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An Inheritance of Ashes
A rich and compelling epic fantasy with a touch of the strange, from the author of Above.
The strange war down south - with its rumours of gods and monsters - is over. And while 16-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm. When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks - and keeping desperate secrets.
But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie's own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to Hallie's home may be Hallie herself.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2015
60 people are currently reading
5243 people want to read
About the author
Leah Bobet
38 books288 followersI drink tea, wear feathers in my hair, and plant gardens in back alleys.
My first novel, Above, was shortlisted for both the Andre Norton Award and the Prix Aurora Award, and my second, An Inheritance of Ashes, was the winner of the Prix Aurora Award, the Copper Cylinder Award, and the Sunburst Award; an OLA Best Bets Selection; and shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Award and the Cybils.
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My first novel, Above, was shortlisted for both the Andre Norton Award and the Prix Aurora Award, and my second, An Inheritance of Ashes, was the winner of the Prix Aurora Award, the Copper Cylinder Award, and the Sunburst Award; an OLA Best Bets Selection; and shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Award and the Cybils.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
August 27, 2015
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Rating: 2 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
Summary (from Goodreads):
The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm.
When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.
What I Liked:
I downloaded this book from Edelweiss on a whim - I didn't know much about it, but I was curious about the author, and the paranormal aspect of the book. I've not read Bobet's debut novel. This novel was certainly unique, I don't think I've read anything like it before. While I didn't fully enjoy it, I did think it was pretty good!
Hallie and her sister Marthe have been running their family's farm for years. With their father long dead, and Marthe very pregnant (she's 26, I believe), and Thom (Marthe's husband) still not home from the war, Hallie feels the pressure and failure of running things by herself. The war between human and Twisted Things and the Wicked God is over - or is it? When Twisted Things start to show up at Hallie's farm, and a a man asks to be hired help around the farm, Hallie knows that something is not right. Monsters and regiments both invade the farm, but Hallie will stop at nothing to protect what is hers, and her family.
I had a hard time getting into this book initially, just because of the tone set. I'm putting this in the "likes" section because technically this shows how well Bobet wrote the opening scenes! There is so much sadness and pain. The prologue is a part of the past, in which Hallie's father and Uncle Matthias are fighting, and Uncle Matthias leaves. And then the first chapters open with Hallie working like a slave on the farm, her older sister vastly pregnant and awaiting the return of her husband from the way.
We don't get all the details about what happened in the war, what the war was about, what the creatures were. We know that the Twisted Things are monsters from the Wicked God's world, and that John Balsam stabbed the Wicked God in the heart, thus ending the war. All of the paranormal aspects of this book are accepted and known, nothing comes as a surprise.
There are more issues than just the reappearance of Twisted Things. Hallie and her sister have been running the farm, but Mayor Pitts doesn't want to help them in any way with the farm. When he hears that there are Twisted Things by the farm, he immediately wants to quarantine the area and send the regiment. And then there's Hallie's relationship with Marthe. Hallie feels like a failure around Marthe - nothing she ever does is good enough for Marthe, and she expects Marthe to throw her out like their father ran out Uncle Matthias.
I liked Hallie a lot, though I think she wallowed in self-pity one too many times. She is a strong girl, much strong than she thinks she is. She is more caring and kind and selfless than she gives herself credit. She lets Heron, the veteran from the war, stay on the farm as a hired help, even though she finds something odd about him. She is best friends with Nat, a neighboring farming family's daughter, and Tyler, the older brother and veteran. Hallie is someone I felt myself understanding, even if I've never been in her position (running a farm, living in the midst of war, etc.).
The story is interesting, though it could have been more so if not for one or two things that I didn't enjoy (see below). Hallie and the gang are focused on figuring out where the Twisted Things are coming from, and how to stop them from coming. It seems like they are appearing from thin air, over the farm! So Hallie, Heron (the veteran), Nat, and Tyler are trying to find a way to stop them - without Marthe knowing.
There is a little romance! No love triangle, which was nice. I thought there might be, given that Hallie does become close friends with Heron, but they are never romantically interested in each other, or involved. Hallie and Tyler grew up together, and it's adorable and sweet to see them fall for each. Especially Hallie, since she kind of wakes up and realizes that Tyler likes her. I liked this! The romance is probably my favorite aspect of the book.
Now on to the bad stuff.
What I Did Not Like:
Hallie and Marthe's relationship is easily the most toxic and least likable part of this book. Hallie spends basically the entire book feeling like a failure to her sister, but also disliking how her sister makes her do everything on the farm and doesn't like how Hallie does it. I didn't like Marthe at all. I don't care how the author wanted to spin Marthe's character towards the end of the book. Marthe seemed like a total b**** to me. I don't care if she's pregnant. She could be a lot nicer to Hallie, her SISTER. Instead, she is cruel and crabby and unforgiving and unyielding. No wonder Hallie distanced herself from Marthe? I wouldn't want to be around Marthe either! I'd want to get the f*** out of there and never look back.
This book lost at least a star because of Marthe. I know the author WANTED us to understand Hallie and Marthe's odd relationship, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it. I didn't like reading it. I was furious with Marthe, and didn't like her, despite her being a protagonist. This book is written entirely in Hallie's first person POV, but Marthe is a very significant player in the story. I didn't like her though. Pregnant or not, she was rude. And a terrible person.
I thought this book was also a bit boring. It doesn't have a lot of action, which I was kind of expecting. The synopsis had me thinking there would be some serious war and fighting going on, but the war just ended (or did it...?). Also, the synopsis says things about "family truths" - I don't know what they're talking about? There are no " ugly truths about Hallie’s own family" that I remember. The death of her father, which was pretty significant in the backstory, is still a mystery to me. I feel like that should have been something that came back and impacted the story more directly!
Also, did I mention boring? Meandering pace. It took me three days to finish this book. Usually I'll read a book in three straight HOURS.
Would I Recommend It:
Eh, no. You're not missing out with this one. You're not going to gain an epic story or something. I wish I hadn't requested this book, which is a really big reason why this book is getting 2 stars (not 3 stars). I could have gone my life without reading this one, sadly!
Rating:
2.5 stars -> rounded down to 2 stars. It's unfortunate that I went on a whim and downloaded this one, but ended up kind of regretting it? I know it seems like there were a lot of things I liked, but the big negative ones eclipsed the small positive ones. Anyway, at least I finished it!
An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Rating: 2 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
Summary (from Goodreads):
The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm.
When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.
What I Liked:
I downloaded this book from Edelweiss on a whim - I didn't know much about it, but I was curious about the author, and the paranormal aspect of the book. I've not read Bobet's debut novel. This novel was certainly unique, I don't think I've read anything like it before. While I didn't fully enjoy it, I did think it was pretty good!
Hallie and her sister Marthe have been running their family's farm for years. With their father long dead, and Marthe very pregnant (she's 26, I believe), and Thom (Marthe's husband) still not home from the war, Hallie feels the pressure and failure of running things by herself. The war between human and Twisted Things and the Wicked God is over - or is it? When Twisted Things start to show up at Hallie's farm, and a a man asks to be hired help around the farm, Hallie knows that something is not right. Monsters and regiments both invade the farm, but Hallie will stop at nothing to protect what is hers, and her family.
I had a hard time getting into this book initially, just because of the tone set. I'm putting this in the "likes" section because technically this shows how well Bobet wrote the opening scenes! There is so much sadness and pain. The prologue is a part of the past, in which Hallie's father and Uncle Matthias are fighting, and Uncle Matthias leaves. And then the first chapters open with Hallie working like a slave on the farm, her older sister vastly pregnant and awaiting the return of her husband from the way.
We don't get all the details about what happened in the war, what the war was about, what the creatures were. We know that the Twisted Things are monsters from the Wicked God's world, and that John Balsam stabbed the Wicked God in the heart, thus ending the war. All of the paranormal aspects of this book are accepted and known, nothing comes as a surprise.
There are more issues than just the reappearance of Twisted Things. Hallie and her sister have been running the farm, but Mayor Pitts doesn't want to help them in any way with the farm. When he hears that there are Twisted Things by the farm, he immediately wants to quarantine the area and send the regiment. And then there's Hallie's relationship with Marthe. Hallie feels like a failure around Marthe - nothing she ever does is good enough for Marthe, and she expects Marthe to throw her out like their father ran out Uncle Matthias.
I liked Hallie a lot, though I think she wallowed in self-pity one too many times. She is a strong girl, much strong than she thinks she is. She is more caring and kind and selfless than she gives herself credit. She lets Heron, the veteran from the war, stay on the farm as a hired help, even though she finds something odd about him. She is best friends with Nat, a neighboring farming family's daughter, and Tyler, the older brother and veteran. Hallie is someone I felt myself understanding, even if I've never been in her position (running a farm, living in the midst of war, etc.).
The story is interesting, though it could have been more so if not for one or two things that I didn't enjoy (see below). Hallie and the gang are focused on figuring out where the Twisted Things are coming from, and how to stop them from coming. It seems like they are appearing from thin air, over the farm! So Hallie, Heron (the veteran), Nat, and Tyler are trying to find a way to stop them - without Marthe knowing.
There is a little romance! No love triangle, which was nice. I thought there might be, given that Hallie does become close friends with Heron, but they are never romantically interested in each other, or involved. Hallie and Tyler grew up together, and it's adorable and sweet to see them fall for each. Especially Hallie, since she kind of wakes up and realizes that Tyler likes her. I liked this! The romance is probably my favorite aspect of the book.
Now on to the bad stuff.
What I Did Not Like:
Hallie and Marthe's relationship is easily the most toxic and least likable part of this book. Hallie spends basically the entire book feeling like a failure to her sister, but also disliking how her sister makes her do everything on the farm and doesn't like how Hallie does it. I didn't like Marthe at all. I don't care how the author wanted to spin Marthe's character towards the end of the book. Marthe seemed like a total b**** to me. I don't care if she's pregnant. She could be a lot nicer to Hallie, her SISTER. Instead, she is cruel and crabby and unforgiving and unyielding. No wonder Hallie distanced herself from Marthe? I wouldn't want to be around Marthe either! I'd want to get the f*** out of there and never look back.
This book lost at least a star because of Marthe. I know the author WANTED us to understand Hallie and Marthe's odd relationship, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it. I didn't like reading it. I was furious with Marthe, and didn't like her, despite her being a protagonist. This book is written entirely in Hallie's first person POV, but Marthe is a very significant player in the story. I didn't like her though. Pregnant or not, she was rude. And a terrible person.
I thought this book was also a bit boring. It doesn't have a lot of action, which I was kind of expecting. The synopsis had me thinking there would be some serious war and fighting going on, but the war just ended (or did it...?). Also, the synopsis says things about "family truths" - I don't know what they're talking about? There are no " ugly truths about Hallie’s own family" that I remember. The death of her father, which was pretty significant in the backstory, is still a mystery to me. I feel like that should have been something that came back and impacted the story more directly!
Also, did I mention boring? Meandering pace. It took me three days to finish this book. Usually I'll read a book in three straight HOURS.
Would I Recommend It:
Eh, no. You're not missing out with this one. You're not going to gain an epic story or something. I wish I hadn't requested this book, which is a really big reason why this book is getting 2 stars (not 3 stars). I could have gone my life without reading this one, sadly!
Rating:
2.5 stars -> rounded down to 2 stars. It's unfortunate that I went on a whim and downloaded this one, but ended up kind of regretting it? I know it seems like there were a lot of things I liked, but the big negative ones eclipsed the small positive ones. Anyway, at least I finished it!
May 15, 2015
Scholastic Canada sent me the ARC of this (they are co-publishing with Clarion in the US). I adored the writing in ABOVE, Bobet's first novel, and so was certainly willing to give this a shot, even though my reaction to the first handful of pages was: "Gee, gorgeous, but I don't know if I'm in the mood for a gritty contemporary set on a family farm that's -- OH WAIT." At that point the bird hit the window, and then caught fire.
If I had been paying attention to those first pages -- or the cover, or the jacket copy -- I would not have been surprised, but I'm rather glad that I wasn't, because the surprise was delicious. Bobet's world, set generations after the fall of the cities, bare months after the end of the small and strange war against "The Wicked God Southward," is so well-done that it feels completely real. Her people feel real. The damn hole in the middle of the air feels real. There's a hero who's not a hero, a villain who's not a villain, and a protagonist who just wants to get the barley malt made, and is clearly not going to get to. It's all so, so, so well done.
I cried and turned pages and wanted so so badly to have written this little masterpiece. Do read it.
If I had been paying attention to those first pages -- or the cover, or the jacket copy -- I would not have been surprised, but I'm rather glad that I wasn't, because the surprise was delicious. Bobet's world, set generations after the fall of the cities, bare months after the end of the small and strange war against "The Wicked God Southward," is so well-done that it feels completely real. Her people feel real. The damn hole in the middle of the air feels real. There's a hero who's not a hero, a villain who's not a villain, and a protagonist who just wants to get the barley malt made, and is clearly not going to get to. It's all so, so, so well done.
I cried and turned pages and wanted so so badly to have written this little masterpiece. Do read it.
September 21, 2015
I just . . . I just . . . There's so much . . . It's just . . .
Listen. I've tried three times to describe this book, and it's just not happening.
This is without a doubt one of the most interesting, layered, well-written books I've read all year. There's a LOT going on here, but it's all going well. What ties together all the bits of the plot: the family drama, the war, the demons, the small-town power struggle, is that the characters are amazing. The descriptions of ordinary life on the farm are realistic, and with that as the basis, the fantastical elements are all the richer and more startling. I loved this book with all my heart and soul, and I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm just going to urge you all to go out and read it!
Listen. I've tried three times to describe this book, and it's just not happening.
This is without a doubt one of the most interesting, layered, well-written books I've read all year. There's a LOT going on here, but it's all going well. What ties together all the bits of the plot: the family drama, the war, the demons, the small-town power struggle, is that the characters are amazing. The descriptions of ordinary life on the farm are realistic, and with that as the basis, the fantastical elements are all the richer and more startling. I loved this book with all my heart and soul, and I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm just going to urge you all to go out and read it!
July 31, 2015
It’s been several days since I finished this book and I still don’t know how I feel about it. I certainly felt things a few times but it wasn’t quite what I expected. I think 2.5 stars fits best. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it, it was just ok.
That cover is gorgeous though – love it!
The story is about sisters Hallie and Marthe and their struggle to keep the family farm by themselves. They’re waiting for Marthe’s husband to return from the war with the Wicked God when another veteran happens upon their farm and asks to stay for the winter. With the stranger there to bear witness to the family’s struggle things go from hard to worse as Twisted Things show up again making everyone wonder – is the Wicked God really dead and is this stranger what he seems?
One of my biggest complaints is that I don’t feel the story reads the way the synopsis made it sound like it would: I was expecting a lot of action, drama, and magic and I didn’t really get that. The synopsis says how Hallie is keeping dangerous secrets and getting desperate and the entire time I was reading I was never once on the edge of my seat.
Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to like about the book, and like I said, I didn’t hate it, it just didn’t fit what I had expected and wasn’t what I was hoping for. The really original monsters, Twisted Things, that were in there were fun to read about, but they weren’t as detailed/present as I would have liked, almost more abstract. There were several that were described and I loved it each time so I found myself having wanted more instead of references to them as an entity. I have no doubt though that if you get caught up in the story you’re not going to care that much about it, I just had this idea of a super creepy book and it’s more of a story about family bonds.
The family dynamic between the sisters was well done as was the opening that included their father. I was immediately pulled in and had my heart breaking for the girls, and the story tries hard to stay on that level, however, “ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging” was a massive let down for me. I expected, well, ugly truths and gut-wrenching rawness but what I got was a mature view taking over a childhood one.
For me, the story lost its pull and I was a bit bored for a while, but this could easily be blamed on my slump. Nothing seems to make me happy right now.
December 14, 2015
When the world has already ended and the war against a Mad God has already been fought and won, a sixteen-year old struggles to deal with her family and community.
Hallie lives on the family farm with her heavily pregnant sister Marthe. They're not getting along, because Marthe's husband has not returned from the War where the Mad God was killed and that's placing a lot of pressure on their already strained relationship. Which is only one of a long history of strained relationships in this sad family. Then a soldier turns up seeking work and shelter for the Winter and almost at the same time Twisted Things begin appearing. Creatures of the Mad God, small but twisted, and always on fire.
Like one of my other favorite books this year (Cuckoo Song), this story is primarily about sisters and family. Hallie's family has been broken for a long time, and she has had a key part in that breaking. The pack in the barn is simultaneously one of the bravest and saddest things I've read in a story about family. And all this family drama in the forefront of the book just makes it all much weightier when the backdrop is the potential end of the world.
Loved it. Read this.
Hallie lives on the family farm with her heavily pregnant sister Marthe. They're not getting along, because Marthe's husband has not returned from the War where the Mad God was killed and that's placing a lot of pressure on their already strained relationship. Which is only one of a long history of strained relationships in this sad family. Then a soldier turns up seeking work and shelter for the Winter and almost at the same time Twisted Things begin appearing. Creatures of the Mad God, small but twisted, and always on fire.
Like one of my other favorite books this year (Cuckoo Song), this story is primarily about sisters and family. Hallie's family has been broken for a long time, and she has had a key part in that breaking. The pack in the barn is simultaneously one of the bravest and saddest things I've read in a story about family. And all this family drama in the forefront of the book just makes it all much weightier when the backdrop is the potential end of the world.
Loved it. Read this.
dnf
February 22, 2016WHAT WHO IS THIS WHAT WHY HUH BUT WHEN WHAT WAIT WHAT HOW WHO WHAT IS HAPPENING??????
That's just me the whole time.
That's just me the whole time.
April 11, 2016
A wonderfully written story filled with rich characters and emotional depth.
September 29, 2015
This and other reviews are on my site My Friends Are Fiction
My Thoughts:
I had heard nothing about this book when I requested it and after realizing it was fantasy I was sold on reading it. I found An Inheritance of Ashes to be a really slow paced, atmospheric and eerie. When I say slow paced I don’t mean boring at all- more the feel of the book was slow (like Mindy McGinnis’ Not a Drop to Drink).
The story takes place right after a war with The Wicked One and his Twisted Things have ravished the land. The people remaining are forced to live in fear and with little conveniences. Our main characters, two sisters, are waiting on Marthe (the older sister’s) husband to come home from the war to help run their farm.
I really enjoyed the characters in this novel and I think because I was so invested in the small things in their lives this book never seemed dull to me. I will say there are many pages where not a whole lot happens. We as the reader deal with Hallie’s internal struggles with her relationship with her sister and the stress she feels trying to keep things together in her life.
My favorite character hands down was the veteran that happened by Hallie’s farm and was hired as an extra farm hand. This character was so wonderful to me and I could do with an entire novel about just him. I really can’t say enough about how expertly he was crafted and how his relationship with Hallie and the farm progressed was wonderful.
There was a minor romance but it does not drive this book nor take center stage. Did I perhaps ship the wrong couple? Why, yes I did. I was a tad disappointed when things didn’t go as I’d have liked but it was rather obvious that I was deluding myself early on.
The setting in An Inheritance of Ashes was beautifully rendered. Because Bobet’s world works on the same rules for the most part as our own the instances of magic felt even more creepy to me. There was a literal hole in the sky and it was so fantastically done I can’t really even say any more about it. Just incredible writing and the entire mixture of the Twisted Things and Hallie’s world was breathtaking. Don’t go into this book expecting a ton of magic or a typical fantasy book. There aren’t dragons or wizards as much as a world much like our own with magic that seemed incredibly realistic.
Final Thoughts:
To me, An Inheritance of Ashes, was a breathtakingly well done novel. I adored the characters and though the book moved at a slow pace it kept my interest start to finish. I do think that many readers might not connect but those that do will without question love this book and the visuals Bobet created.
My Thoughts:
I had heard nothing about this book when I requested it and after realizing it was fantasy I was sold on reading it. I found An Inheritance of Ashes to be a really slow paced, atmospheric and eerie. When I say slow paced I don’t mean boring at all- more the feel of the book was slow (like Mindy McGinnis’ Not a Drop to Drink).
The story takes place right after a war with The Wicked One and his Twisted Things have ravished the land. The people remaining are forced to live in fear and with little conveniences. Our main characters, two sisters, are waiting on Marthe (the older sister’s) husband to come home from the war to help run their farm.
I really enjoyed the characters in this novel and I think because I was so invested in the small things in their lives this book never seemed dull to me. I will say there are many pages where not a whole lot happens. We as the reader deal with Hallie’s internal struggles with her relationship with her sister and the stress she feels trying to keep things together in her life.
My favorite character hands down was the veteran that happened by Hallie’s farm and was hired as an extra farm hand. This character was so wonderful to me and I could do with an entire novel about just him. I really can’t say enough about how expertly he was crafted and how his relationship with Hallie and the farm progressed was wonderful.
There was a minor romance but it does not drive this book nor take center stage. Did I perhaps ship the wrong couple? Why, yes I did. I was a tad disappointed when things didn’t go as I’d have liked but it was rather obvious that I was deluding myself early on.
The setting in An Inheritance of Ashes was beautifully rendered. Because Bobet’s world works on the same rules for the most part as our own the instances of magic felt even more creepy to me. There was a literal hole in the sky and it was so fantastically done I can’t really even say any more about it. Just incredible writing and the entire mixture of the Twisted Things and Hallie’s world was breathtaking. Don’t go into this book expecting a ton of magic or a typical fantasy book. There aren’t dragons or wizards as much as a world much like our own with magic that seemed incredibly realistic.
Final Thoughts:
To me, An Inheritance of Ashes, was a breathtakingly well done novel. I adored the characters and though the book moved at a slow pace it kept my interest start to finish. I do think that many readers might not connect but those that do will without question love this book and the visuals Bobet created.
Read
November 28, 2015I was hoping to finish this, and I tried but this was just.... Odd. Hope to maybe one day finish it.
April 30, 2016
4.5 stars.
November 12, 2015
If you like a bleak, gray (really gray), desolate world where all the characters are angry/raging, sad/depressed, afraid, and have no hope than THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. :D
Fill me up with a little cheer, why don't you? Typically if the tone of a book is this angry and black & white, than my feelings become like a chameleon and I end up feeling the same way about the book too.
This book was strange in a bad way. It almost didn't make sense. There's this rip in the world where these other creatures came out of and a supposed "Wicked God" that all the farm boys and men went to "war" with. There wasn't really a god though. There were monsters.
The writing was pretty good about halfway through. I felt like the author got really deep when explaining how our main character, Hallie felt about her family and her situation. You see, since she was a kid she's been ready to abandon the farm because of family issues. She thinks her sister Marthe hates her. Marthe thinks Hallie hates her too. This family is bad at communicating feelings.
And when it says this story takes place on a farm, IT TAKES PLACE ON A FARM. I can't repeat how many times it was stated "And there were chores." "Chores." "Do your chores." I'm like, ALRITE, I GET IT. Literally the landscape was so bleak. Also, for some reason it's a big deal that Hal and her sister keep the farmland that works them to the bone. Even if it caused them both misery. Also I didn't realize this was a dystopian universe either but you get hints that there was a normal world that was destroyed. So you sometimes got a setting with an abandoned city with cars and guns, except excuse me, no one knew what a gun was because it's from the old world. :/ There was no explanation as to what happened that made the world like that. It's just there. Idk maybe some readers would enjoy that...
Srsly the only good part was the ending, because there was finally a little color thrown into this bleached life. A chance at happiness and hope. I honestly don't know what to say...the characters weren't BAD, but they just weren't very lovable either.
Fill me up with a little cheer, why don't you? Typically if the tone of a book is this angry and black & white, than my feelings become like a chameleon and I end up feeling the same way about the book too.
This book was strange in a bad way. It almost didn't make sense. There's this rip in the world where these other creatures came out of and a supposed "Wicked God" that all the farm boys and men went to "war" with. There wasn't really a god though. There were monsters.
The writing was pretty good about halfway through. I felt like the author got really deep when explaining how our main character, Hallie felt about her family and her situation. You see, since she was a kid she's been ready to abandon the farm because of family issues. She thinks her sister Marthe hates her. Marthe thinks Hallie hates her too. This family is bad at communicating feelings.
And when it says this story takes place on a farm, IT TAKES PLACE ON A FARM. I can't repeat how many times it was stated "And there were chores." "Chores." "Do your chores." I'm like, ALRITE, I GET IT. Literally the landscape was so bleak. Also, for some reason it's a big deal that Hal and her sister keep the farmland that works them to the bone. Even if it caused them both misery. Also I didn't realize this was a dystopian universe either but you get hints that there was a normal world that was destroyed. So you sometimes got a setting with an abandoned city with cars and guns, except excuse me, no one knew what a gun was because it's from the old world. :/ There was no explanation as to what happened that made the world like that. It's just there. Idk maybe some readers would enjoy that...
Srsly the only good part was the ending, because there was finally a little color thrown into this bleached life. A chance at happiness and hope. I honestly don't know what to say...the characters weren't BAD, but they just weren't very lovable either.
February 21, 2020
Full Review on The Candid Cover
An Inheritance of Ashes is a dystopian novel with a twist! It’s got a unique fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi concept, a dramatic pair of sisters, and an inherited farm. This book takes from basically every genre to create one whirlwind of a book.
I really enjoyed the “end of a war” concept in An Inheritance of Ashes. Typically, when I read a dystopian, the book is about a current war, not the aftermath of one. This book is filled with Twisted Things, a Wicked God, and various other elements that make a phenomenal sci-fi/fantasy. An Inheritance of Ashes is very interesting and so different from other dystopian novels.
One of my favourite things about An Inheritance of Ashes is the theme of sisters. However, the sisters in this book aren’t necessarily on the best of terms. Hallie believes that she is only capable of disappointing Marthe and Marthe is extremely bossy and pretty demanding of Hallie. Most people may say that they dislike this idea, but I think it mixes things up and adds a bit more drama to the book. It also sets the stage for some real theatrics towards the end of the story.
In An Inheritance of Ashes, the Hallie and Marthe have inherited a farm from their father. The farm is the perfect setting for a bit of paranormality and some monsters from the dark side. Bobet certainly uses this eery setting to create a mood in this book that is so mysterious and creepy.
An Inheritance of Ashes has a unique dystopian concept, two sisters who aren’t the best of friends, and an interesting farm setting. I recommend An Inheritance of Ashes to everyone because it honestly has something for everyone, paranormal, fantasy, even a bit of mystery. This is really the perfect fall read because of its spooky and dark concept.
An Inheritance of Ashes is a dystopian novel with a twist! It’s got a unique fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi concept, a dramatic pair of sisters, and an inherited farm. This book takes from basically every genre to create one whirlwind of a book.
I really enjoyed the “end of a war” concept in An Inheritance of Ashes. Typically, when I read a dystopian, the book is about a current war, not the aftermath of one. This book is filled with Twisted Things, a Wicked God, and various other elements that make a phenomenal sci-fi/fantasy. An Inheritance of Ashes is very interesting and so different from other dystopian novels.
One of my favourite things about An Inheritance of Ashes is the theme of sisters. However, the sisters in this book aren’t necessarily on the best of terms. Hallie believes that she is only capable of disappointing Marthe and Marthe is extremely bossy and pretty demanding of Hallie. Most people may say that they dislike this idea, but I think it mixes things up and adds a bit more drama to the book. It also sets the stage for some real theatrics towards the end of the story.
In An Inheritance of Ashes, the Hallie and Marthe have inherited a farm from their father. The farm is the perfect setting for a bit of paranormality and some monsters from the dark side. Bobet certainly uses this eery setting to create a mood in this book that is so mysterious and creepy.
An Inheritance of Ashes has a unique dystopian concept, two sisters who aren’t the best of friends, and an interesting farm setting. I recommend An Inheritance of Ashes to everyone because it honestly has something for everyone, paranormal, fantasy, even a bit of mystery. This is really the perfect fall read because of its spooky and dark concept.
September 19, 2019
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
First, a brief look at what we're getting into. Please note the lack of information that I have for you on this most basic of summaries:
Hallie and her sister live on a farm... somewhere. Their dad died and now they run this big farm. Her sister, Marthe, is pregnant, and her husband is off in a war that just ended. A veteran named Heron comes along and Hallie lets him stay to help since they are kind of not doing great on their own with the farm. But he brings secrets with him, and then a "Twisted Thing" (which the war was fighting against) lands on the property and everyone kind of loses their mind. These "things" (no, seriously, I am not lacking eloquence, that is what they are called!) apparently burn everything they touch, and so the "things'" bodies have to be burned because... reasons. But they have help from the closest farm, and this includes Hallie's friend Nat and her brother Tyler, also home from the war and injured. There are more people in this family, but they bored me and I couldn't keep their names straight, so we'll forget about them. Enter the nearby town, whose mayor wants to get Hallie and Marthe off the farm (again, for reasons?) and therefore refuses assistance when more "things" turn up.
• The atmosphere was definitely on point. This was supposed to feel dismal and eerie, and it was done well. I definitely felt a melancholia settled right over the farm, and really, the whole town.
• I was rooting for Hallie and her sister. I wanted them to make it, to keep their farm, and to survive whatever the "Twisted Things" were. I also really wanted them to become closer as sisters and friends.
• Hallie's friend Nat was enjoyable. She had a charm and sarcastic wit about her that made me like her. There wasn't enough Nat, I'd have loved even more of her!
So, the problems. They mostly fall in the "this doesn't make sense" category, but I will go into detail.
• When was this taking place? Literally, no idea. I'm going to guess that it was post-apocalyptic because there was one reference about old skyscrapers, and another that might have been a reference to a car, but I am not even sure. So... I am not exactly betting money on the time frame.
• Where was this taking place? Yeah, a farm. But a farm where? America? Earth? No idea. Now, again, I am going to guess somewhere in the United States, because someone talked about Toledo, and someone else talked about Monticello, which are both smaller American cities. But again, pure conjecture. Heron kept talking about going "north" or "south" as though they'd mean something to the reader (and also as though there wasn't an east or west, so there's that), but since we could be absolutely anywhere, I had no idea.
• What were the "Twisted Things"? Again, your guess is as good as mine. Some were bird-like. Some were not. So that encompasses all the things. And where did they come from? And why did they have a "god"? And who was it? And when did this start? I could probably go on for days, but I won't. Why bother?
• How and/or why was this taking place? You'd think some kind of big event would lead to the current state of crap falling from the sky and attacking. I'd probably be curious, personally, if the sky opened up and started shooting birds that burn off my face at me.
• The ship was "meh". I had hoped the ship would go a certain way, but it really, really did not. And the ship that did take place had very little chemistry to me. I was bored with it, and had really hoped things in the romance arena would pick up. They did not.
• Hallie was really, really pessimistic. Look, so am I, so I get it. But this was almost too much, especially when it came to her relationship with Marthe. It seemed like Hallie was just making all these assumptions about Marthe's intentions without ever bothering to find out what Marthe thought. Don't get me wrong, Marthe was no ray of sunshine either, but trying to actually communicate might have made things tolerable. Hallie seemed to make more problems for herself than there needed to be, on many occasions, concerning many things. There were a lot of decisions she made that were just flat out not smart. And there wasn't any reasoning behind it that could make me understand the decisions.
• Things started off incredibly slow. In fact, I considered DNFing because I really didn't understand the point, plus I was bored. But then things did pick up a bit. I had hope at that point that things would all fall into place, so I kept going.
• I still have no idea about any of the things above. Seriously, not a clue. I kept holding out hope that I'd get answers to all the background stuff that had me scratching my head, but alas, I still have absolutely no idea where, when, how, or why anything happened. I'm not saying that the story didn't have a decent conclusion, I am just saying that the things I'd hoped to find answers to, I did not.
Bottom Line: It is with regret that I must admit to not enjoying this one. Maybe it's me, maybe I am missing something, but I had a lot of questions, and close to zero answers.
First, a brief look at what we're getting into. Please note the lack of information that I have for you on this most basic of summaries:
Hallie and her sister live on a farm... somewhere. Their dad died and now they run this big farm. Her sister, Marthe, is pregnant, and her husband is off in a war that just ended. A veteran named Heron comes along and Hallie lets him stay to help since they are kind of not doing great on their own with the farm. But he brings secrets with him, and then a "Twisted Thing" (which the war was fighting against) lands on the property and everyone kind of loses their mind. These "things" (no, seriously, I am not lacking eloquence, that is what they are called!) apparently burn everything they touch, and so the "things'" bodies have to be burned because... reasons. But they have help from the closest farm, and this includes Hallie's friend Nat and her brother Tyler, also home from the war and injured. There are more people in this family, but they bored me and I couldn't keep their names straight, so we'll forget about them. Enter the nearby town, whose mayor wants to get Hallie and Marthe off the farm (again, for reasons?) and therefore refuses assistance when more "things" turn up.
So. Are you confused? Me too.
Let's talk about a few things I did like, because it's always nice to do that.
• The atmosphere was definitely on point. This was supposed to feel dismal and eerie, and it was done well. I definitely felt a melancholia settled right over the farm, and really, the whole town.
• I was rooting for Hallie and her sister. I wanted them to make it, to keep their farm, and to survive whatever the "Twisted Things" were. I also really wanted them to become closer as sisters and friends.
• Hallie's friend Nat was enjoyable. She had a charm and sarcastic wit about her that made me like her. There wasn't enough Nat, I'd have loved even more of her!
So, the problems. They mostly fall in the "this doesn't make sense" category, but I will go into detail.
• When was this taking place? Literally, no idea. I'm going to guess that it was post-apocalyptic because there was one reference about old skyscrapers, and another that might have been a reference to a car, but I am not even sure. So... I am not exactly betting money on the time frame.
• Where was this taking place? Yeah, a farm. But a farm where? America? Earth? No idea. Now, again, I am going to guess somewhere in the United States, because someone talked about Toledo, and someone else talked about Monticello, which are both smaller American cities. But again, pure conjecture. Heron kept talking about going "north" or "south" as though they'd mean something to the reader (and also as though there wasn't an east or west, so there's that), but since we could be absolutely anywhere, I had no idea.
• What were the "Twisted Things"? Again, your guess is as good as mine. Some were bird-like. Some were not. So that encompasses all the things. And where did they come from? And why did they have a "god"? And who was it? And when did this start? I could probably go on for days, but I won't. Why bother?
• How and/or why was this taking place? You'd think some kind of big event would lead to the current state of crap falling from the sky and attacking. I'd probably be curious, personally, if the sky opened up and started shooting birds that burn off my face at me.
• The ship was "meh". I had hoped the ship would go a certain way, but it really, really did not. And the ship that did take place had very little chemistry to me. I was bored with it, and had really hoped things in the romance arena would pick up. They did not.
• Hallie was really, really pessimistic. Look, so am I, so I get it. But this was almost too much, especially when it came to her relationship with Marthe. It seemed like Hallie was just making all these assumptions about Marthe's intentions without ever bothering to find out what Marthe thought. Don't get me wrong, Marthe was no ray of sunshine either, but trying to actually communicate might have made things tolerable. Hallie seemed to make more problems for herself than there needed to be, on many occasions, concerning many things. There were a lot of decisions she made that were just flat out not smart. And there wasn't any reasoning behind it that could make me understand the decisions.
• Things started off incredibly slow. In fact, I considered DNFing because I really didn't understand the point, plus I was bored. But then things did pick up a bit. I had hope at that point that things would all fall into place, so I kept going.
• I still have no idea about any of the things above. Seriously, not a clue. I kept holding out hope that I'd get answers to all the background stuff that had me scratching my head, but alas, I still have absolutely no idea where, when, how, or why anything happened. I'm not saying that the story didn't have a decent conclusion, I am just saying that the things I'd hoped to find answers to, I did not.
Bottom Line: It is with regret that I must admit to not enjoying this one. Maybe it's me, maybe I am missing something, but I had a lot of questions, and close to zero answers.
January 17, 2016
*September 2015 : This book was received in exchange of an honest review.*
*4 stars*
This was not what I was expecting. It's very Stephen king's "The mist".
Right from the beginning we're thrown into a world where a war against the wicked God and his twisted things has just ended. At first, I was very confused with what was going on. Who was this wicked God? What were these twisted things? The twisted things were absolutely eerie and terrifying.
Like Stephen Kings "the mist" these creatures come from a "door" of sorts that leads to another world. However, it still has its own originality to it and the world building is so well done, once I got into the story line I flew threw the pages faster than I realized. 20 pages became 80 and suddenly 80 pages turned into the last 10 pages.
Although I did not feel connected to the main character, I did however, love plenty of the other characters and found them to be a lot easier to connect with. This was not only a thrilling story but it was also about love, and struggles within families and how to over come them.
The ending felt very rushed, I'm not completely sure how I feel about the way it ended. Am I supposed to just wonder what happens to all the characters next? I know we get told where they go and what they do next but it still feels as if we HADN'T been told what happens next ..
Would I recommend this? Sure, if you're looking for something quick to read that's eerie but not too eerie, then this is just what you're looking for.
*4 stars*
This was not what I was expecting. It's very Stephen king's "The mist".
Right from the beginning we're thrown into a world where a war against the wicked God and his twisted things has just ended. At first, I was very confused with what was going on. Who was this wicked God? What were these twisted things? The twisted things were absolutely eerie and terrifying.
Like Stephen Kings "the mist" these creatures come from a "door" of sorts that leads to another world. However, it still has its own originality to it and the world building is so well done, once I got into the story line I flew threw the pages faster than I realized. 20 pages became 80 and suddenly 80 pages turned into the last 10 pages.
Although I did not feel connected to the main character, I did however, love plenty of the other characters and found them to be a lot easier to connect with. This was not only a thrilling story but it was also about love, and struggles within families and how to over come them.
The ending felt very rushed, I'm not completely sure how I feel about the way it ended. Am I supposed to just wonder what happens to all the characters next? I know we get told where they go and what they do next but it still feels as if we HADN'T been told what happens next ..
Would I recommend this? Sure, if you're looking for something quick to read that's eerie but not too eerie, then this is just what you're looking for.
October 18, 2016
This was a DNF at 40% for me. The writing style was actually quite good and the premise was interesting but basically NOTHING was happening and the story was dragging along. I think it could make a cool Tim Burton film or something but as a book it just wasn't working for me. Might go back to it one day not sure.
February 26, 2016
Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
Cada cierto tiempo, a mis lecturas les gusta recordarme que, uno, no debo confiarme de mi suerte en lecturas y dos, que para todo libro hay un momento adecuado. An Inheritance of Ashes lo empecé dos veces en dos meses. ¿No te ha pasado que a veces tu cuerpo/mente te dice que no leas un libro?
AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES
Como siempre me pasa con los libros de fantasía, el inicio para mí fue un poco difícil cuadrar en mi cabeza que era lo que estaba pasando, creo que esta vez me habría ayudado un montón leer la reseña, pero así soy, fastidiosa.
An Inheritance of Ashes te trae como escenario un pequeño pueblo tras la guerra con una criatura fuera de este mundo, y que a pesar de que los seres humanos ganaron, algunas criaturas extrañas están apareciendo, criaturas que si las tocas pueden llegar a causar la muerte.
En mi segundo intento de lectura simplemente no pude parar de leer.
Me interesó muchísimo la evolución que tomaría la relación de las hermanas Hallie y Marthe ya que fue una de las primeras veces en que no podía escoger un lado, porque entendía perfectamente los dos. Este asunto de los bichos extraños, si bien me fue totalmente confuso al inicio, luego en cada capítulo esperaba y temía su aparición. En cuanto a personajes... Son extremadamente variados y adoro eso, sobre todo que los más importantes hayan sido mujeres.
¿Hay romance? Si y ¡Vaca! Si bien el romance en sí no ocupa gran parte de la trama, lo que para mí está bien, siento que de lo contrario le habría quitado un poco de puntos a la historia; esta ahí y es ADORABLE, pero así en nivel gatitos de un mes jugando. No es un romance "típico", me gusta mucho como el cortejo (es la primera vez que uso esa palabra - !!!), es tan sutil, incluso para Hallie. Este es un buen ejemplo de amigos de toda la vida que quizá pueden ser algo más.
NO ES PERFECTO
A pesar de tener un argumento que durante muchos momentos me sorprendió, uno de los giros importantes de la historia fue DEMASIADO predecible, y eso si me bajo un poco la emoción ¡Como no podían darse cuenta!
DENLE EL LIBRO A GUILLERMO DEL TORO
Últimamente he agarrado por costumbre el imaginarme que haría yo si me dieran la responsabilidad de adaptar un libro a película, y mi primera decisión para An Inheritance of Ashes seria mandarle el libro a Guillermo del Toro y juntos podríamos terminar el guion, porque este libro está para empezar producción ahora mismo. Leerlo ha sido como leer una transcripción de película, hay partes donde se me hizo tan claro verlas, y la verdad es que imaginación visual no tengo mucho. Sobre todo hay una escena al final que es prácticamente sacada de película. DENME MILLONES QUE NECESITO PRODUCIR ESTO.
An Inheritance of Ashes es un libro que me ha gustado un montón visualmente y en historia, a pesar de haber tenido un inicio un poco difícil, no me arrepiento de haberle dado una segunda oportunidad.
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Cada cierto tiempo, a mis lecturas les gusta recordarme que, uno, no debo confiarme de mi suerte en lecturas y dos, que para todo libro hay un momento adecuado. An Inheritance of Ashes lo empecé dos veces en dos meses. ¿No te ha pasado que a veces tu cuerpo/mente te dice que no leas un libro?
AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES
Como siempre me pasa con los libros de fantasía, el inicio para mí fue un poco difícil cuadrar en mi cabeza que era lo que estaba pasando, creo que esta vez me habría ayudado un montón leer la reseña, pero así soy, fastidiosa.
An Inheritance of Ashes te trae como escenario un pequeño pueblo tras la guerra con una criatura fuera de este mundo, y que a pesar de que los seres humanos ganaron, algunas criaturas extrañas están apareciendo, criaturas que si las tocas pueden llegar a causar la muerte.
En mi segundo intento de lectura simplemente no pude parar de leer.
Me interesó muchísimo la evolución que tomaría la relación de las hermanas Hallie y Marthe ya que fue una de las primeras veces en que no podía escoger un lado, porque entendía perfectamente los dos. Este asunto de los bichos extraños, si bien me fue totalmente confuso al inicio, luego en cada capítulo esperaba y temía su aparición. En cuanto a personajes... Son extremadamente variados y adoro eso, sobre todo que los más importantes hayan sido mujeres.
¿Hay romance? Si y ¡Vaca! Si bien el romance en sí no ocupa gran parte de la trama, lo que para mí está bien, siento que de lo contrario le habría quitado un poco de puntos a la historia; esta ahí y es ADORABLE, pero así en nivel gatitos de un mes jugando. No es un romance "típico", me gusta mucho como el cortejo (es la primera vez que uso esa palabra - !!!), es tan sutil, incluso para Hallie. Este es un buen ejemplo de amigos de toda la vida que quizá pueden ser algo más.
NO ES PERFECTO
A pesar de tener un argumento que durante muchos momentos me sorprendió, uno de los giros importantes de la historia fue DEMASIADO predecible, y eso si me bajo un poco la emoción ¡Como no podían darse cuenta!
DENLE EL LIBRO A GUILLERMO DEL TORO
Últimamente he agarrado por costumbre el imaginarme que haría yo si me dieran la responsabilidad de adaptar un libro a película, y mi primera decisión para An Inheritance of Ashes seria mandarle el libro a Guillermo del Toro y juntos podríamos terminar el guion, porque este libro está para empezar producción ahora mismo. Leerlo ha sido como leer una transcripción de película, hay partes donde se me hizo tan claro verlas, y la verdad es que imaginación visual no tengo mucho. Sobre todo hay una escena al final que es prácticamente sacada de película. DENME MILLONES QUE NECESITO PRODUCIR ESTO.
An Inheritance of Ashes es un libro que me ha gustado un montón visualmente y en historia, a pesar de haber tenido un inicio un poco difícil, no me arrepiento de haberle dado una segunda oportunidad.
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April 5, 2016
An Inheritance of Ashes is up my alley in so many ways, and it delivered on every front. It’s about two sisters who cannot find a way both to run their jointly-owned farm and to relate easily and kindly to each other. It’s about the bravery of leaving and the bravery of staying to fight, and the ways people get those things terribly wrong. It’s about the stories we tell about ourselves and our ability to escape from those stories. It’s about the aftermath of a war and the wounds it leaves in people and landscapes and hearts.
Plus, it’s just hella creepy. A soldier called Heron comes to help on Hallie’s farm, and that night, she kills a creature that comes in through her window. Only afterward does she realize that it’s a Twisted Thing, one of the minions of the Wicked God whom the world’s armies (including Heron; including Hallie’s not-yet-returned and dearly beloved brother-in-law) just barely managed to destroy. The Twisted Things–which look a little like birds or lizards or both, except for the acid and flame and cobwebs–were supposed to be gone. But Heron’s presence on their farm seems to herald the return of the war that Hallie and her village believed to be over.
Did I say aftermath, by the way? I meant to say aftermath. Best if I say it again right quick. Not just the aftermath of war, but the aftermath of family. Leah Bobet writes like someone who has paid close close attention to the way families ally and fight with and hurt and protect each other, and the way the wrongs of one generation turn into another set of wrongs by the next. It’s so, so lovely, and I nearly cried on a plane when I got to the end. SISTERS SISTERS SISTERS ALWAYS.
An Inheritance of Ashes is creepy in the way Brenna Yovanoff is creepy; it’s spot-on about relationships and feelings and family narratives in the way that Maggie Stiefvater is spot-on about those things; so if you are a fan of those two authors, give Leah Bobet a try.
Marthe leveled a cool stare at James Blakely. “The Wicked God’s dead. You were all at least willing to tell us that. If the Twisted Things are still loose on the countryside, don’t you tell me it’s not certain and we should just be afraid when you tell us to. I paid too much for that.” Her hand drifted to her belly; made a fist. “It was too much to have bought nothing.”
Plus, it’s just hella creepy. A soldier called Heron comes to help on Hallie’s farm, and that night, she kills a creature that comes in through her window. Only afterward does she realize that it’s a Twisted Thing, one of the minions of the Wicked God whom the world’s armies (including Heron; including Hallie’s not-yet-returned and dearly beloved brother-in-law) just barely managed to destroy. The Twisted Things–which look a little like birds or lizards or both, except for the acid and flame and cobwebs–were supposed to be gone. But Heron’s presence on their farm seems to herald the return of the war that Hallie and her village believed to be over.
Did I say aftermath, by the way? I meant to say aftermath. Best if I say it again right quick. Not just the aftermath of war, but the aftermath of family. Leah Bobet writes like someone who has paid close close attention to the way families ally and fight with and hurt and protect each other, and the way the wrongs of one generation turn into another set of wrongs by the next. It’s so, so lovely, and I nearly cried on a plane when I got to the end. SISTERS SISTERS SISTERS ALWAYS.
An Inheritance of Ashes is creepy in the way Brenna Yovanoff is creepy; it’s spot-on about relationships and feelings and family narratives in the way that Maggie Stiefvater is spot-on about those things; so if you are a fan of those two authors, give Leah Bobet a try.
August 16, 2019
4.5/5
An Inheritance of Ashes is like a future post-apocalyptic Wild West story. It follows Halfrida Hoffman, half owner of Roadstead Farm. She works the farm with her sister who is pregnant and her husband never returned from the war. See the world is tormented by creatures known as Wicked Things. No one knows where they came from and if one touches you horrible things happen like your skin burning off.
While the War is supposedly over, these creatures are definitely from the Wicked God and they don’t belong in our world. This was a hauntingly beautiful story of several worlds colliding. It gave me vibes similar to those in THE WICKER KING and I just about died because I love that book.
I was drawn into the Hoffman's lives by how they were haunted by their late father's abuse and their uncle's abandonment. The ghosts of their family seem to torment Hallie and her sister. The sisters unconditionally love each other, but since the war took Thom there's been a strain that neither knows how to fix. I loved how complex their relationship was. It was so frustrating to see the unintentional hurts they inflicted on each other.
The Hoffmans are close friends with their neighbors the Blakelys. The Blakelys lost their father to the war but Tyler, James and Callum came back changed. James and Callum were so adorable, I loved that there was a gay relationship. Plus these two were adorable and I was so glad to see a regular adult presence. Hallie's friendship with Tyler and Nat was goals. While there was some drama between Nat and Hallie that felt somewhat unresolved by the end, I still enjoyed their relationship and unending support for each other.
This was definitely more of a slow-burning book, but it was so worth it! I loved slowly being drawn into the world of the Wicked God and his Wicked Things. The ending was amazing and I actually had tears in my eyes because parts of it were so heart warming. I can't recommend this book enough.
An Inheritance of Ashes is like a future post-apocalyptic Wild West story. It follows Halfrida Hoffman, half owner of Roadstead Farm. She works the farm with her sister who is pregnant and her husband never returned from the war. See the world is tormented by creatures known as Wicked Things. No one knows where they came from and if one touches you horrible things happen like your skin burning off.
While the War is supposedly over, these creatures are definitely from the Wicked God and they don’t belong in our world. This was a hauntingly beautiful story of several worlds colliding. It gave me vibes similar to those in THE WICKER KING and I just about died because I love that book.
I was drawn into the Hoffman's lives by how they were haunted by their late father's abuse and their uncle's abandonment. The ghosts of their family seem to torment Hallie and her sister. The sisters unconditionally love each other, but since the war took Thom there's been a strain that neither knows how to fix. I loved how complex their relationship was. It was so frustrating to see the unintentional hurts they inflicted on each other.
The Hoffmans are close friends with their neighbors the Blakelys. The Blakelys lost their father to the war but Tyler, James and Callum came back changed. James and Callum were so adorable, I loved that there was a gay relationship. Plus these two were adorable and I was so glad to see a regular adult presence. Hallie's friendship with Tyler and Nat was goals. While there was some drama between Nat and Hallie that felt somewhat unresolved by the end, I still enjoyed their relationship and unending support for each other.
This was definitely more of a slow-burning book, but it was so worth it! I loved slowly being drawn into the world of the Wicked God and his Wicked Things. The ending was amazing and I actually had tears in my eyes because parts of it were so heart warming. I can't recommend this book enough.
September 6, 2015
I received this book via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Uhm. Messy. An inheritance of ashes is a messy mix of good ideas there weren't put together as they should have. There are good elements and good ideas but they are so poorly developed that the result was a mess.
The relationship between Marthe and Hallie was one of the worst things about this book. Marthe is a complete asshole for most of the book, while Hallie spends half of it feeling sorry for herself and whining about everything. Then all of a sudden Marthe becomes nice. Yeah, sure. I hated her and I hated their relationship. I get it, she is pregnant and the father of the baby might be dead, but it doesn't justify her being cruel to her sister.
The world-building is almost non-existent. There are these "Twisted Things" that come out of somewhere...and then there's this war against a god that is never explained. Everything is taken for granted, while nothing is really explained. We get some answers at the end of the book but they didn't seem very clear to me.
Heron's identity was quite predictable, which kind of tested my patience, since I wasn't really enjoying the book.
I kind of liked the romance.
I'm almost sorry because I wanted to enjoy this book but I really couldn't. The summary promised things that the book itself failed to deliver.
Uhm. Messy. An inheritance of ashes is a messy mix of good ideas there weren't put together as they should have. There are good elements and good ideas but they are so poorly developed that the result was a mess.
The relationship between Marthe and Hallie was one of the worst things about this book. Marthe is a complete asshole for most of the book, while Hallie spends half of it feeling sorry for herself and whining about everything. Then all of a sudden Marthe becomes nice. Yeah, sure. I hated her and I hated their relationship. I get it, she is pregnant and the father of the baby might be dead, but it doesn't justify her being cruel to her sister.
The world-building is almost non-existent. There are these "Twisted Things" that come out of somewhere...and then there's this war against a god that is never explained. Everything is taken for granted, while nothing is really explained. We get some answers at the end of the book but they didn't seem very clear to me.
Heron's identity was quite predictable, which kind of tested my patience, since I wasn't really enjoying the book.
I kind of liked the romance.
I'm almost sorry because I wanted to enjoy this book but I really couldn't. The summary promised things that the book itself failed to deliver.
January 14, 2016
Many of the books that have shaped my reading life in profound ways have maps at the start. Before the reader finds any text they are invited to pore over the landscape of a fantasy world. There might be bordering countries, or a region, or a large city with all of its crooked streets picked out. Topographical details may be sparse or plentiful. Whatever the case, these maps usually herald my favorite sort of story: A journey, a courageous hero or heroine, and triumph over evil/survival/happily ever after to top things off.
When I picked up Leah Bobet’s An Inheritance of Ashes, all I knew about it was that I loved the author’s previous book, Above, and that it was set at end of the world. When I leafed through the pages and saw a map at the start, I had a good feeling – and the book did not disappoint. An Inheritance of Ashes is beautiful, fierce, sad, and by far my favorite of all of the books I’ve read in the past year.
This is the story of a family. This is the story of the aftermath of war. This is the story of a battle on the homefront. This is the story of survival generations after the apocalypse. This is a story about a teenage girl. This is a story about fear. This is a story about breaking apart and (maybe, eventually) healing. All of these statements are true, but they don’t tell you everything.
Hallie Hoffman is sixteen, and half-owner of Roadstead Farm. She and her pregnant sister Marthe are trying (and mostly failing) to hold themselves together in the wake of the war against the Wicked God – a war that took Marthe’s husband Thom, along with any innocence they had left. When she hires a traveling veteran, Hallie doesn’t expect it to spark anything, except maybe a prayer of keeping up with the farm chores. Secrets old and new follow, endangering and changing Hallie, Roadstead Farm, and their world.
Did that sound suitably ominous? The book isn’t all death and destruction – it’s a nice mix of tension with bits of light. The prologue made me cry in public, and that’s when I knew for sure that the book would wreck me. Things I liked? A) Hallie and Marthe’s messy sister relationship, and how that played into everything Hallie said and did throughout the story. B) The reality of broken relationships, and the saving grace of kindness, forgiveness, and second chances. C) A romantic relationship that was authentic to the setting, the characters, and the crazy situation. D) The immediacy and intimacy of the setting, without sacrificing big-picture world-building.
That last paragraph covered things I liked. Let’s go deeper (really dig in to Why this book is perfect):
1. Diversity! Included! In! The text! Like it’s no big deal! (spoiler alert: it’s 2016. this is the kind of YA SFF book i want/need)
2. Craft. The writing is just superb – not only poetic (it is, in a way that screams TRUTH while the emotion it evokes absolutely rends your heart) but intricately arranged for maximum impact – no word or detail is left orphaned. An Inheritance of Ashes is a masterwork. It is not only gripping and fantastically entertaining, but beautiful, in the way that Gregorian chants, or ancient temples, or roads thousands of years old are (to me). The sheer work that went into fitting every word like a puzzle piece to make a whole, of showing a little bit, but never letting on too much or boring the reader… it is awe-inspiring.
I do not kid myself that An Inheritance of Ashes will appeal to everyone (it won’t, books never do in the end), but I know I can’t be alone in thinking that this book is just… art. ART, in all capital letters. Thinking about it makes me want to do better, and be better. It’s freaking inspiring.
Recommended for: those who enjoy science fiction and fantasy, and anyone who likes strong characters and spellbinding plot in equal measure.
When I picked up Leah Bobet’s An Inheritance of Ashes, all I knew about it was that I loved the author’s previous book, Above, and that it was set at end of the world. When I leafed through the pages and saw a map at the start, I had a good feeling – and the book did not disappoint. An Inheritance of Ashes is beautiful, fierce, sad, and by far my favorite of all of the books I’ve read in the past year.
This is the story of a family. This is the story of the aftermath of war. This is the story of a battle on the homefront. This is the story of survival generations after the apocalypse. This is a story about a teenage girl. This is a story about fear. This is a story about breaking apart and (maybe, eventually) healing. All of these statements are true, but they don’t tell you everything.
Hallie Hoffman is sixteen, and half-owner of Roadstead Farm. She and her pregnant sister Marthe are trying (and mostly failing) to hold themselves together in the wake of the war against the Wicked God – a war that took Marthe’s husband Thom, along with any innocence they had left. When she hires a traveling veteran, Hallie doesn’t expect it to spark anything, except maybe a prayer of keeping up with the farm chores. Secrets old and new follow, endangering and changing Hallie, Roadstead Farm, and their world.
Did that sound suitably ominous? The book isn’t all death and destruction – it’s a nice mix of tension with bits of light. The prologue made me cry in public, and that’s when I knew for sure that the book would wreck me. Things I liked? A) Hallie and Marthe’s messy sister relationship, and how that played into everything Hallie said and did throughout the story. B) The reality of broken relationships, and the saving grace of kindness, forgiveness, and second chances. C) A romantic relationship that was authentic to the setting, the characters, and the crazy situation. D) The immediacy and intimacy of the setting, without sacrificing big-picture world-building.
That last paragraph covered things I liked. Let’s go deeper (really dig in to Why this book is perfect):
1. Diversity! Included! In! The text! Like it’s no big deal! (spoiler alert: it’s 2016. this is the kind of YA SFF book i want/need)
2. Craft. The writing is just superb – not only poetic (it is, in a way that screams TRUTH while the emotion it evokes absolutely rends your heart) but intricately arranged for maximum impact – no word or detail is left orphaned. An Inheritance of Ashes is a masterwork. It is not only gripping and fantastically entertaining, but beautiful, in the way that Gregorian chants, or ancient temples, or roads thousands of years old are (to me). The sheer work that went into fitting every word like a puzzle piece to make a whole, of showing a little bit, but never letting on too much or boring the reader… it is awe-inspiring.
I do not kid myself that An Inheritance of Ashes will appeal to everyone (it won’t, books never do in the end), but I know I can’t be alone in thinking that this book is just… art. ART, in all capital letters. Thinking about it makes me want to do better, and be better. It’s freaking inspiring.
Recommended for: those who enjoy science fiction and fantasy, and anyone who likes strong characters and spellbinding plot in equal measure.
September 26, 2015
The story takes place in the south where a war between humans, The Wicked God and Twisted Things has just ended. While sisters, Hallie and Martha, wait for Martha's husband to return, with winter coming on they decide to hire a veteran to help with the farm.
I had a hard time getting into this book, I'm not going to lie. There was a whole lot that didn't come together for me. The pacing was slow, my mind kept wondering and I lost interest easily. I had questions while reading the book and after finishing the book I'm still left with a lot of questions. The Twisted Things were something that resembled a bird. I'm still not sure what they are, where they came from or who their God was.
I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I didn't like the relationship between Hallie and Martha. I wish Martha was a little me nicer to Hallie, she was really rude to her. I know she was pregnant but I don't think she should of took out her aggravation on her sister.
I did like the atmosphere of the book, it was creepy. I just kind of wish the plot was a little faster.
Thank you to Clarion Books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had a hard time getting into this book, I'm not going to lie. There was a whole lot that didn't come together for me. The pacing was slow, my mind kept wondering and I lost interest easily. I had questions while reading the book and after finishing the book I'm still left with a lot of questions. The Twisted Things were something that resembled a bird. I'm still not sure what they are, where they came from or who their God was.
I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I didn't like the relationship between Hallie and Martha. I wish Martha was a little me nicer to Hallie, she was really rude to her. I know she was pregnant but I don't think she should of took out her aggravation on her sister.
I did like the atmosphere of the book, it was creepy. I just kind of wish the plot was a little faster.
Thank you to Clarion Books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 1, 2020
Creepy, homey, magical
This is the second time I've read this book... The first time was when it was first published, and since then, this book has lived in the back of my head, quietly talking to me. The emotional beats are so resonant. The setting is amazing: creepy, homey, magical. On this read through, I got out the maps a dozen times and googled park acreage in Detroit. I have made up my mind as to where Roadstead Farm is set, on the Detroit River.
This is the second time I've read this book... The first time was when it was first published, and since then, this book has lived in the back of my head, quietly talking to me. The emotional beats are so resonant. The setting is amazing: creepy, homey, magical. On this read through, I got out the maps a dozen times and googled park acreage in Detroit. I have made up my mind as to where Roadstead Farm is set, on the Detroit River.
July 6, 2015
Amazing. Not what I expected - shades of Gaiman in the mythology, but with some beautifully nuanced emotion underneath. One of my top reads of the year.
January 18, 2016
Some books have slow beginnings peppered with enough small bits here and there that make you want to keep on reading to see if it delivers what it promised, and this one is one of those. From 40% onwards it became better and better and ended up earning 4 stars.
An Inheritance of Ashes is one of those books that needs to be given a chance because they develop slowly and hides its secrets quite well. For a good part of the book I wasn't sure if it should even be considered fantasy because despite the mentions of the Wicked God and the presence of the Twisted Things, what we get is two sisters at odds, trying to survive in the aftermath of a war and the trials and tribulations that come with that.
The biggest strengh of this book lies in the characters and the story & relationship between the two sisters and their struggle to survive. Hallie and Martha have to deal with their family history, the losses from the war and being alone in running the whole homestead on their own. The book is told from Hallie's POV but we get to see that things might not always be as she perceives them.
And the secondary characters aren't any less strong, meeting the neighbours that love the girls as family, even if sometimes the sisters feel like they have to prove they don't need help. Tyler, Nat & their family weren't without issues on their own, but dealt with them differently and provided with a great balance for the sisters.
I said it before, sometimes I struggled with the book till I reached the 40% mark, because I wasn't sure where it all was going, or wasn't sure about the world building, but after the 40% mark I was well and truly hooked, not only because everything started to come together both plot and world building wise, but because the character development continued to grow and expand and the interactions between the characters grew even more complex as new revelations started to drop here and there.
The mix of magical world of fantasy and the feeling of historical fiction/period drama was so well done. So much about the mistrust between family members, living within a lie to protect yourself, and consequences of war and how it changes you when you're lucky enough to return from it. This book is one wonderful study on human nature and how we shape or relationships with those around us with our fears and hopes and secrets and not only how the others act.
And once thing I haven't been able to stop thinking about was a conversation about help, how we need to make sure when we're offering help to others is NOT to offer things we want to do for them, but to make sure to ASK them what is the help that they really NEED. I will have to look up the exact quote because I really need to have it up somewhere in some shape, because I feel it is SO relevant and so important!
As I already said, the last 60% of the book really earnt itself the final 4 star rating and I'm very glad I got the chance to read it!
An Inheritance of Ashes is one of those books that needs to be given a chance because they develop slowly and hides its secrets quite well. For a good part of the book I wasn't sure if it should even be considered fantasy because despite the mentions of the Wicked God and the presence of the Twisted Things, what we get is two sisters at odds, trying to survive in the aftermath of a war and the trials and tribulations that come with that.
The biggest strengh of this book lies in the characters and the story & relationship between the two sisters and their struggle to survive. Hallie and Martha have to deal with their family history, the losses from the war and being alone in running the whole homestead on their own. The book is told from Hallie's POV but we get to see that things might not always be as she perceives them.
And the secondary characters aren't any less strong, meeting the neighbours that love the girls as family, even if sometimes the sisters feel like they have to prove they don't need help. Tyler, Nat & their family weren't without issues on their own, but dealt with them differently and provided with a great balance for the sisters.
I said it before, sometimes I struggled with the book till I reached the 40% mark, because I wasn't sure where it all was going, or wasn't sure about the world building, but after the 40% mark I was well and truly hooked, not only because everything started to come together both plot and world building wise, but because the character development continued to grow and expand and the interactions between the characters grew even more complex as new revelations started to drop here and there.
The mix of magical world of fantasy and the feeling of historical fiction/period drama was so well done. So much about the mistrust between family members, living within a lie to protect yourself, and consequences of war and how it changes you when you're lucky enough to return from it. This book is one wonderful study on human nature and how we shape or relationships with those around us with our fears and hopes and secrets and not only how the others act.
And once thing I haven't been able to stop thinking about was a conversation about help, how we need to make sure when we're offering help to others is NOT to offer things we want to do for them, but to make sure to ASK them what is the help that they really NEED. I will have to look up the exact quote because I really need to have it up somewhere in some shape, because I feel it is SO relevant and so important!
As I already said, the last 60% of the book really earnt itself the final 4 star rating and I'm very glad I got the chance to read it!
April 15, 2016
Who could read the synopsis of AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES and not be really excited? Because I know I was. A recent trend has been to buck the Chosen One trope and this sort've fits into that, but more than that it's what happens to the people, to the world, after it's been saved. That's what this book explores.
It's heartbreaking, tense, awful, desolate but still beautiful. The struggle to survive not only in what remains of the ashes of the world but with those who stayed behind, and the agony of waiting, hoping loved ones might yet still return home from the battle -- and the hole that's left by those who never will.
Don't get me wrong. I understand why a lot of people won't like this book, why a lot of people DON'T like this book, as it isn't what we've come to expect from this genre, and I certainly didn't love every single moment of it. I actually found the closer-to-home conflict between Hallie and her older sister Marthe to be the least enjoyable of the novel. Not the family angst and drama from years before, I understand how that played a role, but when it's all said and done I don't understand why the sisters had such issues between themselves. Marthe's behaviour throughout the story just doesn't jive with how it's wrapped up at the end, at least not to my satisfaction, and sadly that played a large and constant tension and I felt frustrated by the lack of reasoning behind it.
I liked that the romance was subtle, slowly building, and (maybe) unexpected. Does Hallie fall for the newly hired farmhand, a veteran who has come looking for work and shelter on the road to home after the war with the Wicked God or does she discover there's something more to be had than friendship with the boy she's grown up with, also recently returned, and not quite as he once was? I have to admit : I was definitely shipping the wrong pair at first but was more than happy by how it all worked out.
AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES is dark, teeming with despair and monsters, set in the ruins of a collapsed civilization, but helps to remind us that for all these epic fantastical end-of-the-world stories that spotlight the heroes and villains, the ones left behind are just as brave and just as important -- the ones who planted the crops, nursed the children, continued to live their lives -- because if there's nothing to come home to, what was the point of it all?
It's heartbreaking, tense, awful, desolate but still beautiful. The struggle to survive not only in what remains of the ashes of the world but with those who stayed behind, and the agony of waiting, hoping loved ones might yet still return home from the battle -- and the hole that's left by those who never will.
Don't get me wrong. I understand why a lot of people won't like this book, why a lot of people DON'T like this book, as it isn't what we've come to expect from this genre, and I certainly didn't love every single moment of it. I actually found the closer-to-home conflict between Hallie and her older sister Marthe to be the least enjoyable of the novel. Not the family angst and drama from years before, I understand how that played a role, but when it's all said and done I don't understand why the sisters had such issues between themselves. Marthe's behaviour throughout the story just doesn't jive with how it's wrapped up at the end, at least not to my satisfaction, and sadly that played a large and constant tension and I felt frustrated by the lack of reasoning behind it.
I liked that the romance was subtle, slowly building, and (maybe) unexpected. Does Hallie fall for the newly hired farmhand, a veteran who has come looking for work and shelter on the road to home after the war with the Wicked God or does she discover there's something more to be had than friendship with the boy she's grown up with, also recently returned, and not quite as he once was? I have to admit : I was definitely shipping the wrong pair at first but was more than happy by how it all worked out.
AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES is dark, teeming with despair and monsters, set in the ruins of a collapsed civilization, but helps to remind us that for all these epic fantastical end-of-the-world stories that spotlight the heroes and villains, the ones left behind are just as brave and just as important -- the ones who planted the crops, nursed the children, continued to live their lives -- because if there's nothing to come home to, what was the point of it all?
December 8, 2016
What an enjoyable read. In truth it's been on my TBR pile for a while because as much as I've enjoyed Leah Bobet's writing in the past, I am feeling very leery about reading YA fantasy these days as I'm often left disappointed. I need to remember there are authors I trust for a reason, and Bobet is one of them. She writes complex, nuanced relationships, and her fantasy is a split-rooted tree - half tethered in reality and half in a dreamy haze of weirdness.
While the one "mystery" at play was barely a mystery at all, I decided that the rest of the book with its delicate balance of world-building and here-and-now groundedness, the story of rebuilding friendships and families, the look at what makes a hero or villain - these offset anything else, making this a book well worth adding to the collection.
It is a lovely book and while there is a romance, it is subtly and sweetly handled, and does not overwhelm the fantastical elements, nor the main plot.
While the one "mystery" at play was barely a mystery at all, I decided that the rest of the book with its delicate balance of world-building and here-and-now groundedness, the story of rebuilding friendships and families, the look at what makes a hero or villain - these offset anything else, making this a book well worth adding to the collection.
It is a lovely book and while there is a romance, it is subtly and sweetly handled, and does not overwhelm the fantastical elements, nor the main plot.
October 1, 2016
An evocative, moody read for those who love their fantasy dark, subtle, and rural. Bobet has created a vivid and dreary winter setting tinged with horror. This world is very physical, a place of fires, hearty stews, wool, and dirt. There are hints that this is our world, a century or so post-apocalypse, which adds a delightful layer of recognition and delight. The mythology is subtle and Bobet makes you work for it a little, doling it out naturally instead of in convenient, expository chunks. I loved the portrayal of the Hoffstead sisters. Hallie and her sister Marthe are troubled, complicated characters you want to simultaneously hug and scream at, making huge assumptions or reckless decisions that have deep repercussions. A deeply satisfying read, especially on a rainy October day
September 15, 2015
This book was pitched to me as "post-David Eddings dust-bowl fantasy", and I was in from the get go. Bobet's incredible talent shines through, and her tendency towards weird makes the details even starker. I got to hear her read the prologue out loud, and it was heart-stopping, and the book just continues on from there without pausing for breath.
Beautiful, sad, epic, hopeful, and personal, this is a novel to remember.
Beautiful, sad, epic, hopeful, and personal, this is a novel to remember.
January 11, 2019
2.75 stars<\b>
This book started really strong, but then it lacked the thrilling elements that would keep me going. I found that the pace too slow and although it matched the soothing atmosphere of this book, it hindered me from enjoying this book in a thrilling, intriguing way. It took me so much time to finish this book and in the end, I just skimmed to end this book just for the sake of finishing it, not because I wanted to know what would happen and how to deal with it, because I already knew the outcome and the happy ending (reading this book it was not very difficult to read what would occur next).
Despite that, I had to compliment on the building of characters. Each character in this book was very deep and multidimensional that I could explore each personality and felt in love with them. They looked very much like myself, just ordinary people who had to work, to think about daily live. They were not special, but they acted bravely and showed their true emotion without fear of being judged. I loved all these characters.
This book started really strong, but then it lacked the thrilling elements that would keep me going. I found that the pace too slow and although it matched the soothing atmosphere of this book, it hindered me from enjoying this book in a thrilling, intriguing way. It took me so much time to finish this book and in the end, I just skimmed to end this book just for the sake of finishing it, not because I wanted to know what would happen and how to deal with it, because I already knew the outcome and the happy ending (reading this book it was not very difficult to read what would occur next).
Despite that, I had to compliment on the building of characters. Each character in this book was very deep and multidimensional that I could explore each personality and felt in love with them. They looked very much like myself, just ordinary people who had to work, to think about daily live. They were not special, but they acted bravely and showed their true emotion without fear of being judged. I loved all these characters.
October 5, 2016
Reading this book was a very emotional and sometimes disturbing experience for me. The setting seems to be in a near future, and there are some strange elements, more horror than fantasy. At first I did not understand about the war and the Twisted Things, and then I realised that it was the same for the people in the book: they had no way of understanding either. I cared instantly and deeply about the girl, Hal, and since her life, and the lifes of those around her are hard, I cried a lot. The subjects of war, and of family, and how you survive and even grow out of the trauma of both is shown in such a realistic way that it hurts. But tears can be liberating, and in the end there is hope. Which makes me glad I read the book, even though I hated being so sad and worried most of the time.
I just want to add that this book is incredibly well written, everything so vivid and real. And it contains one of the sweetest love stories I remember reading. Not cheesy at all.
I just want to add that this book is incredibly well written, everything so vivid and real. And it contains one of the sweetest love stories I remember reading. Not cheesy at all.
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