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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A middle of the road fiction book. Ultimately disappointing as an opening book. It took a long time to really get going - the main conflict didn't become clear until solidly halfway through. In all fairness, when it did finally start, the story became more interesting.
The characters are not particularly interesting. Mostly the characters are just kinda "there" and, while they do change over time, only Sammish seems to have an arc that makes sense, given her age and experiences. Their motivations, skills, and level of competency vary greatly, according to what the plot needs- which was also disappointing.
The world in which the story takes place is well built and established, with a spirit all its own. It is definitely the most interesting part of the whole story, and perhaps this is the whole point of the book- that people and stories come and go, but the city lives on. It's intriguing but not enough on its own to carry the story.
Plot is over-simplifed and drags on in spots, which really took away from the enjoyment of the whole thing.
For all its time spent building the characters and the world, though, none of it seems to really matter. The events of the story take place, and yet nothing much changes by the end. Some minor characters are eliminated, in one way or another, but no one that we really have any attachment to. So the point of the story going in a VERY slow circle is???
If this is the first of 3 books, I have to ask- how? The main story seems to have wrapped up and really didn't leave me wanting more.
Overall, I had high hopes for this book, but ended up disappointed. Given the writer's previous credits (The Expanse), I came for a complex world, with equally complex characters, and a web of interesting plots. Unfortunately, it's YA-level fiction, at most. Doubtful that I will even try the second book of the series.
The characters are not particularly interesting. Mostly the characters are just kinda "there" and, while they do change over time, only Sammish seems to have an arc that makes sense, given her age and experiences. Their motivations, skills, and level of competency vary greatly, according to what the plot needs- which was also disappointing.
The world in which the story takes place is well built and established, with a spirit all its own. It is definitely the most interesting part of the whole story, and perhaps this is the whole point of the book- that people and stories come and go, but the city lives on. It's intriguing but not enough on its own to carry the story.
Plot is over-simplifed and drags on in spots, which really took away from the enjoyment of the whole thing.
For all its time spent building the characters and the world, though, none of it seems to really matter. The events of the story take place, and yet nothing much changes by the end. Some minor characters are eliminated, in one way or another, but no one that we really have any attachment to. So the point of the story going in a VERY slow circle is???
If this is the first of 3 books, I have to ask- how? The main story seems to have wrapped up and really didn't leave me wanting more.
Overall, I had high hopes for this book, but ended up disappointed. Given the writer's previous credits (The Expanse), I came for a complex world, with equally complex characters, and a web of interesting plots. Unfortunately, it's YA-level fiction, at most. Doubtful that I will even try the second book of the series.
Hard to say anything about this excellent novel what hasn’t been said before but I think this book deserves every praise and it coaxed me out of my fantasy-burnout. Here's the blurb, for a start:
When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why. But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives.
So what does Abraham offer in this latest novel of his? In short, small scope, incredible depth, compelling characters.
Scope-wise, from what I have seen in this first novel of a trilogy, I can safely say Abrahams dispensed (at least so far!) with the epic scale of a world/universe in peril. This is about a city and the going ons inside of it. Sure, it’s a very big city and the going ons have repercussions both within and without but it never feels like the sky will crack open any time soon to spit out the armies of the enemy to be dispatched by our plucky heroes ™. This is more akin to a very, very messy round of city politics than anything else. And even as politics go, this is a very sedate pace.
The depth however does not come from painstakingly describing fashion, court etiquette and giving us pov chapters for the army of people making everything run smoothly. The depth comes from describing the city of Kithamar and oh boy are you in for your ride. Not only is this city very large, it also features a colorful history and a very messy past. Two cultures build a small city, one facing the other. Through time and history those cities finally merged and created Kithamar with its numerous districts. It is hard to overstate how effortlessly Abrahams is conveying the city, its rhythm, its different cultures. You will not find infodumps droning on like the most boring tour guide imaginable.
Instead, you will follow the two protagonists and notice the different street layout between the quarters, the number of stone houses in this district compared to the other. You’ll notice that even in the richer quarters the winter nights are much more quieter compared to spring – and don’t get me started on the madness of autumn festivals. There is the careless hanging around in the streets done by well off thugs in the employ of the rich in Stonehill and then there is the hanging around in the streets by rats from Longhill, trying to look inconspicuous. Even the odd jobs the poor are doing to stay afloat show an incredible imagination by the author.
This is not your typical, lazy worldbuilding were poor people in cities seemingly only can earn money as sex workers or thieves (how would that work economy-wise, anyway?). Instead, you have people collecting knifes to get sharpened, people making a quick buck selling yesterdays sweat buns in taverns (works best in winter, when people don’t want to run around), “daycare” is a thing as well, although its definitely not what we would call it nowadays.
Seriously, the texture and details of everyday life in this book is amazing. This is not just world building to set the stage, this is more about the reader walking through the city like a backpacking tourist. Have you ever heard those weird Youtube channels where people are just silently doing something like hiking or walking through a city and you following along through the camera? This is basically that only in book form.
Accordingly, this method of “small scale, great depth” is being applied to the characters as well. With a few exceptions the readers watches the story unfold through the eyes of two protagonists, Alys and Sammish and their knowledge of the world is limited to say the least. Oh, make no mistake, they know a great deal about who is who in their quarter Longhill, they know where and when to get cheap food, where you can meet others to plan a day of pickpocketing but these are not high and mighty lords enmeshed in city politics or fearsome mages dabbling with powers beyond their ken.
Accordingly, the character development you’ll see is small in scale but all the more precious for it. Coming to terms with the memory of your idolized brother. Trying to get set up with a steady job. Small things that seem inconsequential when those protagonists rub shoulders with the high and mighty and get sucked into power plays but for me this is so refreshing and it makes the story much more compelling. How do you do a background check on stuff that is way out of your league while trying to make a living on zero hour contracts? How often can you go about the city on a caper without losing your rickety network of people who occasionally provide you with jobs?
Whenever I recommend books, I am careful to tell potential readers what to expect and this is especially important in books like these. This is not the classical fantasy novel that builds towards a climactic conclusion, with lots of drama and action in between, a truly global scale and protagonists having global impact and influence on the story. This is a story about people becoming involved in something way bigger than themselves, about people contributing to momentous developments without being part of them. If you find the idea of small scale during big scale events interesting, give this a try.
When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why. But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives.
So what does Abraham offer in this latest novel of his? In short, small scope, incredible depth, compelling characters.
Scope-wise, from what I have seen in this first novel of a trilogy, I can safely say Abrahams dispensed (at least so far!) with the epic scale of a world/universe in peril. This is about a city and the going ons inside of it. Sure, it’s a very big city and the going ons have repercussions both within and without but it never feels like the sky will crack open any time soon to spit out the armies of the enemy to be dispatched by our plucky heroes ™. This is more akin to a very, very messy round of city politics than anything else. And even as politics go, this is a very sedate pace.
The depth however does not come from painstakingly describing fashion, court etiquette and giving us pov chapters for the army of people making everything run smoothly. The depth comes from describing the city of Kithamar and oh boy are you in for your ride. Not only is this city very large, it also features a colorful history and a very messy past. Two cultures build a small city, one facing the other. Through time and history those cities finally merged and created Kithamar with its numerous districts. It is hard to overstate how effortlessly Abrahams is conveying the city, its rhythm, its different cultures. You will not find infodumps droning on like the most boring tour guide imaginable.
Instead, you will follow the two protagonists and notice the different street layout between the quarters, the number of stone houses in this district compared to the other. You’ll notice that even in the richer quarters the winter nights are much more quieter compared to spring – and don’t get me started on the madness of autumn festivals. There is the careless hanging around in the streets done by well off thugs in the employ of the rich in Stonehill and then there is the hanging around in the streets by rats from Longhill, trying to look inconspicuous. Even the odd jobs the poor are doing to stay afloat show an incredible imagination by the author.
This is not your typical, lazy worldbuilding were poor people in cities seemingly only can earn money as sex workers or thieves (how would that work economy-wise, anyway?). Instead, you have people collecting knifes to get sharpened, people making a quick buck selling yesterdays sweat buns in taverns (works best in winter, when people don’t want to run around), “daycare” is a thing as well, although its definitely not what we would call it nowadays.
Seriously, the texture and details of everyday life in this book is amazing. This is not just world building to set the stage, this is more about the reader walking through the city like a backpacking tourist. Have you ever heard those weird Youtube channels where people are just silently doing something like hiking or walking through a city and you following along through the camera? This is basically that only in book form.
Accordingly, this method of “small scale, great depth” is being applied to the characters as well. With a few exceptions the readers watches the story unfold through the eyes of two protagonists, Alys and Sammish and their knowledge of the world is limited to say the least. Oh, make no mistake, they know a great deal about who is who in their quarter Longhill, they know where and when to get cheap food, where you can meet others to plan a day of pickpocketing but these are not high and mighty lords enmeshed in city politics or fearsome mages dabbling with powers beyond their ken.
Accordingly, the character development you’ll see is small in scale but all the more precious for it. Coming to terms with the memory of your idolized brother. Trying to get set up with a steady job. Small things that seem inconsequential when those protagonists rub shoulders with the high and mighty and get sucked into power plays but for me this is so refreshing and it makes the story much more compelling. How do you do a background check on stuff that is way out of your league while trying to make a living on zero hour contracts? How often can you go about the city on a caper without losing your rickety network of people who occasionally provide you with jobs?
Whenever I recommend books, I am careful to tell potential readers what to expect and this is especially important in books like these. This is not the classical fantasy novel that builds towards a climactic conclusion, with lots of drama and action in between, a truly global scale and protagonists having global impact and influence on the story. This is a story about people becoming involved in something way bigger than themselves, about people contributing to momentous developments without being part of them. If you find the idea of small scale during big scale events interesting, give this a try.
As always with this author the world building is excellent. The story is also very moving. However, I struggled initially as so much of the focus was on Alys, who I did not warm to. I enjoyed it a lot more when Sammish came to the fore.
I also liked that Alys and Sammish's involvment in this story is done with this book. No 'farm boy saves the world' tropes here. Instead, the next book features new main characters.
I also liked that Alys and Sammish's involvment in this story is done with this book. No 'farm boy saves the world' tropes here. Instead, the next book features new main characters.
Doubtless a writer who can turn a pleasant phrase but the story was dull and slow, with little interesting world building to make up for the lack of pace
Age of Ash is a definite 4.5 star read!
I received an e-ARC on Netgalley from Orbit in return for an honest review.
Let's begin with a very clear warning. This is a fantasy story about a city. This means that the main character of the series the city it self and the people living in it just its moving parts. I know how weird this sounds and it took some getting used too, but boy what a refreshing approach to fantasy.
The plot starts out as a murder mystery centered around a boy in a slum. We follow his sister Alys and her friend Sammish as they try to make sense of this murder. They stumble upon a major plot involving the highest rulers of the city of Kithamar. During this they grapple with their place in the world and their feelings for one another.
Abraham writes a compelling story, painting a vivid picture of an ancient city and it's citizens. The end result is a world that feels alive and real. You can imagine this city having existed a 1000 years ago. The fantasy elements are there, but they a more of a mystical nature than overt magic. Making this more appealing to Historical Fiction readers than an Epic Fantasy fan. He goes into great detail on the different neighbourhoods and who lives there. Really trying to setup a believable society, reminding me a bit of New York's boroughs or Jerusalem's different quarters.
Alys and Sammish are fully fleshed out characters. Alys is a bold personality, but with a strong sense of insecurity about her life. She struggles to live up to the image of her brother she has created in her head. Sammish is a girl I could relate to. She is how every wallflower feels at a party. She blends into the background of every situation and never gets noticed. Her feelings for Alys are precious and Alys her casual disregard hurt as if they were real. Abrahams focusses on the love for family, both literal and found. Showing us what grief can do to us and how it makes us question the world. Legacy is the second major theme, what does it mean to follow in someone else's steps. Is building a legacy worth any sacrifice?
All in all this is one of the most refreshing fantasy books I have read in a long time. It doesn't try to build a giant world. Nor does it want to give a massive story. It tells the story of a city and what cost its inhabitants have to pay to live in it. It has mystery, it has love, it has grief and most of all it feels alive.
I received an e-ARC on Netgalley from Orbit in return for an honest review.
Let's begin with a very clear warning. This is a fantasy story about a city. This means that the main character of the series the city it self and the people living in it just its moving parts. I know how weird this sounds and it took some getting used too, but boy what a refreshing approach to fantasy.
The plot starts out as a murder mystery centered around a boy in a slum. We follow his sister Alys and her friend Sammish as they try to make sense of this murder. They stumble upon a major plot involving the highest rulers of the city of Kithamar. During this they grapple with their place in the world and their feelings for one another.
Abraham writes a compelling story, painting a vivid picture of an ancient city and it's citizens. The end result is a world that feels alive and real. You can imagine this city having existed a 1000 years ago. The fantasy elements are there, but they a more of a mystical nature than overt magic. Making this more appealing to Historical Fiction readers than an Epic Fantasy fan. He goes into great detail on the different neighbourhoods and who lives there. Really trying to setup a believable society, reminding me a bit of New York's boroughs or Jerusalem's different quarters.
Alys and Sammish are fully fleshed out characters. Alys is a bold personality, but with a strong sense of insecurity about her life. She struggles to live up to the image of her brother she has created in her head. Sammish is a girl I could relate to. She is how every wallflower feels at a party. She blends into the background of every situation and never gets noticed. Her feelings for Alys are precious and Alys her casual disregard hurt as if they were real. Abrahams focusses on the love for family, both literal and found. Showing us what grief can do to us and how it makes us question the world. Legacy is the second major theme, what does it mean to follow in someone else's steps. Is building a legacy worth any sacrifice?
All in all this is one of the most refreshing fantasy books I have read in a long time. It doesn't try to build a giant world. Nor does it want to give a massive story. It tells the story of a city and what cost its inhabitants have to pay to live in it. It has mystery, it has love, it has grief and most of all it feels alive.
Reread Update
I still feel the same way about this as before. I really enjoyed it!
“The term for the night between the funeral of the old prince and the coronation of the new one is gautanna. It is an ancient Inlisc word that means, roughly, the pause at the top of a breath when the lungs are the most full. Literally, it translates as the moment of hollowness.
For one night, Kithamar is a city between worlds and between ages. It falls out of its own history, at once the end of something and the beginning of something else.”
This was one of my most anticipated releases because of how interesting it sounded, but when mixed reviews started coming in, I got a little nervous. I looked at a few reviews and determined that I still wanted to give it a chance and that worked out so well for me.
Age of Ash is set in this city called Kithamar and it is a place with a bloody past, and a city where only the wealthy seem to have an easy life. Everyone else has to fight for their right to live and survive. We follow this woman named Alys and she is doing just that, surviving. However, when her brother gets killed, it sends her on this quest for revenge.
Let me start by saying that this is a very character and kind of setting driven story. There are not a lot of action scenes on the page, which I enjoyed, but fantasy fans looking for that may leave a bit disappointed. So much of the story is moved forward by Alys, or Sammish. Alys is also not an easy character to love a lot of the time, but she is going through a lot, which made it more understandable in my eyes.
Alys lost her brother and she is grieving the loss of him through most of this book. We see her go through the many stages of grief from sadness to anger, and I loved the way Abraham showed this on page. She becomes obsessed with keeping him alive in her own way, which us as the reader can see is destructive, but to her it is the only thing she has to hold on to.
There is another character that I would argue is a second main character and that is Alys’s friend and partner in crime, Sammish. I really liked Sammish’s character. She wasn’t dealing with the same grief that Alys was, though arguably by the end of the book, she kind of was. This allows her to make better decisions than Alys. Through Sammish’s eyes, we see so much of the world of Kithamar and show how expansive it truly is and how different areas in the city differ from each other.
Kithamar itself feels like a character at certain moments. The city feels alive and it has this feeling that it will eat its inhabitants alive if needed. As the story progresses, more about the city and its rules are revealed. The ruling of the city is in danger because of other people who want to take over, which sets up these interesting politically intriguing moments. There is also quite a bit of magic, and some of the questions I had weren’t answered in this first book, which means they will probably be answered in future releases, which excites me.
I also have to comment on the writing. I was so impressed by how beautifully Abraham writes. There were so many lovely sentences and it’s not the purple prose style that a lot of people are not a fan of. This makes me want to read more from him because the writing drew me in from page one and never once let up by the ending.
Abraham has said that each book in this series will follow the same events, but will be told from a different character’s perspective, which I think is so unique and I can’t wait to see how that plays out. I have some ideas of whose perspective the second book will be from. I think the author is doing something special here and I hope the right audience continues to find this story. As for me, I am impatiently waiting for the sequel.
CW for the death of a sibling.
I still feel the same way about this as before. I really enjoyed it!
“The term for the night between the funeral of the old prince and the coronation of the new one is gautanna. It is an ancient Inlisc word that means, roughly, the pause at the top of a breath when the lungs are the most full. Literally, it translates as the moment of hollowness.
For one night, Kithamar is a city between worlds and between ages. It falls out of its own history, at once the end of something and the beginning of something else.”
This was one of my most anticipated releases because of how interesting it sounded, but when mixed reviews started coming in, I got a little nervous. I looked at a few reviews and determined that I still wanted to give it a chance and that worked out so well for me.
Age of Ash is set in this city called Kithamar and it is a place with a bloody past, and a city where only the wealthy seem to have an easy life. Everyone else has to fight for their right to live and survive. We follow this woman named Alys and she is doing just that, surviving. However, when her brother gets killed, it sends her on this quest for revenge.
Let me start by saying that this is a very character and kind of setting driven story. There are not a lot of action scenes on the page, which I enjoyed, but fantasy fans looking for that may leave a bit disappointed. So much of the story is moved forward by Alys, or Sammish. Alys is also not an easy character to love a lot of the time, but she is going through a lot, which made it more understandable in my eyes.
Alys lost her brother and she is grieving the loss of him through most of this book. We see her go through the many stages of grief from sadness to anger, and I loved the way Abraham showed this on page. She becomes obsessed with keeping him alive in her own way, which us as the reader can see is destructive, but to her it is the only thing she has to hold on to.
“Grief was supposed to fade. Wounds—even wounds to the soul—were supposed to heal. She felt hers getting worse.”
There is another character that I would argue is a second main character and that is Alys’s friend and partner in crime, Sammish. I really liked Sammish’s character. She wasn’t dealing with the same grief that Alys was, though arguably by the end of the book, she kind of was. This allows her to make better decisions than Alys. Through Sammish’s eyes, we see so much of the world of Kithamar and show how expansive it truly is and how different areas in the city differ from each other.
Kithamar itself feels like a character at certain moments. The city feels alive and it has this feeling that it will eat its inhabitants alive if needed. As the story progresses, more about the city and its rules are revealed. The ruling of the city is in danger because of other people who want to take over, which sets up these interesting politically intriguing moments. There is also quite a bit of magic, and some of the questions I had weren’t answered in this first book, which means they will probably be answered in future releases, which excites me.
I also have to comment on the writing. I was so impressed by how beautifully Abraham writes. There were so many lovely sentences and it’s not the purple prose style that a lot of people are not a fan of. This makes me want to read more from him because the writing drew me in from page one and never once let up by the ending.
“‘Death is division,’ the priest said. ‘Not only for the dying who passes from this world to the coming cycle, but within each of us. We are trapped between the life we had when our friend, our lover, our parent, our child was with us, and this diminished world without them. We are split in two, and bringing ourselves back to wholeness is the spirited work of mourning.'”
Abraham has said that each book in this series will follow the same events, but will be told from a different character’s perspective, which I think is so unique and I can’t wait to see how that plays out. I have some ideas of whose perspective the second book will be from. I think the author is doing something special here and I hope the right audience continues to find this story. As for me, I am impatiently waiting for the sequel.
CW for the death of a sibling.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nothing can live up to the expectations I have for an Expanse author, apparently. This is fantasy not sci fi, and it was ok but not amazing. It is a year of magic, grief, love, & danger.
A powerful undefined evil presence is not generally something that makes a book better in my opinion.
A powerful undefined evil presence is not generally something that makes a book better in my opinion.