This book brings readers on a gripping journey into a world brimming with magic, intrigue, and unforgettable characters. This opening installment is a true gem for fantasy enthusiasts.

One of the most impressive aspects of the book is its characters, whom the brings to life with depth and authenticity.
The author skillfully weaves various plotlines that surprise and captivate readers throughout.

This book is a captivating fantasy novel that delights with its epic storytelling, strong characters, and a world brimming with magic. A must-read for anyone who loves diving into captivating worlds and experiencing epic adventures.

I wanted to like it. The beginning is interesting and I started out likening the premises, but the further I got the more depressing the story.
It’s supposed to be fated lovers, but it just reads like forced marriage and being trapped and having no say over one’s fate.

Roans powers are interesting but her characters is just weak and not that interesting to follow, all she does is rattle her chains and make everything worse.

The story felt convoluted with twists, some very predictable and some that seam to come out of nowhere but in a bad way. Overall it got sadder and sadder, Roan looses through out the whole book and has no victories. It might all be building up to some great character growth in the next books but I’m too depressed by the present state of the story to continue.

So I read a lot of fantasy... and because of that I have found myself harder and harder to please. But this book was PERFECTION in my eyes. I think from the world building to the characters and even the cover, I could not have asked for anything better. Katie Feavel is an absolutely brilliant author with a brilliant mind and I would happily read any world and characters that are written by her.

This was written by a friend of a friend, so I was super excited to read this one but it really fell flat for me. This is nothing against the plot or writing, I’m just not much of a fantasy reader. I definitely think this one is a hidden gem, and the writing is interesting, but at times I felt overwhelmed with info dumping. If/when the next book comes out I will give it a go but most likely on audio. I loved Roan!

Benyu Born of Ash is a great, fast-paced story that keeps you wondering and turning the pages. I enjoyed reading Roan's story and especially liked the moral-grayness of the characters.

I have a thing for morally-gray characters so this was a win for me! Add romance, intrigue, adventure, and magic into the mix, and what more could you want in a book?

I received an ARC copy, and this is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book, which was not something I was expecting. The main character is neurodivergent which is so interesting. To see the world trough Roan's eyes was a fun experience.

The world is really rich and colorful trough her eyes, and I really liked that. She's impulsive and I shake her hand on that. She's really there for her family and friends and that was one of her best traits. I really enjoyed Galin and Roan. The plot twist were all over the place and that made the book much more enjoyable.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I had so much fun while reading it. Really recommend the book!

This is the first book in a new fantasy romance series. I designate it as fantasy romance as the romantic plotline felt just as significant as the world-problem plotline. We follow a neurodivergent main character who is misunderstood in her small village where she is additionally set apart by the feared and vilified magic she possesses. Despite this, when her village is being harassed and held hostage by a neighbouring country she feels responsible and to save everyone she enters into a blood contract with the mysterious and handsome General. A contract she definitely doesn't have all the details of with significant impacts to both her life and the lives of the villagers.

Overall I enjoyed this book in a very page-turning, "want to find out what happens" kind of way. Something that made me uncomfortable throughout the reading experience was the amount of manipulation happening to our main character from several different parties, many of whom claimed to care deeply for her. She was often being taken advantage of by many different sources, and there were times where I felt she had some awareness or realization that this was happening. However, despite this her attraction and contract to the general and love interest kept preventing her from doing anything about it, even after times she would confront him about this fact. The manipulation and secrecy was such that it often made me very uncomfortable with the relationship and left feeling like I honestly wasn't sure if I was supposed to be rooting for the couple in the long run. They didn't feel like morally grey characters, they just felt manipulative.

There were times when I questioned the main characters motivations. There is a plot line involving the main characters younger brother and all the other young teens and children of the village that feels very urgent and scary and has the MC quite worried and assures everyone it is her main priority. But when the scenery changes and the MC starts getting swept up into the romance, she seems to completely forget to inquire into the urgent situation with these kids.

One thing that I did feel was done well in many situations was the main character's neurodivergent thought processes. There were often times when certain coping strategies were explained or where her thought patterns were going in some situations, and I felt this offered a lot of insight. I would just say that it felt a little bit inconsistent in its representation throughout the course of the book.

I would put the comps for this novel as anything by Sarah J Maas and From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout.

Confusing and hard to keep the track of the story.

I am slowly beginning to question my intelligence. But this was a really hard story to keep track of. We don't really get a backstory of this world and different races and what distinguishes them from each other.

Roan is also a pushover. Every time she questions someone, eg. about the deaths, she gets side-lined and told she needs to trust them. When did they earn her trust?! Why does she constantly feel the need to apologize for feeling the way she does? Her fiancé cheats on her in front of everybody and then she is told she is overreacting.

There is no explanation as to who her father really is and why he needs to hide. Roan constantly promises herself that she will no longer accept their excuses and will demand answers and then she folds. What is going on?!

I really hope the answers will be there in the next book.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Wow what a journey I enjoyed this book immensely it has great fantasy and world building

5 Stars

I loved this story so much. Roan is fierce and her connection with Galin is swoon-worthy! I can't wait for book 2!

This premise was very interesting. The MC was to me a bit difficult to follow, as she kept complaining that she was so different, so the book was a bit of a struggle to get through at first. However, when the story picks up, the love interest was well developed, and although i found the worldbuilding a bit hard to understand at times, i can see this story getting better and more interesting in later books.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

When wanting to do the right thing, can lead to serious issues. This is Roan's story. She has powers that few others have. She makes a blood pact to save her people and chaos ensues. Luckily she runs into Galin, and he alongside Leif and Talc help her.

I am so glad this is the first in the series. I did not want it to end. The author took time to develop the world and each character. More please.

*Thank you so much to the publisher, author and of course Netgalley for this arc*

I absolutely adored this book! Its everything you could want, a vast fantasy world, morally grey characters, a neurodivergent main character. We get enemies to lovers and an arranged marriage as well. I thought the world building was particularly impressive. The writing style is very readable. And the characters are relatable. I loved the relationships throughout the book and definitely can't wait for the next one.

Roan is a water elemental and an outcast in her village. She struggles with control of her magic with the help of her family. In a futile effort to save her village she gets tricked into a betrothal to Galin a General in the Woodland army who she later finds out is a Prince. She is unable to save her family and village as they are all glamoured into traveling to the Woodlands basically to be killed or used against their will. Roan tries to help her people but sometimes makes their situation worse. Along the way she discovers more powers and finds out family secrets that change her life. I felt sorry for her most of the book.

This book was a solid three. I found it enjoyable if unoriginal. I will read the next book in the series when it comes out.

Actual rating 4.5

I expected to enjoy this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did! I'm so happy I was given the opportunity to read and review this book.

Apart from the cover, what really drew me into this book was the neurodivergent MC, Roan. I'm slightly obsessed with her and loved seeing the world through her eyes and understanding how her mind works. I thought that was a super cool aspect to the story! Normally I'm not a huge fan of 1st POV, but the writing in this book is just so beautiful. I couldn't see it working any other way besides first person.

Normally with book with tons of world building intimidate me, but once again Feavel webs the expedition throughout the novel seamlessly. I loved all the information we got and learning out more of the secrets over time.

Galin is probably my favorite character and my new book boyfriend! I'm obsessed with him! I think Roan compliments him so well. I loved watching their relationship grow and change over time. I'm so excited for the next book!

☆☆☆☆,5 /5
(english review below)

J'ai terminé ce roman il y a plus d'une semaine. Plus d'une semaine et pourtant, cette magnifique histoire me reste encore fraîchement en tête.
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L'élémentale neurodivergente, Roan, n'appartient à aucun des mondes. Elle fait bouillir des choses, elle rêve de la mort et elle reste dans l'ombre dès qu'elle le peut. Mais ses taches de rousseur cuivrées et ses boucles rouges cendrées la rendent à peu près aussi subtile que le Benyu, l'oiseau fougueux des histoires des gardiens du mythe. Le jour de son dix-neuvième anniversaire, le village de Roan est séduit par la conquête des Woodlanders. Dans un effort pour sauver son peuple, elle se jette dans un marché imprudent avec Galin, le général espiègle des bois qui défie son cœur, complique son sens de soi et démasque la vraie nature de sa magie. Et il n'est pas le seul à vouloir faire d’elle une arme... Roan doit trouver sa propre voix dans l'obscurité et, comme le benyu, renaître de ses cendres pour libérer son peuple.
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Ce roman s'est lu rapidement, tant l'intrigue était addictive. Très rapidement, le lecteur prend connaissance de notre protagoniste, Roan, une jeune fille qui se sent à côté. Elle se sent à côté, à part et je n'ai pas pu m'empêcher de m'identifier un petit peu à elle. Je me suis identifiée à son côté sensible, déterminée et un peu marginale par rapport à l'environnement dans lequel elle vie. Roan est une jeune fille qui ne comprend pas grand chose de ce qui se passe autour d'elle. Quelle était donc cette magie qui sortait de son corps et dont elle n'arrivait pas à prendre le contrôle ?
Son évolution a été très intéressant à suivre. D'une personne qui ne contrôle pas ses habiletés, elle passe à une nouvelle personne plus mature, qui a plus confiance en elle et en ses capacités, bien que des doutes subsistent parfois en elle quant à sa légitimité -ces doutes la rendant très humaine je trouve.
Les autres personnages étaient plaisants aussi, bien que j'ai trouvé qu'il y avait un petit déséquilibre dans la place que prenaient les personnages principaux et celle que prenaient les personnages secondaires.
Malgré le style d'écriture que j'ai trouvé lourd par moment, rendant certaines scènes assez longues à lire, les descriptions de ce nouvel univers et de cette magie créés par l'autrice m'ont impressionnée. C'est un nouveau monde original, une magie extraordinaire.
C'est un premier tome qui est assez introductif et à être autant marquée par cette lecture, j'avoue avoir des attentes pour la suite.

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ENGLISH REVIEW

I finished this book over a week ago. More than a week and yet, this magnificent story still remains freshly in my head.
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Neurodivergent Elemental, Roan, doesn’t belong in any of the worlds. She boils things, she dreams of death, and she keeps to the shadows whenever she can. But her copper freckles and ashy red curls make her about as subtle as the benyu, the fiery bird of the mythkeepers’ stories. On her nineteenth birthday, Roan’s village is beguiled by conquering Woodlanders. In an effort to save her people, she throws herself into a reckless blood bargain with Galin, the roguish Woodland general who challenges her heart, complicates her sense of self and unmasks the true nature of her magic. And he’s not the only one who wants to forge her into a weapon….Roan must find her own voice in the darkness of trauma and, like the benyu, rise from the ashes to set her people free.
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This book was read quickly, as the plot was addictive. Very quickly, the reader meets our protagonist, Roan, a young girl who feels out of place. She feels aside, apart and I couldn't help but identify with her a little bit. I identified with her sensitive, determined and somewhat marginal side in relation to the environment in which she lives. Roan is a young girl who doesn't understand much of what's going on around her. What was this magic coming out of her body that she couldn't control?
Her evolution has been very interesting to follow. From a person who doesn't control her abilities, she moves on to a new and more mature person who has more confidence in herself and her abilities, although doubts sometimes remain in her as to her legitimacy - and I found that these doubts made her very human.
The other characters were fun too, although I found there was a bit of an imbalance in where the main characters were and where the secondary characters were.
Despite the writing style that I found heavy at times, making some scenes quite long to read, the descriptions of this new universe and this magic created by the author impressed me. It's a new original world. It's an extraordinary magic.
This is a first book that is quite introductory and to be so marked by this reading, I admit to having expectations for the sequel.

This story had so much potential. I really like the world building behind this fantasy and the lore behind Ischyro and the history of the realm. Even the main heroine, Roan, was promising to be an interesting character. I love how strong she is and even when she is put in a predicament that would have broken others, she never forgot herself and her end goal. However what fell flat for me was how repetitive the phase "Not everything is as it seem". The phrase was like the major theme of the whole novel and it detracted away from the character development of the story. Everyone seems to know what is going on besides Roan. It was a QUITE annoying because it was in your face. Literally that phrased could have been in this book at least 10 times... I had to stop reading a couple times. This book almost became a DNF, however I stubbornly continue onwards because I wanted to see if "everything is not as it seem" was worth. And BOY was IT NOT WORTH IT. It was anticlimactic and lukewarm. The author worked so hard to create the suspense that all the characters fell flat. It was like a telling of a story without building depth in characters to do them justice. Overall, it was such a let down.

Pearl: Even though this story was not the best, it did have some quotes that I really liked that made me think a lot. When this novel is released I will definitely share it!

Recommendation: Would not be my top choice to share. Funny thought though, I notice in the book world certain themes tend to be popular for a certain period. Vampires and werewolves started to pick up with Twilight, Dystopian society with the Hunger Games, Faeries seem to be the current from the Court of Thorns and Roses because Feavel phases her elves as "female/male" and that they were territorial too which was vaguely a reminder of COTAR to me.

This opportunity to review this book was provided by Netgalley.

~ Twisty, Stunning Debut! ~

Wow, wow, wow!!! This was not only such an incredible read, but an amazing emotional journey as well! If this is Katie’s debut than I absolutely cannot wait for her next pieces of work!
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The characters were all fantastic!! Roan was a great main character and her journey was heartbreaking and inspiring to follow along with! Her inner strength and determination was amazing to see and I can’t wait to see how she grows as a character throughout the next installments of her journey! Burdock was another character I couldn’t get enough of! His sunshiney presence was a powerful and needed touch through some of the depressive darkness of the story! I’m officially stacking my claim as a Burdock fan so I can gate keep him later 🤣
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The plot was very twisty and fun! The beginning was a tad confusing as I was figuring out the location of everything and how all the politics fit together, but everything gets easier to follow the further in you read!! Plot twist after plot twist hits you in this book and just when you think that you know what’s happening, another twist comes out of nowhere! I loved it and it definitely had me gasping in disbelief (and disbelievingly and half angrily dming Katie repeatedly🤣)
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Overall I was addicted to this book and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!! However this is an adult fantasy so make sure to check the content warnings (which I’ll post below) before picking this one up! Fantastic job Katie!! I cannot wait for everyone else to get to enjoy this story as much as I do!!
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CWs - Frequent medium language, a graphic torture scene, fantasy violence and gore, innuendo, infrequent light spice
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***Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for an early copy to read and review! All thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own.***
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Benyu Born of Ash First Book of The Ischyro Chronicles
Katie Feavel

Benyu Born of Ash is such a special book full of magic and incredibly relatable characters. I enjoyed the writing style that made this book so readable and enjoyable for me. Every time I picked the book up, I was lost completely immersed into this amazing world full of rich details where you can imagine the world, the sounds, the smells. It was truly captivating and mesmerizing. I am so impressed about the neurodiverse characters and bringing up their strengths and vulnerabilities within the story line. I recommend this book to everyone - I was highly entertained and my time in Katie Feavel's world was incredible.

“Not everything is as it seems”

Roan is an outsider, her Elemental abilities make it really hard for her to fit in. As a nine year old she is kicked out of school for boiling a bully’s arm just by touching it. On her 19th birthday, in an effort to save her people she makes a blood bargain with the General of the Woodlanders Galin. Roan will marry this General that she knows not to trust, and will move to the Woodlands with him. As Roan starts to learn how to manage her powers, she also learns about who she. She is born from the ashes and her destiny is unlike she could have imagined. Along this journey Roan must not forget that “not everything is as it seems.”

I adored Roan from the first pages of this book, she knew she was different and learned to discover she was special. The relationship growing between Galin and Roan is fun to see. She doesn’t trust him, and it’s not love at first sight but as she gets to know him better she realizes that he keeps secrets to protect her.

I loved the character development of both the main characters and the side characters. The author did such a great job at helping us understand inner turmoil as well as outward struggles the characters faced. The world building was so well done. As someone who is not a high fantasy reader, this felt so more realistic to me.
This book has it all, twists and turns, romance, fairies, fantastical creatures, and magic.

Wow what a cliffhanger! Now I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this series.

Thank you @netgalley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is out now so be sure to check it out!