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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Clean, snappy prose, which works both in dialogue and narration; contrasting and well-justified character motivations, which lead to internal conflict clashing with external stakes; an intriguing setting,…
At least from this first entry, I honestly can’t understand why this series is not at least as popular as some internet darlings.
If I had to pick something to complain, I’d say that maybe some chapters could have been trimmed down a notch and (as I often do) I could have lived without romantic interests taking over so much space – though they didn’t annoy me in any way, which is saying something, coming from me.
Overall, a very solid first entry – though I have been burned before, so I remain cautious about the rest of the series!
At least from this first entry, I honestly can’t understand why this series is not at least as popular as some internet darlings.
If I had to pick something to complain, I’d say that maybe some chapters could have been trimmed down a notch and (as I often do) I could have lived without romantic interests taking over so much space – though they didn’t annoy me in any way, which is saying something, coming from me.
Overall, a very solid first entry – though I have been burned before, so I remain cautious about the rest of the series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'll start this review by saying that I am not much of a star wars fan. Particullarly because Disney keeps pandering to the worst people and they seem uncapable of writing a good story (I am still bitter about Acolyte cancelation).
The story starts with a bang. A 6 year old Maya is being taken by the centarchs (aka the Jedi) because she's sick, her family has no money for a doctor and Twilight Order can cure her. Her little brother Gyre doesn't want her to go and stabs the warrior in the leg. Furious, the latter destroys his eye. Now the siblings are split and want to find each other. I personally didn't find the plotline all that compelling. Half the time author finds some bullshit excuse why they can't talk.
It's a story about privilege. The twilight order's job is to defend the world from the ghouls and Dhaka. The centarchs of the order have a right to do it because they have blood of the Chosen in them. However in reality the order is way more interested in appearing good then actually doing something to help. They don't care about the desperate and the poor at all. There's another layer to it: Dhaka can be learned by anyone whereas you need to be born with deiat. I really like how the author wrote the forbidden magic. It can feel wrong as it can be used to fuse bodies and add extra parts to them. But it can be applied to repair mortal wounds.
My favorite random detail is that most thugs use crossbows and metal swords. Blasters are expensive and powerful. Ammo for them is even more expensive since you need to either find it in old ruins or ask a centach to charge it.
There's very little I can say about the story without spoiling it. Maya has grown up into a person who wants to do the right thing to matter what. She's convinced the Twilight order is good. Gyre has grown up into a person who believes in freedom and the world without formal authority (I'd argue he's an anarchist but it's matter for another day).
There's too many supporting characters if you ask me. I didn't even bother remembering them. It felt as if most of them didn't matter. Out of those few who did matter my favorite was Beq. She's a shy scholar. I liked her and Maya's relationship dynamic. Tannax earned my respect by the end of the book. At the start of it he believes himself better than everyone else because he's a centach. He's also convinced everyone wants to abuse his trust and he's a jerk. Kit is a charming bisexual disaster of a rogue. She likes living on the edge. And she's sassy and funny.
I am definetely continuing with the series.
The story starts with a bang. A 6 year old Maya is being taken by the centarchs (aka the Jedi) because she's sick, her family has no money for a doctor and Twilight Order can cure her. Her little brother Gyre doesn't want her to go and stabs the warrior in the leg. Furious, the latter destroys his eye. Now the siblings are split and want to find each other. I personally didn't find the plotline all that compelling. Half the time author finds some bullshit excuse why they can't talk.
It's a story about privilege. The twilight order's job is to defend the world from the ghouls and Dhaka. The centarchs of the order have a right to do it because they have blood of the Chosen in them. However in reality the order is way more interested in appearing good then actually doing something to help. They don't care about the desperate and the poor at all. There's another layer to it: Dhaka can be learned by anyone whereas you need to be born with deiat. I really like how the author wrote the forbidden magic. It can feel wrong as it can be used to fuse bodies and add extra parts to them. But it can be applied to repair mortal wounds.
My favorite random detail is that most thugs use crossbows and metal swords. Blasters are expensive and powerful. Ammo for them is even more expensive since you need to either find it in old ruins or ask a centach to charge it.
There's very little I can say about the story without spoiling it. Maya has grown up into a person who wants to do the right thing to matter what. She's convinced the Twilight order is good. Gyre has grown up into a person who believes in freedom and the world without formal authority (I'd argue he's an anarchist but it's matter for another day).
There's too many supporting characters if you ask me. I didn't even bother remembering them. It felt as if most of them didn't matter. Out of those few who did matter my favorite was Beq. She's a shy scholar. I liked her and Maya's relationship dynamic. Tannax earned my respect by the end of the book. At the start of it he believes himself better than everyone else because he's a centach. He's also convinced everyone wants to abuse his trust and he's a jerk. Kit is a charming bisexual disaster of a rogue. She likes living on the edge. And she's sassy and funny.
I am definetely continuing with the series.
Post apocalyptic fantasy is a fairly well trodden trope these days, but Ashes of the Sun takes this concept into some interesting directions. We are initially introduced to our main protagonists, a brother and a sister, living on a farm (so far so tropey). The sister is taken away by some apparently noble order, against the will of the rest of the family. We then jump forward to when they have grown up and the sister is almost a full blown member of this order, whereas the brother has devoted his life to fighting against the regime that has taken his sister. This ultimate familial conflict adds an interesting edge to the story.
The post apocalyptic world that has been built is also gorgeously realised. The ancient conflict has left plenty of marks on the landscape, and the motivations of the different sides are intriguing. The fight for and against the twilight order leaves plenty of grey space. This is not a black and white good vs evil, although it does have many trappings of high fantasy. The added steampunk style leftover tech also adds an extra intrigue
This is post apocalyptic fantasy done well. Highly enjoyed and I look forward to the next installment.
The post apocalyptic world that has been built is also gorgeously realised. The ancient conflict has left plenty of marks on the landscape, and the motivations of the different sides are intriguing. The fight for and against the twilight order leaves plenty of grey space. This is not a black and white good vs evil, although it does have many trappings of high fantasy. The added steampunk style leftover tech also adds an extra intrigue
This is post apocalyptic fantasy done well. Highly enjoyed and I look forward to the next installment.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pretty darn good. Massive cliffhanger. I’m invested enough to read the next one
Gyre and Maya -- siblings on opposing sides. Separated at childhood, one became a rebel, the other a trained soldier of the Order. Arcane and Code Geass vibes
And just like Code Geass, I am on the rebel's side and is very frustrated with Maya. sigh
And just like Code Geass, I am on the rebel's side and is very frustrated with Maya. sigh
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes