Thank you for the opportunity to review this book! I absolutely loved it. I’m a big character person, so I loved all the different point of views we got. I also spent time ranting about the characters to my brother because I was so invested. That ending left me wanting more and I need the next book as soon as possible. Once again thank you for the opportunity!

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

The characters and politics were realistic, I felt drawn to the story within the first chapter. It kept my attention and held me fast.

I love the premise to this novel. This promises to be a huge epic. I enjoyed the action in the prologue and seeing what happens next. But a large amount of characters are introduced in quick succession, making it difficult to get into the novel. The timing might also have been wrong for me: at the time that I read this, I was still in love with sprawling epics, but getting burned out. I did enjoy this enough that I'll be giving it another read later.

DNF @ 10%

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Legacy of Ash // by Matthew Ward

Somehow this just keeps happening with Orbit titles but I am just so intimidated by reviewing books that blow me away with their amazingness. I was convinced to give this title a try by other reviewers and once again was not disappointed by them. I’m really learning who to trust with book recommendations lately. I initially saw the second book in this series in an email by the publisher but it didn’t really stand out to me. I was distracted by The Fires of Vengeance and Call of the Bone Ships. Boy, was I wrong. And am I glad I listened to those other people because I would have hated to miss out on this book. It instantly jumped to my favorites of the year, if not favorites of all time. Yes, that IS how much I enjoyed this. It is definitely one of the absolute best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to, right up there with To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, which we all know I’m totally obsessed with.

I generally like to review the book itself first and then the audiobook performance but when the narration is this excellent, I just have to address that first. Suzannah Hampton brought the characters to life in a way I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own. She has a great range of voices and accents that made it so easy to tell the characters apart right away in a way that I don’t often come across. I am deeply disappointed that so far there is no plan for the recording of the second book, Legacy of Steel, as I would have loved to continue on in the same manner. But I am lucky to have it available as a print ARC already thanks to winning a Twitter giveaway.

Legacy of Ash is my first experience with Matthew Ward’s writing and I am blown away. His world-building, which was a big focus of this first book in this series, is amazing. It lays out both the setting as well as the class system in great detail. As is often the case, there are the oppressors and the oppressed as well as several outside nations that are involved in the conflict. The story lines, which are told in separate point of views, are intricately linked but what is so enthralling is that the author makes you care about each side in those conflicts in a way that makes it difficult to choose who you want to see win. But this isn’t just about the discord between nations. There are also fascinating inter-family struggles that affect not only the members of those families but their world as a whole. And it is always satisfying to still have one character you can hate from start to finish as well.

It takes me a long time to choose what audiobooks to spend my Audible credits on and I don’t know why I decided on this one when I already had the print book coming in the mail. But I am so glad I did. I loved the hours I got to spend listening to Suzannah Hampton and I know for sure that I will listen to it again in the future. I really hope the second and third book will eventually get her narration as well so I can enjoy the whole series in the best way possible.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was flipping fantastic!! I am always on the look out for new favorite high fantasy books and I finally found one! The characters were so interesting to follow. I couldn’t pick a favorite if I had to. I like how brutal and vivid this world is. I want to sequel now!!

Legacy of Ash is the first book in I believe a planned trilogy. It was very quick for me to feel at home in this world. It's exactly the kind of book I love, a traditional high fantasy. The first half is quite a bit slow I admit but it's there to set up the second half. Introducing us to the characters and events and all the plot points you'll be following but on top of that, it's a self-contained story so you can kind of read it as a standalone with the promise of more to come.

This story takes place in a made up world. It follows multiple characters after the death of the chosen one. Theres a woman named Katya and she is the chosen one in this land. She is supposed to be the leader of this rebellion. She is bringing people peace finally at last and she dies. We're not totally sure how she dies. There's a mystery behind all of it although we as a reader know. In her stead she has left 2 children, which begins our story through them.

The characters go through some of the best character arcs and development I have read in a while. There is so much growth. Characters go from hating one another to willing to die for one another. Honest,y I would die for them MYSELF. A ton of unknowns I am hoping will be cleared up in the sequel since they weren't delved into as deeply here. Myths, legends and even the gods of this world are left alone just a tad. It's very surface level information and I can't wait to know more.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This is available now.

I’ve seen recommendations for Legacy of Ash everywhere and I am delighted to report that this book lives up to the hype. It’s a vast, complicated fantasy, the kind that sucks you in and keeps you interested. It has been compared to Game of Thrones (let’s be honest; hasn’t pretty much every new fantasy book been by now?) and I am not a huge fan of the comparison, simply because Legacy of Ash is way better.

The world is complex and fully realized. The history and politics, in particular, are realistically complicated. This falls under the epic fantasy umbrella, and I can’t think of a more apt description for the book than “epic.” There were plots and subplots, everything woven together into an amazing narrative.

There is a ton to this book, but author Matthew Ward avoids the “info dump” that I loathe so much, instead letting the knowledge come to the reader organically. It made the experience that much more enjoyable. I got a new “wow” moment every couple of pages.

While all of the characters were layered and fantastic, my favorite was Viktor. He was kind and caring, with quite the secret. I’m not going to say any more for fear of giving something away. Suffice it to say, he was a joy to read.

I love it when a fantasy book takes all rules and throws them out the window. The fantasy genre is really only constrained by the ability of the author to use their imagination, and this book was fantastically unique. The way magic worked in this world was brilliant! Actually, the entire book is brilliant. I really should just write “whoa” and leave it at that. So….whoa!

Read this one.

What an epic story!!!!!! What can I say about this story? The characters are amazing! Dynamic. Realistic. And relatable. The plot was absolutely amazing! My attention was held the entire time. Twists. Turns. Suspense. I love the entire story!!!! I was sad when done.

Started reading book but DNF'ed book because I did not find it interesting. As such I do not plan on posting a review.

This book was massive in many good ways. It covers a vast number of characters with unique stories and development as well as a huge and unique history full of gods and ancient evil. Although it took a while to get interesting, the book moves at a great pace and remains engaging.

What made this book stand out was the pivotal power some of the key characters held and how their flaws and strengths play a major part in what is going on in the main story. Viktor and Josiri pan out to be far more interesting than they seemed after the first few chapters. There's a lot of deep changes that constantly occur in the backstory and are subtle at times.

The only reason I gave this 4 out of 5 was because it was too long. It held a lot of awesome story and information, but the weight of the book's length made the story building grow flat. That being said, I look forward greatly to the next installment.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Orbit Books in exchange for my honest review.

I must say the cliff hanger at the end of this book made the rest of the book worth reading! There were a few times during the first half of this book that I wanted to put it down and not pick it back up. I am glad that I continued reading it as the second half was much better. I do want to read book #2 when it comes out to find out what happens next, I am just hoping that book #1 has provided all of the back story needed so we can jump right into the exciting bits.

DNF. It was pretty slow, and all the female characters blended together. The overall slow and steady pace with nothing interesting happening until further into the novel. I heard from my friend who I am buddy read this novel with.

Legacy of Ash follows multiple characters across a continent fighting in a war with the gods looming over them.

I was very apprehensive to start reading this book, partially because of its size. I was right to be apprehensive since I found this book to not be worth the 800 pages.

The characters were incredibly irritating for me to read. Their inner monologues mostly consisted of whining. Some of them through tantrums over stupid things. There were so many poorly done tropes imbedded in these characters, such as insta love amongst characters, a villain that seems to get away with everything until the absolute end, and a woman loving her male friend since female-male friendships can't ever exist. This book has an incredibly large cast of characters and none of them were properly fleshed out. Half of the characters weren't even necessary to the story.

The writing didn't bother me but I didn't think it helped the storytelling. I found it tiring to be in the middle of an intense scene only for the writer to sweep us off to a completely different character for something else completely unnecessary. It took me out of the story and ruined the building tension.

The plot was the most generic fantasy plot ever. It was a standard story of neighboring countries going to war and political machinations. That's it. That warranted 800 pages I guess.

The lack of world building in this book made me want to cry. This is a continent with 2-3 countries on it (I'm not sure since other countries are vaguely mentioned without any details given to them). There was a rebellion that happened 15 years ago. Why? I couldn't tell you. There's an empire starting a war to take over land. Why? I guess because they can. There's a magic system and gos that provide healing powers to characters. Do we ever find out the boundaries or properties of the magic? You wish. I had to search to see if I was reading a spin off series or something to explain why nothing was described. I didn't find anything to indicate that being the case. Honestly, I think the author just wanted a medieval magical setting without putting in the work to bring it to life for the reader.

Overall, this book was incredibly disappointing and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

1.5/5

This is a good one. There are three main characters, Viktor Akadra, Josiri Trelan and his sister, Calenne. Set in a world where Josiri and Calenne are political prisoners due to their mother’s failed rebellion when they were children. Viktor is the Republic’s champion, the one that was there when their mother died and is hiding a dark secret. There is a threat of war from the nearby Hadari Empire, and they plan to start the invasion in Trelan lands (aka the South). But the ruling class of the Tressian Empire wants to use the Trelan’s and their people as a buffer in the war, as they are still caught up with the uprising that occurred years ago. Viktor goes to help turn the tide in the war. While the war that is coming could be bad, there is something much darker and older lying in wait in the Southern lands that the three will have to try and combat. I don’t even know where to start with how much I enjoyed this book. So much intrigue, political maneuvering, shifting alliances, and fantastic characters. Plus the magic if fascinating too. While I pointed out the 3 main characters, there are a bevy of secondary characters that play huge roles. Even though they are secondary, they are well rounded and there are several that you can love to hate. I can’t recommend this one enough.

This fantasy was fabulous!! This epic fantasy should be turned into a movie stat!! I did not do anything but finish this title and man was it worth it!! I loved the characters and the plot and it was just a perfect blend of story and characters! I need more!!

Thank you Orbit for providing me with a free eARC of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Wow. I sat after finishing this and just couldn't believe how it all unfolded and that it had to end.

I'm not going to lie and say that this is an easy fantasy book to jump right into. It took work to understand the setting, the characters (who are commonly known by different names for different groups of people), the religions, the politics, and the battle sequences. However, this book was very well worth the effort the first hundred or so pages asks for to get a solid footing in the world. It doesn't hold your hand, but definitely doesn't leave you in the dust either. Definitely well balanced in the end. That being said, if you're not used to adult epic fantasy, I might suggest waiting before diving head first into this one if you don't want a steep learning curve - but if you feel confident please go for it!

This book really had everything I like in my epic fantasy reads - politics, religious intrigue, believable relationships between characters, expansive worlds, and intense and well thought up set ups. Matthew Ward really knew what he was doing with this one. There were several times that I was just stunned - the set up for specific events was clear, but I still was surprised and excited about them. There were a lot of those reveals too, and they just kept coming and there was a lot going on in the overall book. Not to say this was always action paced - parts of this book left plenty of time to breathe without bogging down the story as a whole.

However, everything in this book was important to the overall story. Even the quieter moments. It demands that you pay attention to everything happening, or else you might lose something that will be important later on. It took me a LONG time to read this book. But that never felt like a bad thing for me. I loved being able to sit in this world - dark or not.

I also loved our cast of characters. They were believable and felt alive on the page. Their beliefs, their relationships, and their actions all felt genuine to who they were in that moment. It was FANTASTIC character work and it was a joy to read. Also I want to protect Victor with my whole heart.

Overall, this looks like it might be the start to a new favorite series for me. And maybe a new favorite fantasy author. And after that ending??? I can't wait to pick up the next one!

I’ve rather mixed feelings regarding this book. At first, the story dragged on forever, while continuously introducing new people, places, and things, which almost made me quit reading it altogether. I was simply not able to follow the stories progression as much as I wanted to. Quite the opposite happened in the second part, which coincidentally occurred roughly halfway through. Suddenly, all the world-building was replaced by an action-packed fantasy story about war, politics, and the struggle of the main character to find a purpose in life. It ticked all the boxes that I expect of the genre; I just wish it could have been spread out more evenly across the book.

3.4 stars. Well, it certainly ended with a bang. For a book that I did not, on the whole, love, it really made me want to read the next installment. Well-done on that front.

The second half was a lot better than the first. At that point, I actually found the characters quite engaging and interesting (Anastacia was ALWAYS fascinating. The others…not so much). The author really describes epic battle scenes well.

But, if I wasn’t a person who hates to leave a book unfinished, I don’t know if I would have even gotten to the second half. There were so many moments in the first part where my reaction was, “And who is this again?” The constant switching of perspectives was really distracting and confusing. Some of the characters were interesting, worthy POV characters, while others were bland/irrelevant.

On the whole, the book is relatively clean (as far as sexual content and language). However, readers may well be concerned about the amount of violence, including euthanasia/suicide.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled to finish this. I pondered how much to include in a review here, going back and forth on what elements I disliked . . . but at heart, reading a book should never feel like a chore, and this did. I can't think of a better way to convey my opinion than that.