Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I could not connect with the plot or writing so I decided to put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley for a providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a decently plotted, written, and paced novel with an interesting magic system and well done world building that was naturally inserted into the story and sufficiently detailed (rather than generic long information dumps).

However, that is all unfortunately hampered by generic characters and forced dialogue. For me, I cannot take reading characters who are constantly, <I>endlessly</I> quipping and barbing at each other, especially as the defining feature in the introduction of characters and relationships. Its supposed to come off as cool, but almost always makes the writing feel forced, unnatural, and flat. The only time this style of speaking works is in movies or TV shows where the lines are being delivered by actors with palpable charisma.

While the characters hindered my personal enjoyment of the book, I think readers who loved the characters in books such as <I>The Lies of Locke Lamora</I> and <I>Six of Crows</I> will be quite pleased with this fantasy debut.

For fantasy I usually read mainly YA fantasy, but this was a great adult fantasy. I loved how there were different storylines that converged together. I liked how many different characters there were and how they were all unique and added something to the story, not just filler. Books with rebellions are my weakness and this one was no different.

Legacy of Ash is an ambitious debut fantasy novel from Matthew Ward, and it is certainly epic in scale. Without a doubt this book will appeal to those who love to linger in their books, letting the story marinate for its nearly 800 pages.

The synopsis singles out 3 main characters – Viktor Akadra, Josiri Trelan, and Calenne Trelan – but there is easily another dozen who share a lot of the spotlight in this story. While there were some clear standouts, unfortunately I struggled at times to track with a number of the others. I think part of the problem was that some of the names were too similar (such as Akadra / Ashana / Apara / Sidara). Another issue was that the way names were given was inconsistent. For example, Revekah Halvor was rarely mentioned with both Revehah and Halvor together, and would flip between Revekah in one scene and Halvor in another, making it a challenge at times to keep all names straight. Fortunately, the book came with a Dramatis Personae which listed all main characters, but I found myself needing to refer back to the list too many times for my liking. This made it hard to get into the book for the first 200 pages or so, but I am so glad I stuck with it.

I believe this book shines brightest with its intricate plot. Aside from some of the issues I had with character recognition, the story that unfolds is well worth the investment. Its always difficult in a review to explain what makes a plot so well-crafted without spoilers, and this is no exception. Suffice it to say that there are layers of deception and betrayal, often culminating after a few decades of scheming and political posturing. Make no mistake, these is a war going on, and it is much more than a few families feuding with each other.

Another strength of this book is the tension between good and evil, not to mention those who find themselves in the middle. There are a few truly despicable people, others who are faced with moral struggles, and a constant shifting of alliances, changing misconceptions, and all with dire consequences. Additionally, one of the other more compelling aspects of the book is that more than one significant character is killed, giving a heightened sense of suspense and intensity.

Despite a few minor squabbles, this is a solid introduction to new fantasy series that is likely to leave fans eager to pick up book 2. I recommend this debut novel and give it a 4.3 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained.

This is a debut novel that I very much enjoyed and I can't wait for the next book. It is so very well written.

I do highly recommend

Let me tell you, forcing yourself to listen to a book you don't care about just because you received an arc and need to review it is not a fun experience!

Being late with my review, I decided to pick up the audiobook. However, the audiobook was almost 30 hours long and on goodreads, it's said to have 800 pages - which felt more like 2000 pages. I wish this book was a lot shorter and tighter because I got lost toward the very beginning. First, because everything is a bit confusing and hard to grasp. You need to put a lot of effort into figuring out what's going on. Second, because the writing didn't hook me at all. Now, I'm rating it because I listened to 40% before calling quits and I'm congratulating myself for not giving up sooner. Now, maybe it would have been smarter to stop at 20% when I saw this probably wasn't doing it for me but I was stubborn.

I don't think the audiobook was the good choice here. I wish we had multiple narrators because having only one female narrator doing all point of views of a complicated Fantasy story was not great, to say the least. I don't have anything against her but I wish the publishers would have hired at least two people to record it.

I don't think I could properly describe this book to you. My brain is tired. I'm sorry, I wish I had a different experience and who knows, maybe I'm in the minority and you'll love it but I couldn't finish it.

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.

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.

Interesting world. The large cast of characters are well fleshed out, especially given how many there are. The magic is a dark magic and I don’t think even the more benign gods really have the interests of the humans at heart.
If you like epic doorstop fantasy novels this debut is one to try.

I am always on the look-out for new books, or books that are hailed as the next Game of Thrones. I am also willing to admit that an author can write but the book is not for me.

This unfortunately is one of those book where the author can write but the story is not for me.

For a first release, the story starts out rather intriguingly with a woman defending her children and being slayed right in front of them. Then they grow up under the supervision of another kingdom, with that kingdom fearing that they will rebel. However, at the time, the kingdom is forcing them to marry into another alliance to keep them under control.

While I felt the story was certainly going places, it seemed that the chapters I was getting after that interesting beginning/prologue did not seem to lead into a story that had me wanting to know what was going on with the characters. As others wrote, the chapters were confusing and the first half of the book just seemed to be plodding along.

However, when the second half kicked up I devoured it quite quickly... yet still, I just didn't feel that hook.

Others have and are willing to continue on with the series. I think I'll sit this one out. I'm fine.

A barnstorming finish unfortunately cant make up for a lacklustre beginning.

I find it hard to give an accurate review for this book as it is almost a book of two halves. The first half of the book is incredibly hard to follow and incredibly slow with an entire cast of characters thrown at the reader with very little backstory or explanation. The second half however is more action packed and builds to a fantastic climax which leaves you wanting more.

The political intrigue was well managed throughout however it feels like the author tried to add too many different plot points into the one book and as such, none of them are resolved in a very interesting or fitting manner

There's a lot of good political intrigue in this book. The writing style is straight-forward while also evoking good imagery. There's great world-building, and a large cast of characters. The characters are very human in the sense that there's no black & white 'this person is evil and this person is good.' Everyone is flawed and makes bad choices or does bad things for relatively good reasons that aren't worth the sacrifice.

The scale of the battles is massive and amazing in how the author has handled writing them on such a big scale. The magic system is slowly explained as the story progresses, which is nice, rather than just thrown at you in a big info-dump (big turn-off for me). The pacing was pretty good, though I wasn't really rooting for the characters in the first third of the book but they did grow on me after that.

There's lots of magic, the chaos and affects of war are well depicted, as well as how heavy burdens of power can be on people, regardless of their morality.

The book is pretty massive at almost 800 pages, and sometimes it felt a bit complicated. The blurb makes it sound pretty straight-forward, but it isn't. There's a lot going on. There's a depth to the plot that I hadn't expected, and themes explored throughout the book that I enjoyed seeing explored.

There are some unresolved mysteries that I'm dying to learn about. Hopefully in the next book? It's supposed to be a series so I doubt all of them will be solved in the next one, though.

Legacy of Ash is the first novel in an exciting new series by Matthew Ward. It is an epic fantasy filled with a well developed plot and a large collection of vibrant and interesting characters. This novel is large, coming in at 768 pages for the paperback, and looks a little bit intimidating sitting on the fantasy shelves in the store, so I want to start this review by saying do not let the size of this book deter you! It is completely enchanting and Ward has created such an exciting world it is easy to lose yourself in the action.

This novel follows the standard epic fantasy recipe and has all the familiar ingredients: kings and queens, magic, ethereal beings, and a battle between good and evil, but Ward has presented the traditional with a fresh set of eyes. The magic system introduced in this story is something very special. It has a major presence throughout the whole novel which I found particularly compelling and features goddesses, giant war golem,s and even assassins who disguised themselves as a mass of blackbirds.

Legacy of Ash opens and introduces the reader to groups of characters chapter by chapter. There is almost no world building in these chapters, instead, the reader is thrown directly into the action. Ward does an incredible job at giving the reader just enough information to piece together the plot and become part of the adventure. The Tressian Republic is a complicated place and we discover just how much unrest there is in this world. There is not a singular plot in this story, but as the book progresses each character adds to the overall plot and the small subplots throughout the book, spinning a complex web of intrigue. Soon we learn that old alliances need to be mended and new alliances created in an attempt to protect their freedom and save their world. Our introductions focus on the warring families of Tressia and the heroes that will be the main focus of this epic tale.

Following suit of other books released of late, Legacy of Ash is told from multiple points of view. This is a technique that tends to be hit or miss with readers. In this case, it allows Ward to provide perspective about individual characters allowing the reader to glean the best insight about each character. The further into the book you read, you see how different characters are interconnected through their pasts and the changing perspective really helps the connection breadcrumbs come to the surface.

The first half of the novel is very character driven. There is a detailed Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book and Ward dedicates the time to ensure each character is given the literary justice they deserve. The only negative I found in this book was that the large cast of characters being introduced so quickly made it somewhat difficult to keep track of who is who. In saying that, each character is important to the story and as the plot progresses we discover that even the minor characters are Wards’ puzzle pieces and have important roles to play later on.

The second half of the novel the plot takes a pivotal turn and the story is turned up to eleven and the reader is gifted with some truly awesome action scenes. The story plays out all the earlier puzzle pieces that Ward set up at the beginning of the book and the story unravels at breakneck speed that provides a viewpoint of all sides of the battle. This holistic representation of each side of war is refreshing as it is common in fantasy novels to present its narrative in a simplistic good versus evil structure and only giving the perspective of one side, normally the good. It was enjoyable to learn the motivations of both sides in this war.

Legacy of Ash is an incredibly enjoyable epic fantasy that takes a refreshing approach to the genre. I am reluctant to compare Legacy of Ash to the A Song of Ice and Fire series for fear of it falling into a cliched pocket, but it is similar in its large main and minor cast and the magic throughout the entire plot. It is important not to be deterred by the size of this primordial tome. It is an immensely enjoyable read that has twists that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

While I really enjoyed the story, it was hard to be completely engrossed in the characters worlds. Some things that made it difficult were the phrasing and structure of sentences. While the words are lovely and precisely placed, often times it took too much to decipher what was being said. Another reason was there were too many different places and people we needed to learn all at once. A bit too much world building and character jumping in the beginning made it hard to invest.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This could have been so much more than it was. It felt super rushed. They could have easily turned this into a series and made it longer! I felt everything was just packed into this one book and basically ruined the story for me.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

DNF @ 52%

Legacy of Ash is an epic fantasy telling the story of multiple characters in a vast world. Such a vague description that can describe just about any fantasy novel on the market, right? If you were to ask me what Legacy of Ash is about, that’s the only description I would be able to give you. Though I didn’t finish the novel, you would think after reading half the novel I’d be able to give a better description, but no.

I had a hard time getting into the novel. There are a lot of characters thrown at readers at the beginning with little time to get acquainted with them. I’m no stranger to big, epic fantasy novels, so it was surprising when it took me about 150 pages to get a handle on the key players and the world they live in. The characters and world building are quickly dropped on the reader as if they were on fire making it difficult to follow.

Even though I DNF’d at 52%, I’m still rating the novel three stars. Had I actually finished it, I probably would have still rated it three stars because its inability to keep me interested after I put the book down.

Overall, there’s an interesting story buried under all the characters and world building but there’s too much to wade through to get to the heart of the story.

As I say in most of my reviews, I don’t know where to start with this one. I wish I had a better way to start this one, but I don’t. This book had so much potential and I feel like it was wasted. I really had no opinions going into this book so no expectations, but somehow it still disappointed me.

My main problem with this book is that it’s a watered down 4 book series stuffed into 700 pages. What does this mean? I didn’t care about the characters because none of the relationship between reader and character was cultivated. Also, there wasn’t enough word building. I shouldn’t come out of a 700 page book with questions about the lore, the religion, or the magic system. And yet I did. It also means that there are multiple times when I was reading where I thought that the book should have ended. There are at least two solid climax moments in the storytelling and then we’d have a short moment to go over what just happened. Followed by rising action again. If the author had taken the time to world build, give the action room to breathe, and cultivate the readers’ relationship with the characters, this book would have easily been 1,500/2,000 pages. When I say this was a watered down series packed into 700 pages, I mean it.

I agree with reviewers who say that this book isn’t meant for people who are new to the Fantasy genre. I struggled to slog through this book and I read a minimum of 30 Fantasy books a year. And I think that digs into the heart of my issue with this book. I shouldn’t feel like I’m “slogging” through a book that doesn’t give me enough of a reward for my effort. I slogged through A Game of Thrones with a decent return for my time. I slogged through Nevernight with a GREAT return on my investment. But I slogged through this book and got way less than what I put in. Which sucks because this could have been the next Game of Thrones.

Hear me out before you ignore what I have to say. This book had so much potential. There are some major political machinations at work in this book that the author does a good job of keeping the reader just on the outside of. It’s enough to intrigue, but not enough to confuse. The world isn’t so vast that it’s hard to wrap your mind around, but there’s enough magic to make it all interesting. It wrecks me that this book could have been so much more than it was.

Wonderful entry into an epic fantasy world lots of magic, and politics. The characters are well developed and there is a ton of lore that helps the world feel more real. I can't wait to see what is in store for us in the next book!

If we're talking about epic, this book is certainly epic! Not just the length but the scope of characters and the world. Ward deftly handles multiples POVs, making sure that none get lost. Truly enjoyed this, took me back to the fantasy books I used to read as a kid!

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just too long and too slow for me. I DNF'd at 44% and it felt like the story had barely begun. It didn't feel like I was almost half way through the book.

The story was told through too many POVs for me. There wasn't just 2-3 characters narrating but a ton. And even non-characters had parts where the story was told from their POV. I just couldn't connect to the many many characters because of the constant shifts in perspective.

I really wanted to like this book and the writing was good. The story had a good premise. And the world-building was off to a good start. I did like a couple of the characters and I would have liked to follow their story further but it is becoming a chore to get myself to continue. If this book had been shorter and told from only a few POVs I think I would have fully enjoyed it. I'm sad to not finish.