Rise of the Ash Kingdom by Elizabeth R. Olson

Rise of the Ash Kingdom by Elizabeth R. Olson | A Review

What's Up, Readers!!

Welcome to Quills and Pages. So I finished this debut book from Elizabeth R. Olson. The book is Rise of the Ash Kingdom, and it is the first in the series of A Sun and Moon tale......(I mean the name game is going perfectly, don't you think)

BLURB

After enduring a traumatic childhood, twenty-two-year-old Briar Clarke has learned two things: never get close enough for anyone to disappoint her again, and the fire living inside her must never reach the surface. But it’s these two things that prevent Briar from finding the one thing she craves deeply—a home. When Briar is involved in a tragic accident that should have killed her, she wakes in a different world entirely. Elysian, she is told, is a land where the magic powered by the High Queen keeps its creatures living. But the rightful heir is missing, a Dark Queen falsely sits in her place, and the land is slowly dying in response.
Briar must journey through the realms in search of a way back to her world. But when word spreads of this strange human’s impossible arrival, the Dark Queen takes interest, and soon Briar is fleeing more than just the crumpling realms. Forced further into Elysian, she encounters kingdoms plagued by political strife, danger lurking in every shadow, and untrustworthy allies with dark intentions. But with each step closer to her destination, Briar can’t help but feel like she’s moving in the wrong direction. There is something about Elysian soil that has awakened the fire beneath her skin. The very fire she has told herself must be kept buried at all costs. A fiery rage that could aid Elysian in the downfall of its false queen.
Briar has never fought a day in her life, and if she doesn’t do so now, any chance of saving Elysian—or finding home—will crumple to ash.

GENRE
High/Magical/Quest Fantasy

TROPES

☙ Found Family

☙ Dying Magical World

☙ Reluctant Heroine

☙ Forced Proximity (to some extent)

☙ A dark queen rules all

☙ Trauma caused by the disappearance of a parent

☙ Secret Powers

☙ Quest Fantasy

MY REVIEW

So I started reading this book a while back and I keep getting distracted because of work and other commitments, but my mind kept coming back to this story......and I keep thinking about Zelda when reading this story....This is a quest fantasy, and I was so intrigued by it. I have to say it did not disappoint me. The thing I loved the most is world building...Briar travel to so many interesting places.....and I was eating all the details up....I think that's why it reminded me of Zelda....I love a good magical world.

I am not diving into details, but long story short, the story was immaculately written. Briar is not a very strong FMC, but she has something in her....she is a survivor.....and I think she will become more as the story will progress. Dark Queen is a very interesting character.....she reminded me of the Evil Queen from Snow White. and what was up with Zaffar......he was too cocky......I was rolling my eyes at his attempts to flirt with Briar......I was like, Sir, please.....what the what.....But he was entertaining. On the whole, the story was great. Highly recommend it if you are a fantasy game player; you will love it.

MY RATING
Overall: ★★★★ | 4 Stars

Plot: ★★★★★| 4 Stars

Romance: ★★★★| 4 Stars

Characters:★★★★ | 4 Stars

Pacing: ★★★★★| 5 stars

Mystery: ★★★★★| 5 star

World-building: ★★★★★| 5 star

Ending: ★★★★★| 5 Stars

DEDICATION

THE BEST PART

☙The world-building was really great

☙ Briar's journey is intriguing, and there are some mysteries that I keep thinking about.

THE WORST PARTS
☙ Zaffar cockiness was hilarious....I still can't say it's the worst part... I was laughing at him, so it counts as something.

Happy Reading!!

Stalk me!!

Get free books & ARCs – join QP Book Tours!

❤ 🎧☕️🕯️📖 ❤

Plated Prisoner Series | A series review (Spoiler Alert!!!)

Have you ever stumbled upon a series that not only captures your imagination but also challenges the norms of classic narratives? Recently, I had the privilege of delving into the spellbinding world of the Plated Prisoner series, written by Raven Kennedy. If you haven't yet experienced this literary masterpiece, be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of intrigue, deception, and personal growth. Embark with me on a journey through the twists and turns of these books, where the conventional story of King Midas and his golden touch takes an unexpected and captivating turn. A Twist on a Classic Tale The foundation of the Plated Prisoner series rests upon the iconic figure of King Midas and his fabled golden touch. However, Kennedy masterfully introduces a twist; King Midas, rather than possessing the golden touch, is revealed to be a fraud, capitalizing on the real power held by this beautiful character Auren. Auren, with her genuine golden touch, becomes the linchpin of the plot as ...

A Critical Lens on 'Hunting Adeline' by H.D. Carlton: Exploring the Disturbing Themes | A Review

I kept delaying writing the review because I had to remember it and didn't want to do that. This 2nd book of Cat and Mouse duet is the story of a human trafficking survivor. This book is a huge TRIGGER WARNING . Kindly proceed with caution. I even got traumatized after reading it. So to explain the synopsis; Adeline (the main character) got kidnapped at the end of the first book and sold to some people who groomed her for some very rich and powerful clients. Almost half of the book is based on Adeline surviving the worst situations possible for a woman. Adeline had one advantage someone was fervently searching for her, and eventually, Zade managed to rescue her after four agonizing months. The scene when Zade finds her and she just could not believe it. She crumbled to her knees thinking she was hallucinating. After Zade brings her home she struggles so hard to process her trauma. She learns to fight to take control of her life. She gets close to her mother. She hates h...

The Awakening | Zodiac Academy Series written by Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti | A Book Review

Alright, here I am, sharing my thoughts on the first book The Awakening from Zodiac Academy series written by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti . I decided to start reviewing this series as it falls under the 'enemies to lovers ' and 'bullies romance' genres, which are right up my alley. I'm a sucker for this type of book and I am always on the hunt for such books. Someone made a video of this book on TikTok and I was like I had to read it. So, I began reading the book and I fell into a rabbit hole of Magic Academy, hot assholes, and alternative Fae world. It felt like diving into a more mature version of Harry Potter. Needless to say, I absolutely loved this first installment. GENRE Bully Paranormal Romance THEME AND TONE Mystery, Drama, Action LANGUAGE AND WRITING STYLE Easy to Read CHARACTERS Growing and Changing characters TROPES ☙ Bully Romance ☙ Insane Chemistry ☙ Lost Princesses ☙ Multiple Love Interests ☙ Teacher Student Romance ☙ Hate to Hate and ...

Where is Molly by H.D Carlton | A Review

Where is Molly is a stand alone book written by H.D Carlton. It is set in the Universe of Haunting Adeline. The story revolves around Molly...the girl we found in Hunting Adeline. Her diary was founded by Adeline under the floor and us readers always wanted to know if she succeeded in running away from that awful place. Blurb A spinoff of the Cat & Mouse Duet... “Molly Devereaux has been missing for more than two weeks, and police are still searching for the girl who seemed to vanish out of thin air. The world still wants to know... Where's Molly?” In my dreams, I never escaped the Oregon woods. Life after death isn't easy to accept, especially when I still feel like a ghost. Now, I live deep in the mountains of Montana—the paradigm of beauty. But they are also the home of horrors. Horrors that I only unleash at night. When my pigs are allowed to feast. It is strongly recommended to read Haunting Adeline and Hunting Adeline before reading Where's Molly. Important No...

On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn | A Review

What's Up, Readers!! Welcome to Quills and Pages. I just finished On Wings of Blood arc....and now I am here to write the review. the book is written by Briar Boleyn and Thank you to Netgally and the author for this arc. iSo, let's start the review BLURB I didn't sign up for this. A half-fae in a school of highblood vampires? That's a recipe for torment. I'm Medra Pendragon—last of the dragon riders, or so they tell me. Funny thing is, there are no dragons left. Not a single one. But somehow, that hasn't stopped the vampires from deciding I'm worth capturing. Now I'm stuck at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods run everything and blightborn like me? We're just blood in their veins, pawns in their games. But that's not even the worst part. Enter Blake Drakharrow. Cold, arrogant, and way too gorgeous for his own good. He's been tormenting me since the moment we met, and now, thanks to some ancient ritual, we're betrothed. He acts like h...