I received a reviewer copy of A Curse of Ash & Ember and from the publisher Harper Collins Publishers AU Voyager AU from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Loss of Parent, Absentee Parents, Cruel Parents.

What It’s About: Dee is stuck under her cruel step father’s house, she has been maintaining the house while her younger siblings go to school. Then suddenly a letter from an unknown person comes and says she has been offered a position at Blackbone cottage, far away from her home. As she journeys to this far known place a bunch of weird things happen, upon arriving she finds she is working for a witch named Aleida who has just killed the former witch of Blackbone Cottage.

What I Loved: Okay, I don’t want to spoil so there’s a bit limited I could do. But I loved the character of Aleida. She is a delight and I find her charming and sarcastic and weird. The book has some sweet supporting characters who I enjoyed as well. I also found the descriptions to be really clear and I could visualize. I also liked the magic and how it was slightly different than other systems I read

What I Didn't Like So Much: Honestly, this book is YA fantasy and it feels that way. I read this after the Fifth Season and so I think that perhaps biased it because the writing was just so different and it felt a bit juevenile for me. Again, I can’t tell how big a deal this will be. Also I found the main character Dee to be unlikable and just so naïve and clueless which honestly is her character but I’m not sure I’m really supposed to dislike her this much, she’s written as this kind unjudgemental girl but she is very harsh in her judgement towards her mistress, that it seems weird to me.

Who Should Read This: People who love a book that feels like it could fit into the fairy tale book. People who love adventures.

Quick Summary: A young girl finds her apprenticeship is unexpectedly strange and magical.

A Curse of Ash and Embers -- unfortunately a victim of the "a Blank of Blank and Blank," title naming. Hopefully someday soon we can cast off this naming trend for something else? Literally anything else. I know it's marketing - it's just...old. It feels dated.

Anyways. The book by Jo Spurrier follows Elodie, who ends up working for a witch in Black Oak Cottage named Aleida. Aleida, as it turns out, is recovering from a falling out/battle with her former mentor, the previous (evil) witch who resided at Black Oak Cottage. It's a bit slow for a story for me personally, but for those who are interested in the cottage in the woods witches tale, I hear there is a sequel upcoming.

Stunning is the word for this book i loved every minute of reading it. so thrilling. The book has me wanting to read the next book ASAP i cant wait till it releases to see what will happen next.

I loved the tempo of this book. It wasn't fast paced but it wasn't slow enough to be boring. It was one of those books that slowly draws you in and never lets go because you are so invested in the characters, the magic and the mystery. There were some unexpected twists that made this book even more interesting because they took me by surprise. I can't wait for the sequel to see what happens next.

Magic? Witches? Curses? Say no more! Feels like a short story with so much happening in a small setting.

"When she was hired at Black Oak Cottage, Elodie had no idea she'd find herself working for a witch; and her acid-tongued new mistress, Aleida, was not expecting a housemaid to turn up on her doorstep."

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!

i really enjoyed how easy this was to pick u and read! i will say i missed a lot of the side characters and felt that some of them should have had more appearances, but other than that, the worldbuilding was well done, and I did like the two main characters! the plot was well-paced s well!

Really enjoyable read. The pace of the book was a little slow for my taste, but still enjoyed it. Will definitely read the next one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher the ARC

A novel of witches and old magic with compelling female protagonists and an intriguing world. Elodie leaves her home to work after a mysterious summons draws her away from her beloved mother and abusive stepfather. When she arrives she finds a crumbling old cottage in disrepair, and a grievously injured witch who is recovering from a great battle with her former mentor - the evil witch who once inhabited the cottage.

The novel really focuses on Elodie and Aleida. Their relationship as it develops throughout the novel is satisfying and compelling, as they learn to trust one another. Over the course of the novel Elodie comes to reckon with her own innate magical abilities, and the choice she must make whether to learn witchcraft or embark on a new life altogether.

Elodie is a loyal character, she is steadfast and brave and she refuses to leave Aleida's side even when given the opportunity. Although she makes some mistakes that seem stupidly obvious to the reader, it is easy to understand how these things happen.

Aleida is more mysterious, a complicated witch who is trying to make amends for her wicked actions of the past. She can be a difficult character to empathize with, or to fully understand. But since we are viewing her through Elodie's eyes, this makes perfect sense.

I particularly liked how this novel approached the stigmas around witchcraft, while acknowledging that it is a power that can be used for both good and bad. Witches are not inherently evil, but the fear of their power very real and fallible humans can easily be corrupted by power.

A fascinating start to a new series full of magical creatures, mysterious forests, ancient magics, and complex characters. I look forward to seeing more in this world from Jo Spurrier.

The Gyssha Blackbone made monsters, but she’s dead now, and somehow Elodie receives a summons for a job at her old residence where she’ll have to clean up the mess Gyssha left behind. When Elodie arrives, the place looks deserted and her new mistress, Aleida warns her she’s better off going back home. Elodie can’t go home, though. There’s nothing for her there, and so she decides to stay and serve Aleida for as long as she can. What she discovers is a mysterious world of monsters and witchcraft, and she’ll have to decide if she wants to become part of this world herself and fight not only the monsters, but malicious spirits from beyond the grave.

This book moved super quickly for me. Elodies journey to Black Oak Cottage was a tad drawn out, but once she got there, the plot was off and running. You say witches, and I am there. I loved the worldbuilding and how Aleida was Gyssha’s “daughter” because she was her student in witchcraft.

I loved how Elodie was our guide into this world and how much she grew from leaving her family behind to fighting monsters and growing closer to her mistress, perhaps teacher. I won’t say it ended abruptly, but I will say if there wasn’t a teaser for book two, I might have been a bit more upset. The adventure will continue, and I’m looking forward to it.

I’m still working on the great backlist from 2020, so this one’s out now if you want to start the series, and the second one will be out in July, so stay tuned.

Not sure what ash and ember have to do with this story and can only assume it was a marketing thing from when a lot of the YA I saw was was called "A [blank] of [blank] and [blank], but I really enjoyed this slow-paced story. And when I say slow, I mean really slow. So slow I didn't think I would like it.

And the story doesn't really get any faster. More so Elodie and I found footing in the world and it seemed to speed up, at least a little bit. Specifically when the bits of magic and enchantment started peppering the story more. I loved the magic system and particularly love the way the story doesn't spend time explaining how magic works. Aleida is tired, so she can't work powerful magic. There are these particular strange seemingly-nonsense items that Elodie needs to gather for Aleida so she can make a potion, so she does. Constructs that walk, defend, terrorize, and fight made of beads and bones and wire and earth that forms monstrous shapes over them. I loved the ideas.

Things I didn't like: There didn't seem to be much of a theme and the climax was weak. I also found some of the action disorienting (maybe intentionally).

Elodie was a bit flat for me as a character, but I liked her well enough. I didn't like all of the crying and feeling sorry for herself, but she had a certain pluckiness about her and had a character arc that was more active towards the end.

Aleida on the other hand was wonderful. I thought she had more development due to her past (and whether or not past actions define who she is now), and I loved her voice.

A really good book though it was slow paced in my opinion. Still very interesting and well executed though!! Overall, solid 3 star read. Though I did get bored during reading it during some points.

A Curse of Ash and Embers has great characters, a sisterly friendship bonding in a master-student relationship. The writing itself was well executed, but it could have been better paced. There were many times where I found myself skimming over lengthy details. Hopefully the second book will be more action-packed.

Witches, friendship, and magic are strong themes throughout this YA Fantasy. While I liked this, I didn't love it. It may be that the storyline and characters are limited and the pacing was slow. I definitely got witchy feminist vibes and am interested to see how these characters grow in the next installment.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "A Curse of Ash and Embers"
by Jo Spurrier. I am truly torn on how to feel about this book. Overall, the story is interesting, the characters are likeable. Witchcraft is a theme in the story which I tend to like to read about. The story just feels like it is missing something. There are loose ends that are never quite tied up. The setting doesn't really change and for most of the book, there really isn't a whole lot going on.. I am a little curious about reading the next one. There are questions I have that I would like to see answers for..

A solid fantasy for anyone who loves the YA genre, and especially books including witches. Aleida and Elodie are interesting main characters to follow and I never found myself bored with the book. Would recommend This book for fans of Even The Darkest Stars, Serpent and Dove, and Bring Me Their Hearts.

3 1/2 stars...

This book was not quite what I expected and that may be my own fault. I went in with a preconceived notion of what I expected the storyline to be and it was a little different. However, I did expect it to grab me quicker than it did. I was through a good portion of the book before I felt any connection to the main character or true investment in the story, That said, I did have a tremendous amount of sympathy for Elodie. Talk about a rough background and horrible luck in life...she could check all those boxes. She was relatable in many ways as a young woman trying to find her way. I loved that instead of being a frail and passive character, she was one who slowly grew into her strength.

A Curse of Ash and Embers did have strong world building. The author painted a wonderful picture of a world where witches and warlocks exist and are feared. She also demonstrated creativity in describing their abilities and the events that were in play around them. I loved that she threw in a few twists that I didn't anticipate.

Overall, even though it was a slow start for me, this was an enjoyable book. Patience is recommended in order to let the world unfurl and the storyline present itself fully.

Thank you to NeGalley for this reader's copy. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

While it was interesting, and I did enjoy the plot, I feel like this book was only half a book. If it had turned out to be a novella, I would've been less surprised than to see it somehow as the first book in a series.
There was a lot of wordbuilding in a short amount of time, but more questions than seemingly answers, and I don't think they'll be addressed in the second book, so I don't really have any interest in picking it up.

I really enjoyed this read! It was very magical and entertaining and I found myself completely swept away in the world. Full immersion!

Thank you to Netgalley, Jo, and Voyager for a copy of A Curse of Ash and Embers.

Elodie is hired by the mysterious Black Oak Cottage. She does not know by whom or for what task, but her mother and stepfather, once determined to keep her home, now send her away without a second thought. Elodie arrives at Black Oak Cottage to find the place destroyed and her new mistress (who is a witch) near death and very confused as to why Elodie is there. Elodie comes to learn that her new mistress, Aleida, is injured because she killed her mistress, Gyssha, which is a big no in the witch world. Before Gyssha went, she made sure to cast a death spell on Aleida, and that's where our journey really begins.

I really love books where the catalyst is a character or event that we don't really come in contact with. We do see glimpses of Gyssha, but really, much like the novel Rebecca, she is the unseen reason that we have this story.

This is a fantasy story, but it also felt like part mystery and also part dystopian and magical realism. I really enjoyed Elodie and Aleida's characters and the growth through this first book.

This was a great introduction to a new world. There wasn't so much world-building that no real story came about, but there was a good balance of both that makes me want to continue on with the next book and learn more about this world and the characters we've met.