Very well written, but both the MCs and dialogues felt too YA for me, and the setting too bland typical epic fantasy. ( )

DNF. P.247. Just lost interest and where my mental health is right now, a book this long is not conducive to helping me right now. ( )

It definitely is not a bad book and I didn't mind the slower pace at the beginning, but somehow I lost interest about the 70 % mark. Despite the lenght of the book, I felt that some of the POVs were underdeveloped and I couldn't really grow attached to most of the characters. Midway through, I started getting frustrated by the rapid POV changes.
Viktor was a bit too cliché for me and didn't feel like a real person. A lot of the locations mentioned in the book are not on the map and I usually like to consult the map during my reads, but here I stopped completely after a while. This is a small one, but there were too many similar names beginning with an A, making it even harder to remember the big cast of characters. Never was I so glad to read the Kindle version, because I often needed the inbuilt x-ray function to check who that character was again. On the other hand, I found the writing by Matthew Wards to be pretty good and when I think about it, this is probably what kept me going the most. ( )

On the night their mother was killed for leading a rebellion, southwealders Josiri and Calenne became prisoners in their family home at Eskavord. Fifteen years later, Josiri is on the verge of calling on the secret rebels to spark rebellion anew while his younger sister seeks to escape the shadow of her mother’s memory by marrying a northwealder of high standing. The Black Knight, Viktor Akadra, the man who murdered their mother, gains the ruling Council’s approval to march into the Southshires to fight off the invading Hadari Empire. However, the Council dangles from puppet strings, promising nothing more than death and destruction for the entire Tressian Republic.

I’m not exactly sure what drew me to this book, but I like a good rebellion and enjoy some court politics. The book description also mentioned magic and claimed this to be an epic novel. Every time I read the description, my mind is instantly transported back in time to when I was a high school freshman seeking out interesting new fantasy series to devour, so I suppose that’s why I couldn’t let the opportunity to read this one pass me by. I’m so pleased it not only lived up to what I had built it up to be, but kind of bowled me over with all the intricacies.

The Characters: A Surprising Mix of Complex and One Note
I’d argue that the main character is Viktor Akadra. Not only did I feel like he got more page time, but he was also the most complex with the most to lose and gain. He tried to be morally sound, but there was a darkness to his soul that he couldn’t overcome no matter all the good he tried to do. He was both dark and upstanding, though his desire to do what was right and his susceptibility to the darkness were often at odds with each other. It was hard to tell if he was doing good or evil, and sometimes he even felt selfish.

By contrast, siblings Josiri and Calenne didn’t seem quite so interesting. While I had hoped they would be front and center as well since it’s Josiri’s people and land that needed both saving from the Hadari and the rest of the Tressian Republic, their causes and personalities felt very bland and one note in comparison to Viktor. I did like that they were quite consistent in their characterizations, but they just felt kind of boring.

The other characters fell into one of two groups: thoroughly compelling and complex, or rather bland and present for certain purposes. It was an interesting mix of the two, so it made the story both interesting and forward moving. In general, I quite enjoyed the characters. They made the story lively and interesting. Even when I had an idea of where a character would end up both in literal and figurative senses, it was still fun to read about them and their journeys.

The Setting: Traditionally Fantastic
Of all the elements in this book, the setting was probably the most lackluster. It was predictably Eurocentric, which was comfortable, but not exactly earth shattering in terms of something new. I did appreciate that the Hadari Empire was something different, but still didn’t feel completely new or even that different from the Tressian Republic. Still, it possessed its own magic and intrigue, while also being reliably comfortable.

When I think back on the story, the setting is not something that jumps out at me as being particularly interesting, but I found the world building in general to be more intriguing. The Tressian Republic and Hadari Empire had their own customs, rituals, governances, and worship of gods. They were clearly defined and detailed just enough to provide background and detail, but not enough to be overwhelming and full of irrelevant pieces.

Despite the fact that the Eurocentric world was familiar, I found it oddly comforting. No, it didn’t really provide anything truly new and different, but I liked that it was a familiar backdrop, so my mind easily filled in any gaps and let me better enjoy the story.

The Plot: Complex, but Complete
The story of old enemies becoming allies was both slow and full of action. This is quite a long book at over 700 pages. There’s a great deal of court intrigue and the following of minor characters who end up playing much larger roles, which makes it seem slow. At the same time, there’s so much happening, both in terms of the intrigue and actual physical battles, that there always seemed to be more than enough action. The story never felt like it lagged, but was instead always going forward, just not always at a gallop.

I must admit there was a point where I was afraid too many threads and events were being added that none of it would reach a satisfactory conclusion, if at all. It also felt like some characters were followed for an inordinate amount of time while others kind of fell off the face of the earth for a long time. I was also afraid the ending would be rushed or left on a terrible cliffhanger. Instead, it worked out brilliantly, both wrapping up the story with a nice bow while also leaving room for the reader to want to pick up the next book if they’re so inclined. I quite enjoy series where the first book is meant to be both a standalone and as the start of a series. I’m not a fan of being left on the edge of my seat. I prefer neat endings that tie up all the major threads to any given story while also leaving room for an expansion on the story. Legacy of Ash did exactly that for me, and I absolutely loved it.

There was a fair amount of violence in this book, but, considering it involved rebels, conniving councilors, and invaders, it wasn’t unexpected. I was a little taken aback by how long the sequences were, but was satisfied when it felt like every scene was full of important information that moved the story forward. As much as I couldn’t always stomach the violence, I didn’t feel any sword slash was unnecessary.

The story was dark and full of intrigue. I felt like I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. At the same time, I also just had to put it aside because there is a ton of information given and just about all of it was necessary, so I did have to stop reading just to be able to process it. This was not the kind of book I could just keep consuming; there were times I simply had to pull back in order to fully appreciate and understand the story and the direction things were going.

Overall: Contradictory, but Satisfying
This was a lovely, satisfactory fantasy read. As a lover of long fantasy, this book felt completely familiar while also providing an intriguing story and even more intriguing cast of characters. I feel like there’s a fair bit of contradiction in how I feel about it, with characters that were both interesting and lackluster and a story that was both slow and full of action. Though I suppose it could also just be due to the sheer length. Still, it was a lovely read with people I came to have strong feelings about and a story that was well-wrapped up while also opening the door to a (probably horrifying) broader story.

Thank you so much to Angela Man from Orbit for the opportunity to read an e-ARC. All opinions expressed are my own. ( )

Coming in at 800 pages, Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward is admittedly a chunkster by any definition. However, don't let its size intimidate you. Between the pages lies a great fantasy novel that has a little bit of everything. And what a novel it is!

Politics, revenge, intrigue, magic, war, family legacy, religion, and romance are just a few of the topics to great you as you sink into the story. The world-building is natural and fluid with just enough exposition to help you understand the situation without boring you with mundane details. Character development is not as robust as one might expect in such a large novel, but Legacy of Ash is mostly an action-driven novel, rendering the need for fully-fleshed characters somewhat moot.

This is not to say that the characters are flat and unsympathetic because they are anything but. It is easy to sympathize with Viktor, a boy thrust into a role he doesn't want and forever must wear its mantle no matter how much it differs from his true persona. Calenne appears to be a spoiled princess tainted by the legacy of her birth mother, someone she doesn't know and for whom she has no respect or love. Yet, her understanding of that legacy leads her to grow into someone almost unrecognizable from the self-absorbed princess we first meet. Then there is Josiri. He is, by far, the weakest of the main characters in both personality, gumption, and development. While Viktor and Calenne adapt and grow in each new situation, Josiri does not. He eventually redeems himself as the novel reaches its climax, but his scenes are painful in their repetitiveness. Still, given that this is the first book in a trilogy, there is a lot of room for more growth for all of them, which is always a good thing.

As one would expect with a novel this long, it is a story told on a grand scale. The story occurs all over the fictional land and involves several different countries, unfamiliar gods, an unusual political hierarchy, and too many characters to name. However, Mr. Ward does an excellent job of creating clarity where confusion might reign. As with the world-building, he provides just enough narrative to allow the reader to imagine what is occurring no matter how unfamiliar the scene may be.

While it does not have the depth of character building one might normally see in such a long novel, Legacy of Ash remains a great example of what one can accomplish with words. The strong action scenes alone make for great reading. Better yet, he left the story at a place where you want more but without an infuriating cliffhanger. The fantasy elements are also tame by comparison to some other novels, making this a perfect starter novel for anyone who may want to dip their toes into the world of fantasy. Given that this is Mr. Ward's debut novel, Legacy of Ash is an impressive piece of fiction, and I am looking forward to continuing the series.