Legacy of Ash: 1 (Legacy Trilogy)

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I sometimes feel tempted to compare certain books that I loved to others that I have loved in the past. I am going to refrain from that here because while I get a lot of the same feels with this series as some other legendary series in the genre, I don't think it's fair to Matthew Ward to even hint that this series doesn't stand on its own as an original epic fantasy of colossal proportions. No, not that. Katya was free of that delusion. It had cost too many lives, but she was free of it. She was not the Phoenix whose fires would cleanse the Southshires. She’d believed – Lumestra, how she’d believed – but belief alone did not change the world. Only deeds did that, and hers had fallen short. In truth, those deaths – and many others – had been commissioned by Ebigail Kiradin herself as part of her attempt to seize control of the Republic. To secure her position, Ebigail then had the Crowmarket kidnap the loved ones of influential Tressians, ensuring that nothing would oppose her coup. Her thrust took the younger man in the chest. Desperate strength drove the blade between his ribs. The hawk of the Tressian Council turned dark as the first blood stained the rider’s woollen tabard. Then he slipped from his saddle, sword clanging against cobbles. With one last, defiant glare at the buccinator, Katya turned her steed about, and galloped through the narrow streets after her children.

Other honourable mentions were; Anastacia, who held so much magical power, she was just plain awesome. Then there was Melanna, the prince of Hadari’s daughter, who wanted nothing more than to become a warrior to fight beside her father, even though tradition dictated women could not partake in warfare. Oh and my favourite duo were Kurkas and Revekeh; these two made the most unlikeliest friendship, but somehow they were both perfect for each other, and their banter together was the absolute best!! Lastly, I’ll mention Ebigail, one of the main villains of the story, and she was the most villainiest of villains indeed! Jeez, she was ruthless; the way she could manipulate situations to ensure her dominance and power, was both maddening but also well played! It’s a cliche, but I loved to hate her. This is definitely one of my top 3 this year's reads and I can say that I wasn't so invested in the series since Malazan Book of The Fallen (which I've read about 5 years ago). To give a brief outline of the book is something of a challenge, as the narrative slowly builds up to become quite complex, but here I go anyway. The Tressian Republic strive to conquer their neighbouring lands; in the south a Phoenix has arisen to lead the people of the Southshires towards a battle for freedom. However, when the Phoenix is slain, hope dies with her, and all that’s left is a legacy of failure. We then move forward to fifteen years later, and the Prince of Hadari plots to set his army upon the lands of the Tressian Republic to further his rule and secure his seat on the Emperor’s throne. His eye is set upon the land of the Southshires, to the town of Eskavord. Josiri, and Calenne, the children of the infamous Phoenix, imprisoned within the walls of Branghall castle, must find a way to continue their mother’s quest for freedom and liberate the people of Eskavord, not only against the oncoming Hadari, but also breaking free from the Republic. With Josiri riddled with self doubt, and his sister Calenne desperate to rid herself of her mother’s memory, the task is not easy. Can Viktor, a soldier of the Republic, amend for his past deeds and offer salvation to the doomed Southshires? Can old wounds be buried and new alliances formed? This, folks, is our tale. I’ll start by saying Legacy of Ash is the very embodiment of an epic fantasy. There is a quest for freedom, there are legendary knights, characters who can wield magic, ethereal beings, and there is the age-old war between light and dark, although this book does give a somewhat fresh perspective on that! I know this book has been compared to Game of Thrones (what fantasy book hasn’t these days?) but I find this misleading. This is not a dark and gritty book, and if I had to compare it to any other series, I would say it’s more akin to The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne. Another belated review- I know *Sighh* BUT I finally read this AMAZING sequel and yes finally a review to follow!Ruling families - once protectors of justice and democracy - now plot against one another with sharp words and sharper knives. Blinded by ambition, they remain heedless of the threat posed by the invading armies of the Hadari Empire.

CIA Statement on "Legacy of Ashes" ". Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 2007-08-06. Archived from the original on 2008-01-09 . Retrieved 2021-03-16. Firstly, Matthew Ward’s writing is as brilliant as it was in book 1. This is a chunky and dense read but the prose is easy to handle due to the mix of extraordinary descriptions, key details, emotional conversations and witty dialogue. The multiple POVs and extensive cast of characters keeps the book flowing at a good pace, and gives a great insight into every aspect of the story both from the Hadari’s view and the Tressian’s view. Ward weaves an intricate, unique and epic tale with a broad scope imbued with incredible depth. In terms of the world building, Matthew Ward further adds to the world through the much more deeper inclusion of Dregmeet and the Crowmarket. They are basically the equivalent of Ra's Al Ghuls League of Assassin's. They work in shadows eliminating for people for a price, or those who have wronged them. This problem does not ruin the listening experience, but it does make it unnecessarily challenging (I read it half in kindle and half in audio. He problem doesn’t exist in the written format). Hooves sounded on cobbles. The leading wayfarers spurred forward, swords drawn to avenge their master’s humiliation. The simarka, given no leave to advance, simply watched unfolding events with feline curiosity.Ruling families -- once protectors of justice and democracy -- now plot against one another with sharp words and sharper knives. Blinded by ambition, they remain heedless of the threat posed by the invading armies of the Hadari Empire. A theme I always enjoy in high fantasy stories is the role the gods of the world have to play in the bigger picture. This is why the gods having a more prominent (you could say, a major) role in the developments and scheming (!) of the plot was something I really loved. It was so refreshing to see them not just as gods, but as characters of their own with some of them even having their own kind of character development arc. National Book Awards – 2007". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-02-20. (With interview transcript and personal appearance video.)