guaranteed to happen. Cosby’s characters are 2D and they don’t have any character development at all.

That is the weakest part of this novel and one that left me frustrated. This was a fantastic novel with a fresh plot that feels like it belongs on television. But if you have read enough thrillers or Agatha Christie novels, then you will be able to see the plot twists from a mile away.

Conclusion

Some of my favorite thrillers are ones with plot twists I don’t see coming. Reading a novel and knowing what is going to happen ruins the surprise. But other than that, King of Ashes was a great novel. I loved the writing and the plot and the setting that Cosby uses.

Many thrillers fail to tell a good story but that is not the case here. Cosby is a talented writer and King of Ashes is one of the best thrillers of 2025. Even if it was predictable, the writing was fantastic. Otherwise I wouldn’t have finished it in two days. Until next time, happy reading!

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