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A review by armandnolastname
Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward
3.0
3.5
An entertaining and political fantasy read and a very solid first book in a trilogy.
The plot is heavy on politics more than the fantasy aspect, so I would recommend it to readers who are looking for that intrigue and conflict. The chapters are divided into small POVs of different characters, which makes the book more dynamic considering its limitations as a slow paced high fantasy. It is easy to fall into the rhythm that the author establishes for the events.
The worldbuilding, lore, and magical aspects have a lot of potential. One very positive point is that I didn't feel there were infodumps, but rather that the elements were slowly introduced in a more organic way than I have seen in other works. Not everything is explained as soon as it is mentioned, and this gives the reader a moment to be confused but also a moment to discover the world without textbook definitions of it. The inner conflicts and motivations of the characters are also presented in this way, creating an odd mixture of classic tropes that have been seen a 100 times before, with some ideas that could actually be very interesting if explored enough.
The characters and the net of relationships between them, how they grow closer and then further apart, is probably the best part of Legacy of Ash. As this book feels like an introduction to what is to come in the next 2, there is still a personal and emotional aspect, a connection with the reader, that is missing for me at least. It is very ambitious to have so many characters and try to make them all compelling instead of mere plot devices, and the effort is there. I truly think that the characters and their motivations need more space, more time to be fully developed so that their arcs, feelings, and actions really feel like it has paid off and don't come out of nowhere, a sensation that I unfortunately felt at some points in the story, but not in all of them. As I said, this book is full of potential.
However, I do believe that it doesn't stop where it should at the very end, when the slug that was avoided in the rest of the book comes out in full force. The author obviously wanted to tie up all the initial plots and set up new ones for the next part of the trilogy, but it felt as if those new plots started in the last 10% of the book instead of just offering a little taste of book 2.
I do believe this series has potential and I will keep reading it.
An entertaining and political fantasy read and a very solid first book in a trilogy.
The plot is heavy on politics more than the fantasy aspect, so I would recommend it to readers who are looking for that intrigue and conflict. The chapters are divided into small POVs of different characters, which makes the book more dynamic considering its limitations as a slow paced high fantasy. It is easy to fall into the rhythm that the author establishes for the events.
The worldbuilding, lore, and magical aspects have a lot of potential. One very positive point is that I didn't feel there were infodumps, but rather that the elements were slowly introduced in a more organic way than I have seen in other works. Not everything is explained as soon as it is mentioned, and this gives the reader a moment to be confused but also a moment to discover the world without textbook definitions of it. The inner conflicts and motivations of the characters are also presented in this way, creating an odd mixture of classic tropes that have been seen a 100 times before, with some ideas that could actually be very interesting if explored enough.
The characters and the net of relationships between them, how they grow closer and then further apart, is probably the best part of Legacy of Ash. As this book feels like an introduction to what is to come in the next 2, there is still a personal and emotional aspect, a connection with the reader, that is missing for me at least. It is very ambitious to have so many characters and try to make them all compelling instead of mere plot devices, and the effort is there. I truly think that the characters and their motivations need more space, more time to be fully developed so that their arcs, feelings, and actions really feel like it has paid off and don't come out of nowhere, a sensation that I unfortunately felt at some points in the story, but not in all of them. As I said, this book is full of potential.
However, I do believe that it doesn't stop where it should at the very end, when the slug that was avoided in the rest of the book comes out in full force. The author obviously wanted to tie up all the initial plots and set up new ones for the next part of the trilogy, but it felt as if those new plots started in the last 10% of the book instead of just offering a little taste of book 2.
Spoiler
In my honest opinion, I would have ended the book with /that/ scene with Viktor and Malatriant. I'm sure it would have served its purpose of keeping readers interested in what might happen in the next part of the series, without resolving every question and untangling every knot in that last 10%. For me, it is almost a mistake to be still writing and opening up more and more storylines after the final climax occurs. It's a trilogy! Not everything needs to be answered yet.I do believe this series has potential and I will keep reading it.