Ash

by Brandon Ebinger

Ash is a beautiful young 14-year-old girl living alone in a cabin in the deep forests. Taught to play the The Game at an early age, Ash succeeds at a level higher than her fanatical mother ever expected. Victim after victim falls prey to the youth who is following the dictates of a dark god that sent his messengers to lure the innocent young girl into becoming a deadly instrument of the dark god against unsuspecting humans. But the evil god didn’t recon on the power of love and when love enters the battle, the game reaches a cataclysmic crescendo that astounds even the gods.

268 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2014

Reviews

[Zachmcgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book reminded me of the times my mom would take me to the used bookstore, and I'd pore over all the lurid horror paperbacks. Ash begins like a slasher film, with young people being picked off in the woods by a serial killer, but then it becomes something altogether stranger, developing a complex mythology that raises the stakes of the killer's game considerably.

This book is a lot of fun, with unlikely heroes fighting battles against dark forces on many planes--along with the . Also, spiders, tons and tons of evil spiders. Everywhere.

[Cate Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not one for horror. That being said, I really enjoyed this book by Brandon Ebinger. It played out like an old horror-don't-go-in-there kind of story. Brandon's writing flows making the book easy to read and hard to put down. I love the use of good vs evil, dark vs light in this book. I look forward to more work from this author.

[Marie Ellette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read kept me up half the night. Spellbinding from start to finish. Delivered with a vivid imagination.

[Liz Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am grateful to have received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had a difficult time getting into the book, but not necessarily at the fault of the writing. I am NOT a fan of spiders, and sometimes struggle letting go of reason when I read, even if it is a fantasy. Therefore, the way the book introduced the plot and evil forces behind Ash's decisions made them tough for me to accept and connect with. That having been said, once I accepted the story and rolled with it, I was much more interested in the struggles of each of the characters, and further enjoyed the horror and thrills! In addition, I found that as the story continues, there are much more interesting and deeper elements of character and story development, as well as twists that caused me to pause and think in a great way. I even had existential moments of enjoying and exploring the perspectives of good, evil, and accountability. This book had a lot more to offer than I thought it would and was pleasantly surprised. Stick with it and keep an open mind!

[Aussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This  is my first time reading anything by Brandonn. I aboustly adore this book as i just couldnt put it down  at all..... started out like a slasher film that involves young people that just being picked off in the woods by a serial killer but than its becomes soemthing different which is so good and cant wait read more of Brandon's books

[Annie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great thriller. Kept me interested till the last page wondering what would next. Well written . Very suspenseful

[Roshni Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story kept me up half the night.... Must read!!!

[Zombie_Phreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here we have a story that starts out like your typical slasher movie. It has a group of young people going into the woods on vacation away from civilization and they encounter a crazy person who wants to kill them. Only in this book, it's not a 30 something with mommy issues, it's a 14 year old girl who believes she is doing the will of the gods and making her mother proud. And she isn't using a machete, she is using a pair of scissors.

The book takes a few turns and we are shown what happens to the main character, "Ash," as she is taken into a psych hospital and the doctors try to rehabilitate her so she can join society as a well adjusted young woman. This is a part I really enjoyed, because it makes you wonder if the voices she was hearing and telling her to do things were really just the result of a mental disorder or if she really was hearing voices of dark powers. While in the psych hospital she meets my favorite character, Fiona. She is a firebug who killed someone unintentionally as she set a fire to try and impress a friend who thought fire was pretty and it went terribly wrong.

Throughout the book Ash deals with her own beliefs and outside influences. It's a story that is not only about horror, but the personal growth of a young woman. It's a great book and I recommend it to fans of horror. Check it out!