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De Cineribus #1
De Cineribus: From the Ashes
When your greatest dream is born from spite, will it make you truly happy?
Over half a century of strife has passed since the Revelation, where magic was revealed to the world. Now in 2116, humans and sorcerers-referred to by humanity as magi-are engaged in a quiet struggle for global dominance. Though many magi live safely within the walls of the mysterious Medeian Empire, uncounted more live beyond its enchanted isles at the mercy of human fear, suspicion, and scorn, including one Felix Brasher.
Indoctrinated from birth by his devout, God-fearing father, Felix discovered his magical abilities in a terrifying incident. Ever since that night, spite has festered within his heart, shaping his desire to become a powerful sorcerer. And much to his surprise, his dream may become reality as he receives a chance to study at the prestigious Dragora Institute of Magic in the Medeian Empire.
There are secrets lurking in the shadows, however. An enigmatic masked man hangs just out of sight, stalking Felix and fueling the flames of his hatred. And now, as Felix grows closer to realizing his dreams than ever before, a new, darker destiny threatens to corrupt his ambitions.
As Felix forges new relationships with fellow magi from all across the world, he comes to discover more about himself and what he wants out of life. With an infinite number of winding, crisscrossing paths ahead of him, which will he take, and where will that road lead? Who will he choose to be?
Over half a century of strife has passed since the Revelation, where magic was revealed to the world. Now in 2116, humans and sorcerers-referred to by humanity as magi-are engaged in a quiet struggle for global dominance. Though many magi live safely within the walls of the mysterious Medeian Empire, uncounted more live beyond its enchanted isles at the mercy of human fear, suspicion, and scorn, including one Felix Brasher.
Indoctrinated from birth by his devout, God-fearing father, Felix discovered his magical abilities in a terrifying incident. Ever since that night, spite has festered within his heart, shaping his desire to become a powerful sorcerer. And much to his surprise, his dream may become reality as he receives a chance to study at the prestigious Dragora Institute of Magic in the Medeian Empire.
There are secrets lurking in the shadows, however. An enigmatic masked man hangs just out of sight, stalking Felix and fueling the flames of his hatred. And now, as Felix grows closer to realizing his dreams than ever before, a new, darker destiny threatens to corrupt his ambitions.
As Felix forges new relationships with fellow magi from all across the world, he comes to discover more about himself and what he wants out of life. With an infinite number of winding, crisscrossing paths ahead of him, which will he take, and where will that road lead? Who will he choose to be?
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
548 pages, Paperback
Published November 16, 2021
12 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 2, 2022
Few have bothered to provide a review after the book was actually released, so here is my guaranteed spoiler-free review:
I discovered the author through their YouTube channel "Unicorn of War - Thomas Vaccaro". Their rewrite of Winx Club season 5 convinced me of their writing skills (since YouTube fame alone is not neccessarily a good indicator). And I was not disappointed! I had a lot of fun reading this book.
###Compliments:
The prose is creative but still easy to read and understand. The magic system as well as background information like the history and folklore of the Medeian empire is never dumped on you. Despite having the advantage of a school setting, I never felt like I was sitting through a boring lecture. For example, you already have a vague understanding of the importance of eye color and the elemental system before a teacher explains it to you. History lessons are delivered like action movies.
I never had issues with pacing. Interactions with family and friends never last too long to feel boring. The finale really blows it out of the water. I was excited what was going to happen next, and I was not able to predict what was going to come (in a good way).
A lot of detail was put into developing the main setting, the Medeian empire. This also goes for characters. You know those low-budget anime where everyone but the main character looks generic? This book on the other hand offers fashion descriptions and quirks for so many characters (even the not-so-important ones) that you feel like this world is populated by actual people.
I also enjoyed how no one is 100% evil. Even Characters that are introduced like actual villains get small moments to shine. The protagonists never feel bland either.
I also liked the content warning at the start of the book. I am quite sensitive to tasteless violence or depictions of bigotry, and I really appreciated that the author put thought into potentially triggering descriptions and general representation. Being bisexual myself I had no issues with the bisexual main character. This book offers quite a few queer characters as well as several people of color, both in the main cast and in the background.
###Issues:
The things I am about to list are relatively minor compared to all the things I liked, but still bothered me to subtract one star from my rating.
Sometimes the main character thinks something and it gets emphasized (JUST. LIKE. THIS.). It jumps at you when reading and it feels out of place. Later in the book similar thoughts were simply formatted in cursive and I liked that much better (though I wouldn't mind if it was left out entirely and the feelings of our main character would get described instead).
One classmate of our main character asks him uncomfortable questions about his sexuality and mocks his drawings. Everytime he sees her he describes his murder fantasies in great detail, and although I could understand why he disliked her I was put off by that, because there are several other characters in this book who treat him way worse than she does and who don't get this level of vitriol (to be clear: I am generally not a great fan of detailled murder fantasies). Perhaps this is just me having a problem with the protagonist though, since the author clearly gave her some non-evil character traits and even a smart thing to say.
This book also has a few pop-culture references. I understood all of them, but I still disliked it for the following reasons:
1. Pop-culture references take you out of the setting. Although our protagonist has a love for retro stuff which explains why someone who lives in the future knows present day media, it still reminds you when this book was actually written. Describing the sort of shows/games people in the future might watch/play would have been better instead of relying on stuff only people in this book's target audience would know. Which brings me to the next point:
2. Pop-culture references are useless for people who don't understand them. Someone who has no idea what "My little Pony" is would wonder whether the author spelled a word wrong when the protagonists tells himself that he isn't "equestrian" when fighting a pegasus. If you are blissfully unaware of the horrible stuff JK Rowling posts on Twitter you would have no idea why the protagonist does not want his relative to compare the Medeian magic institute to Hogwarts. This also goes for references to the current US party system when explaining Medeian politics, which people outside the US might not understand.
My last issue is perhaps caused by cultural difference (I live in Europe) but I found that our characters were treated like children when they were punished for crimes. I can somewhat understand punishing 18-year olds for drinking alcohol (considering that drinking is illegal in the US for people under 21) but why would a teacher threaten a 20-something with calling his mom? Universities don't care about your parents where I live.
I stress againg that the issues I had had no impact on the general story. You can follow the plot without knowing any pop-culture references.
Lastly, I want to inform potential readers that this book ends with a huge cliffhanger. I would absolutely buy the sequel when (or if) it gets released, but in case you don't like this kind of thing you have been warned.
I discovered the author through their YouTube channel "Unicorn of War - Thomas Vaccaro". Their rewrite of Winx Club season 5 convinced me of their writing skills (since YouTube fame alone is not neccessarily a good indicator). And I was not disappointed! I had a lot of fun reading this book.
###Compliments:
The prose is creative but still easy to read and understand. The magic system as well as background information like the history and folklore of the Medeian empire is never dumped on you. Despite having the advantage of a school setting, I never felt like I was sitting through a boring lecture. For example, you already have a vague understanding of the importance of eye color and the elemental system before a teacher explains it to you. History lessons are delivered like action movies.
I never had issues with pacing. Interactions with family and friends never last too long to feel boring. The finale really blows it out of the water. I was excited what was going to happen next, and I was not able to predict what was going to come (in a good way).
A lot of detail was put into developing the main setting, the Medeian empire. This also goes for characters. You know those low-budget anime where everyone but the main character looks generic? This book on the other hand offers fashion descriptions and quirks for so many characters (even the not-so-important ones) that you feel like this world is populated by actual people.
I also enjoyed how no one is 100% evil. Even Characters that are introduced like actual villains get small moments to shine. The protagonists never feel bland either.
I also liked the content warning at the start of the book. I am quite sensitive to tasteless violence or depictions of bigotry, and I really appreciated that the author put thought into potentially triggering descriptions and general representation. Being bisexual myself I had no issues with the bisexual main character. This book offers quite a few queer characters as well as several people of color, both in the main cast and in the background.
###Issues:
The things I am about to list are relatively minor compared to all the things I liked, but still bothered me to subtract one star from my rating.
Sometimes the main character thinks something and it gets emphasized (JUST. LIKE. THIS.). It jumps at you when reading and it feels out of place. Later in the book similar thoughts were simply formatted in cursive and I liked that much better (though I wouldn't mind if it was left out entirely and the feelings of our main character would get described instead).
One classmate of our main character asks him uncomfortable questions about his sexuality and mocks his drawings. Everytime he sees her he describes his murder fantasies in great detail, and although I could understand why he disliked her I was put off by that, because there are several other characters in this book who treat him way worse than she does and who don't get this level of vitriol (to be clear: I am generally not a great fan of detailled murder fantasies). Perhaps this is just me having a problem with the protagonist though, since the author clearly gave her some non-evil character traits and even a smart thing to say.
This book also has a few pop-culture references. I understood all of them, but I still disliked it for the following reasons:
1. Pop-culture references take you out of the setting. Although our protagonist has a love for retro stuff which explains why someone who lives in the future knows present day media, it still reminds you when this book was actually written. Describing the sort of shows/games people in the future might watch/play would have been better instead of relying on stuff only people in this book's target audience would know. Which brings me to the next point:
2. Pop-culture references are useless for people who don't understand them. Someone who has no idea what "My little Pony" is would wonder whether the author spelled a word wrong when the protagonists tells himself that he isn't "equestrian" when fighting a pegasus. If you are blissfully unaware of the horrible stuff JK Rowling posts on Twitter you would have no idea why the protagonist does not want his relative to compare the Medeian magic institute to Hogwarts. This also goes for references to the current US party system when explaining Medeian politics, which people outside the US might not understand.
My last issue is perhaps caused by cultural difference (I live in Europe) but I found that our characters were treated like children when they were punished for crimes. I can somewhat understand punishing 18-year olds for drinking alcohol (considering that drinking is illegal in the US for people under 21) but why would a teacher threaten a 20-something with calling his mom? Universities don't care about your parents where I live.
I stress againg that the issues I had had no impact on the general story. You can follow the plot without knowing any pop-culture references.
Lastly, I want to inform potential readers that this book ends with a huge cliffhanger. I would absolutely buy the sequel when (or if) it gets released, but in case you don't like this kind of thing you have been warned.
April 8, 2022
This experience didn’t go at all the way I was hoping it would. I was invested in this story from the very start - I even pre-ordered it! I hardly ever do that! Even when the writing started to show its faults there was no way I was going to let this go without getting to the very end. Perhaps that wasn’t the best mindset to have when getting through this, and the frustration really got to me more times than I should have let it, but I’m ultimately glad I did. The ending of the book really picks up, both in plot progression and in quality, and if more of the story was like that this would have been a much greater novel. Sadly it’s getting there that was a bit of an unforeseen challenge. Faults started haunting me at every corner until I ended up writing several thousands words identifying them and suggesting alternatives as I went. And I just, ended up with so many words that I don't know what to do with now.
But I won’t post all that here, because I feel that would be a little disingenuous for the purpose of a review, and the issues all ultimately stem from the same thing; editing. The author has spoken about how they didn’t get this professionally edited and sadly it really shows, all the way through, from start to finish. It’s one thing to have people lightly go over a story and suggest improvements - it’s quite another to really look into every single moving piece of the story and prove that each of them is there for a purpose, that it adds to the story, that it’s not repeating information, that its means something both on its own and part of a whole. Because, unfortunately, that’s where the holes in the narrative are; in the spelling errors, and the grammar mistakes, and the paragraphs that directly contradict each other, but also in the characters and storylines that don’t seem to add anything, the plot arcs that go unfinished, the times that something is explained several chapters after it was relevant, the times the narrative doubles back to undo something it had already explored, the amount of attention that is spent on things that don’t seem to directly pay off, in the parts that could probably be cut entirely, and ultimately in the discordant characterisation that never seems to resolve itself on or off the page. There are many, many times when it almost pulls off something amazing, but it doesn’t commit all the way, and instead it opts to undo it all off screen several chapters later.
And I don’t mean for this to be a reflection on the author’s creativity. The author clearly has some great ideas that they want to share - I’ve been a fan of their content for years, so I know they have it in them, and you really get to see some of the best stuff shining through at the very end. I think it’s just a matter of refinement, of really digging into the mechanics of each piece of the story, and, ultimately, getting a professional to help it shine the way I know it really could with the right changes.
But if anyone reading this is tempted to give this a read, my one piece of advice is make sure you write down characters names when they first appear, because the narrative expects you to remember even the smallest bit parts at all times and will not contextualise them when they show up again.
But I won’t post all that here, because I feel that would be a little disingenuous for the purpose of a review, and the issues all ultimately stem from the same thing; editing. The author has spoken about how they didn’t get this professionally edited and sadly it really shows, all the way through, from start to finish. It’s one thing to have people lightly go over a story and suggest improvements - it’s quite another to really look into every single moving piece of the story and prove that each of them is there for a purpose, that it adds to the story, that it’s not repeating information, that its means something both on its own and part of a whole. Because, unfortunately, that’s where the holes in the narrative are; in the spelling errors, and the grammar mistakes, and the paragraphs that directly contradict each other, but also in the characters and storylines that don’t seem to add anything, the plot arcs that go unfinished, the times that something is explained several chapters after it was relevant, the times the narrative doubles back to undo something it had already explored, the amount of attention that is spent on things that don’t seem to directly pay off, in the parts that could probably be cut entirely, and ultimately in the discordant characterisation that never seems to resolve itself on or off the page. There are many, many times when it almost pulls off something amazing, but it doesn’t commit all the way, and instead it opts to undo it all off screen several chapters later.
And I don’t mean for this to be a reflection on the author’s creativity. The author clearly has some great ideas that they want to share - I’ve been a fan of their content for years, so I know they have it in them, and you really get to see some of the best stuff shining through at the very end. I think it’s just a matter of refinement, of really digging into the mechanics of each piece of the story, and, ultimately, getting a professional to help it shine the way I know it really could with the right changes.
But if anyone reading this is tempted to give this a read, my one piece of advice is make sure you write down characters names when they first appear, because the narrative expects you to remember even the smallest bit parts at all times and will not contextualise them when they show up again.
December 30, 2021
De Cineribus: From the Ashes is the debut novel of Thomas Vaccaro. Within these pages, you'll find a creative fantasy novel that will make you stop and think: courtesy of a morally gray main character.
Felix was born into a world where two halves of the same whole fight for world dominance. It's humans versus sorcerers, with both wanting the right to lead the world as they see fit. Felix was born a sorcerer, though he didn't know it for the longest time.
Yet, the fear that Felix has had to bear his whole life is getting to him. He wants to use this newfound power to do something – he wants to become powerful. Yet, with power comes great temptation. Will Felix resist or indulge?
"Am I wicked?"
It has been a hot minute since I got to enjoy a book with just a grayscale character. Since these tend to be some of my favorite characters, naturally, I found De Cineribus: From the Ashes quite refreshing.
There was a lot for me to enjoy within these pages, from the leading character (obviously) to the world (I love a good blend of fantasy and science fiction) and everything in between. There's a lot worth delving into.
I should probably mention that there are a lot of darker themes within De Cineribus: From the Ashes. That isn't a bad thing, but it is worth mentioning. However, I want to give major bonus points, as Thomas Vaccaro included a full page of trigger/content warnings in the beginning. I wish more authors would do this!
Speaking of things I loved seeing: Felix is a bisexual Latinx who is swayed by power and magic. It was an entertaining plot to follow, and I would not argue with more books along this line. I also really enjoyed how much effort Vaccaro put into describing the world. It was so easy to picture everything happening in vivid detail. My brain very much appreciated the help there!
All things considered, I would say that De Cineribus: From the Ashes is a delightful and worthwhile read.
Thanks to #Reedsy for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Felix was born into a world where two halves of the same whole fight for world dominance. It's humans versus sorcerers, with both wanting the right to lead the world as they see fit. Felix was born a sorcerer, though he didn't know it for the longest time.
Yet, the fear that Felix has had to bear his whole life is getting to him. He wants to use this newfound power to do something – he wants to become powerful. Yet, with power comes great temptation. Will Felix resist or indulge?
"Am I wicked?"
It has been a hot minute since I got to enjoy a book with just a grayscale character. Since these tend to be some of my favorite characters, naturally, I found De Cineribus: From the Ashes quite refreshing.
There was a lot for me to enjoy within these pages, from the leading character (obviously) to the world (I love a good blend of fantasy and science fiction) and everything in between. There's a lot worth delving into.
I should probably mention that there are a lot of darker themes within De Cineribus: From the Ashes. That isn't a bad thing, but it is worth mentioning. However, I want to give major bonus points, as Thomas Vaccaro included a full page of trigger/content warnings in the beginning. I wish more authors would do this!
Speaking of things I loved seeing: Felix is a bisexual Latinx who is swayed by power and magic. It was an entertaining plot to follow, and I would not argue with more books along this line. I also really enjoyed how much effort Vaccaro put into describing the world. It was so easy to picture everything happening in vivid detail. My brain very much appreciated the help there!
All things considered, I would say that De Cineribus: From the Ashes is a delightful and worthwhile read.
Thanks to #Reedsy for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
November 9, 2021
This was an interesting story about figuring out Who you are and How To achieve your goals with The gifts Given to you ... Even If your motives are fueled by The darkest feelings a person can harbor.
I enjoyed The World, An intertwining of magic and technology... It's always a refreshing take on something that can Feel over used sometimes...I did find It a bit overdescriptive, which makes a little less fun For those like me Who enjoy picturing more Than being told about things.
The relationships are well developed and The characters themselves present intriguing quanderies that you Feel The need To explore.
It was entertaining, once I got into It.
I enjoyed The World, An intertwining of magic and technology... It's always a refreshing take on something that can Feel over used sometimes...I did find It a bit overdescriptive, which makes a little less fun For those like me Who enjoy picturing more Than being told about things.
The relationships are well developed and The characters themselves present intriguing quanderies that you Feel The need To explore.
It was entertaining, once I got into It.
June 1, 2018
Pretty good.
February 20, 2024
Here we have a magical school plot with a protagonist who seeks justice, revenge, and equality for the Magi, his race of magical people. It also takes place in the 22nd century, but aside from Felix’s pop culture references being referred to as “retro”, it is honestly very easy to forget.
This story did win me over by the end, but the beginning didn’t hook me. Our main screw-up Felix was boring as all heck and it seemed like this was going to be the usual case of the side characters vastly outshining the main character. The atmosphere of the first three or so chapters felt oppressive and depressing (which, kudos. I know that’s what the author was going for and they did a good job), and generally that isn’t my taste in stories at all unless there’s good humor to balance it out; and save for a handful of lines from side characters, the first three chapters were utterly humorless. Plus I HATE bullying storylines, however I knew that was going to be a factor going in, and I was prepared to weather it, but had these gripes continued much longer I would’ve DNF’d this book, I don’t care how satisfying the comeuppance would be later on. 😂
Things really picked up once we got established at the school, and we learn more about the magic system, and the intricacies of all the important characters, even the antagonists. The world building (aside from the time period) was very well done. The magical element and even the school was treated like a global melting pot. The descriptions of powers and action had an epic zing to them. The gay romance, once that became a factor, was very cute and shippable, I must say. 😂
The writing does have some hiccups here and there in the middle, some of that indie publishing charm, but overall I’m very glad I checked out this author and their debut, and the epic ending definitely did NOT disappoint this time… I know that’s a little bit of a theme with my reads this year… 😂
This story did win me over by the end, but the beginning didn’t hook me. Our main screw-up Felix was boring as all heck and it seemed like this was going to be the usual case of the side characters vastly outshining the main character. The atmosphere of the first three or so chapters felt oppressive and depressing (which, kudos. I know that’s what the author was going for and they did a good job), and generally that isn’t my taste in stories at all unless there’s good humor to balance it out; and save for a handful of lines from side characters, the first three chapters were utterly humorless. Plus I HATE bullying storylines, however I knew that was going to be a factor going in, and I was prepared to weather it, but had these gripes continued much longer I would’ve DNF’d this book, I don’t care how satisfying the comeuppance would be later on. 😂
Things really picked up once we got established at the school, and we learn more about the magic system, and the intricacies of all the important characters, even the antagonists. The world building (aside from the time period) was very well done. The magical element and even the school was treated like a global melting pot. The descriptions of powers and action had an epic zing to them. The gay romance, once that became a factor, was very cute and shippable, I must say. 😂
The writing does have some hiccups here and there in the middle, some of that indie publishing charm, but overall I’m very glad I checked out this author and their debut, and the epic ending definitely did NOT disappoint this time… I know that’s a little bit of a theme with my reads this year… 😂
October 23, 2019
Meh, wasn’t that great. Author was trying too hard to be descriptive, book wasn’t clear at some points.
December 5, 2019
sounds dumb just like your videos
October 14, 2022
Some of the most incomprehensible nonsense i ever laid my eyes on.
Stay away from this wannabe Author.
Stay away from this wannabe Author.
December 22, 2024
Let me back on the discord and i will give you 5 stars and a freddo
December 22, 2024
lololol
June 28, 2025
Silly neek #FreeMilesPrower
March 22, 2025
After finally finishing Vaccaro’s book, I can safely affirm that it is a brilliant debut novel, rich with ideas, world building and exciting characters. My main criticism (and reason for not giving the book 5 stars) is the unfortunate number of grammatical mistakes I caught whilst reading the book, which unfortunately confused me at times during the book. However, this is a minor setback in an otherwise fantastic book. The world building in the Medeian Empire and Dragora made the world feel lived in while the magic systems in place were easy to understand, especially the eye colour hierarchy and the use of elemental powers. Felix, the main character, is a unique character and veers away from the typical chosen one tropes usually seen in novels - something which Vaccaro noted in one of their YouTube videos and, quite frankly, executed to almost perfection. All in all, ‘De Cineribus: From The Ashes’ was fantastic to read (after spending so long reading academic texts for uni) and I am excited to see what is in store for Felix, Rosie and the cast in the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews