DNF'd around 20%. The protagonist sounded so young, and I'm not entirely sure she was supposed to be. I didn't feel any magical vibes, the story was too slow, and it was just an overall boring book. Would not recommend.

I loved A Curse of Ash and Embers.
There was a lot of action-packed into just a few days, which isn’t my preferred style. I like languishing in the day to day lives of the characters; I like hearing about the humdrum of a typical day. Nonstop action is not my go-to, but the author hit just the right balance. There were enough twists to keep me guessing!
Elodie was a perfectly good narrator for learning about this new world as she’s learning with us. She has some personality, but I feel like it could still use some development. There wasn’t too much “what do you mean I can be a witch; I’m just a farm girl,” which gets on my nerves very quickly. Elodie jumped into her new life and was (almost) ready for whatever came next.
As much as I liked Elodie, Aleida was my favorite character by far. I would read a whole series just about her life. Heck, I would read this same exact book from her perspective. She felt like more of a complex character, while Elodie was more of a blank slate (especially in the moral sense, which from the reviews I’ve seen seems to be a plot point in the second book.)
I’d absolutely recommend A Curse of Ash and Embers, and I already purchased the next book.

This isn't much of a review. I personally couldn't get into it, and thus had to drop it. I was interested in the summary, but once I started reading I found myself not really enjoying myself.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Warning: This review is going to be somewhat of a rant.

Also, there is a small trigger warning for suicide for this book. The suicide doesn’t play a large role in the story, but it is in there.

You know when you read a book and either it was because of the synopsis or cover, but you feel like you were click baited? Yeah, that’s what happened with this book. The cover of this book is gorgeous and the synopsis caught my attention, but in reality, this book felt like a waste of time for me. There was nothing even slightly interesting until the last 20% of the book, but by the time that I got to that part, I was so annoyed with the book as a whole that it didn’t make the story better for me.

The pacing is the number one issue I had for this book. It was so slow and uninteresting that I had troubles feeling motivated to read this book. This is part of the reason why it took me over four months to finish this book. A lot of the book was filled with useless tasks and chores that Elodie was doing for the witch. The epic adventures and fights that I expect in a fantasy book were missing until the very end of the book. The plot was also a thrown together mess and I think that’s part of why the interesting parts were shoved to the end of the book. I feel like in most books there is a major conflict with mini conflicts leading up to the major conflict. However, this book felt like there was just small and mostly unimportant scenes shoved into the book until the major conflict was finally addressed. And the “major conflict?” It switched toward the end of the book to be a different conflict and what I thought was going to be the major conflict ended up being a really confusing scene.

The characters were also extremely lack luster and I had a hard time caring for them. I expected more out of the main characters, but instead I got a girl who for some reason decides to stay at a crappy home to help a witch and a “powerful” witch who needs help with the simple tasks of taking care of herself.

The plot twist was also extremely predictable. I normally can’t guess plots twists, but I guessed the major plot twist really early on in this book.

The disability comparisons also irked me. There was only three comparisons, but they felt wrong. Things like shivering or shaking don’t need to be compared to palsies. Maybe this is a common saying in some parts of the world and maybe palsies has some other definition than what the medical one is, but comparing any action to palsies just didn’t sit right with me.

The final issues I had with this book was the exclamations of oh lord and lady. I hope I never hear that exclamation again because with the amount of times that it was used in this book, I got completely sick of it.

I’m sure that the author is a great person and my review makes no commentary on the author, but as a whole, this book was one of the most disappointing reads I’ve had this year. You can honestly skip this one. It’s not worth reading.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: A Curse of Ash and Embers

Author: Jo Spurrier

Book Series: Tales of the Blackbone Witches Book 1

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: paranormal, fantasy, magic

Publication Date: November 3, 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 17+ (child abuse TW (emotional, verbal, physical), domestic violence, misogyny, dissociation, suicide TW, gore, death, violence, kidnapping TW)

Publisher: Voyager

Pages: 368

Synopsis: A dead witch. A bitter curse. A battle of magic.

Some people knit socks by the fire at night. Gyssha Blackbone made monsters.

But the old witch is dead now, and somehow it's Elodie's job to clean up the mess.

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.

Gyssha's final curse left Aleida practically dead on her feet, and now, with huge monsters roaming the woods, a demonic tree lurking in the orchard and an angry warlock demanding repayment of a debt, Aleida needs Elodie's help, whether she likes it or not.

And no matter what the old witch throws at her, to Elodie it's still better than going back home.

Review: Overall, I liked the book. The book was very atmospheric and perfect for the Halloween season! The book had witches and darkness and things that go bump in the night! The characters were likeable and well developed. The world building was amazingly well done. I liked this book!

The only issues I had with the book is that the pacing was a bit too slow in my opinion and the plot was a bit hit or miss in places. Sometimes I got fed up with the book and had to walk away from it. The book also talks about a lot of very tough subjects and it’s a really hard read, especially for someone like me who has somewhat thick skin.

Verdict: It was good!

This was entertaining and fast paced. I really enjoyed the world building and the characters.
I though it was a smart choice that there wasn’t much of a romance element.
It did get a little slow at times but by the ending I was hooked.

A Curse of Ash and Embers was an interesting fantasy novel with an intriguing premise, however, the story’s pace was a bit slow. Elodie escapes from an abusive home to go work at Black Oak Cottage. Elodie discovers her new employer, Aleida, is a witch but this does not discourage her from her work. Despite their initial indifference towards each other, Elodie and Aleida form a bond and work well together. Overall, the story was alright and full of magic and adventure.

I really enjoyed this book! The slow world building, and lush scenery really pulled me in. I had to know Elodie's story. Her determination and spirit throughout the whole book really made her relatable.

This was a very intriguing read! It was my first read from this author. I found the storyline to be fascinating! I love books with witches in them! This book was entertaining.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I struggled with this one, I loved the book summary so it was an immediate request for me but I found myself not quite as interested in the characters as I had hoped it also felt like at times it was a bit flat.

A ton of promise given the premise but as I kept reading I found I was less and less invested in each character and solely reading to just finish the book.

A Curse of Ash and Embers follows the main character Elodie as she leaves home to start a job as a ladies maid for a witch. It's a fast paced read featuring witches, dark magic, female friendships, ghostly possession, monsters and a bit of necromancy. I always love when young adult novels don't feature a love story. This is a great Halloween time read and I'll definitely be picking up the next installment.

I'm not sure what I was expecting going into this book but it really surprised me. I liked the main characters quite a bit and it had a really unique feel. I loved the magic, especially the dark magic and thought that was well done as well. That being said, the story needs a bit more work. It feels more like a draft than a finished story and some things just didn't really make sense. Overall though I did enjoy the story and look forward to the next book.

This is not your typical YA fantasy novel about witches. The main character is smart, but humble - resourceful, but not so much so that you roll your eyes, and she's very practical, which I'm still unsure about because I don't remember my teenage years as a time when I made the best decisions, but Elodie gets away with it.

This is a great read all around, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the second book!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had highs and lows for me. The beginning caught my interest followed by a few slow chapters which I assumed was for some world and character development. Towards 30% in it picked back up and I got re-invested in the story, only for it to fall off again around the 80% mark. There just wasn't enough of the magic system and getting to know the witch for me, and when the big plot twists were revealed it felt forced as it didn't seem to flow with where the book had been going. That said, not all books are for everyone and this one just wasn't for me. I would recommend this more for younger readers(12-17) and maybe they would relate better with our heroine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’d been seeing this book around, and WITCHES so of course I had to request it on NetGalley, because, why not? I think that this book was good, and I am struggling to put my thoughts into words in regards to how I felt about the book. I definitely liked parts of it, and then there were parts I wasn’t as wild about. When it worked, it really worked, but then it fell flat at other times. I really struggled with how to rate this book because I am still unsure of what the rating should be. So I did a good middle rating of a three. I feel it encapsulates much of my feelings on the matter.

First off, Elodie. I liked her from the beginning. I think that she was crafted to be a nuanced character, but at times that fell short. It felt as if she was supposed to be the underdog you were cheering for, and she was, but at times I struggled to care about some of the things that happened after she left home. I did care to a point, but what happened I think is that parts of the book dragged out too much, or didn’t flesh her out enough that I was left in this weird state of…caring but not caring.

Aleida was a good character, and I found her balance to Elodie wonderful. I think that had it just been about one of them individually I would not have enjoyed the story at all. I like that she was somewhat a foil to Elodie. But unfortunately, much of what I liked about this book wasn’t expounded upon. There were also characters thrown in that you kind of wondered why? And when it was revealed it was a bit of an “oh!” moment. So I liked how that was interwoven with the book.

My biggest gripe is definitely the combination of the pacing and the plot. Both felt very disjointed to me, and at times I was wondering when the end of the book was. This is not a good thing – you should not be wondering when the end of the book is coming up. It should not be a race to finish it. And yet, at points during this book, I felt it was far too long and drawn out. There were certainly parts I really liked.

I enjoyed parts of the magic system…but overall I just didn’t feel like the book flowed to me, or worked for me. There was nothing bad about the writing, in fact it was easy to read, but I wasn’t invested in the story the way I would like to be.

As I like to say, I didn’t click with it as much as I wanted to.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

When Elodie was hired to work at Black Oak Cottage she didn't know she would have to work for a witch, Aleida, who was not expecting her in her own home.
But Aleida's life is complicated and threatened and she will need Elodie's help, who finds herself involved in villains, heroes, witches and unforgiving place.

I really liked reading A curse of ash and embers, the story is really intriguing and the characterization is brilliant. I loved Elodie and Aleida and the plot, so captivating and intense and I totally recommend it to those who want a very good fantasy in their hands!

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers

-To give away further plot would be to lessen the pleasure for readers


This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Curse of Ash and Embers is the first fantasy novel in The Blackbone Witches series by Jo Spurrier.
We follow a young woman Elodie who is hired on as a servant at Black Oak Cottage.
All is not what it seems and her new position, working for Aleida. Things take on a whole new prospective, Will Elodie risk her life to aid the witch Aleida? Will join forces and confront the monsters that roam the nearby woods, and vanquishing a demon tree from her orchard, and provides assistance in spell-casting?
Read more to find out, in this creative and engaging witchy read.

I can’t wait to read the next installment in this delightful spellbinding series.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I definitely will be purchasing it for my friends and family

Though I did have mixed feelings on the book, especially the plotting and narrative structure, my overall impression was still definitely a favorable one. Howard has crafted an engaging fantasy universe full of things we love to see. So let's talk about what the book is about. Elodie is the eldest daughter of a farm loving family. Belittled and abused by her stepfather Elodie is all but happy when a mysterious letter arrives offering her honest work miles away in mountain village.

But when Elodie arrives and the mistress of the cottage is long dead and her killer opens the door an unusual partnership begins.

A curse of amber and ashes is a witch book. But more so a coming of age witch book, as Elodie finds her path and discovers more about herself than she thought she ever knew. It's a lovely read filled with doubt, magic, a sprinkle of love, some betrayal and overall a blooming friendship/apprenticeship between the older witch and Elodie. I liked the places this book was willing to go. A lot of emphasis was placed on the concept of choice, about how your actions determine what sort of a person you are, and how fear only makes you a coward if you won’t fight it.

Not perfect but damn near close.

A Curse of Ash and Embers is the first book in the Tales of the Blackbone Witches series by Jo Spurrier. An intriguing young adult paranormal fantasy that pulls you into the world of witches and magic. A Curse of Ash and Embers has great characters and an action-packed story of two witches trying to clean up the messes made by an evil dead witch who's not quite done yet. The kind of book you don't want to end, so you try and read it slowly to suck it all in.

This book was a solid 2.5 star read, up until the final 75%. From there, the story went from “just okay” to “pretty interesting.” You spend most of the book learning about the world, Elodie’s past, and the rumors surrounding Aleida and her previous mistress, Gyssha. I really wanted to like this book, and it had all of the elements to be incredibly interesting…but it missed the mark for me.

Full Review: November 30th, 2020