The city feels vivid as a setting, and there’s a meticulous attention paid to two things: grief, and the daily grind of poverty.

He has an impressive backlist of science fiction and fantasy writing including as one half of the writing team behind the bestselling The Expanse series.This was one of those books I enjoyed so much, I could set aside my over-critical mind and just appreciate the journey. We do have some unique character and place names in Age of Ash but nothing too drastic that tripped me up when reading them. Dig deeper, and you will find a harrowing tale of loss and grief: loss of family, loss of love, loss of a lifestyle, loss of home. A really enjoyable story, if a somewhat straightforward one as the characters journey doesn’t do a whole lot to expand the world. And after hearing some things about the big-picture development of the series as a whole, I’m so there for every last word.

We also get the POVs of some of the "bad guys" which I honestly really enjoyed and thought added an extra layer of dimension to the story. There are rich people with some kind of agenda, but save some ill-defined darkness, the consequences of them getting what they want or not was never truly addressed.Our tale is set in the illustrious city of Kithamar, a city full of beauty, but with a rich history of blood and war, a city where every person has a story to unfold, a city where a sinister secret has long been kept hidden. When a new prince rises to power, it marks the beginning of a year of tumultuous events in the city.

AGE OF ASH tells a story that seems to be adjacent to what is really going on, and because of that, seems to fall a little flat. It’s really one of the most generic low-magic city fantasies I’ve ever read, from its heroine, a plucky young thief who gets caught up in a job far bigger than she imagined, to its sinister-yet-affable priests who are keeping secrets that underpin the very workings of the city. We mainly follow Alys, a young thief from the slums who sets out to avenge the murder of her brother and learn who killed him and why.Alys, a poor girl from Longhill, gets herself involved in the midst of a pull that can shake the entire city. It was weird to reach the end and realize I had misimagined some of them, while most of the characters were still not described at all. Age of Ash follows the tale of the city of Kithamar during a tumultous time in history with assassinations, rivalling gangs and religous cults abound. Recommendations: if you love subtle, immersive world-building and highly character-driven novels, then Age of Ash will be right up your alley. I would recommend anyone who is curious about this book to watch Allen's review of it on his The Library of Allenaxndria YouTube channel.