just not my thing
I fully respect what I can Abraham doing in crafting this story I think that's most apparent in his construction of the setting which is genuinely fantastic but as a character-driven reader, this just did not work for me.
I had a hard time connecting to ANY of the characters and found myself constantly zoning out and putting the book down. trying to read this book was a real struggle for me but I will not be giving up on trying more of Abraham's work!

This one will be fun to recommend to others. I like doing that and have had some success with making fans of the same works that I'm a fan of.

Alys lives in Longhill, the slums of Kithamar, where she holds many small jobs and works with a team of petty thieves to make ends meet. When her brother is murdered she takes on the task of finding out what happened to him with the help of her new friend Sammish.

This was a very enjoyable first book in a new series from Daniel Abraham with room to get even better. The main focus of this story seemed to be to introduce the characters and the city of Kithamar. I was hooked into this story through the amazing character development. Seeing the city from Alys' eyes as she deals with class, poverty, grief, family, and friendship. Through most of the story it was not clear where the main plot was going. The story took its time, but ended up in a very intriguing place that will allow for a more exciting second book in the series.

Age of Ash sets up a world and characters that are interesting and keep the pages turning despite the slower set pace of the plot. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans that love great character development and world building that don't mind waiting for the main action and plot to be revealed.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary
Kithamar is an ancient city, embodied in its ruler. But its plans have gone astray, and its current incarnation is powerless. Caught up in the machinations of would-be leaders are a young street thief and her cohort.
Review

I first came across Daniel Abraham via his A Shadow in Summer, remaindered in a cut-price bookstore. I took a chance on it and loved it. I thought the idea was genius, the writing incredible – smooth, intriguing, evocative. The rest of that series, the Long Price Quartet, was almost as good, and I felt that thrill of having discovered a talented new author.

When I bought the first book of his next series, The Dragon’s Path, though, I wasn’t as taken with it. It was fine, but I never got around to getting the next book. I tried again, with Leviathan Wakes, the first book of the now-popular Expanse series. I didn’t care for it, and liked the video series even less. Still, I’m relatively tenacious/loyal to authors I like, so I picked up Age of Ash with enthusiasm. Sadly, it was another letdown. I’ve reached the point, at last, where I’ll likely look at Abraham’s next offering with more skepticism than joy.

There’s nothing technically wrong with Age of Ash. The overall theme – an embodied city – is only a step away from the embodied poems of the Long Price Quartet, but it’s a step in a very familiar direction. The prose is sound, the plot carefully mapped, the character arcs graphed. But it’s the characters where the book goes wrong for me. They’re complete, but to my mind very clinical – almost devoid of true emotion. We hear about their emotions, and the effects of those emotions, but there are only a couple of cases when we see or feel anything ourselves. While the story is structured around Alys, her friend Sammish is the only character I ever much cared about, and she’s almost aggressively shown as a supporting actor.

Without that engagement and investment in the key characters, I never really cared much about what was happening. It was interesting in a mechanical way, but the book left me largely unmoved. There’s a slight pickup in the ending, which has some nice touches, but it wasn’t enough to carry the book, and I won’t be going on to the sequels.

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

3.5/5 Stars. I might have to wait until this whole series is finished to dig the concept.For those looking for high fantasy set in a controlled setting, you'll dig this. Thank you Net Galley for providing me with this ARC!

Age of Ash is perhaps better enjoyed as the story of an embattled friendship rather than an imperiled kingdom. Alys is the kind of character Abraham has written before, someone whose bad choices, and the consequences thereof, don’t become clear to them until it’s too late to course-correct. But even though we can see the pathos in the way she’s pursuing a path so morally compromised that even her beloved brother wouldn’t recognize her (as Sammish warns her), Alys doesn’t really win over our sympathy until late in the story, when her character arc ultimately forces her into some painful epiphanies. For the longest time, Sammish is the only character we care for, especially the maturity and courage she shows in understanding that she can’t save her friend from herself, and she’s probably going to have to let Alys go — or more accurately, let go of a dream of Alys that was never going to be their reality. This is no YA romance, and there’s no cheap, tear-jerking melodrama here, just honest compassion for the way the saddest life lessons are the ones that we can’t avoid, and that we need the most.

Generally speaking, I liked but did not love this one, but I am intrigued to see where the series goes from her. Many thanks for the review copy. Full review at the link.

Well written story with a ton of world building. Took a while to see the plot develop; almost half-way through. Interesting characters focusing the denizens of Kithamar - an ancient city and a central character in the novel. I did not connect to this novel.

ianthereader
Book • Review
Age of Ash
Daniel Abraham
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Age of Ash is the first book in a new trilogy by Daniel Abraham, most well-known as a coauthor of the Expanse series, but also as the solo author of numerous other fantasy series. This was my first Abraham book, and while I am impressed by his prose and sense of setting, I ultimately felt that this book left little impact.

Let’s talk the strengths of this book, first. The setting, Kithamar, is quite vivid and tangible, and that is a satisfying experience to read, even in the more grimy of backdrops. Abraham’s prose brings to life the surroundings, and immerses the reader in the location of each scene. I also found the magic system in this to be somewhat interesting, and would like to learn more about it in the future books.

The rest isn’t bad, as much as it is not very impactful. The characters, the plot, the conclusion. It just didn’t stand out, to me, very much at all. The story very much stuck to the formula, which made some aspects that were intended to be twists far too easy to predict. The characters were all pretty straightforward, though I will say the mother/daughter relationship in this book is a complicated and emotional one, that I very much appreciate. Unfortunately, I feel like I probably won’t remember much of the rest of this book a month from now, because it really just failed to leave a mark on me.

I have been assured that Abraham’s pay offs are well worth it, so I do plan on continuing in this series. But, I honestly feel very little about this book- positive or negative. Here is hoping the next Abraham book I pick up becomes a favorite!

Thank you to Orbit books for the gifted copy of this boo

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham is a dense, heady, slow-burn of an epic fantasy novel that really allows the setting and character development to shine above all else. The worldbuilding is second to none - I could easily believe that Abraham had found his way to this world and was just passing on information to the readers, rather than inventing it. Not one for those who need fast moving plots or heavy actions scenes, I'm excited to see this one slowly develop.

“She’d thought she was happy. She’d thought she was doing better. Now, every bright feeling she’d had-every triumph, every laugh, every good night-seemed like a cheap song bellowed out to cover the weeping. A small voice in her mind calmly said This is only a hard moment. Ever since it happened, there have been hard moments. This one will pass too. But she didn’t believe it.”

Age of Ash, the first book in the Kithamar trilogy by Daniel Abraham, weaves a very dark and solemn story. The main character of the book, Alys, is a young girl who is thrown deep into the pit of grief and despair after finding out her brother was murdered. She is a poor thief who lives in the slums of Longhill, a district of the city of Kithamar, and it in itself is the main antagonist of this book. The city is gritty, ruthless and unforgiving. With the help of her friend Sammish, another girl of the slums, Alys goes through a series of events that lead to her discovering hidden secrets, not only about her brother’s death but also about this ancient city and deep magics that are at play within it’s ruling class, while also realizing if her brother was who she thought him to be.

Grief was supposed to fade. Wounds-even wounds to the soul-were supposed to heal. She felt hers getting worse.

This is a tale that will make you feel for the characters. Even ones you may not like! You feel their grief and how their mind tries to accept it or not. It explores how something as terrible as the loss of a loved one can effect your actions and the person you may become. All of the characters in this book go through a struggle emotionally. They all battle something their own. Amazing character work all around.

The world-building of Kithamar is master-class. Like I wrote earlier, the actual environment feels like a villain. The dreary dark slums of Longhill are where the poor reside and you are placed feet-first in this district through the eyes of Alys. As the reader you start to understand the hard life these citizens go through just to earn their food for the day. If you live a life of privilege it may be hard to relate or it may be very eye-opening. The book is also split up into 3 different seasons, which adds so much to the atmosphere. While reading I actually could feel the cold during the winter it was an incredible touch.

“In the morning light, the roofs looked like a city of gold. It was an illusion. It was all stone and wood, brick and tile. It was only distance that made it beautiful.”

I’d like to say I did have a hard time getting into this book at first. This being my first Daniel Abraham book it took a bit to get used to his prose. Once I did thought I absolutely started to admire it and find it’s rhythm. I’ve also read that the author likes to build up his first books in series, so while this one may be a slow burn it will definitely payoff in future installments. This makes me very excited to continue the series.

“There is a lie at the heart of Kithamar,” Andomaka said. “There was a great injustice, and those who were meant to protect the order of the city have abandoned it. There are silent wars on these streets that the small and safe know nothing of.”

There is so much here I liked with the characters and world-building that I can’t wait to explore further. One last thing I will point out is yes this is a fantasy book but there is not a lot of things you may expect from one. The magic is very contained and in the background. The story is not about magic or knights or stuff like that. Maybe in the the next book it will open up more? I’m not sure. The story is very much about the real life of these ordinary characters and the city and just how they are living. So if you want more high fantasy elements this may not be the story for you.

4 Shields out of 5!

I’d like to thank the publisher Orbit Books and NetGalley for approving me for an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

“For one night, Kithamar is a city between worlds and between ages. It falls out of its own history, at once the end of something and the beginning of something else.”

Daniel Abraham’s new fantasy novel “Age of Ash” is difficult to put into a niche because the story doesn’t fit neatly into expectations for an epic fantasy trilogy. The prose is beautiful, the story heartbreaking, the characters intriguing, and the plot sets up a sweeping, political story, but don’t expect the typical fantasy heroes or settings.

The story is about two young women who live in the slums of Kithamar and their struggle to survive in a dangerous and brutal world. At its heart, the story is about love, grief, heartbreak, misunderstanding, family, and political intrigue. 

Alys and Sammish are friends. Alys is the bold, pretty, and aggressive one. Sammish is quiet, and one of those people who no one notices--invisible. Both characters are well developed, complex, and on their own journey. While Alys throws herself into action, Sammish slowly and methodically investigates. She learns of the malevolent underpinnings of Kithamar, and those secrets challenge her to make life changing decisions.

Most of the story takes place in the slums and is a slow burn as both women struggle with life, their loves, and their losses. Step by step, the story reveals political danger and intrigue festering in the city. Both women find themselves caught up in something bigger than themselves. 

This is a character driven story with dark magic and secrets at work in the city. Don’t expect non-stop action packed adventure and heroic characters who would sit at King Arthur’s round table. There is enough action, but this is a hauntingly beautiful story that sticks with you long after you’re finished it.

I want to thank Netgalley and Orbit for an ARC copy of "Age of Ash"

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was one of my anticipated releases for 2022. Unfortunently, this particular novel did not work for me and I had to DNF the book at 24%.

The premise of this novel follows a young girl Alys trying to unearth the secrets surrounding her brother's death. She begins to unravel the clues only to find more dangers beneath each layer.

I dislike writing reviews that are negative and do my best to try and find something positive but unfortunently nothing worked for me as a reader of this novel. The story itself did not interest me and moved at an extremely slow pace. Many reviewers like Abraham'a prose. I did not. I felt like the prose was trying to be lyrical and it did not execute or add to the atmosphere for me in any way.

I couldnt bring myself to care about any character within the story and was not moved at scenes that should have pulled me in more.

I frequently found myself not wanting to read whatsoever when attempting to finish this book which almost forced me into a slump. I discussed with several other readers who were more familiar with Abraham's works that he is a slower burn of a writer and I gave it my all to attempt to continue.

I could not bring myself to push past 24%. I just didnt connect to anything. This work just wasnt for me.

I received an ARC of Age of Ash from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review.

As co-author of The Expanse, Daniel Abraham’s star has risen considerably over the past decade; now, hot on the heels of Leviathan Falls, comes his first entry in the Kithamar series. Age of Ash is about a young woman named Alys who becomes involved with dangerous people and mysterious plots following the death of her brother Darro, and about her friend Sammish (an endlessly-distracting name—at no point was I able to stop reading it as “sammich”), who tries to prevent her from going down a dark path. But most of all, Age of Ash is about a city: Kithamar.

It is clear that Abraham loves this city. It is a blend of peoples and cultures and histories, and although Age of Ash does not delve too deeply into the details, Kithamar has more personality than any of the characters who populate it, and it is the centerpiece of this story. It’s not the most distinctive fantasy city I’ve ever read about, but it does feel fully-realized and rich with detail, and I enjoyed wandering its streets and poking into its nooks and crannies with Alys, Sammish, and others. I hope to discover more of its layers in future books, and I have no doubt that I will.

Abraham’s character work is less successful. They are not poorly written—they have distinctive personalities, motivations, and arcs. But even though I was interested in them, I was not invested in them. That’s a crucial puzzle piece to be missing, and its absence skews the book in an almost academic direction that left me somewhat cold. Abraham attempts a narrative style loosely in the realm of The Name of the Wind, attentive to the competence of individuals in a wider world, but I almost would have preferred something more akin to Martin’s Fire & Blood: a full-on fictional history, clinical but dripping with drama. Such an approach might have served this story better.

I also found myself craving context from outside Kithamar. Where is this city located in relation to its neighbors? What greater political structures does it exist alongside (if any)? Age of Ash takes place within a national and geographical vacuum, which makes it difficult to determine what exactly is at stake. I’m not prepared to level this particular issue as a criticism of the book, because it could very well be possible that what lies beyond Kithamar is crucial to the bigger story that Abraham will tell over the course of this series, and he may be waiting to burn away that fog of war at the appropriate time. But if that doesn’t turn out to be the case, then this is indeed a shortcoming. Although it seems like Abraham wants to go deep rather than broad in Kithamar, that depth cannot come at the expense of context.

Age of Ash is a solid opener to the Kithamar series. It is neither particularly bad nor particularly good. It feels foundational; it doesn’t have many flourishes, but I believe it will function as a strong base for successive entries to build higher and showcase the literary equivalent of more distinctive architecture. Am I waiting on pins and needles for those successive entries? No. But I will read them when they become available, and I am curious to uncover whatever long game Abraham has planned.

Thank you, Orbit Books, for giving me approval to read an e-ARC of this book for an honest review.

What an absolutely fascinating read. Right from the beginning, Abraham throws us into a new world of unique cultures and customs that make it seem vivid and real. From Longhill to Kithamar, the world-building was both lyrical and vast. That’s not to say that this is the type of high fantasy read that is just mostly world building. I appreciated that the moments where Abraham sets the scene, he is both concise and fully paints a picture.

Where I believe the story shines is with it’s characters. Abraham does not tell you forthright about his characters. Instead, he gives you chapters that follow the actions and mindset of one character at a time and you come to understand them through their choices and thoughts. Walking in their shoes, learning their desires and secrets, and seeing how their puzzle piece fits in with the other characters.

One reason this really increased this book’s rating for me was how immersive the writing and world were. Many times, I forgot to read critically because I was swept up in the story. I laughed, cried, grew anxious, grew curious, and even got angry at characters a few times. Getting swept up like that is unusual for me so I was very impressed by this book.

TL;DR

Daniel Abraham’s luxurious Age of Ash starts an ambitious new project focusing on a year in the life of Kithamar. Each book will have a different perspective. Age of Ash is Alys’s book. Do yourself a favor and come meet this wily gal. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham

Grieving the loss of someone you love breaks you. You lose your loved one entirely, and you lose a bit of yourself. There are so, so many warring emotions that you’re almost paralyzed. But this is nothing new. What people don’t talk about is that you have to learn how to live again. You have to learn how to go through life with this absence looming large. It’s a cliché to say that grief puts things in perspective. For me, grieving my parents didn’t give me a new found understanding of myself. It drained me of all energy, and I changed. Some things from my old life still mattered; some things didn’t. That’s not perspective; it’s just change. I spent years afterwards learning how to separate what really changed from what was just lack of motivation due to depression. I had to learn how to be a new me, and, as with any learning, I made mistakes along the way. I felt like a new person in many ways. In Daniel Abraham’s Age of Ash, Alys, the main character, grieves the loss of her brother. Part of her process is attempting to become her brother. Or, at least, what she thought he was. Abraham, better known for being half of the author James S.A. Corey, delivers a meditation on grieving. If you expect this to be The Expanse dressed up in fantasy scenery, you’ll be disappointed. This is a brand new world written very much in the style of Abraham’s other solo work.

Kithamar is a city in transition. The ruler of the city, Prince Ausai a Sal, has died, and without an heir, his nephew assumes control. But this is of little matter to the people in the poorer neighborhood of Longhill. Kithamar, like any big city, segregates its haves and have-nots. The people there live day-to-day, job-to-job. Alys works as part of a pick pocket gang. Her job is to be the distraction so that someone else can cut the purse. During a particularly daring (some would say, stupid) job, the gang steals from the Kithamar equivalent of a cop. Unfortunately for Alys, her curiosity caused to her look back upon the gang’s handiwork. Instead of being turned into a pillar of salt, Alys’s punishment for looking was that the cop spotted her, gave chase, and would harm, if not kill, her. Alys’s brother, Darro, and the other residents of Longhill come to her rescue. But she needs to lay low for a while; so, Darro pays for Alys to hide out under the protection of the neighborhood crime boss. While in hiding, Darro is murdered. As Alys finds outs, grief, understandably, overwhelms her. She vows to find the killer, and to do so, she seeks help from her pick pocket gang. The leader has disappeared; the walk away, Sammish, agrees to help Alys find the killer. The pair seek out the murderer. Their path embroils them in city and supernatural politics in ways that they’re not prepared to handle. Both are forced to grow up and confront the people they’re becoming. Kithamar is embroiled in a struggle that neither are equipped to understand. Can they survive it?

Age of Ash is a third person novel that mainly follows two point of view characters: Alys and Sammish. Other character get one or two point of view chapters, but the main focus is on these two girls navigating their way through the struggles of daily life in Kithamar while embroiled in supernatural politics. The prose is luxurious and invites you to take your time, to indulge in the narrative. Magic is sparse but present in the story. This book is the first of three that take place in the same year but are told by different characters. Some of the events will have to be shared among all three novels, and I look forward to seeing how each tale shifts perspective on the events.

Style

Age of Ash reminded me of A Shadow in Summer, the first book in Abraham’s Long Price Quartet. If you liked that book like I did, you’ll enjoy Age of Ash. Abraham improved upon the elements that I liked and disliked from A Shadow in Summer. Both books are set in rich scenery with a sedate pacing. Age of Ash moves a bit faster than Shadow, though.

Age of Ash begins in the poorer section of Kithamar where daily survival is a struggle. People are doing what they can to make enough to afford rent and food. But their lives are fuller than just the hustle to make ends meet. They have friends and good times. They come together to help those mourning. Abraham knows how to write these people, and I loved walking through Longhill with Alys and Sammish. We see how a community on the constant brink of destitution works and lives. Abraham paints this community with an exacting yet sympathetic brush.

Personally, I like Abraham’s indulgent style. But I can see for some how this book might be too slow. The plot, finding the murderer of Alys’s brother, takes a back seat for most of the book. When Alys solves it, it had no impact. Because the real story is Alys’s journey through grief. I enjoyed this change of pace, but if strong plotting is important to you, this might not be your type of book.

Alys and Sammish

The whole book rests on Alys and Sammish. Do we like them? Can we stand to be around them for four hundred or so pages? Are they sympathetic? The answer to all of these question is yes. Even as Alys makes another decision that takes her further away from her old life, you feel for her. As Sammish’s heart hardens, you ache for her lost innocence. Alys gets swept up in adventure because that’s what she thinks her brother did. Sammish sees clearly that the rich and the powerful just use the poor to accomplish their dirty work, and that the people of Longhill might as well not exist as far as the rich and the powerful are concerned.

While the blurb says Age of Ash is Alys’s story, I think it’s Sammish’s, really. Alys is compelling, and the story of her losing herself in her grief is wonderful. But. But I think that Sammish’s tale of trying and failing to protect her friend is a bit more moving. Both of their hearts are broken, Alys’s by the loss of a sibling and Sammish’s by seeing her love more clearly. I loved both their endings, but Sammish’s stayed with me more. I found myself coming back to it after I closed the book. She made the right decision; didn’t she? I still don’t know. I would love to have a book of what she does with her life, post-Age of Ash.

In Praise of Taking Our Time

Too often the genres of science fiction and fantasy seek action, action, and more action. While there’s nothing wrong with this and I often enjoy books that push the pace, I also like to shift gears sometimes and dwell. Abraham’s book isn’t a sprint. It’s a walk through the park with bits of running interspersed. I enjoyed that. The word luxurious comes to mind when describing this book because I took my time with it. I enjoyed it. Reading it wasn’t a race to the last page. The experience was to enjoy a skilled craftsman weaving a tale. Quickly, I stopped trying to predict where the story was going, and I let myself be carried along by Abraham’s words.

Conclusion

Daniel Abraham’s Age of Ash explores grief while introducing readers to a fascinating new fantasy locale. Abraham has written wonderful characters that will stick with you long after the story ends. Do yourself a favor and pick up Age of Ash for a change of pace.

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham is available from Orbit Books on February 15th, 2022.

A good first book, filled with the easy writing that I have come to associate with James S. A. Corey of which Abraham is one half of. Alys and Sammish were intriguing characters and to watch their struggle as they both grow up and try to find where they fit in regards to people they look up to. I feel like this world contains so many small details that it will take several read throughs to find them all. I look forward to seeing what the Bronze coast is like and I hope that Sammish is in the next book as well.

There were points where I didn't follow the story as well as others. But that is true for any High Fantasy book. Overall I look forward to seeing where the story goes.

DNF @ 63%

I don't care about anything happening in this book at all. The characters don't interest me and the plot certainly doesn't interest me. However, Abraham's prose is great, and I will certainly read other stuff from him. In fact, I may try this book again at another time when I am more in the mood for something like this. But it wasn't vibing with me at all, I've already essentially forgotten it as I'm writing this review, and so pressing on until the end seems like a bad time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham
The Kithamar Trilogy #1

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ash of Ash is a cerebral read with a lot of intrigue and superb worldbuilding. What starts as a theif story turns into a revenge story and so much more. I became interested in this book after seeing that it's authored by Daniel Abraham, half of the duo responsible for the Expanse series.

This book primarily follows Alys who is working through the vast city of Kithamar to uncover the mysteries surrounding the murder of a loved one. I wont say anything more about the plot to avoid spoilers. The less you know about this one going in, the better.

The characters here are great and they develop relatively well throughout the book. I loved Abraham's depiction of Alys' grieving process. My favorite character to watch develop in this story was Sammish who, from the beginning, wrestles with unrequited feelings for Alys.

Sammish, Alys, and the denizens of this city aside, Kithamar itself is the main focus of this story. This entire story, barring flashbacks, takes place within the walls of Kithamar. There is a massive focus on establishing the intricacies of this city and we spend most of our time on the street level of Kithamar seeing the gritty realities of life.

This book is meticulously paced which can make it come off as a slow read. I didn't mind the pacing because I'm pretty patient and I was invested in the secrets held by this city. If you're a patient reader like me, Abraham will make it worth your while.

I recommend this book to lovers of intrigue, mysterious magic, theif stories, and extensive worldbuilding. I'll definitely be a day one purchaser of future installments in this series.

Rating: 4/5

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham

I’m getting old. At this point in my life I think of all of the books I have not yet read and all of the books I wish to reread, and I have decided I am not going to finish books I don’t like. Sadly, I am giving up on finishing Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham at the 48% mark.

I was initially very excited by this book. I really enjoyed the Expanse novels (except for the last one, it didn’t end particularly well) and I know that Abraham had written well-received fantasy novels before his foray into science fiction, so I was excited when Orbit gave me an eARC of a new book in a new trilogy in exchange for an honest review.

I tried. I really did! This book is long, and I have read a lot of it, but it doesn’t have that sense of grabbiness that I want from a book - this book is easy to put down and hard to pick up again. The pacing is slow and all the characters (save one) are either boring ciphers or bad people. I don’t like any of them. Except Sammi. She is the only reason I kept reading as long as I did, and I still want to know what happens to her, but not enough to slog through the rest of this tome.

I’m not saying the book is bad. But it’s not for me. If you want a fantasy doorstop on a slow build, it might just be for you.