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Of Ashes
“Neither do I condemn you…” And everything that happened before.Ashra, fiery and restless, has craved freedom for as long as she can remember. She used to feel it in the fields when her dearest friend, Matthias, would sing her songs and weave her fine crowns of wildflowers.
But she is not a child anymore, and Matthias is gone.
Now at seventeen, she is arranged to marry Aacro. Though beautiful and familiar, he is beginning to resemble the very man she longs to escape—her own father.
Just as the walls cave in, Ashra stumbles into a copper-shop during a trip to the sea. As the coppersmith raises his face, her heart stills.
For he looks very much like a boy she once knew.A boy who sang her songs in the field.A boy who made her wildflower crowns.A boy who was supposed to be gone.Of Ashes, the theatrical Novel, was written by me (Anna Miriam Brown) alongside the musical soundtrack; Of Ashes—the musical. (I couldn't decide if I wanted to write a book or a musical, so I did both.)The full album, produced by Isaac Brown and performed by an incredible cast of singers, can be found on all listening platforms. Check it out—it's wonderful.This biblical but imaginative story surrounds the woman caught in adultery from John 8, and the Leper Jesus cleanses from Matthew 8. There (obviously) is some mature content considering the story I'm telling—Prostitution, adultery, religious abuse, domestic abuse, deconstruction of faith, attempted murder, and death are the heaviest topics. So read with caution. (16+)Here's a little something that can help you decide if this book (or musical) is for —If you liked The Chosen tv show, you might like this. If not...maybe invest your time in a different story. While this telling remains true to everything that is written in scripture, I use imagination to fill in the blanks. A majority of this novel fictional.—If you liked Francine River's Mark of the Lion or Redeeming Love, you might appreciate this. But if the raw and somewhat graphic content of those stories was too much, this may not be for you. Of Ashes is a story of redemption, and I don't shy away from the darkness that comes before the dawn.If you're not sure about purchasing the Novel, listen to the musical first. If you like the musical, you will love the book—as it dives deeper into our characters and has lots of scenes I didn't included in the album.With all that said, enjoy Of Ashes.*Blows a kiss*Anna Miriam Brown
But she is not a child anymore, and Matthias is gone.
Now at seventeen, she is arranged to marry Aacro. Though beautiful and familiar, he is beginning to resemble the very man she longs to escape—her own father.
Just as the walls cave in, Ashra stumbles into a copper-shop during a trip to the sea. As the coppersmith raises his face, her heart stills.
For he looks very much like a boy she once knew.A boy who sang her songs in the field.A boy who made her wildflower crowns.A boy who was supposed to be gone.Of Ashes, the theatrical Novel, was written by me (Anna Miriam Brown) alongside the musical soundtrack; Of Ashes—the musical. (I couldn't decide if I wanted to write a book or a musical, so I did both.)The full album, produced by Isaac Brown and performed by an incredible cast of singers, can be found on all listening platforms. Check it out—it's wonderful.This biblical but imaginative story surrounds the woman caught in adultery from John 8, and the Leper Jesus cleanses from Matthew 8. There (obviously) is some mature content considering the story I'm telling—Prostitution, adultery, religious abuse, domestic abuse, deconstruction of faith, attempted murder, and death are the heaviest topics. So read with caution. (16+)Here's a little something that can help you decide if this book (or musical) is for —If you liked The Chosen tv show, you might like this. If not...maybe invest your time in a different story. While this telling remains true to everything that is written in scripture, I use imagination to fill in the blanks. A majority of this novel fictional.—If you liked Francine River's Mark of the Lion or Redeeming Love, you might appreciate this. But if the raw and somewhat graphic content of those stories was too much, this may not be for you. Of Ashes is a story of redemption, and I don't shy away from the darkness that comes before the dawn.If you're not sure about purchasing the Novel, listen to the musical first. If you like the musical, you will love the book—as it dives deeper into our characters and has lots of scenes I didn't included in the album.With all that said, enjoy Of Ashes.*Blows a kiss*Anna Miriam Brown
333 pages, Paperback
Published December 5, 2023
47 people are currently reading
732 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
January 7, 2024
4.5/5 pls don’t speak to me im still processing.
January 12, 2024
When I recently visited my family out of state for Christmas, my teenage nieces had practically memorized the entire musical, despite its release only a few days before. They were all in the middle this book, which I immediately ordered on Amazon -
I ended up with an illustrated copy which was a nice treat. Being local to the Brown family and in the homeschooling world, I was aware of His Story, but I was surprised that my nieces knew about Anna’s work.
This book is such an interesting experience. The musical version of Of Ashes is phenomenal. Anna is incredibly talented and I’m impressed by her taking on a novel as well. I listened to it the musical once as background music mostly, but as I read the novel I stopped and watched the studio video of each song and loved the music.
Taking these stories from the Bible and humanizing these people we’ve read about over and over is a really powerful thing to do. Because Jesus knew and saw the woman caught in adultery, as well as the leper, and thinking about Him meeting them where they were is an incredible thing. Anna writes beautifully about Jesus, which I imagine is a tricky thing to navigate in a fiction book where He is a character in the novel.
Self publishing is a commendable feat. I do imagine that a good editor (aside from the grammatical/formatting editing that needs done, which another kudos for writing a novel with dyslexia!) could really shape this and grow the writing. There were some aspects where this felt like modern was trying to mix in with the historical setting, some timeline aspects weren’t clear, and just overall I felt as if there were some things that could be done to polish up the novel. Stylistically, it has that YA heavily dramatic/emotive feel which isn’t my preference, and often referred back to characters in a weird way - Matthias kept being referred back to as the coppersmith or the leper instead of just Matthias, I feel like maybe that is another typical YA/fantasy quirk? And despite its YA writing feel the topics are heavy and I don’t know that I even love my nieces delving into these topics, although they absolutely loved and devoured this. I know the Bible addresses such things, but it hits differently in Scripture than the imagery a novel creates. There’s no smut, but it’s very adult in theme and there are definite suggestive scenes.
All that said I admire Anna’s talent, creativity, passion, and the way she sees things! This was really refreshing in so many ways and I look forward to seeing what else she creates.
I ended up with an illustrated copy which was a nice treat. Being local to the Brown family and in the homeschooling world, I was aware of His Story, but I was surprised that my nieces knew about Anna’s work.
This book is such an interesting experience. The musical version of Of Ashes is phenomenal. Anna is incredibly talented and I’m impressed by her taking on a novel as well. I listened to it the musical once as background music mostly, but as I read the novel I stopped and watched the studio video of each song and loved the music.
Taking these stories from the Bible and humanizing these people we’ve read about over and over is a really powerful thing to do. Because Jesus knew and saw the woman caught in adultery, as well as the leper, and thinking about Him meeting them where they were is an incredible thing. Anna writes beautifully about Jesus, which I imagine is a tricky thing to navigate in a fiction book where He is a character in the novel.
Self publishing is a commendable feat. I do imagine that a good editor (aside from the grammatical/formatting editing that needs done, which another kudos for writing a novel with dyslexia!) could really shape this and grow the writing. There were some aspects where this felt like modern was trying to mix in with the historical setting, some timeline aspects weren’t clear, and just overall I felt as if there were some things that could be done to polish up the novel. Stylistically, it has that YA heavily dramatic/emotive feel which isn’t my preference, and often referred back to characters in a weird way - Matthias kept being referred back to as the coppersmith or the leper instead of just Matthias, I feel like maybe that is another typical YA/fantasy quirk? And despite its YA writing feel the topics are heavy and I don’t know that I even love my nieces delving into these topics, although they absolutely loved and devoured this. I know the Bible addresses such things, but it hits differently in Scripture than the imagery a novel creates. There’s no smut, but it’s very adult in theme and there are definite suggestive scenes.
All that said I admire Anna’s talent, creativity, passion, and the way she sees things! This was really refreshing in so many ways and I look forward to seeing what else she creates.
January 4, 2024
never have i been so impacted by a book before.
even from the beginning-it pulled me in. and now i’m sitting on the floor sobbing overwhelmed by the beauty of this story.
this is a book that truly shows the glory of God. both ashra and matthias pulled away in times when they needed His support. but they came back, just as we run back to the Father because we cannot live without our God.
you can feel the pain of these characters as you read, the longing for a better life-and seeing them get that in the end, seeing how the glory of God affects every single character is so beautiful.
the power of God is so strong, so beautiful, reading how He healed matthias and cleansed ashra, just so beautiful. i will never get enough of this book and how it made me feel.
even from the beginning-it pulled me in. and now i’m sitting on the floor sobbing overwhelmed by the beauty of this story.
this is a book that truly shows the glory of God. both ashra and matthias pulled away in times when they needed His support. but they came back, just as we run back to the Father because we cannot live without our God.
you can feel the pain of these characters as you read, the longing for a better life-and seeing them get that in the end, seeing how the glory of God affects every single character is so beautiful.
the power of God is so strong, so beautiful, reading how He healed matthias and cleansed ashra, just so beautiful. i will never get enough of this book and how it made me feel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2024
i have a lot of thoughts, and this review was written less than an hour after i woke up, so forgive me if it's incoherent 🙈
first things first, i love anna miriam brown's work. i'm not writing this review to hate on her. i can tell how much of her heart went into this, and i'm looking forward to future projects of hers. <3
i loved the musical for of ashes. it was brilliant from both a musical and lyrical standpoint. i felt genuine sympathy for the characters, and found that some of the songs made for good stim songs. i bought the book, after a few weeks of debating about whether or not to spend $17 on it, because of how much i enjoyed the musical.
of ashes, the book, was a bit of a let down. i could tell that this was brown's first novel, and the writing felt fairly amateurish. i didn't really feel a connection to ashra, or any of the main characters really. there were continuity errors, and certain things didn't line up with the musical, which had me pretty confused 😅
the first half felt like it dragged on, and a bit like an oversimplified summary of what the temptation of sexual sin feels like. the timeline was fairly confusing, and none of the characters seemed to know what they wanted. it just sorta felt like they were wandering around aimlessly, just being punching bags for the plot? if that makes sense?
the second half definitely picked up the pace, and had my attention held, at least for a while. ashra's struggles with , and the whole plotline, and the exploration of all was really interesting to read about. there were definite God help the outcasts vibes, and i loved it.
my heart ached for ashra when
i did love the disney vibes that zyrah gave off though! like seriously that was the highlight of this book for me XP.
i was really uncomfortable with the way brown took creative license with what Jesus wrote in the sand. like, i dont know, but it just felt like she went a bit too far with that. maybe that's just me though. *shrug*
also! i loved the commentary on purity culture! that being said, i didnt really feel like it fit the story? and also, i was a bit bothered by the constant use of modern language. i wasn't expecting this to read like the kjv or anything, but i wasn't expecting ashra and the other characters to talk like it was 2024 😅 if i hadn't been told this was set in biblical times, i wouldn't have known.
oh, and also, it felt like the scenes with Jesus were really rushed. like, Jesus shows up, He heals everyone, and then He dies, and this all happens over the course of like 20 pages, after like 100 pages being dedicated to . i was kind of disappointed :(
cw: multiple fade to black sex scenes, use of the longer b word (a few times in ways that felt more like curse words), rape (mentioned, not shown), leprosy, what might count as body horror, prostitution, and other stuff that i'm likely forgetting
first things first, i love anna miriam brown's work. i'm not writing this review to hate on her. i can tell how much of her heart went into this, and i'm looking forward to future projects of hers. <3
i loved the musical for of ashes. it was brilliant from both a musical and lyrical standpoint. i felt genuine sympathy for the characters, and found that some of the songs made for good stim songs. i bought the book, after a few weeks of debating about whether or not to spend $17 on it, because of how much i enjoyed the musical.
of ashes, the book, was a bit of a let down. i could tell that this was brown's first novel, and the writing felt fairly amateurish. i didn't really feel a connection to ashra, or any of the main characters really. there were continuity errors, and certain things didn't line up with the musical, which had me pretty confused 😅
the first half felt like it dragged on, and a bit like an oversimplified summary of what the temptation of sexual sin feels like. the timeline was fairly confusing, and none of the characters seemed to know what they wanted. it just sorta felt like they were wandering around aimlessly, just being punching bags for the plot? if that makes sense?
the second half definitely picked up the pace, and had my attention held, at least for a while. ashra's struggles with , and the whole plotline, and the exploration of all was really interesting to read about. there were definite God help the outcasts vibes, and i loved it.
my heart ached for ashra when
i did love the disney vibes that zyrah gave off though! like seriously that was the highlight of this book for me XP.
i was really uncomfortable with the way brown took creative license with what Jesus wrote in the sand. like, i dont know, but it just felt like she went a bit too far with that. maybe that's just me though. *shrug*
also! i loved the commentary on purity culture! that being said, i didnt really feel like it fit the story? and also, i was a bit bothered by the constant use of modern language. i wasn't expecting this to read like the kjv or anything, but i wasn't expecting ashra and the other characters to talk like it was 2024 😅 if i hadn't been told this was set in biblical times, i wouldn't have known.
oh, and also, it felt like the scenes with Jesus were really rushed. like, Jesus shows up, He heals everyone, and then He dies, and this all happens over the course of like 20 pages, after like 100 pages being dedicated to . i was kind of disappointed :(
cw: multiple fade to black sex scenes, use of the longer b word (a few times in ways that felt more like curse words), rape (mentioned, not shown), leprosy, what might count as body horror, prostitution, and other stuff that i'm likely forgetting
February 23, 2025
I wish I could read this again for the first time. The musical EATS. The book EATS. Anna Miriam Brown, I LOVE YOU and EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH. I want to see this on-stage so bad, you don't understand T_T
February 14, 2024
This book is by far the best book I've ever read. The characters are so well written, and it's amazing how much they've changed through the beginning to the end. I highly recommend this book!!
January 30, 2024
this was amazing. I can easily say it’s the most uniquely wonderful thing I’ve ever read because it has a musical to go with it?!? And it’s about Jesus?!? Like who does that?! Cried like a baby at the end. Freaking fantastic.
February 18, 2024
* 4.5 stars
I really appreciate when Christian authors write stories with characters who are flawed, and not sugary sweet like a Hallmark movie.
Brown did a great job expanding on stories from the New Testament and touching on the power of grace! I also recommend checking out the musical that ties to this story.
The themes of redemption and forgiveness are well done, and really reminded me of how much God loves us.
The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that I think a little more editing/formating would have been nice. Sometimes characters will have consistencies within the same chapter. Like Aacro takes off his necklace, then suddenly he has it on again. Or someone is on a horse, then suddenly they are described to be walking. Just a little confusing at times.
But overall, this was a great story!
I really appreciate when Christian authors write stories with characters who are flawed, and not sugary sweet like a Hallmark movie.
Brown did a great job expanding on stories from the New Testament and touching on the power of grace! I also recommend checking out the musical that ties to this story.
The themes of redemption and forgiveness are well done, and really reminded me of how much God loves us.
The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that I think a little more editing/formating would have been nice. Sometimes characters will have consistencies within the same chapter. Like Aacro takes off his necklace, then suddenly he has it on again. Or someone is on a horse, then suddenly they are described to be walking. Just a little confusing at times.
But overall, this was a great story!
January 22, 2024
An emotional biblical love story about the woman caught in adultery & the healed leper that portrays God’s story for humankind so well. So creative and addresses heavy topics. It was fast paced and poetically written. You know it’s good when u have to annotate.
December 26, 2023
SO GOOD!!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!! GRIPPING, FAST PACED, GO READ IT!!
January 4, 2025
Loved this book so much! It’s a beautiful story about how we are never too far gone for God’s love. It reminds us that no matter what we do, the Lord is still seeking a relationship with us and His love and mercy are never ending. It was well written and it makes a person ponder more deeply the characters in the Bible; it reminds us that they were real people, with real stories, not just words on a page. 10/10 recommend!!
March 14, 2024
Finished it in one day, it was very good! I felt super connected to the characters and the story was beautiful. I only have a few issues- the ending felt kind of rushed. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was speaking. And I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be an reception ark or not with Aacro
January 6, 2024
So good 😭 After listening to the musical, I saw there was a book and knew immediately I had to buy it. So I did… immediately, and started reading. I could hear the music I had listened to as I read and it was just wonderful. I love the characters and how the plot was thought out in reference to the Scripture. At the end you read about Jesus how He is shown in the Chosen and I can’t get enough. Makes me weepy.
Can’t wait to share this book with friends!
Can’t wait to share this book with friends!
January 2, 2025
My older sister got me this book for Christmas and it was an absolutely beautiful read!! The depth and heart that cries out from the pages, strikes at the soul in a deeply profound way. I loved how Anna wove together the stories of several of Jesus' miraculous healings, giving names and voices to the people in the stories! I loved it and I would highly recommend this book!
October 29, 2024
It's essentially Bible fan fiction.
But it presents such a beautiful image as to what the church would have looked like after the resurrection.
But it presents such a beautiful image as to what the church would have looked like after the resurrection.
February 23, 2024
Beautiful, stunning, gorgeous. This story was such a lovely journey and it was so fun to read while listening to the musical, the songs synced to the scenes. It’s an absolutely heartbreaking and thrilling read. I had trouble thinking about or doing anything else once I’d picked it up.
January 14, 2024
WHAT A BOOK! All I can say is go into this book with no agenda and just know this will change your outlook on everything. You understand Jesus so much deeper and know his love has no bounds ! I am obsessed with the characters in this book the way the story was told and how powerful this plot was. As a Christian this has really left me with question and wanting me to connect with God even more.
This is an insane book and I think everyone should know about it and the fact it comes with a 34 soundtrack just makes it that much better than most books out there. It has all genres mixed into 1 and it really captures the reader in within the first 20 pages there wasn’t a moment of confusion of misunderstanding because the book and the writing captured you into this world and this life where Jesus was a healer and the Messiah!
What a story !
Go read it ! Else your missing out🖤
This is an insane book and I think everyone should know about it and the fact it comes with a 34 soundtrack just makes it that much better than most books out there. It has all genres mixed into 1 and it really captures the reader in within the first 20 pages there wasn’t a moment of confusion of misunderstanding because the book and the writing captured you into this world and this life where Jesus was a healer and the Messiah!
What a story !
Go read it ! Else your missing out🖤
October 28, 2025
This by far has been one of the best reads I have done in while. From the moment I started reading I was captivated.
I was so intrigued by every character! But who most impacted me was Moses, seeing the struggle he had between the law and loving his sister was such an amazing and emotional part to see. I would honestly love if the author were to right a small book about his character and all the process and emotions he went through.
One of the scenes that really touched my heart was when Matthias was shouting for Jesus, as I was reading this scene I was also listening to the song, and it made me feel as if I was there, experiencing Jesus healing Matthias’ leprosy ❤️🩹
If could give this 10 stars I would!
I was so intrigued by every character! But who most impacted me was Moses, seeing the struggle he had between the law and loving his sister was such an amazing and emotional part to see. I would honestly love if the author were to right a small book about his character and all the process and emotions he went through.
One of the scenes that really touched my heart was when Matthias was shouting for Jesus, as I was reading this scene I was also listening to the song, and it made me feel as if I was there, experiencing Jesus healing Matthias’ leprosy ❤️🩹
If could give this 10 stars I would!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2024
Absolutely beautiful portrayal of God’s mercy and endless love through a fictional story weaving together the lives of several people Jesus heals in the Bible: the woman caught in adultery, a leper, a blind woman, and a cripple.
January 17, 2024
What a beautiful, compelling, story! I am reminded of God’s amazing, powerful, and redeeming love. I waited until the illustrated version was out and it did not disappoint! I love Anna’s writing style and Rachel’s drawings. The musical is amazing too.
December 5, 2023
One of the most unique, beautiful love stories I’ve ever read in my entire life. I audibly gasped, giggled and sobbed during reading ‘Of Ashes’. SO GOOD!!
January 6, 2024
a gripping retelling of the woman caught in adultery and the leper who was healed. God's mercy knows no bounds.
April 11, 2025
this book ended in me weeping. probably the best book i’ve ever read. this story brings to light God’s mercy and who He really is as a Father.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2024
Best book I’ve read in a LONG time. I’m speechless.
March 25, 2025
Everyone should read this
July 30, 2024
Very cool stories and tying together of biblical characters. Wish Jesus’ impact wasn’t so rushed at the end. Fun to listen along to the soundtrack
May 1, 2024
Okay I have thoughts…
So I’m just going to start off by saying I am not religious I grew up in a Christian household but we never really went to church that often and don’t go at all now
I’ve have turned away from organized religion because of the hypocrisy and hatred in the place where people claim to be holier than thou and judge others for not fitting into a certain mold of what they deem as correct
So no I am not religious but I do believe in a god and I think all religions have truth in them but I just can’t follow a church when I see all the hate, hypocrisy, and personal interpretations in it so I have my own walk with spiritually
Which brings me to the topic of this book
And you may be wondering Kyla why on earth would you read this book that’s is clearly religious with a religious author?
And to that I say well it’s because of her music I’ve had the pleasure of listening to the musical she wrote that accompanied this book and I thought her music was beautiful and when I heard she had a book that went with the musical I wanted to show support for her amazing work
And I don’t want to be mistaken before I go through all of my gripes with this book I did enjoy most parts of this book but some of the messages that I took from it I didn’t agree with
I love that we had a character that struggles with her faith like many of us do and she is surrounded by the very people that make me not religious and probably accompanied why she also wanted to turn from religion
She had some beautiful quotes that really resonated with me
But I have some questions or disagreements which comes with the territory of this being a religious book that I would like to break down
Firstly and my main dislike of the book is the book deals with prostitution or my preferred term of sex work because that and the many other ways the profession is described in is in a very derogatory manner
In the Bible prostitution is a sin I don’t know the ins and outs of why that is but it’s a sin none the less which I don’t agree with because being a sex worker is no one’s dream job most people do it because they are desperate as we can see with the many sex workers in this book it is stated beautifully on page 149
It says “I’m starving sir.” “Does God understand his people need to eat?”
“Or does He wish to starve His weakest while He satisfies the ones who can afford to be holy?”
I wish the author leaned into this in her novel because at the end when Ashra is going to be stoned but is freed by Jesus its like she should be ashamed of what she did to feed her and her son he even gave her a new name to in a sense separate herself from what she did so she could survive which I don’t agree with
It’s like she had to become a whole new person to be accepted back into the good graces of god and be “pure” which I already hate the implication of that word and that hurts me because we are our achievements and our choices but neither of them define us
I liked the messaging better in the musical honestly
But I honestly don’t think she did anything wrong to be “forgiven” for (besides hurting Matthias but even that has an explanation even if it isn’t necessarily right) she was hurt and with the series of events that lead her down the path she went on which I don’t think are right or wrong that just are I think what she really needed was assurance, comfort, and love not to be berated and separated from who she is/was
I liked the the rise from the ashes theme but not the way it was carried out I think it should have been that this is her chance to move past this dark time and rise to be a happier and healthier person but that’s just me
The only way I see she was wrong is the nasty way she and others treated those with leprosy but that’s mild and can be a teachable moment in kindness and compassion that we all need to be reminded of sometimes
And the people who really did sin and were evil and hateful like Ashra’s dad and uncle and Aacro dad don’t repent or apologize for there actions
I don’t want this to be taken in a way that I want the author to change her writing to appease me I just wanted to share my opinion and perspective on how I received the novel I think she is a great writer and I will continue to support her going forward because I do think she has a good heart and has a true talent but we may just disagree on some of our fundamentals and principles and that’s fine
All in all I just feel like the messaging is a little confusing to me and I’m not quite sure what the message is supposed to be exactly I understand the theme of redemption but I honestly don’t think she (Ashra) did anything wrong.
My other issue is some of the writing it’s my understanding that the author has dyslexia which I understand and sympathize with and it’s very admirable that she wrote this despite her disability.
And since this book is independently published it makes since that she probably didn’t have an editor to polish out some things which is perfectly understandable I just wanted to mention it due to it possibly effecting the reading process for some
Now that we got that heavy stuff out of the way I want to talk about the characters!
All the characters were very well written I understood and could sympathize with all of them
From Ashra’s and Moses struggle with there religion
Even though I’m upset with Moses for how he treated his sister 😡
I can understand him wanting to be accepted by his uncle effected his actions but I’m still upset because what about mercy and empathy especially since he dealt with something similar in the past and was forgiven even though he probably hurt that girl he was supposed to love
To Aacros anger and hatred which seems to be a product of the environment he grew up in but it doesn’t excuse the way he treated Ashra or Matthias and his mother I still can understand and sympathize with his situation and hope he can grow from this experience
Matthias and Zyrah are such sweet beans and I wish them nothing but the best 🥺
I just want to say for the last time this is not in anyway hate towards the author and her or anyone’s beliefs I just wanted to share my prospective and I hope you can understand that
Anna if you somehow end up reading this I love your work and I can’t wait to see what you do in the future 🫶
So I’m just going to start off by saying I am not religious I grew up in a Christian household but we never really went to church that often and don’t go at all now
I’ve have turned away from organized religion because of the hypocrisy and hatred in the place where people claim to be holier than thou and judge others for not fitting into a certain mold of what they deem as correct
So no I am not religious but I do believe in a god and I think all religions have truth in them but I just can’t follow a church when I see all the hate, hypocrisy, and personal interpretations in it so I have my own walk with spiritually
Which brings me to the topic of this book
And you may be wondering Kyla why on earth would you read this book that’s is clearly religious with a religious author?
And to that I say well it’s because of her music I’ve had the pleasure of listening to the musical she wrote that accompanied this book and I thought her music was beautiful and when I heard she had a book that went with the musical I wanted to show support for her amazing work
And I don’t want to be mistaken before I go through all of my gripes with this book I did enjoy most parts of this book but some of the messages that I took from it I didn’t agree with
I love that we had a character that struggles with her faith like many of us do and she is surrounded by the very people that make me not religious and probably accompanied why she also wanted to turn from religion
She had some beautiful quotes that really resonated with me
But I have some questions or disagreements which comes with the territory of this being a religious book that I would like to break down
Firstly and my main dislike of the book is the book deals with prostitution or my preferred term of sex work because that and the many other ways the profession is described in is in a very derogatory manner
In the Bible prostitution is a sin I don’t know the ins and outs of why that is but it’s a sin none the less which I don’t agree with because being a sex worker is no one’s dream job most people do it because they are desperate as we can see with the many sex workers in this book it is stated beautifully on page 149
It says “I’m starving sir.” “Does God understand his people need to eat?”
“Or does He wish to starve His weakest while He satisfies the ones who can afford to be holy?”
I wish the author leaned into this in her novel because at the end when Ashra is going to be stoned but is freed by Jesus its like she should be ashamed of what she did to feed her and her son he even gave her a new name to in a sense separate herself from what she did so she could survive which I don’t agree with
It’s like she had to become a whole new person to be accepted back into the good graces of god and be “pure” which I already hate the implication of that word and that hurts me because we are our achievements and our choices but neither of them define us
I liked the messaging better in the musical honestly
But I honestly don’t think she did anything wrong to be “forgiven” for (besides hurting Matthias but even that has an explanation even if it isn’t necessarily right) she was hurt and with the series of events that lead her down the path she went on which I don’t think are right or wrong that just are I think what she really needed was assurance, comfort, and love not to be berated and separated from who she is/was
I liked the the rise from the ashes theme but not the way it was carried out I think it should have been that this is her chance to move past this dark time and rise to be a happier and healthier person but that’s just me
The only way I see she was wrong is the nasty way she and others treated those with leprosy but that’s mild and can be a teachable moment in kindness and compassion that we all need to be reminded of sometimes
And the people who really did sin and were evil and hateful like Ashra’s dad and uncle and Aacro dad don’t repent or apologize for there actions
I don’t want this to be taken in a way that I want the author to change her writing to appease me I just wanted to share my opinion and perspective on how I received the novel I think she is a great writer and I will continue to support her going forward because I do think she has a good heart and has a true talent but we may just disagree on some of our fundamentals and principles and that’s fine
All in all I just feel like the messaging is a little confusing to me and I’m not quite sure what the message is supposed to be exactly I understand the theme of redemption but I honestly don’t think she (Ashra) did anything wrong.
My other issue is some of the writing it’s my understanding that the author has dyslexia which I understand and sympathize with and it’s very admirable that she wrote this despite her disability.
And since this book is independently published it makes since that she probably didn’t have an editor to polish out some things which is perfectly understandable I just wanted to mention it due to it possibly effecting the reading process for some
Now that we got that heavy stuff out of the way I want to talk about the characters!
All the characters were very well written I understood and could sympathize with all of them
From Ashra’s and Moses struggle with there religion
Even though I’m upset with Moses for how he treated his sister 😡
I can understand him wanting to be accepted by his uncle effected his actions but I’m still upset because what about mercy and empathy especially since he dealt with something similar in the past and was forgiven even though he probably hurt that girl he was supposed to love
To Aacros anger and hatred which seems to be a product of the environment he grew up in but it doesn’t excuse the way he treated Ashra or Matthias and his mother I still can understand and sympathize with his situation and hope he can grow from this experience
Matthias and Zyrah are such sweet beans and I wish them nothing but the best 🥺
I just want to say for the last time this is not in anyway hate towards the author and her or anyone’s beliefs I just wanted to share my prospective and I hope you can understand that
Anna if you somehow end up reading this I love your work and I can’t wait to see what you do in the future 🫶
January 14, 2024
I rated this 4.5/5 stars
For background: this book is the authors first novel and is accompanied with a musical.
I first listened to the musical and loved it. I mean LOVED it! It was made up of amazing songs full of imagery and poetry. All of it was beautifully written and composed. You can imagine my excitement when I was finally able to get my hands on the book. I was beyond pumped to be able to experience the full characters and plot of a well crafted story. The book really didn’t disappoint. All the pieces I was left imagining from the songs were perfectly solved in the book and left me completely satisfied.
The reason I didn’t give the book 5 stars is because it did need some fine tuning and had some aspects that may have needed editing. All of this was something I was prepared for seeing as it’s a debut novel and not done with a huge publisher. There were elements and mentions of things that didn’t really belong in the biblical time period. Some of the verbiage was a little too modern, and I did noticed it while reading. Now it is in all likelihood that I am a bit of a snob in this area, having high expectations for historically accurate writing all of the time which is not logically possible. But, it sometimes does get in the way of my reading and enjoyment of the book.
This being said, the story and the characterization was done perfectly and earned five stars in and of itself. The plot was rich, impressive, and powerful. Anna Miriam Brown has quite a creative mind that created something that can and had helped others better understand and relate to the humanity’s brokenness and offered redemption. Realistic characters allowed for important and meaningful and immensely powerful scenes that showed the hopelessness of man and the character of God.
This is a great book that is complemented with a great musical. It’s full of heavy topics meant for more mature audiences, but it is well worth the read. I highly recommend!!
For background: this book is the authors first novel and is accompanied with a musical.
I first listened to the musical and loved it. I mean LOVED it! It was made up of amazing songs full of imagery and poetry. All of it was beautifully written and composed. You can imagine my excitement when I was finally able to get my hands on the book. I was beyond pumped to be able to experience the full characters and plot of a well crafted story. The book really didn’t disappoint. All the pieces I was left imagining from the songs were perfectly solved in the book and left me completely satisfied.
The reason I didn’t give the book 5 stars is because it did need some fine tuning and had some aspects that may have needed editing. All of this was something I was prepared for seeing as it’s a debut novel and not done with a huge publisher. There were elements and mentions of things that didn’t really belong in the biblical time period. Some of the verbiage was a little too modern, and I did noticed it while reading. Now it is in all likelihood that I am a bit of a snob in this area, having high expectations for historically accurate writing all of the time which is not logically possible. But, it sometimes does get in the way of my reading and enjoyment of the book.
This being said, the story and the characterization was done perfectly and earned five stars in and of itself. The plot was rich, impressive, and powerful. Anna Miriam Brown has quite a creative mind that created something that can and had helped others better understand and relate to the humanity’s brokenness and offered redemption. Realistic characters allowed for important and meaningful and immensely powerful scenes that showed the hopelessness of man and the character of God.
This is a great book that is complemented with a great musical. It’s full of heavy topics meant for more mature audiences, but it is well worth the read. I highly recommend!!
March 14, 2024
I deeply appreciate the way Anna weaves stories together in order to bring the Bible to life. Her work always gives me a beautiful reminder of the Saviors love and though this story is definitely heavy and addresses some difficult subject matter, it was worth traversing for the message. I would caution younger readers or those sensitive to abuse to maybe start with listening to the musical before reading the book as it being a 500+ page novel delves deeper into fleshing out the story and may be too much if they aren’t comfortable with the subject matter. I personally have done missions in really dark places and so I’m familiar with stories like this, but it probably wouldn’t be for everyone.
I look forward to reading more from Anna and respect her doing the thing and not only creating this unique story but doing the work to get it into people’s hands!
I look forward to reading more from Anna and respect her doing the thing and not only creating this unique story but doing the work to get it into people’s hands!
September 15, 2025
Omggggggggg Of Ashes is absolutely breathtaking. This wasn’t just a good “Christian book,” it was simply a phenomenal book, period. From the very first page, Anna Miriam Brown pulled me in, and I found myself living every second of Ashra’s story. My emotions were on a rollercoaster, up, down, and everywhere in between. I laughed, I cried, I hoped, and I feared right alongside the characters. Every night, I would look forward to curling up and reading more, losing myself in this world that felt so real and alive.
Anna has such a rare gift; she makes you fall in love with her characters. They don’t just feel like names on a page, they feel like friends, family, and pieces of your own heart. By the end, I wasn’t ready to let them go. I’m already waiting (impatiently!) for her next novel. Without a doubt, I will be the very first in line to purchase it.
Anna has such a rare gift; she makes you fall in love with her characters. They don’t just feel like names on a page, they feel like friends, family, and pieces of your own heart. By the end, I wasn’t ready to let them go. I’m already waiting (impatiently!) for her next novel. Without a doubt, I will be the very first in line to purchase it.
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