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A review by faithfullygeeky
First, Become Ashes by K.M. Szpara
5.0
"And yet, I went. I went because it was expected of me. Because that was my destiny. Because I was Anointed."
Lark is an Anointed One, one of the chosen who are trained from childhood to rid the world of monsters and restore humanity. Just months shy of his quarter century and his first quest his home of Druid Hill is raided by FOEs who were brought by his partner Kane. Now Lark must decide if he still believes in magic or if the outsiders who tell him he was abused as part of a cult are telling the truth. There's only one way to find out and that is to undertake his quest and head West.
K.M. Szpara's FIRST, BECOME ASHES is at times both moving and traumatizing, fully earning every content warning given. Yet it earns the weight of these traumas through characters who are both flawed and innocent, implicated and exonerated. It follows the events of Lark's quest and Kane's decision to betray the group, as well as another cult member who may not have understood what was happening around them and a cosplayer who just wants to believe in magic. Ultimately this is a story of healing and the highly individual journey that healing can take.
Please note that this book comes with content warnings for explicit sadomasochism, sexual content, abuse, and consent violations, but it also brought this reader real joy.
Lark is an Anointed One, one of the chosen who are trained from childhood to rid the world of monsters and restore humanity. Just months shy of his quarter century and his first quest his home of Druid Hill is raided by FOEs who were brought by his partner Kane. Now Lark must decide if he still believes in magic or if the outsiders who tell him he was abused as part of a cult are telling the truth. There's only one way to find out and that is to undertake his quest and head West.
K.M. Szpara's FIRST, BECOME ASHES is at times both moving and traumatizing, fully earning every content warning given. Yet it earns the weight of these traumas through characters who are both flawed and innocent, implicated and exonerated. It follows the events of Lark's quest and Kane's decision to betray the group, as well as another cult member who may not have understood what was happening around them and a cosplayer who just wants to believe in magic. Ultimately this is a story of healing and the highly individual journey that healing can take.
Please note that this book comes with content warnings for explicit sadomasochism, sexual content, abuse, and consent violations, but it also brought this reader real joy.