This seemed to read more like a diary and I didn't care for it. I don't think it explains the fantasy part well enough especially mixed in with the more modern terms it just did not hit the mark.

New YA fantasy novel was very good. The first half was slow but it picks up and is very good. The writing was beautiful.

First off, I want to say that this isn't a bad book, the writing style just isn't for me! Usually I like to try and give every book I read a chance but with this one I only managed to get through about 11% before I DNF'd it.

In terms of story and premise, it's there! The magic is really cool and the story seems like it's heading in an interesting direction. Where this book lost me though, was in the execution. The story does a lot more telling than it does showing and it makes the actions of the characters feel unrealistic. Add in the excessive descriptions and the reader is left wondering if they can trust anything the narrator is saying.

Combining all of these together put my rating at 1. I might try to give this another go in the future because from what other reviews have posted, the ending picks and and leaves you wanting more; but for now, I'll leave it DNF'd.

I think this is a great start of a series!
I enjoyed the setting and the world building, the nod to hades-persephone myth in a way, all the banters, everything! It felt a little slow in the first half because most of the myth and world building was explained from Gram's POV, but all in all it was great! Looking forward the next book because THAT ENDING!!!

This was one my my most anticipated reads, especially when I read the blurb.
The magic, godly elements, fates, and prophecies - I loved it all!

This new YA fantasy debut Novel book was remarkably good! Although the first half was quite slow, I found myself genuinely enjoying it. The characters' entire world is completely transformed in an unexpected way. The author brilliantly depicts the experience of grief, and I felt a strong connection to Shivalri as I witnessed her journey through it. The writing is truly exquisite. I'm anticipating that some loose ends will be addressed in the next book.
I'm excited to unravel the gaps in the involvement of the servants in the betrayal. Pyre, the love interest, is beginning to grow on me, but he still has a lot of personal matters to sort out. Without hesitation, I would enthusiastically recommend this book. I immensely enjoyed it, and beautifully written.

"A Fate of Smoke and Ash” by Shania Scichilone delivers a captivating narrative with likable characters. While the plot is intriguing, pacing at times feels uneven. The author creates a vivid world. The main character becomes more developed in the second half of the book, however, she is more damsel in distress than femme fatale. I expect that Shivalry will learn to hold her own in the sequel. A solid 3-star read that blends elements of suspense and fantasy.

The Grimsbane family matriarch Sabine Grimsbane-Cormier suffered the losses of both her twin daughters, we do not know why this family is known by the grandmother's maiden name, or why she and her grandchildren are all so nonchalant about death. But one day a catastrophic earthquake occurs in every country in the world, resulting in a splitting of the atmosphere, red skies, and yet "little to no destruction below." However, Shivalri Grimsbane-Gray's mom did die, while driving her son Raidan to school. Shivalri and Raidan's dad, suddenly an alcoholic, has used up all his bereavement pay and the family's savings to buy alcohol; he drinks beer, so their family savings must have been quite meager. This makes sense actually, because Shivalri says he only earns twice what she does, and she makes minimum wage at the public library. Despite her father's incapacitation and lack of funds, Shivalri is certain he will take good care of the family dog, while she drives her brother (who was just a passenger in his mom's fatal car crash) from Boston to their grandmother's mansion in North Carolina, where phones don't work, except when they do. We do not know why the grandmother gave a car to the grandson who doesn't drive instead of to the granddaughter who does. Shivalri is 18, her red hair is dyed blonde, she has a big personality, suffers rheumatoid arthritis and night terrors, and she loves books. Shivalri only has one friend at her new school, but her best friend is her 19-yr old cousin Satyra who also has night terrors and lives with their grandmother and works full-time as a manager at the docks, where she can't take time off to attend her aunt's funeral.

At their grandmother's mansion, all three Grimsbane cousins discover they have mysterious magical gifts. Satyra is a seer, even though she doesn't evidence any talent in that arena; Raidan is a healer like his mother was, which explains his magical recovery from the accident that killed her, but not why she didn't address her other child's juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for 14 years. Much like cartoon characters who get smashed by anvils and thrown off cliffs, only to rise and be violated again and again, Shivalri is poisoned, thrown down pits, skin ripped off, body slammed, face lacerated by claws, punched in the nose, and then she falls in love or lust with her abuser, which is maybe not the greatest plot device for YA. Gods don't feel pain, but Shivalri does, endlessly, and despite being a Triple Goddess. After being holed up in a wretched pit for five days, body broken and bloody, when Shivalri is finally presented with soap and water and clean clothing, we do not know why she tries on the fresh clothes first, before bathing herself.

This work of YA Dark Fantasy is a young author's debut novel, a "series starter," that ends in what I consider an artless cliffhanger. I think in good works of fantasy fiction, the actions that characters take make sense because of clearly established plot lines, character traits, and relatable or understandable modus operandi. I found A Fate of Smoke and Ash very hard to read because nothing that was happening made sense to me, and it was brutal and violent and untied to any meaningful themes, merely graphic in nature for the sake of nothing apparent. But perhaps all will be revealed and prove meaningful in subsequent books of this series.

Thank you netgalley for giving me an arc of this book. This book was slow in parts but still entertaining. A fate of smoke and ash was really well done for a debut novel which I find to be rare. This book was an enjoyable read and entertaining fantasy!

Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity to read rage and review this arc which is available October 31,2023.

There is ALOT going on in this book. So much so that at times I lost the plot and I lost interest. And when I lose the plot, lose interest ai stop reading the book. As this was an arc I forced myself to finish it. I didn’t like it. It was a read once and done for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Good YA/NA Fantasy read

OMG, my whole heart! He let her go and she went!

Book 2 now. I must read it now.
That was wonderful, sad, slow burning, and really well written.

*4.25

I really enjoyed reading this novel. I thought the world building was explored uniquely. From the first page it sucked me into the story. I love all the details that we were given about the characters backstory. Then seeing the main character trying to find her place in the world, she knows nothing about.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book. I highly recommend.

I liked the idea of this book but I found it difficult to read. I was forcing myself to finish it.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

What a whirlwind of a book! The beginning is slow, and there’s a LOT of extra dialogue I feel was very unnecessary to the story, so it could’ve cut the first bit in half and made the book a bit faster paced. However, once Shivalri gets taken by Pyre, things pick up very fast.

The premise of this girl finding out she’s a witch but then finding out she’s not actually a witch, she’s a goddess, kept me going the whole time until we got to meet Pyre. I also love the inclusivity of her not being perfect, having human ailments (like rheumatoid arthritis for example), and still being a very powerful character (who just has way too much internal dialogue for my taste, but besides the point).

I know some want to see Pyre turn out good, but **trigger warning** he is an abusive guy who Shivalri needs to leave behind. He physically abuses her multiple times, emotionally abuses her, and I hope the reasoning for this is to remind the readers that abusive love interests don’t actually love you, they love the power they have over you. He has no real excuse for how he acted the whole time, and the ending made me hate him deeply. He cares more about himself and his image than Shivalri. I’m so excited to see more about his brother and rest of his family, and I hope to the Gods he is much better than his brother. I’m also curious to know if they’ll explain why the original Triple Goddess banned only Pyre (though I can start to guess by his actions). To all who are reading my review, nobody should ever touch you, emotionally manipulate you, and you should never have to walk one eggshells in fear of making them angry.

Very excited for the next book though!

This was a relatively easy read at only 400ish pages. The writing flowed well and was easy to process. For a debut novel I was pleasantly surprised at how the story sucked me in.

As many fantasy books go, expect a lot of world building. The beginning of the book starts slow but it picks up rather quickly. We are learning along with the FMC, so it’s to be expected.

I think the story has so much potential for future books.

I enjoyed reading this book!

This book had a slow first half but made up for it in the second half. I wish the last 40% made up 75%, but the wait was worth it. The first section does have critical world building, so I’ll give it that!

This book features a strong willed FMC and a very morally gray MMC. The ending was a cliff hanger and I will definitely come back for book 2!

Shivalri Grimsbane who endures heart-wrenching trauma as she witnesses her mother's death and her brother's near-fatal encounter. This traumatic event triggers a rip in the realms between Earth and the gods, unveiling her family's true identity as witches, with Shivalri being the most powerful among them. She is either blessed or cursed, depending on how you see it, with the blood of all three realms. This makes her a gateway between realms and a target of supernatural beings. Heartbreak, betrayal, trust, love, and fear entangles Shivalri’s world but with her lack of control of her powers how can she protect her family and herself?

“A Fate of Smoke and Ash” by Shania Scichilone was slow at the beginning but totally worth it in the end. I liked the conflict with Pyre and his aggressive personality, it’s a great enemies to lovers trope. I’m interested to learn more about Ember and the other gods in the next book Shania Scichilone writes. Perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

I loved the book! It has been a while since I read a book that was constantly surprising me like this one did. I have to say my favorite part of this book was my conflicting emotions with the love interest Pyre, I have such a love hate relationship with this character. He has many faults but when he messes up the reasons behind it are so intriguing and build such character development.

Truthfully this is a fast paces, and action-packed book. We do enter a new fantasy world so there is world building, but it is done in a way with the character so it helps. I found myself enjoying it because of that alone. There are things that are maybe slightly adjustable, but overall a very solid book.

This book had relatable characters, with Shivalri going through the process of grief and discovering so many previous unknowns about her lineage and her mother. What happens next is beyond what she would have ever imaged for her future. Read to find out what happens to her!