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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love that Daniel Abraham writes complicated female characters. This book is gritty and dark, but the gritty darkness hangs together coherently. I want to find out what happens next in this world.
adventurous
dark
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
Abraham writes with such delicacy. In many ways, this is more in the spirit of his Long Price books than the Dagger & Coin - a mesh of theme and life woven together with a poetic intricacy belied by the easy elegance of the prose. It gave the book a strange feel and pace, in the early stages - it was beautiful and interesting, but murky in story and direction, lacking the clear markers and big story pointers expected in fantasy. But in doing so, Abraham has delivered a delicate rumination on some very central fantasy concepts - heroism from the lowest, and the city-as-character - all wrapped up in a magnificent exploration of grief, and refusing to accept death. It's all dug into thoroughly, consideringly and considerately, with implacability but that exquisite delicacy.
Also, I loved Sammish, and Tregarro, and all the fascinating edges uncovered in here. I am really curious about what comes next.
Also, I loved Sammish, and Tregarro, and all the fascinating edges uncovered in here. I am really curious about what comes next.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Bloody awesome!
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received this ARC from Orbit in exchange for an honest review
Age of Ash is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy by Daniel Abraham. As one half of the duo that wrote The Expanse, a bestselling space epic that’s also adapted as an Amazon Prime series, Abraham is a well known name in the sci-fi community. His fantasy books are lesser known but not less beloved. So for a time now I’ve been wanting to read one of his books but I hadn’t gotten around to it when Age of Ash was announced. Intrigued by the premise and Abraham’s reputation for writing meticulous plots and intricate characters, I thought this a perfect chance to finally pick up one of his books. And because Orbit was kind enough to give me an early review copy, I will bring you along with me on my journey through the streets of Kithamar.
Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold. This is Alys's. 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. Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.
The exploration of grief is where Age of Ash is at its most impactful to me. You follow Alys as she laments the loss of her brother and deals with the loneliness and anger that comes with losing such an important figure in her life. This grief changes her in a way that takes her down a dark path: Alys abandons much of her former life, lashes out at the people around her and wants to erase herself in order to keep her brother alive. Her arc through this sorrow struck a chord with me. If I would lose one of my loved ones, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself and cling hopelessly to whatever’s left of them. This understanding makes her journey immensely human and realistic. At the core, Abraham tells a story about how if you lose yourself in your rage and grief when you can’t accept death, that sorrow will swallow you whole. That feeling can get so intense it’s paralysing and pulls you into a never-ending cycle of melancholy and pain.
The message of loyalty is an equally important theme in the book. This is most evident in the characters of Sammish and Saffa. For both women, love binds them to the important people in their lives but the internal struggle they face because of it, differs wildly. Sammish must learn that loyalty is a two-way street; it can make you lose sight of your own happiness when you give more than you receive. Her adoration for Alys drives Sammish to help her in any way she can at her own expense. Making Alys notice her becomes more important than surviving. Through constant rejection, she notices her destructive behaviour and realises that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want help. If only she could understand that moving on is the healthy thing to do. Saffa, on the other hand, fights with tooth and nail to protect her loved ones. In leaving her life behind and risking everything to save them, she shows the unconditional and unrelenting side of loyalty.and love It’s so inspiring to see Saffa sacrifice her own wellbeing for someone else. Abraham shows two sides of the same coin but never indicates that there’s only one right path.
Alys’ journey through grief is well developed on page and lifelike but I feel conflicted about her character. To me, she’s not very likeable and so I don’t empathise with Alys as much as I would like. It’s frustrating to read about her when she makes mistakes, pushes Sammish away and associates with people who clearly don’t have her best interests at heart. I wouldn’t follow that path myself which makes it harder to feel like I'm walking in her shoes. Abraham probably made Alys intentionally unlikable. Intense sorrow can change someone for the worse and cause them to rage at the world. Her character arc only feels complete and satisfying because Alys goes through those hardships and grows in spite of them. I know this but that doesn’t alter the fact that I only sympathise with her on a surface level. That feeling of truly understanding someone is why I read so consequently Alys’ emotional moments aren’t as impactful. Sammish and Saffa however do resonate with me on a deeper level; since their actions & demeanour are more in line with my own. So they’re characters I could latch onto.
“Kithamar is an unforgiving city. The common wisdom states that it was founded on hatred, but this is a misunderstanding. In truth, it was founded on hunger, and there are many kinds of hunger at its heart.”
From the first line of the book, I immediately get a sense of the foreboding, yet hauntingly beautiful nature of the story I’m about to embark on. I’m getting immersed straight away. Abraham accomplishes this predominantly through the use of poetic and descriptive language. This creates a bewitching atmosphere as if the city is a living, breathing thing. It feels as though Kithamar becomes a character in and of itself. It’s evident that the author put a lot of effort in fleshing out the rituals, practises and traditions of the city. The immersive writing blends together with the meticulous worldbuilding to provide a feeling that the city has existed for millenia and has a rich history. This all enhances the story, characters and ambiance in a meaningful way.
In conclusion, Age of Ash is a must-read if you love layered characters, intriguing worldbuilding and the in-depth exploration of heavy themes. I believe this new book to be the start of another stellar trilogy by Abraham.This story has so much to offer and the more the mystery unfolded, the more intrigued I became. I’m eagerly awaiting the continuation of this personal, evocative journey through Kithamar. There is still so much left unanswered, I simply have to keep reading and I’m certain I'll enjoy every minute of it.
You can find this and the rest of my Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at Mage of Pages
Age of Ash is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy by Daniel Abraham. As one half of the duo that wrote The Expanse, a bestselling space epic that’s also adapted as an Amazon Prime series, Abraham is a well known name in the sci-fi community. His fantasy books are lesser known but not less beloved. So for a time now I’ve been wanting to read one of his books but I hadn’t gotten around to it when Age of Ash was announced. Intrigued by the premise and Abraham’s reputation for writing meticulous plots and intricate characters, I thought this a perfect chance to finally pick up one of his books. And because Orbit was kind enough to give me an early review copy, I will bring you along with me on my journey through the streets of Kithamar.
Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold. This is Alys's. 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. Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.
The exploration of grief is where Age of Ash is at its most impactful to me. You follow Alys as she laments the loss of her brother and deals with the loneliness and anger that comes with losing such an important figure in her life. This grief changes her in a way that takes her down a dark path: Alys abandons much of her former life, lashes out at the people around her and wants to erase herself in order to keep her brother alive. Her arc through this sorrow struck a chord with me. If I would lose one of my loved ones, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself and cling hopelessly to whatever’s left of them. This understanding makes her journey immensely human and realistic. At the core, Abraham tells a story about how if you lose yourself in your rage and grief when you can’t accept death, that sorrow will swallow you whole. That feeling can get so intense it’s paralysing and pulls you into a never-ending cycle of melancholy and pain.
The message of loyalty is an equally important theme in the book. This is most evident in the characters of Sammish and Saffa. For both women, love binds them to the important people in their lives but the internal struggle they face because of it, differs wildly. Sammish must learn that loyalty is a two-way street; it can make you lose sight of your own happiness when you give more than you receive. Her adoration for Alys drives Sammish to help her in any way she can at her own expense. Making Alys notice her becomes more important than surviving. Through constant rejection, she notices her destructive behaviour and realises that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want help. If only she could understand that moving on is the healthy thing to do. Saffa, on the other hand, fights with tooth and nail to protect her loved ones. In leaving her life behind and risking everything to save them, she shows the unconditional and unrelenting side of loyalty.and love It’s so inspiring to see Saffa sacrifice her own wellbeing for someone else. Abraham shows two sides of the same coin but never indicates that there’s only one right path.
Alys’ journey through grief is well developed on page and lifelike but I feel conflicted about her character. To me, she’s not very likeable and so I don’t empathise with Alys as much as I would like. It’s frustrating to read about her when she makes mistakes, pushes Sammish away and associates with people who clearly don’t have her best interests at heart. I wouldn’t follow that path myself which makes it harder to feel like I'm walking in her shoes. Abraham probably made Alys intentionally unlikable. Intense sorrow can change someone for the worse and cause them to rage at the world. Her character arc only feels complete and satisfying because Alys goes through those hardships and grows in spite of them. I know this but that doesn’t alter the fact that I only sympathise with her on a surface level. That feeling of truly understanding someone is why I read so consequently Alys’ emotional moments aren’t as impactful. Sammish and Saffa however do resonate with me on a deeper level; since their actions & demeanour are more in line with my own. So they’re characters I could latch onto.
“Kithamar is an unforgiving city. The common wisdom states that it was founded on hatred, but this is a misunderstanding. In truth, it was founded on hunger, and there are many kinds of hunger at its heart.”
From the first line of the book, I immediately get a sense of the foreboding, yet hauntingly beautiful nature of the story I’m about to embark on. I’m getting immersed straight away. Abraham accomplishes this predominantly through the use of poetic and descriptive language. This creates a bewitching atmosphere as if the city is a living, breathing thing. It feels as though Kithamar becomes a character in and of itself. It’s evident that the author put a lot of effort in fleshing out the rituals, practises and traditions of the city. The immersive writing blends together with the meticulous worldbuilding to provide a feeling that the city has existed for millenia and has a rich history. This all enhances the story, characters and ambiance in a meaningful way.
In conclusion, Age of Ash is a must-read if you love layered characters, intriguing worldbuilding and the in-depth exploration of heavy themes. I believe this new book to be the start of another stellar trilogy by Abraham.This story has so much to offer and the more the mystery unfolded, the more intrigued I became. I’m eagerly awaiting the continuation of this personal, evocative journey through Kithamar. There is still so much left unanswered, I simply have to keep reading and I’m certain I'll enjoy every minute of it.
You can find this and the rest of my Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at Mage of Pages
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was almost a DNF. The author's prose is lovely, but this was world-building porn with a really meager helping of story.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated