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The Ashes to Ashes Trilogy #1
Dust to Ash
A soldier on a mission. A survivor with a secret.
In the icy mountains of the north, rumors are spreading. There are whispers of fighters from the isolated kingdom of Sarkhyr appearing in the south for the first time in over a hundred years. When a group of soldiers is attacked, Theodric Rhoan’s reconnaissance team is sent to gather information. What they find instead is something they never could have imagined.
Deep in the Morehan Forest, a manor that shouldn’t exist burns to the ground, leaving one lone survivor. Severely injured and unable to speak, Ishaan brings more questions than answers and shrouds his secrets in a haze of lies. A twist of fate throws him into Theodric’s path, binding them together even as an unseen enemy threatens to tear them apart.
When a brutal attack splinters the team and leaves one of them at the mercy of a ruthless mage, Theodric and Ishaan must find a way to survive and get back to each other. With enemies closing in, difficult choices are made and secrets are revealed that have the power to change the world… or burn it down to ashes.
In the icy mountains of the north, rumors are spreading. There are whispers of fighters from the isolated kingdom of Sarkhyr appearing in the south for the first time in over a hundred years. When a group of soldiers is attacked, Theodric Rhoan’s reconnaissance team is sent to gather information. What they find instead is something they never could have imagined.
Deep in the Morehan Forest, a manor that shouldn’t exist burns to the ground, leaving one lone survivor. Severely injured and unable to speak, Ishaan brings more questions than answers and shrouds his secrets in a haze of lies. A twist of fate throws him into Theodric’s path, binding them together even as an unseen enemy threatens to tear them apart.
When a brutal attack splinters the team and leaves one of them at the mercy of a ruthless mage, Theodric and Ishaan must find a way to survive and get back to each other. With enemies closing in, difficult choices are made and secrets are revealed that have the power to change the world… or burn it down to ashes.
- GenresFantasy
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2023
30 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Lyra Haven
6 books12 followersLyra Haven has been telling stories all their life, ever since they were old enough to daydream. When their third-grade teacher published their book about a little lost elf in the school library, the spark was lit. However, life had other plans, and dreams of sharing their stories went on the back burner.
An avid reader, once they discovered the world of queer romance, there was no going back. Finding such an amazing community was finally what prompted them to take a leap of faith and share the stories in their head with the rest of the world.
After a decade full of travel and living in three different states and two countries, they finally came back to their Midwestern hometown. They now live in Indiana in a drafty old house that's probably haunted with their cat and two dogs; a silly shepherd and a crazy husky (who has more Instagram followers than they do).
An avid reader, once they discovered the world of queer romance, there was no going back. Finding such an amazing community was finally what prompted them to take a leap of faith and share the stories in their head with the rest of the world.
After a decade full of travel and living in three different states and two countries, they finally came back to their Midwestern hometown. They now live in Indiana in a drafty old house that's probably haunted with their cat and two dogs; a silly shepherd and a crazy husky (who has more Instagram followers than they do).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 18, 2023
Well paced
It's hard to find a well paced action packed fantasy with genuinely likeable characters, Lyra has succeeded in this first installment of The Ashes to Ashes Trilogy. Theo is my new book bff. After I've read this one twice I am so excited to delve into her next book!
It's hard to find a well paced action packed fantasy with genuinely likeable characters, Lyra has succeeded in this first installment of The Ashes to Ashes Trilogy. Theo is my new book bff. After I've read this one twice I am so excited to delve into her next book!
August 13, 2023
Lyra wrote in such descriptive detail that I felt as if I was there in the middle of the story! This was a fantastic debut novel. It has the perfect blend of character development and suspense as the storyline progresses. I could feel the author’s passion and love for the characters, as I, too, fell in love with them. I cannot wait for the next in the series!! I need to know what happens next, NOW!!! (Please don’t judge this book by the time it took to read it. This past month has been the busiest month of my life!)
July 14, 2024
Another day, another bust!
Reading this book felt like dinning craving the main course and being stuck to the entree salad the whole meal.
The story focusses so many energy on the setups, that it just doesn’t have the energy to deliver. They spend so many times setting up camp, taking it down, preparing for this and that. Feels like the author had all these great ideas, but couldn’t think of anything actually interesting to be the main goal.
The magic system is rudimentary and basic, not fun or interesting at all. The world building didn’t impress either. And I wasn’t particular fond of any of the characters. They all seemed to be stuck permanently on the “snarky best friend” mode. There was also way too many of them for me to start caring about. Even learning all the names was difficult and pointless.
Overall if I had to summarize this story in one world it would be: boring. It didn’t impress in any aspect and I yawned way too many times while reading. Picking up the sequel (because it also ends on an extremely bad cliffhanger, yay!) is sounding very unappealing.
Adding to the unappealing status: I have a feeling this story is going the “powerful people messing with shit they shouldn’t led us here” route, and don’t you love this as a reader? When the entire grand plot is summarized to “these poor fuckers were there at the wrong place and wrong time and got caught in the crossfire of powerful people playing”. Love it
Reading this book felt like dinning craving the main course and being stuck to the entree salad the whole meal.
The story focusses so many energy on the setups, that it just doesn’t have the energy to deliver. They spend so many times setting up camp, taking it down, preparing for this and that. Feels like the author had all these great ideas, but couldn’t think of anything actually interesting to be the main goal.
The magic system is rudimentary and basic, not fun or interesting at all. The world building didn’t impress either. And I wasn’t particular fond of any of the characters. They all seemed to be stuck permanently on the “snarky best friend” mode. There was also way too many of them for me to start caring about. Even learning all the names was difficult and pointless.
Overall if I had to summarize this story in one world it would be: boring. It didn’t impress in any aspect and I yawned way too many times while reading. Picking up the sequel (because it also ends on an extremely bad cliffhanger, yay!) is sounding very unappealing.
Adding to the unappealing status: I have a feeling this story is going the “powerful people messing with shit they shouldn’t led us here” route, and don’t you love this as a reader? When the entire grand plot is summarized to “these poor fuckers were there at the wrong place and wrong time and got caught in the crossfire of powerful people playing”. Love it
April 18, 2024
What I enjoyed most about Dust to Ash is the realistic group dynamics within Theo's specialist group. Even the minor characters feel like real people, who have worked together under pressure for many years. The book has a sense of routine to it as the group travels from one place to another, scouting, camping and bantering with one another on the way. This contrasts nicely with the darker elements of the plot unfolding, including the painful memories and PTSD-like struggles experienced by the main characters. I feel like we have only scratched the surface of Lyra Haven's world in this first book of the trilogy and cannot wait to dive deeper into its secrets.
July 9, 2023
I was privileged enough to read this prior to publication. This book pulled me in from the start. I could not put it down, even when it was breaking my heart. This is an amazing debut novel. We are going to definitely be hearing Lyra’s name for decades to come.
dnf
October 28, 2024DNF at 16% which is 50 pages in. Nothing happened except names and places being thrown around.
"...Naema asked. She'd finished checking over her partner and had shifted to sit beside Naema,..."
Erm....yes....
"...Naema asked. She'd finished checking over her partner and had shifted to sit beside Naema,..."
Erm....yes....
August 1, 2023
This is a great story with well developed characters. It ends in a cliffhanger, so you will have to purchase another book once it is finished, but I am sure it will be well worth it. Read this book!
June 27, 2024
I cannot get the next book fast enough!
Great characters, suspenseful plot and a fabulous buildup! The only negative is that I will have to wait a few weeks for the third book!
Great characters, suspenseful plot and a fabulous buildup! The only negative is that I will have to wait a few weeks for the third book!
July 1, 2024
I need more 😩
That abrupt ending snuck up on me. There are so many unanswered questions about Ishaan and poor Theo. I absolutely can't wait for book two.
That abrupt ending snuck up on me. There are so many unanswered questions about Ishaan and poor Theo. I absolutely can't wait for book two.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews