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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Darker and edgier than any series from Daniel Abraham to date and I quite liked it. The prose and characters were distinctly reminiscent of Dagger & Coin but the aspect of Age of Ash that truly sets this up as the most promising start of a series yet is the sinister, blood thirsty tone lurking in the backdrop of the story. My mind kept coming back to comparisons with Anna Stephens’ Godblind or Stone Knife, which is something that can be hit or miss with Abraham.
Just like the beginning novels to his other series, Age of Ash is quite obviously a setup as a service to the larger plot of the series as a whole. Don’t expect a fast-paced, satisfying story from the get go and you won’t be disappointed. While there is a contained plot that does eventually manage to snag the reader’s attention there is quite a significant amount of buildup to reach that point. However, having read all of this author’s previous works and having been immensely pleased with the upwards trajectory that seems to be a cornerstone of his writing style I am neither surprised or displeased by the plot this time around. Good things come to those who can wait and Abraham consistently delivers for readers who stick by his series till the end.
Age of Ash is the strongest start to any of his series yet and I am absolutely anticipating the next installment!
Just like the beginning novels to his other series, Age of Ash is quite obviously a setup as a service to the larger plot of the series as a whole. Don’t expect a fast-paced, satisfying story from the get go and you won’t be disappointed. While there is a contained plot that does eventually manage to snag the reader’s attention there is quite a significant amount of buildup to reach that point. However, having read all of this author’s previous works and having been immensely pleased with the upwards trajectory that seems to be a cornerstone of his writing style I am neither surprised or displeased by the plot this time around. Good things come to those who can wait and Abraham consistently delivers for readers who stick by his series till the end.
Age of Ash is the strongest start to any of his series yet and I am absolutely anticipating the next installment!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
Evocative, grim fantasy as seen from the gutters. Deep gay pining. Survival, if lucky.
Alright alright alright alright.
This was an all-around neat package. Characters well-made, nuanced and evolving. Worldbuilding distinct and present and intricate, but not overwhelming or burdensome. If anything, the story is the slow part, but I didn't mind that.
Kithamar is a harsh city in a harsh world, and the members of its disadvantaged ethnic group live a nasty, brutish, and short existence if they aren't skilled or ruthless enough to make ends meet.
Our first main character is Alys. She starts as the would-be hero, a slum rat and petty thief who sets out to unravel a mysterious shadow plot at the heart of the city and avenge her dead brother.
Our second main character is Sammish. She starts as a nobody, a person with no people and no place who follows Alys as her mindless shadow because she has a crush.
As we go on, the city's shadow plot became more interesting and creepier. Alys became someone I don't like, and then maaaaybe redeemed herself. Sammish went from nameless and faceless to being the strongest, most dynamic person here. Overall, the character arcs were impressive.
The plot mystery really doesn't take hold, in my experience, until more than halfway through the book. Up until then, you're just following the girls as they try to find their way in the world. When I started to see the threads of meaning come together, though, it was good. The creepiness here is compelling, and I really want to see what happens next.
We don't even find out who stole the knife in the first place, or if the prince took the throne knowingly or on accident, or what the. What will it do now!? Clearly the conspiracies here run deeper than we know.
The narrative tied off the girls' story in a way that seems neat, but left plenty of worldbuilding questions open, which I really liked. Making each book in a series feel satisfying enough that it justifies my time as a reader, yet leaves me wanting more is, I think, one of the highest authorly art forms.
I kind of hope the next book picks up with some new characters to take us further into the story.
This was an all-around neat package. Characters well-made, nuanced and evolving. Worldbuilding distinct and present and intricate, but not overwhelming or burdensome. If anything, the story is the slow part, but I didn't mind that.
Kithamar is a harsh city in a harsh world, and the members of its disadvantaged ethnic group live a nasty, brutish, and short existence if they aren't skilled or ruthless enough to make ends meet.
Our first main character is Alys. She starts as the would-be hero, a slum rat and petty thief who sets out to unravel a mysterious shadow plot at the heart of the city and avenge her dead brother.
Our second main character is Sammish. She starts as a nobody, a person with no people and no place who follows Alys as her mindless shadow because she has a crush.
As we go on, the city's shadow plot became more interesting and creepier. Alys became someone I don't like, and then maaaaybe redeemed herself. Sammish went from nameless and faceless to being the strongest, most dynamic person here. Overall, the character arcs were impressive.
The plot mystery really doesn't take hold, in my experience, until more than halfway through the book. Up until then, you're just following the girls as they try to find their way in the world. When I started to see the threads of meaning come together, though, it was good. The creepiness here is compelling, and I really want to see what happens next.
We don't even find out who stole the knife in the first place, or if the prince took the throne knowingly or on accident, or what the
Spoiler
demon monster isThe narrative tied off the girls' story in a way that seems neat, but left plenty of worldbuilding questions open, which I really liked. Making each book in a series feel satisfying enough that it justifies my time as a reader, yet leaves me wanting more is, I think, one of the highest authorly art forms.
I kind of hope the next book picks up with some new characters to take us further into the story.
This is the story of a city, while at the same time it intimately follows several of its urchings. Alys is barely scraping by on the streets, relying on coordinated thefts to get the coin to survive. One day, the job gets complicated and gets her brother killed (orso she thinks). Grieving him, she tries to get him back while trying to get revenge, and winds up taking her brother's place in the same deadly political plot he'd fallen into. The story also follows a few other characters as the wider plot is revealed, but it mostly follows Alys. I'm really interested to see how her story intersects with the other characters of the following novels, but since Alys is so angry and reckless through much of this book, I didn't necessarily love being in her head. But I'm eager to see what happens next!
I was given an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was given an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 40%
Idk I'm just really not interested in this story. It's boring, and the characters just aren't enough to keep me engaged.
Idk I'm just really not interested in this story. It's boring, and the characters just aren't enough to keep me engaged.
DNF
Alas this one just wasn’t capturing my attention and I ended up DNF-ing it around 40%. Whilst the premise of the book, a sister on a revenge quest, sounded like it could well appeal to me, I just never felt a connection with the MCs and I ended up finding excuses to pick up other titles over this one. This is the second adult fantasy I’ve tried by Abraham and despite enjoying the SF Expanse series he co-writes I haven’t been able to click with his solo fantasy titles just yet unfortunately. I’m certain that there’s an audience who will enjoy this but it just wasn’t for me alas.
DNF
Alas this one just wasn’t capturing my attention and I ended up DNF-ing it around 40%. Whilst the premise of the book, a sister on a revenge quest, sounded like it could well appeal to me, I just never felt a connection with the MCs and I ended up finding excuses to pick up other titles over this one. This is the second adult fantasy I’ve tried by Abraham and despite enjoying the SF Expanse series he co-writes I haven’t been able to click with his solo fantasy titles just yet unfortunately. I’m certain that there’s an audience who will enjoy this but it just wasn’t for me alas.
DNF
The unique bit of this book was that the main conspiracy was happening totally off screen and we only got little glimpses of the main players - like Karsen confirming that Kithamar had taken over Andomaka in the private temple. Really neat conceit, though I do hope we get that action in a future book!
I loved the fact I found this book to read, there was something about the way that the book started which made me want to continue reading the book. With the way the main character developed throughout the book it was very interesting. Also with how the main character has to, figure out what happened. The whole story and plot line of this story was very intriguing especially with the way the book ended I am very excited to see where the series is going to go.
HIGHLIGHTS
~there are a lot of gods
~a magic knife
~a magic candle
~stale bread rolls
~never trust a rich tosser
You expect someone’s come-back to a genre – as Daniel Abraham is returning to Fantasy, after years exploring a far-future galaxy with The Expanse – to be big and loud and flashy. Trumpets, announcing the return of a king. You expect a splash.
Age of Ash is not like that. It is beautifully, perfectly named, because this book is soft and quiet as ashes settling after a conflagration. If you are not careful, if you do not look closely, you might think the flames have died – you might miss the embers gleaming like jewels, like eyes, amidst the cinders. You might not realise that one wrong move – one breath, one careless breeze – could fan those sparks into an inferno that could burn a city to the ground.
This is a quiet book. An intimate book. It runs through your fingers like silk, barely whispering. You have to lean in close to make out the words.
There’s a secret in the city that almost no one knows.
No.
Stop.
Again.
There’s a secret in the city that no one knows – those who think they know it are very, very wrong.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~there are a lot of gods
~a magic knife
~a magic candle
~stale bread rolls
~never trust a rich tosser
You expect someone’s come-back to a genre – as Daniel Abraham is returning to Fantasy, after years exploring a far-future galaxy with The Expanse – to be big and loud and flashy. Trumpets, announcing the return of a king. You expect a splash.
Age of Ash is not like that. It is beautifully, perfectly named, because this book is soft and quiet as ashes settling after a conflagration. If you are not careful, if you do not look closely, you might think the flames have died – you might miss the embers gleaming like jewels, like eyes, amidst the cinders. You might not realise that one wrong move – one breath, one careless breeze – could fan those sparks into an inferno that could burn a city to the ground.
This is a quiet book. An intimate book. It runs through your fingers like silk, barely whispering. You have to lean in close to make out the words.
There’s a secret in the city that almost no one knows.
No.
Stop.
Again.
There’s a secret in the city that no one knows – those who think they know it are very, very wrong.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
3/5 stars.
Link to review on FanFiAddict: https://fanfiaddict.com/review-age-of-ash-kithamar-1-by-daniel-abraham/
This book just didn't fully click with me. It was a really interesting concept overall and I'm excited to see where it goes from here as the series hits its stride. I've heard that subsequent books are going to be this same story retold from a different perspectives and that does pique my interest as I think there were some aspects in this book that could have been explored more.
Link to review on FanFiAddict: https://fanfiaddict.com/review-age-of-ash-kithamar-1-by-daniel-abraham/
This book just didn't fully click with me. It was a really interesting concept overall and I'm excited to see where it goes from here as the series hits its stride. I've heard that subsequent books are going to be this same story retold from a different perspectives and that does pique my interest as I think there were some aspects in this book that could have been explored more.