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Reborn In Shadows: From The Ashes
Reborn in Shadows is a gripping, award-winning tale of survival, identity, and second chances.
Miriam Ryder—a sharp-witted, chain-smoking transgender woman and recent amputee—isn’t looking for trouble. She’s looking to survive. After a near-fatal encounter with a powerful crime family, she’s forced into witness protection, finding refuge in the quiet Appalachian town of Jasper Hill. But small towns have long memories, and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
As Miriam struggles to rebuild her life, she finds herself torn between bigotry, lurking threats, and an undeniable connection with a fiery art teacher who sees past her defenses. But danger is never far behind, and in a town where whispers can turn deadly, safety is just an illusion. With her past closing in, Miriam must ask how far is she willing to go to protect the fragile new life she’s built—and the woman who makes her want to stay?
Winner of Best LGBTQIA Fiction in the 2025 National Indie Excellence® Awards and selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress, Reborn in Shadows has been recognized as a work of lasting literary and cultural significance—preserving a powerful, underrepresented voice in contemporary fiction.
Heartfelt, suspenseful, and deeply immersive, Reborn in Shadows is a thriller about bravery, reinvention, and the power of love in the face of darkness.
Miriam Ryder—a sharp-witted, chain-smoking transgender woman and recent amputee—isn’t looking for trouble. She’s looking to survive. After a near-fatal encounter with a powerful crime family, she’s forced into witness protection, finding refuge in the quiet Appalachian town of Jasper Hill. But small towns have long memories, and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
As Miriam struggles to rebuild her life, she finds herself torn between bigotry, lurking threats, and an undeniable connection with a fiery art teacher who sees past her defenses. But danger is never far behind, and in a town where whispers can turn deadly, safety is just an illusion. With her past closing in, Miriam must ask how far is she willing to go to protect the fragile new life she’s built—and the woman who makes her want to stay?
Winner of Best LGBTQIA Fiction in the 2025 National Indie Excellence® Awards and selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress, Reborn in Shadows has been recognized as a work of lasting literary and cultural significance—preserving a powerful, underrepresented voice in contemporary fiction.
Heartfelt, suspenseful, and deeply immersive, Reborn in Shadows is a thriller about bravery, reinvention, and the power of love in the face of darkness.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 20, 2025
I wanted desperately to like this book.
This book is in severe need of a proper editor:
It’s filled with cringy lines that clearly aren’t meant to be cringy. It’s constantly telling instead of showing. The main characters meet and like half a day later the narrator is saying how in love they are, but there is nothing we actually see to back this up. There are no inside jokes, there’s no history, not even any funny stories to speak of. Every character gets info dumped about. How does this narrator, who isn’t generally written as omniscient, know the exact height of every character in feet and inches. The narrator describes every new character like a smutty reading of their drivers license. There is constant info dumping and rambling about topics that have never been brought up before and never get brought up again. This would be okay if it were a character info dumping to another, but it’s not. It’s the narrator info dumping to the reader. The book is very clearly a self-insert by the author, which can have value in a lot of ways but has to be done very carefully or it can feel awkward to read.
I’m 99% sure the cover art is AI generated. It’s amazingly detailed in some places but also doesn’t make sense in others.
The main character Miriam is described as voluptuous. The person on the cover doesn’t quite fit that description. Miriam is described as a below the knee amputee, but the person on the cover is an above the knee amputee. Lastly, just to the realism point, the skinny jeans the character is wearing are way too tight and there is no way she could have gotten those over her prosthetic.
The author/narrator will not shut up about smoking cigarettes. Yes, it says in the synopsis that Miriam is a proud chain smoker, but why? If you want to have the character smoke, that’s fine I guess, but a search for the word “cigarette” in the kindle book shows that it’s mentioned 111 times in a 339 page book. “Smoke” is in there an additional 31 times. Does Miriam really need to light a cigarette every 3 pages in order to have it be a part of the character? Never mind the fact that smoking is a disgusting addiction and shouldn’t be promoted, the constant mention felt like some kind of delirious drinking game.
The plot of the book was decent, though it could have used a bit more grit, but the writing quality made a decent story all but intolerable.
This book is in severe need of a proper editor:
It’s filled with cringy lines that clearly aren’t meant to be cringy. It’s constantly telling instead of showing. The main characters meet and like half a day later the narrator is saying how in love they are, but there is nothing we actually see to back this up. There are no inside jokes, there’s no history, not even any funny stories to speak of. Every character gets info dumped about. How does this narrator, who isn’t generally written as omniscient, know the exact height of every character in feet and inches. The narrator describes every new character like a smutty reading of their drivers license. There is constant info dumping and rambling about topics that have never been brought up before and never get brought up again. This would be okay if it were a character info dumping to another, but it’s not. It’s the narrator info dumping to the reader. The book is very clearly a self-insert by the author, which can have value in a lot of ways but has to be done very carefully or it can feel awkward to read.
I’m 99% sure the cover art is AI generated. It’s amazingly detailed in some places but also doesn’t make sense in others.
The main character Miriam is described as voluptuous. The person on the cover doesn’t quite fit that description. Miriam is described as a below the knee amputee, but the person on the cover is an above the knee amputee. Lastly, just to the realism point, the skinny jeans the character is wearing are way too tight and there is no way she could have gotten those over her prosthetic.
The author/narrator will not shut up about smoking cigarettes. Yes, it says in the synopsis that Miriam is a proud chain smoker, but why? If you want to have the character smoke, that’s fine I guess, but a search for the word “cigarette” in the kindle book shows that it’s mentioned 111 times in a 339 page book. “Smoke” is in there an additional 31 times. Does Miriam really need to light a cigarette every 3 pages in order to have it be a part of the character? Never mind the fact that smoking is a disgusting addiction and shouldn’t be promoted, the constant mention felt like some kind of delirious drinking game.
The plot of the book was decent, though it could have used a bit more grit, but the writing quality made a decent story all but intolerable.
December 31, 2024
To be honest, I was surprised when Maya told me she'd written a book. I've known her for more than 20 years and she's always been a great storyteller, but I'd no idea she was working on anything this. I was honored to be given a chance to read it before it came out and I can honestly say it's a great book!
No spoilers, but this is a gripping adventure tale as well as a deeply personal story of one person's rise from the ashes of the past to start a new life. As the description states, this is the story of Miriam, a chain smoking trans woman with a prosthetic leg and what happens when she moves to a new town. Which is true enough, but what we really get is a deep dive into the inner life of a remarkable survivor. The trans experience is presented honestly and sometimes heartbreakingly. I've always considered myself an ally but this book made me realize how little I really understood about the day to day lives of trans people. The chapters dealing with the character's physical therapy and adjusting to her leg prosthesis are harrowing, but by then you're rooting for her. Add to all this a constant sense of dread and menace that reasserts itself when the characters and the reader least expect it, and you've got a suspense story that fires on all cylinders.
The writing itself is very immediate: you really feel like you're in the moment when the action happens. Some scenes are so cinematic I could literally see them, and the quick cuts between characters' inner thoughts and the story added extra urgency to the more intense parts.
She also captures the area well. Her descriptions of the local scenery are spot on. And her characters feel very genuine.
AND it's a love story. Did I mention that? It's a mystery and a love story and much more, all in one.
When I put it down, I felt like I'd been taken on a journey in the way only the best stories do. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
This is book one of a trilogy and I can't wait to read the next part! I can't even imagine where it goes next but I'm along for the ride.
No spoilers, but this is a gripping adventure tale as well as a deeply personal story of one person's rise from the ashes of the past to start a new life. As the description states, this is the story of Miriam, a chain smoking trans woman with a prosthetic leg and what happens when she moves to a new town. Which is true enough, but what we really get is a deep dive into the inner life of a remarkable survivor. The trans experience is presented honestly and sometimes heartbreakingly. I've always considered myself an ally but this book made me realize how little I really understood about the day to day lives of trans people. The chapters dealing with the character's physical therapy and adjusting to her leg prosthesis are harrowing, but by then you're rooting for her. Add to all this a constant sense of dread and menace that reasserts itself when the characters and the reader least expect it, and you've got a suspense story that fires on all cylinders.
The writing itself is very immediate: you really feel like you're in the moment when the action happens. Some scenes are so cinematic I could literally see them, and the quick cuts between characters' inner thoughts and the story added extra urgency to the more intense parts.
She also captures the area well. Her descriptions of the local scenery are spot on. And her characters feel very genuine.
AND it's a love story. Did I mention that? It's a mystery and a love story and much more, all in one.
When I put it down, I felt like I'd been taken on a journey in the way only the best stories do. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
This is book one of a trilogy and I can't wait to read the next part! I can't even imagine where it goes next but I'm along for the ride.
January 10, 2026
"We are your neighbours, your friends, your family members. We are your coworkers, your classmates, your fellow worshippers. We are people who deserve the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same dignity as anyone else." Reborn in Shadows: From The Ashes by Maya Fisher.
Everyone should read this novel. It was highly engaging, emotive and with a powerful message to tell. If enough people read more transgender voices the world would be a much better place.
Looking forward to the sequel.
Everyone should read this novel. It was highly engaging, emotive and with a powerful message to tell. If enough people read more transgender voices the world would be a much better place.
Looking forward to the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews