Disclaimer: I received an e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Witches of Ash and Ruin
Author: E. Latimer
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: LGBT friendly! Bi main character!
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (murder, being outed, family issues, violence, some gore)
Publisher: Freeform
Pages: 384
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.
And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer’s motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don’t stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.
With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that’s impossible to put down.
Review: I really liked this book for the most part. The book did well to have excellent LGBT representation, and it was based on Celtic folklore. The setting was well detailed and the family dynamics were amazing!
However, there are 5 POVs and it was a lot to take in. The book was hard to get into and it was hard to connect with the characters. The book almost felt forced to tell a story.
Verdict: It was a good book, but not for me.
BOOK INFORMATION
Witches of Ash and Ruin
by E. Latimer
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 3rd 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT, Queer
Synopsis:
Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy and A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.
Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.
And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer’s motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don’t stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.
With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that’s impossible to put down.
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42773037-witches-of-ash-and-ruin
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Tunj6P
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witches-of-ash-and-ruin-e-latimer/1132410677?ean=9781368052252#/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781368054317?mt=11
Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Witches-of-Ash-and-Ruin-E-Latimer/9781368052252
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/witches-of-ash-and-ruin-2
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/E_Latimer_Witches_of_Ash_and_Ruin?id=AQAAAEAsPW99UM
AUTHOR INFORMATION
- Latimer is a fantasy writer from Victoria, BC. Her middle grade novel,The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray was published by Tundra Books, and was recently nominated for the Red Maple Fiction Award.
In her spare time, she writes books, makes silly vlogs with the Word Nerds about writing, and reads excessively.
Her latest novel, Witches of Ash and Ruin, will be released Spring/Summer 2020 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
AUTHOR LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3422739.E_Latimer
Website: http://www.elatimer.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ELatimerWrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erin.latimer2
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elatimerwrites/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/YAWordNerds
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