Genres: Urban Fantasy
Published by T.M. Miller
Released on February 14, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Source: Giveaway
The Delight
I was perusing my shelves for a good witchy read for the Spooky Readathon I’m participating in and spotted this one languishing in my Audible library. This was one I won during the #JIAM event and I remembered being rather excited to try a new to me author, narrator, and urban fantasy world. Perfect!
Review
Rain of Ash is the first in the Skydancer series that is a swirl of fun, but also dark urban fantasy elements surrounding an ageless battle for possession of an artifact and an Oracle.
The story opens with Bri, a famous concert pianist going through a horrendous vision, a panic attack, and the knowledge that her brittle world is crumbling around her. She was trying to escape who she really was even though her escape was a dream of hers, too. All that ends when her grandmother’s death brings her back to face facts. She has a magical heritage and her family has a tragic magical history. Bri’s magic has been bound, but is breaking through, she’s woefully ignorant while her enemy is leaps ahead of her, and she can only count on her two friends both of whom she deserted suddenly and never came back. Bri has to come into her own to fight a demon and the cost is deep as lives are changed and lost in the process.
I thought the author did a great job introducing a vulnerable heroine and a new urban fantasy world in a way that kept the action flowing. Bri was in denial for a bit, but then got with the program when facing her problems was thrust upon her. The camaraderie with Astrid and Dean as a team was great. The demon was a vile villain and there are others characters who are intriguing players in all this including a past life lover. Yes, there is a reincarnation aspect to this one.
That leads me to Bri and her men. She’s got at least three at this point who were into her. Normally this is not my brand of drama, but when it ended, I wasn’t exactly shaking my fist over nefarious love triangles (quadrangles?). What I mean is her personal interest seemed to be only toward one guy and she wasn’t exactly toying with the others which is what I hate.
The ending was action-packed and exciting as I like and left things in a good place before the next book.
Daniela Acitelli was a new to me narrator and I am happy to report that she did a fabulous job with all those voices and situations. Bri in all her emotions and thoughts was fabulously voiced, but the others even male voices were great. She grasps the tone of the story and the pacing so that nothing interfered with the storytelling.
So, all in all, this was a good first outing with a new series, author, and narrator. I got my fill of witches and dark deeds and I was left interested in seeing where all this goes. I can definitely recommend this one to other urban fantasy fans.
Challenges
New Release #174
Audio #78
Let’s Read Indie #111
Spooky #4
Recommendations
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That sounds really good. More men= more fun? lol
Loving that cover too.
LOL, her life got complicated really fast and she went from one staid boyfriend to her first crush and a reincarnated lover also into her. The male demon only wanted to annihilate her so that’s alright. LOL
This sounds good and the darker fantasy elements have me curious!
Oh yeah, there was a burning at the stake right in the prologue and this author wasn’t afraid for people to get hurt and even die. Definitely not a lightly witchy one. I’m curious to see where it goes after that ending.
I absolutely adore that cover!!!!!
Same here. The colors just jump out.
That’s a gorgeous cover. I’ve not tried author or narrator but gonna have to change that. The love triangles (or multiples) can annoy me, too, unless they’re obviously going to keep ALL of them Heh but this one sounds like it was nicely done. Good to hear!
I thought they did a great job on the cover, too, and enjoyed a new to me author and narrator. I was wary of the men in her life, but relaxed when she was only into one of them and made it clear she wasn’t interested in the others as more than allies (though yes, she did keep the one she was interested in guessing).