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nahret 's review for:
King of Ashes
by S.A. Cosby
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
Let's be honest here, I read this book in two sittings, because I just needed to know what was gonna happen. I also needed the violence to end, because, oh boy, the violence was intense. This is not a light read by any metric.
Dante is a dumb fuck. Yeah, sure, trauma etc., and I have to hand it to him, I've never met a character so wholly committed to making the worst possible decision at every turn. That's some real dedication there. Since the author quotes a variety of classic literature throughout the book, I must assume Dante's name was chosen purposefully, as the situation the characters find themselves in is a hell entirely of his making.
And this is what this story is: a descent into hell. The light at the end of the tunnel is a furnace; everything burns. There are no easy answers here, no simple way out. To say that the novel made me uncomfortable would be a wild understatement. Yet I could not put it down.
This is not for the faint of heart. Proceed at your own caution, because this deserves all the trigger warnings. I'll leave the summary to Willie Shakes: "Some shall be pardoned, and some punished."
Dante is a dumb fuck. Yeah, sure, trauma etc., and I have to hand it to him, I've never met a character so wholly committed to making the worst possible decision at every turn. That's some real dedication there. Since the author quotes a variety of classic literature throughout the book, I must assume Dante's name was chosen purposefully, as the situation the characters find themselves in is a hell entirely of his making.
And this is what this story is: a descent into hell. The light at the end of the tunnel is a furnace; everything burns. There are no easy answers here, no simple way out. To say that the novel made me uncomfortable would be a wild understatement. Yet I could not put it down.
This is not for the faint of heart. Proceed at your own caution, because this deserves all the trigger warnings. I'll leave the summary to Willie Shakes: "Some shall be pardoned, and some punished."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail