Hidden Ashes

by A.C. Washer

"AC Washer's delightful debut is dangerous, dark, and laugh-out-loud funny, with characters you'll fall in love with and a story that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime." -R.M. Olson, author of The Ungovernable series

Insanity or death. You’d think fae could come up with better options.

Kella agreed to not run from whatever foster home her caseworker has lined up—so long as she gets to visit her brother, whose life is hanging in the balance.

But soon after Kella arrives in her new foster parent’s town, she knows she’s in trouble.

She can ignore her med-induced hallucinations and act normal. After all, it isn’t hard to remember that people hiding monsters beneath a human exterior isn’t actually a thing.

But Kella can’t ignore how everyone in town stares and whispers when she walks by. It’s not long before she realizes that no one—her foster family, the town council... even the rebel with honey-brown eyes—is who they appear to be.

And every one of them is after something. Her.

And she has no clue why.

When they threaten to kill her brother to get what they want, and Kella has to choose between life or sanity, “acting normal” becomes the least of her worries.

Hidden Ashes is the first book in Reigning Fae, a YA contemporary fantasy series that features hidden magic, fae rebels, and a sweet slow-burn romance. Original, fresh, and darkly compelling.

*Trigger Warning: contains depictions of physical abuse

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[S.S Bandeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

💥𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀💥 𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒

𝕽𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝙏𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚- 𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨
𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧- 𝙖𝙘𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧.𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧
𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚- 𝙔𝘼 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮

Kella, a 17-year-old is being taken to her foster house with her caseworker, Deena. She is forced to go just for the sale of her brother, Caleb who is in a coma. She soon starts seeing mysterious shadows of people yet ignores them thinking that these are hallucinations caused by her medicines.

Everything seems a deep web of lies when she discovers the secrets about her foster family, her heritage and the plotting being planned by the council members against her.

She finds herself in a place full of magical creatures where some are sworn to the throne and some are rebels.

Kella faces a challenge to save her brother, Caleb from death and know her existence and about her family.

A sacrifice must be made.



THOUGHTS-

It a beautifully described plot.

It is a magical world and the way the author has written it feels as though you are living it.

The character description is very smoothly written with an interesting twist.

Good paced.
Interesting till the very end.
A unique story about fae involving the elves.
An elf heir.
A kingdom without the ruler.
Strong female lead.
Dominating rebel.
A beautiful and unique concept of the story.
Hooking up twist.
Full of suspense.


@bookscapadepassion

[Misty Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC for honest review
Spoilers*

Wow! The characters were well rounded and vibrant. The story line pulled me in and I was unable to set it down. At every corner there is a twist in the story, while the lead character tries to figure out who she is, who she can trust and how to save her loved ones. She keeps her head on straight even through everyone continues to lie to her and manipulate her. Throughout the story she keeps fighting for her brother. However, in the end she fights for herself and her sanity. This story contains some abuse, love for family, action, fantasy, morals and values, and a small spark of romance. Great read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hallucinations or reality is a real struggle for our heroine and no one in town is really out to help her figure it out. But the one thing she does know is the need to protect her brother at all costs.

This is book one of the series, so a good place to start.

This is an urban fantasy story with a well developed setting and a deep rooted mystery. The characters are well developed and I particularly like our heroine who has a tough time of things, but keeps fighting through it. The mystery elements are well done and certainly kept me turning pages to figure out what was going on. Overall, this was an excellent start to a series and I am definitely curious to see where it goes next.

Highly recommended

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes

[Misti Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story! I cannot wait for the next installment. It started out with answers to unasked questions and I just could not put it down and then everything sort of fell into place and took me to some far away place that made perfect sense! So much detail and thought went into telling Kella’s story, I really felt like I knew her and her personality-strengths, weaknesses and everything! Fun characters helped a complicated story plot play out perfectly. Excellent debut-I’m looking forward to whatever comes next in her story.

[fred jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and engrossing story. Kelly a foster child with attitude and a past haunted by abuse and violence is sent to a new foster home. Why is everyone staring, why can she see strange shadows, why is nobody explaining anything. This is a beautifully written YA fantasy with emotion, loss, tragedy, humour, a strong lead character, great supporting characters and premis. I look forward to reading more of these books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shelley Cundick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kella is heading to a foster home after a huge tragedy. Her foster mom and brother seem nice enough, but the entire town is a little weird. Soon Kella realizes things aren't what they seem and she isn't who she thought she was. An exciting and engaging story that kept me hooked - I read the entire book in 1 day because I couldn't put it down! I can't wait to read book 2 in the series.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars
I really enjoyed reading this book with its interesting premise and wonderfully captivating delivery. The reveals were surprising and well placed to provide drama and entertainment. I found her character fun and engaging. Nicely done.

I requested a copy of this book so I could provide an honest review.

[Shweta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book comes as a suprise. The book opens with a punch and ends with a bigger one. I would honestly recommend those interested in fae sagas to try this book.

I can't wait for book 2.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad I gave this a try!

This was a new author for me so I decided to take a chance. The book is well written, with enough intrigue and action for anyone. You are really rooting for Kella and her imposing spirit!

I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that comes to mind for this book, is cute. Now that might confuse some people but I found this an adorable, lighthearted yet beautifully crafted tale! It was a delight to read, it took me back to my childhood fantasy reads, where everything was less complicated. The plot is well thought out and flows at a steady pace, the characters are lovely! There was the right amount of intrigue that kept me interested, there was not a single moment that was boring. It's not a new theme but the author injected a newness which I found refreshing. The first half had an almost Stepford wives feel as Kella is brought to a strange town and discovers things are not quite as they appear. But when she learns that she is in fact not who she thought she was, things start to unravel quickly. But after being violently abused by her father all her young life, Kella refuses to accept what other want or expect from her. There are twists to the plot I didn't see coming. A lovely, beautiful read.