Rich in history and the atmosphere of New Orleans, this dramatic tale of the loves and feuds of two powerful families of witches features intricate characters, well-thought-out lore, and plot twists galore. I visited New Orleans in 2011, and many of the scenes evoked hours spent exploring the French Quarter and beyond. Nowadays the allure of witches (or other magical/supernatural beings) in the “Big Easy,” also known as the City of Second Chances, has given rise to many depictions in print and visual media. All too often, however, the portrayals are superficial and derivative, and are poorly integrated with the city’s history and culture. Not so J. D. Horn’s The King of Bones and Ashes. I loved the sense of dynastic progression, of the increasingly desperate tactics to slow the disappearance of magic, of the witches’ attempt to counteract Katrina’s damage, not to mention the complex system of witchy magic. I also liked that the circularity of the story; instead of having everything laid out clearly, I had to put pieces together in more active reading. It’s not an easy read, but that makes it all the more satisfying. The actual mystery enhances the mysteriousness of the setting and drama.

Great book! I love this author. I'm so happy that he's started a new series. Three different women narrate and after each chapter you learn about a new link that connects them all and the history they share. I enjoyed being wrapped up in their story these past few days. I can't wait for the next in the series!

I enjoy urban fantasy and southern gothic books. I liked the first books of the authors Savannah Witches and series until he went too weird and was hoping that I would find that this was like the beginning of that series or maybe somewhat like Rice's Mayfair Witches series, but I was disappointed. 

We start the book knowing that the witches are losing their power, yet despite that the coven has joined together to try and diver Katrina from totally destroying New Orleans.  The entire coven, from the oldest witch to the youngest little Alice Marin daughter of the leader of the coven.  They are unable to totally divert the storm, despite linking their powers the are too weak to do more than slightly weaken the storm.   After the storm passes over Alice rushes out to save her pet cat/familiar when she is confronted by Babu John (the bogeyman) who attempts to lure her away.  She tells her father who doesn't believe her and later when her oldest brother Luke  commits suicide she insists that Babu John forced him to do it and her father sends her across the country to an asylum where witches who are kept.  At this place they have no access to their magic, very little entertainment and if a patient manages to get released they are discouraged from interacting with the friends that may have made while there. 

After ten years Alice his finally to be released because her beloved grandfather has died and her youngest brother Vincent insists that she comes home.  Vincent is the only Marin child that has no magical ability and has no use for it.  Upon her arrival she is reintroduced to Luke's fiancée Evangeline who is now her father's mistress and her other brother Hugo has turned to drink and drugs to combat his pain.   

Upon meeting Alice again, Evangeline realizes that Alice is not losing her magic, like her she is very strong.  We find out that she is related to three shape-shifter witches who are hundreds of years old and they want her to watch over Alice and help them retrieve an object that has been hidden from the world since they brought it to our shores. 

My favorite character is Lisette, the daughter of Soulange Simeon a powerful probationer of voodoo and the owner of the famous French Quarter Voodoo supply store VéVé.  When her mother and Alice's grandmother Laure tried to do a spell on their own that resulted in killing her mother and rendering Laure insane Lisette has been running the business but no longer believes in the magic of voodoo although she knows her mother's spirit is still with her in the store. 

This book is much darker than his previous series and while this isn't necessarily detrimental I found some of the plot twists very disturbing and I believe that rest of the series will end up being much weirder than the Savannah series.  Although I dislike beginning a series and not reading it in its entirety I don't think I will be following this one. 

I love urban fantasy, southern gothic and really liked the first books of the authors Savannah Witches and series until he went too weird and was hoping that I would find that this was like the beginning of that series or maybe somewhat like Rice's Mayfair Witches series, but I was disappointed. 
We start the book knowing that the witches are losing their power, yet despite that the coven has joined together to try and diver Katrina from totally destroying New Orleans.  The entire coven, from the oldest witch to the youngest little Alice Marin daughter of the leader of the coven.  They are unable to totally divert the storm, despite linking their powers the are too weak to do more than slightly weaken the storm.   After the storm passes over Alice rushes out to save her pet cat/familiar when she is confronted by Babu John (the bogeyman) who attempts to lure her away.  She tells her father who doesn't believe her and later when her oldest brother Luke  commits suicide she insists that Babu John forced him to do it and her father sends her across the country to an asylum where witches who are kept.  At this place they have no access to their magic, very little entertainment and if a patient manages to get released they are discouraged from interacting with the friends that may have made while there. 
After ten years Alice his finally to be released because her beloved grandfather has died and her youngest brother Vincent nsists that she comes home.  Vincent is the only Marin child that has no magical ability and has no use for it.  Upon her arrival she is reintroduced to Luke's fiancée Evangeline who is now her father's mistress and her othr brother who has turned to drink and drugs to combat his pain.   
Upon meeting Alice again, Evangeline realizes that Alice is not losing her magic, like her she is very strong.  We find out that she is related to three shape-shifter witches who are hundreds of years old and they want her to watch over Alice and help them retrieve an object that has been hidden from the world since they brought it to our shores. 
My favorite character is Lisette, the daughter of Soulange Simeon a powerful probationer of voodoo and the owner of the famous French Quarter Voodoo supply store VéVé.  When her mother and and Alice's grandmother Laure tried to do a spell on their own that resulted in killing her mother and rendering Laure insane Lisette has been running the business but no longer believes in the magic of voodoo although she knows her mother's spirit is still with her in the store. 

This book is much darker than his previous series and while this isn't necessarily detrimental I found some of the plot twists very disturbing and I believe that rest of the series will end up being much weirder than the Savannah series.  Although I dislike beginning a series and not reading it in its entirety I don't think I will be following this one. 

2.75/5 STARS:  I received a free digital ARC in exchange for a honest, unbiased review.  I sincerely thank the author and/or publisher for providing an ARC through NetGalley,.**

I got 20% done with this book and still had no idea what was going on and why I should care. Was there a book before it that I missed?

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Magic is waning in the world for unknown reasons, and the witches are panicking. They are resorting to things like harvesting body parts from other dead witches for residual power. Alice has been away from this for several years, having been in a Psych? Hospital for witches. When she was young she witnessed her brothers murder at the hand of Babau Jean, who is like the boogeyman for witches. The book was a lot confusing to me. There were quite a few main characters, all who were intricately involved in the outcome of the book. I found it hard to follow all the different storylines, and I believe this was why the big reveal at the end was such a surprise. It did make sense though. It would be interesting to see how the rest of the series progresses, but I’m not sure I’m up to wading through another twisty plot. 3.5 stars

Beautifully wicked and gothic, reminds me of early works by Clive Barker. Incredibly detailed and lushly written it oozes New Orleans style and legends in between it's magic and engrossing plot.

This story follows three witches of New Orleans as they try to save magic as it is diminishing from the world. It reminded me a bit of Deborah Harkness in the sense of strong female characters, magic, and mystery. I had a little trouble following along as it vacillated between the characters, but the murder and mystery kept me guessing the entire time. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series when they come out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in return for an honest review.

It’s no secret that New Orleans has more than its fair share of things that go bump in the night, but lately something is happening to the witches that call the Big Easy home. They are losing their magic, and some are taking desperate, and dangerous measures to protect what they see as rightfully theirs. Alice Marin is trying to uncover the truth behind the disappearances of so many magical beings., she believes her family may have a hand in what’s happening. After all, they once had Alice locked away in an asylum.Solving the mystery may be too much for Alice, both mentally and physically as she tries to get beyond her family’s grasp. Those who enjoyed Horn’s Witching Savannah series will love romp through one of the most haunted cities in the world