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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
reflective
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
dark
sad
tense
slow-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
This story follows a few different characters in the city of Kithamar we follow Alys a young thief who lost her brother early in this book who takes up the work he was doing before he died. While taking up this work Alys ends up in over her head with rituals and murder. Alys throughout this book is trying to figure out who murdered her brother and what the people she is working for are up to.
I wanted to like this book but I had a very hard time getting into it. This book is very slow paced and character driven. There is a basic straight forward simple plot but the amount of description of the town and the characters made this book hard for me to read. This story is mostly set in the slums of Kithamar and it’s pretty bleak and sad. I will say that I did enjoy the character development but felt that the pacing was just off on this one. I also really liked where the plot is going in this series so I do plan to pick up the next book. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
New trilogy from one half of the James S.A. Corey duo? Definitely interested. Disclaimer: I don’t think I read beyond Leviathan Wakes in The Expanse series, but maybe I’ll go back one day. For now, though, let’s talk about Age of Ash. Abraham sets us up to expect heists, recrimination, and plenty of intrigue. I would say that this book mostly delivers, though I could see how there is room for disappointment depending on the type of expectations one goes in with.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC!
Kithamar is a city on the river. It was a meeting place, though now the two major ethnicities live mostly peaceably side by side. Ruled by a prince (the term is gender neutral in Kithamar), the city has its share of the poor and disadvantaged. Alys and Sammish both fall into this category. They grew up in Longhill, the poorest district. After Alys’s brother Darro dies mysteriously, Alys vows to discover who killed him and why. This leads her down a dangerous path, putting her in the employ of a man and a woman from Green Hill—the richest district—and stretching her morals to their limits. Meanwhile, Sammish’s unrequited love for Alys forces her to confront the dark currents that threaten to sweep up Alys in their wake. And the city of Kithamar does not slumber—it is completely, personally awake.
It took me a while to get into Age of Ash (and a while longer to finish it, but for once that was entirely scheduling and nothing to do with the book!). The plot is a rather slow burn, and Abraham’s writing style is heavy on description. As a result, I was well over a fifth of the way into the book before I started seeing the bigger picture—but what a picture it is.
The main plot might be the least interesting part, and it is still very good. I won’t go into much detail so as to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say, there is a dark secret at the heart of the city and its leadership. But the people who maintain this secret have enemies who want to see them fall. Abraham implies that these people aren’t very good, but it’s also unclear if their fall would really be all that better than the system that currently exists.
To be honest, though, I cared way more about what was happening to Alys and Sammish. The book starts off with Alys as the viewpoint protagonist. But she becomes an increasingly unsympathetic character, and Sammish more sympathetic, as the story goes on. This is a brilliant piece of storytelling on Abraham’s part. Alys’s obsession with holding on to the memory of her brother at first threatens to mould her into her brother—yet as Sammish points out later in the book, Alys actually goes much further. The changes are subtle and gradual enough that we can see Alys leaving behind her Longhill roots. We can also see her relationship with Sammish faltering.
Never even friends, more colleagues, Alys and Sammish’s relationship is strained for most of this book. Again, I find myself praising Abraham’s decisions here. What could have been a very simple unrequited love story turns into something more nuanced. As Alys grows distant and more cutthroat, Sammish at first tries to convince herself that she doesn’t care. In reality, she cares quite a bit. And so their relationship goes through ups and downs as each learns more about the secret of Kithamar in their own time and own ways. I like that these two are at odds more than they are aligned, and that the book gradually pivots from being wholly Alys’s story to including Sammish too—I think a good argument might be made that Sammish is more the protagonist than Alys even.
So much epic fantasy focuses on the princes of realms. He is present here, kind of, but the book is actually about the most invisible members of Kithamar society. That, too, is not new to fantasy at all—yet Abraham writes it in a way that feels very refreshing. Having read Age of Ash, I feel satiated, like I just had a full and delicious meal. I’m not exactly hungry for the next book, but I would read it just to see where Abraham goes with this world next.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC!
Kithamar is a city on the river. It was a meeting place, though now the two major ethnicities live mostly peaceably side by side. Ruled by a prince (the term is gender neutral in Kithamar), the city has its share of the poor and disadvantaged. Alys and Sammish both fall into this category. They grew up in Longhill, the poorest district. After Alys’s brother Darro dies mysteriously, Alys vows to discover who killed him and why. This leads her down a dangerous path, putting her in the employ of a man and a woman from Green Hill—the richest district—and stretching her morals to their limits. Meanwhile, Sammish’s unrequited love for Alys forces her to confront the dark currents that threaten to sweep up Alys in their wake. And the city of Kithamar does not slumber—it is completely, personally awake.
It took me a while to get into Age of Ash (and a while longer to finish it, but for once that was entirely scheduling and nothing to do with the book!). The plot is a rather slow burn, and Abraham’s writing style is heavy on description. As a result, I was well over a fifth of the way into the book before I started seeing the bigger picture—but what a picture it is.
The main plot might be the least interesting part, and it is still very good. I won’t go into much detail so as to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say, there is a dark secret at the heart of the city and its leadership. But the people who maintain this secret have enemies who want to see them fall. Abraham implies that these people aren’t very good, but it’s also unclear if their fall would really be all that better than the system that currently exists.
To be honest, though, I cared way more about what was happening to Alys and Sammish. The book starts off with Alys as the viewpoint protagonist. But she becomes an increasingly unsympathetic character, and Sammish more sympathetic, as the story goes on. This is a brilliant piece of storytelling on Abraham’s part. Alys’s obsession with holding on to the memory of her brother at first threatens to mould her into her brother—yet as Sammish points out later in the book, Alys actually goes much further. The changes are subtle and gradual enough that we can see Alys leaving behind her Longhill roots. We can also see her relationship with Sammish faltering.
Never even friends, more colleagues, Alys and Sammish’s relationship is strained for most of this book. Again, I find myself praising Abraham’s decisions here. What could have been a very simple unrequited love story turns into something more nuanced. As Alys grows distant and more cutthroat, Sammish at first tries to convince herself that she doesn’t care. In reality, she cares quite a bit. And so their relationship goes through ups and downs as each learns more about the secret of Kithamar in their own time and own ways. I like that these two are at odds more than they are aligned, and that the book gradually pivots from being wholly Alys’s story to including Sammish too—I think a good argument might be made that Sammish is more the protagonist than Alys even.
So much epic fantasy focuses on the princes of realms. He is present here, kind of, but the book is actually about the most invisible members of Kithamar society. That, too, is not new to fantasy at all—yet Abraham writes it in a way that feels very refreshing. Having read Age of Ash, I feel satiated, like I just had a full and delicious meal. I’m not exactly hungry for the next book, but I would read it just to see where Abraham goes with this world next.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am glad that I was chosen to read an advanced copy of this Book. I enjoy Daniel Abraham as a writer and his work on the expanse series which is one of my favourite book series. However, this book fell flat for me. Below is a spoiler free review. Please check out my full review here: https://youtu.be/6oczXnM4SaI
The three areas in which a good fantasy story succeeds is in its characters, it’s plot and it’s world building. This story sadly did not deliver for me in all these areas. The two main characters Alys and Sammish did not peak my interest. One was unlikeable in my book, and the other was starting to get interesting but far too late in the story for me.
For plot there isn’t much here. It bounced around a lot following the characters but I never felt hooked into the story or cared too much about what was happening. This ultimately ties into the world building. It is set in city of Kithamar which didn’t really stand out from any other city or feel unique In any way. Also, there is hints of a magic system in the book which I think will be developed further.
Overall the book is ok. Im glad I read it. It’s not going to be a favourite but I do trust Daniel Abraham and will pick up the sequel when it comes out.
The three areas in which a good fantasy story succeeds is in its characters, it’s plot and it’s world building. This story sadly did not deliver for me in all these areas. The two main characters Alys and Sammish did not peak my interest. One was unlikeable in my book, and the other was starting to get interesting but far too late in the story for me.
For plot there isn’t much here. It bounced around a lot following the characters but I never felt hooked into the story or cared too much about what was happening. This ultimately ties into the world building. It is set in city of Kithamar which didn’t really stand out from any other city or feel unique In any way. Also, there is hints of a magic system in the book which I think will be developed further.
Overall the book is ok. Im glad I read it. It’s not going to be a favourite but I do trust Daniel Abraham and will pick up the sequel when it comes out.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
It started slow (which I think was also true of The Expanse series) but it picked up by the end and I'll probably read the next book in the trilogy. I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of Sammish since she's left Kithamar. I found her more interesting than Alys.
I appreciated that neither Alys' mother or brother were quite who she thought they were.
I think there's also a distinction between gods and whatever the spirit of Kithamar is. Old and powerful, certainly, but I don't think a god.
I appreciated that neither Alys' mother or brother were quite who she thought they were.
I think there's also a distinction between gods and whatever the spirit of Kithamar is. Old and powerful, certainly, but I don't think a god.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship
I thought the Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham was a great start to a new fantasy series (the Kithamar Trilogy). 3.75 ⭐️
This book was a fascinating and poignant examination of the stages of grief and how deeply they can affect not only the grieving individual but also people around them, wrapped in an atmospheric city with some fantasy trappings. The fantasy elements were much lighter than I was expecting which was one of the main drawbacks of this book for me, but I hope they are expanded upon in the future books in this series. That being said, I am still very excited to read the next books and I can’t wait until they come out.
Full video review to come out on my YouTube channel https://youtube.com/channel/UCfPdqjJll7GRkLsyiyzTwOg ~1 week before the book’s release on 2/15/2022
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley to review.
This book was a fascinating and poignant examination of the stages of grief and how deeply they can affect not only the grieving individual but also people around them, wrapped in an atmospheric city with some fantasy trappings. The fantasy elements were much lighter than I was expecting which was one of the main drawbacks of this book for me, but I hope they are expanded upon in the future books in this series. That being said, I am still very excited to read the next books and I can’t wait until they come out.
Full video review to come out on my YouTube channel https://youtube.com/channel/UCfPdqjJll7GRkLsyiyzTwOg ~1 week before the book’s release on 2/15/2022
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley to review.