Hymn of Ashes

by Andrea Andersen

Vanessa Wilson cherishes her quiet life running her coffee shop in a cozy beach town and sharing a condo with her somewhat absent best friend, Audrey. Things get complicated when Vanessa is attacked by otherworldly creatures, and Audrey shows up out of nowhere to save her.
All the secrets Audrey has been keeping from Vanessa over the years come to light, including the powers Audrey harnesses and the magical realm she discovered.
But Vanessa has no business in the magical realm; she’s only human.
While Audrey is focused on fulfilling a prophecy and bringing peace between the realms, Vanessa will do anything to keep her best friend alive. This includes trekking through the mystical land of Hyvenmere, encountering creatures she’s only read about.
Creatures like fae, nereids, and a seven-foot-tall murderous siren who seems to have one thing on his mind: Vanessa.
But men are the same no matter what realm they are from, and Vanessa has no desire to team up with someone who is known for leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake.
Yet here she is, determined to protect the person she loves the most.
Can an ordinary woman with nothing but a death glare and supportive pats on the back keep her best friend safe? Or will she fall victim to Hyvenmere—and its most notorious killer?

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Enemies To Lovers

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2026

About the author

Andrea Andersen is an author living with her little family in Southern California. Using her maladaptive daydreaming to her advantage, she likes to write stories filled with laughter and kisses. When she isn't writing love stories, she can be found rewatching her favorite TV shows or taking too many naps.

Reviews

[Minty Margins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A massive thank you to the author, Andrea, for having me on your ARC team. I read this all the way through in one sitting. Once I got started, there was no stopping.

I was INVESTED. It’s been days, and I still feel a little feral about this excellent story.

The emotional damage was immaculate, the slow burn was delicious, fantastical but sometimes brutal world(s) fit well with the story, and this book managed to be so funny at the same time.

Vanessa and Drustan together are absolute cinema. I also love the approach to this story where we are seeing events happen through the eyes of the “sidekick”. In my opinion, this may be the hottest view.

Sometimes the morally grey “villain” is actually quite wholesome! Every single interaction was piled with decadent tension. The intimacy was written so well between the two of them with some open door spice. There was far less than I thought there would be— given how sensual and open both Drustan and Vanessa are on their own. No filters for either of them. At the same time it worked beautifully!!!!

I just know that some of the characters are going to meddle in part 2. I can feel it in my bones after the last line of the book and it’s something I look forward to for the next installment!

[Aïda G.F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5★
Well if we did not have an amazing sloooooooow burn (still waiting).
Drustan is unhinged and I love him for it.
Vanessa was amaizng and totally how I would react to many things that happened to her suddenly realizing that the faes and sirens and all are real.
Somehow... I did not like Audrey, even if she is the one prophesied about. She was soft and sometimes did not want to make big decisions that lead to many injuries for others. At the end she sounded like the villain! Wtf! I thought the bid problem was Illia.
Also thought it was a standalone, dunno why but nope!

Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity to read an eARC will recommend, will buy and will continue with the next books.

[Linah Soliman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not go through a book THIS FAST in a long LONG time. This was a riveting, fun, absolutely fascinating reading experience. A TRUE PAGE TURNER❤️‍🔥✨

Vanessa is hilarious and strong. The storyline is so gripping. All the characters are extremely levelled and layered. Absolutely enjoyed the world and how it was smoothly constructed

I need the next book like my next breath. Drustan and Vanessa’s story might be one of my favorites ever! I nearly cried at the end. (I absolutely did.) can’t wait to see more of them😭❤️‍🩹

Liam, Sergei, Fergus and Hush grew on my heart like lovely vines. And while Audery danced on my last nerve at times, I still like her

I LOVED Hyvenmere. I loved the nature. The humor. The music. The culture. Everything about this book was honed to perfection. And I can’t wait for the next! Andrea Andersen please feed us🤤💚

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could NOT put this down! Morally grey MMC is a fave, and a not-morally-grey but still similar FMC is crazy good, and I need to finish this series ASAP. There were so many little surprises that just made the story better and better. Here I am, begging Andrea Andersen to write these as fast as her fingers can fly.

[Mamie Diemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already know this is going to be one of my top books for the year without a doubt. I was lucky enough to be given an arc of this and IT IS SO FREAKING GOOD. I literally need everyone to go out and preorder this RIGHT NOW.

In any other story, Vanessa would be a side character-the heroine's best friend who learns the hard way that her best friend is the chosen one of a secret magical realm. But not in Hymn of Ashes! Vanessa is just trying to run her coffee shop in peace when she is thrown into the chaos of a whole new realm. She is not the quiet and innocent BFF of the heroine (Audrey) that you'd expect. She is sassy, takes no shit, and goes after what she wants. She isn't afraid to tell you how it is and I found her to be a breath of fresh air! She gives no f*cks. She has many talents and hobbies and literally does it all-dancing, boating, playing multiple instruments, owns and runs her own coffee shop-I freaking just adore her.

Drustan is suchhhhh an interesting take on villain MMC that makes you question-is he really the villain tho???? He is called the "Mad Siren Prince" and has a whole laundry list of faults and a problematic past but also a POS dad that he has to deal with.

The banterrrrrrr and wit in this book is SO FREAKING GOOD and well written. I think I have 70% of this book highlighted with lines that made me laugh out loud and were just SO CLEVER and funny! There were soooo many one liners coming from Vanessa directed at Liam (Audrey's crush) that are just so freaking funny.

I loveeee the musical element of this book too. Vanessa has a musical inclination and plays multiple instruments and sings. Drustan is a Siren and Sirens -as you can probably assume- have a natural affinity to music. They find their mates by sound, whether their voice, music they create, or by a shared melody. After her first visit to Hyvenmere, Vanessa starts hearing this melody that no one else seems to hear, but only when she's in Hyvenmere. No spoilers, but the significance of the melody is so emotional 😭

This isn't a super spicy book but it is sooo horny. Drustan and Vanessa are sooooo horny for each other (to her disdain lmao) and Vanessa hates it. She keeps feeling this pull to him and tries to fight it while he just enjoys making her *squirm* 👀😈 He is such a menace I love him.

This book does end on a bit of a mild cliffhanger so I know (hope to god) that the spice will come in the next book 🙏🏻 This is my first book by Andrea Andersen so I'm not familiar with how she writes spice but I can assure you the slow burn was BURNING in this book.

I'm anxious to see how the next book handles Vanessa's relationship with Audrey since Audrey's drive to protect Vanessa was a big drive for a lot of the plot in this one. I also am sooooooo excited to see where Vanessa's relationship with Drustan goes because these two are sooooo well matched and have amazing chemistry.

[Ash C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this story, and I really appreciate the author giving Vanessa a very real reaction to "mating bonds" and fae calling each other "male" instead of "man" or "female" instead of "woman". That reaction is cringe. And it is exactly how I'd feel in that situation. I had never thought about nonbinary folk in those cultures and what they would be addressed as and it brought a unique conversation up.

The concept of sidekick being the "main character" was really cool!

I love that by the end of the story, Vanessa still didn't suddenly become the chosen one, and the world of Hyvenmere didn't magically make sense. She still doesn't understand all the cultural differences and still can't read anything there or understand the native language.

Drustan didn't turn out to actually be a great guy and it was all a misunderstanding. He still killed people and wasn't remorseful about it. He still has violent tendencies and is unapologetically petty.

I would have liked to get a chapter from someone else's POV when they did the whole faking her death thing, and also we never found out how Ilian managed to detain Drustan in the dungeon or really why it took so long for him to be able to hear her when she was able to hear his tune when they were on other sides of the continent. We could get some bonus chapters or maybe these things will be better explained in the second book. I may be a masochist, but there's not any point that felt like a gut punch or left me sobbing.That's really my only complaints about the story.

The writing style was surprisingly good but occasionally things were over explained or the obvious was over stated.

I figured out who Drew was almost immediately, no idea how Vanessa didn't. I didn't guess Hush though. That one was a surprise, but it makes sense when I thought about it. Also the subplot of missing women and children was well developed and the reason was a great twist!

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book, I was really excited to read it after seeing the gorgeous character artwork on Andrea Andersen's Instagram. Having read and enjoyed her contemporary romances I was looking forward to seeing how she'd tackle a fantasy.

The story follows two friends who have been brought up like sisters in foster care. I liked our FMC; Vanessa is tough and fiercely independent with secrets hidden in her past. But it's her BFF/Sister Audrey who is carrying the mother of all secrets - she's been sneaking off to a hidden realm with a Fae Prince. Vanessa's world gets turned upside down with the revelation of this magical kingdom and things aren't going to be the same again.

To me, it was a breath of fresh air to be following the story of the human sidekick rather than focusing on the halfling "chosen one". It made me see myself in the story and felt more relatable.

There was a lot of political intrigue in this, an ancient prophecy, plenty of drama and some great male characters; the classic Fae Prince, a tortured siren prince and an evil villain. I enjoyed the connection between the female characters a lot and the way they worked together.

I was a bit devastated at the ending but only because it left me wanting more! The yearning and slow burn was next level... I need more of Vanessa and Drustan! So hopefully book 2 is not too long in the making...

Overall it was an enjoyable story, there was a lot of action but the world building was great and I enjoyed the fantasy realm a lot. I'm ready for the follow up!!

[Migla M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had an opportunity to arc read this book.

If you like slow burns, fated mates, a 30year old fmc who is a cinnamon roll, but has some dark past and secrets and would undoubtedly do whatever she needed to to save the people that she loves, mmc who is a hot siren, has been yearning for his mate forever, but still respects her every wish, even if it is to reject him, court intrigue and interesting storyline with magic system and various magical creatures then this book is just for you!

It was a very interesting, unique story. I loved how the plot was very well balanced between the court-intrigue, quests, secrets and love story, tension, Van and Dru chemistry.
It has already been a while, when the fmc was just a girl, thrusted into unknown world and didn't gain any powers, acted and trusted on what she knew and could do. This made story more appealing to me, to see how Van will fare with only her wit.
I love fated mates trope, and here it was perfectly written. I loved how there was a lot of tension and longing, that Van didn't fall immediately into Dru's hands. Though my heart hurts for him and what he's been through I find it more interesting how the story will unfold next, what's going to be the tipping point for them to finally be together. This suspense is really good.
And of course I love to see female rage, however small it was. But it is just so fulfilling to see women finally get what they truly deserve, which is goodness, happiness and love.

[Azile · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I got the privilege of being an arc reader so big thanks to Andrea.
Secondly, the book itself. Okay, really I don’t know where to start. I loved how we are given time to process the world with Van, like she’s thrust into it but also given time to sit with the information she’s given and allowed to breathe it in so to speak and as a reader that’s something we do with her, it made for a great way to pass information in my opinion. I loved the bonds in the book and the way they worked. You have the friend bond, familial bond and a mate bond and they were expressed in a way that is just chefs kiss. Honestly once I started reading I couldn’t put it down, this was a great read it even got me out of my reading slump. The book overall has a super cool magical realm, romance done wonderfully, a mfc who’s a genuine balance of badass and cinnamon roll, a good yearning bit, and the spice in the it was well written too. I cannot wait for what comes next.

[Sarah Lassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Andrea for the ARC!

I have been in such a horrible reading slump and this book pulled me right out of it. I absolutely loved following the completely ordinary human sidekick who is skeptical of the magical realm, mating bonds, and isn’t afraid to call out the misogyny in the magical realm. Discovering the new realm with Vanessa made it very easy to digest if you are not a seasoned fantasy reader, and I loved that at the end she still was true to her character and not falling over the MMC.

Speaking of the MMC, this is a slowwwww burn and I loved that so much. The angst, the longing, it was done so well. Drustan is unhinged and slightly evil and he stays true to that aspect of his character too. Overall, I loved the twists and turns, the end left me wanting more, and I can’t wait for book two.

[Ashley R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2026. I was excited to see Andrea Andersen step into a new genre after loving all her contemporary romance. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book as much as I hoped I would. The slow burn is painfully slow and I found myself getting a little bored in parts. The pacing also felt a little off sometimes. The world building was great and I love Vanessa and her feminine rage! The cliffhanger ending has me wondering what happens next.

3.5 star rating, thanks to Andrea Andersen for an advanced copy for my honest review.

[Sarah Neufeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Andrea for the eARC!!

I liked that this was a twist on the normal romantasy story. I did want some more world building with this but you understand where and what was happening throughout. Dru had it bad for Van from the beginning and the flashback to his POV was a great add. I kinda wanted his POV throughout the entire thing. I didn’t trust Audrey the entire time (even with her being the chosen one) and I especially don’t trust her either the ending. Van was relatable and grew a bit in this story. Interested to see where this goes!

[kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK TO EVER EXIST