Tempered in Ash

by Willo Glenn

On the eastern edge of the continent of Eolis sits a small town named Eldryss, where life is intentionally slow and simple. When Eldryss is wracked by a plague that crept slowly over the horizon, its people are completely annihilated, except for one—the fifteen-year-old daughter of the town’s only tavernkeeper.

Forced to flee north on her own for survival, Ilde arrives in the city of Isonwood battered, tired, and barely suppressing the trauma she endured at the hands of unknown forces. She finds solace in the repurposed temple of the forgotten god, Mersari, and seeks shelter with the city’s most notorious mercenary. With a faith founded through scorn and strength earned through years of practice, Ilde grows up and leaves Eldryss and its darkness behind.

Seven years later, Ilde has learned how to swing a blade, but the need for vengeance still sits in the back of her mind. With the help of an unexpected ally, Ilde begins searching for answers. But when word reaches Isonwood about another city being annihilated, Ilde digs deep into her faith and sets out on a quest to discover what happened to Mersari, who is responsible for the death of her people, and why she is the only one left.

Genres: Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Fantasy

524 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2024

Reviews

[Talli Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

TEMPERED IN ASH is an instant favorite. With vivid worldbuilding, a hot-mess band of authentic characters, and a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat with every gut-wrenching twist, this novel is a masterpiece of epic fantasy and a brilliant homage to all the beloved elements of this genre. I can’t recommend it enough, and I can’t wait to follow Ilde and company on more adventures.

[Tabitha O’Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO highly recommend this book. Queer found family, sapphic romance, amazing characters. I adore Ilde and the other MCs so much, and was swept along in the story from start to finish.

[A.E. Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for epic fantasy and adventure, this book is for you. What an incredible ride! I was immediately drawn into the world of Eolis, where we meet 15-year-old Ilde - the sole survivor of a horrific plague that attacks her town. Armed only with an intense will to survive and extract vengeance, we follow her to the city of Isonwood, where she begs for the help of an expert sword wielder and begins her fantastic quest. Reminiscent of both LOTR and Discworld, Glenn has created a wonderful world I certainly wish to visit again. A must-read!

[Amber The Ninth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much 🥹 the perfect queer dark fantasy. I can't wait for the next book!

[KateJoanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This surprised me but I really enjoyed it, a proper epic fantasy with great characters, writing and plot. It was wholesome, entertaining and filled with quests and action— I would’ve been obsessed with this as a teen and thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am leaping to write this review immediately after finishing the book because it has officially ended my book rut. Tempered in Ash is everything I could've wanted from an epic fantasy story. Characters that are unforgettable as individuals and as a group, D&D style shenanigans, beautiful romantic AND platonic relationships, realistic portrayals of grief and trauma, magic, gods, and politics all working together in a fully realized world...I could ramble about this for ages. I feel like I've just finished watching the first Critical Role campaign (which to this day remains my favorite).

Not to mention, the writing itself is gorgeous and poignant. This story has plenty of dark moments, and I felt those deep in my soul--just as I felt every bit of love and friendship and growth between this cast of lovable idiots. I found myself highlighting paragraphs and paragraphs of Ilde's inner monologue, the perfect mix of teasing+loving dialogue between Ilde and Joyanna, Joyanna and Trystan, and Alester and Orvyc. Don't ask me to pick my favorite character, I literally cannot.

To try to reduce this book to a trope map or label it for fans of xyz would be a disservice. I am going to recommend this book to every fantasy reader I know.

[Blackbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given the absolute privilege of reading this book early and it almost instantly became my new comfort read. Every single one of these characters have a special place in my heart, Madris, Ilde and Joyanna in particular. They got me through bad bouts of anxiety and sleepless nights and I am immensely proud of their journey.

Tempered in Ash is a fantasy book crafted with love for the genre for queer readers who grew up loving the genre without truly seeing themselves reflected. And in my opinion it deserves a place among the great classics of my childhood. It balances an air of adventure and whimsy with a dark storyline and a bleak character journey with a level of narrative skill I consider aspirational. It makes you feel every loss, taste the ashes of each victory, curse the Gods for their inaction and feel for them all the same.

If you grew up loving fantasy epics, I can't recommend this book enough.

[Shyuu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly had to create an account just to come in here and ask WHY there are so few reviews?? This book is simply AMAZING. If you're a RPG fan, you will absolutely feel right at home while reading this (or maybe if you just enjoy lesbians wielding big swords). The characters, races, plot - everything feels familiar, but at the same time like a breath of fresh air. The dialogues and the bantering are genuine and you will laugh and cry as if the character's emotions are your own. I couldn't put the book down until I finished - but with 500 or so pages, that took me a couple days.

Now the hard part is waiting for the launching of the second volume! At least this one doesn't end in a cliffhanger, so you can read assured that the plot will be wrapped up as you finish your reading.

[Jake Vanguard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What better way to start Sapphic September than to read Tempered in Ash?

We have sword wielding lesbians (two of them!), lots of magic, a small and always worried druid, mama bear vibes, lots of trauma, gods that want to wreak havoc on the world, fallen and forgotten gods - and overall, an incredible found family that'd follow each other into the biggest battles.

The mix of banter, heartfelt and warm hugs, constant support no matter what and secrets slowly revealed is just perfect. If you like intricate worldbuilding, strong women who can also be soft, lots of magic, DnD vibes and party dynamics, and a sweet god - Tempered in Ash is the perfect read.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it!!!

As a sword wielding lesbian I cannot express the joy of reading about sword wielding lesbians. This book has a whole cast of distinct, wonderful, hilarious, smart ass, emotionally constipated, imperfect weirdos that grow and change as they are woven within an intricate story within an intricate world. I cannot wait for the second book!!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me cry more than any book has in recent memory 😭 I LOVED THESE NERDS. I’m so excited for book 2.
If you love quest fantasy, dungeons and dragons, found family, and slow burn romance, this book is absolutely for you. It was an absolute joy to read.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from start to finish. It takes all the magic of a D&D game and weaves in that wonderful found family trope. Not to mention we get two excellent sapphic romances that are a delight to follow! I cannot wait for their adventures to continue in the next book.

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally a real adventure and it’s sapphic

I have been looking forever for a real fantasy that featured sapphic characters. This was enjoyable, if angsty, lol. The why is abundantly clear. I look forward to the next book very much and what kind of insanity this group gets into.

[Larissa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for the ttrpg lovers!

This was the telling of an amazing DnD campaign in novel form - if you love the game or any like it, you'll love this book. It's so brutally beautiful that I cried in the airport when I finished it.

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the best lesbians. 11/10

[tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story had me hooked right from the first page. Amazing story, probably the fastest I've ever read a book, I couldn't set it down.

[Maria]

Over 20 ratings that are all 5 stars? Ok...

[Hallie Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book includes an incredibly well-fleshed out world of Gods and magic and politics and hidden histories. The characters are diverse and realistic, both in their mannerisms and their storylines. It's one of the first times I've read a fantasy book with so many queer characters where being queer wasn't at all the focus of their story - it just WAS. And that's so incredibly important for people to see reflected in their fantasy media they consume.

Not only that, but the characters have struggles or characteristics that I can relate to that I ALSO often don't see at all, much less in fantasy, much less in queer spaces. PTSD representation (unrelated to their sexuality), lesser represented sexualities such as demi- and asexual, anxiety. And all of these things exist in the book as things that just ARE, not things that are plot points to solve or fix.

I can't recommend this book enough if you're looking for sword-wielding and magic-wielding queer people trying to save the world by fighting and/or finding Gods.

[K.V. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was a funny, action-packed sapphic high fantasy. The relationships never felt forced and neither did the character growth. I enjoyed how Ilde wasn't the stereotypical paladin type. She had to grow into her role yet still swore just as often. Also loved Madris the autistic-coded elf. She and Ilde are perfect for each other and I've already bought the short story that'll focus on them: Divinity and Desperation. Joyanna, I think, was my favourite character though--she was hilarious and such a strong woman to look up to.