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A review by aphelia88
The Hour of Dust and Ashes by Kelly Gay
5.0
This excellent third entry in what has become one of my favourite Urban Fantasy series brings together the ongoing plot threads of the first two books in an explosive way!
As the book opens, Charlie is visiting the cryptic Oracle, trying to track down an exorcist for her sister Bryn. Ash, the offworld drug Bryn was exposed to during the battle to shut down it's manufacturing, opens humans up to possession, and events in the last book make it clear that something or someone else is taking Bryn - a powerful mage in her own right - for a ride.
All the exorcists in the city have fled, scared of what the Darkness portends. But the Oracle, Alessandra, tells Charlie that there is another way to save her sister - and Charlie being Charlie, she jumps in head first without getting all the details. She can petition the Sylph, a shy Fae elemental race for help, and she does. Four of them give her a gift each - of water, air, earth and fire; a piece of their own power as a sort of temporary magical loan. When Charlie has received all of the gifts, they will combine to make a fifth rare element, and she will be able to look inside Bryn and see what is hiding within her.
Of course, being tricksy Fae, they neglect to tell Charlie that in order to receive each gift, Charlie will have to be willing to die to prove herself worthy. The four tests that she goes through - especially the earth one - are hellish, and leave her shaken. But she never waivers from the path, no matter how difficult it gets, which is the thing I most admire about Charlie: her steadfast determination to do the right thing, no matter the cost, and her loyalty to those she loves.
Meanwhile, Charlie is also being stalked by a strange shadow creature, having visions from the Star, and trying to up with her new super-charged metabolism, which demands constant feeding. And then there's her newly romantic feelings for her Siren partner Hank - which seem to be mutual.
A trip to hellish Charbydon reveals some very interesting information about Hank's past - which changes everything. My favourite part:
Bottom Line: This is a solid series with interesting, unusual world building, and Charlie is a heroine you can really root for! Looking forward to the next book, which I've ordered specially because I'm so curious to see how the series ends
As the book opens, Charlie is visiting the cryptic Oracle, trying to track down an exorcist for her sister Bryn. Ash, the offworld drug Bryn was exposed to during the battle to shut down it's manufacturing, opens humans up to possession, and events in the last book make it clear that something or someone else is taking Bryn - a powerful mage in her own right - for a ride.
All the exorcists in the city have fled, scared of what the Darkness portends. But the Oracle, Alessandra, tells Charlie that there is another way to save her sister - and Charlie being Charlie, she jumps in head first without getting all the details. She can petition the Sylph, a shy Fae elemental race for help, and she does. Four of them give her a gift each - of water, air, earth and fire; a piece of their own power as a sort of temporary magical loan. When Charlie has received all of the gifts, they will combine to make a fifth rare element, and she will be able to look inside Bryn and see what is hiding within her.
Of course, being tricksy Fae, they neglect to tell Charlie that in order to receive each gift, Charlie will have to be willing to die to prove herself worthy. The four tests that she goes through - especially the earth one - are hellish, and leave her shaken. But she never waivers from the path, no matter how difficult it gets, which is the thing I most admire about Charlie: her steadfast determination to do the right thing, no matter the cost, and her loyalty to those she loves.
Meanwhile, Charlie is also being stalked by a strange shadow creature, having visions from the Star, and trying to up with her new super-charged metabolism, which demands constant feeding. And then there's her newly romantic feelings for her Siren partner Hank - which seem to be mutual.
A trip to hellish Charbydon reveals some very interesting information about Hank's past - which changes everything. My favourite part:
Spoiler
I really like how Gay used Charlie's gifted powers to see inside Rex to her ex-husband's spirit, and how Will stood up for once and apologized, and asked to be let go. It was very well-written and affecting. I like Rex the Revenant (who was possessing Will, on contract), and I am so glad that Charlie and Emma consider him family now, even without the possibility of restoring Will's spirit to his body. I also liked Emma's new found ability to communicate with her hellhound Brimstone, and that her admittance to the League's magical training school suggests that she will have magic of her own to learn!Bottom Line: This is a solid series with interesting, unusual world building, and Charlie is a heroine you can really root for! Looking forward to the next book, which I've ordered specially because I'm so curious to see how the series ends