What do you think?
Rate this book
The Carnival of Ash
Cadenza is the City of Words, a city run by poets, its skyline dominated by the steepled towers of its libraries, its heart beating to the stamp and thrum of the printing presses in the Printing Quarter.
Carlo Mazzoni, a young wordsmith arrives at the city gates intent on making his name as the bells ring out with the news of the death of the city’s poet-leader. Instead, he finds himself embroiled with the intrigues of a city in turmoil, the looming prospect of war with their rival Venice ever-present. A war that threatens not only to destroy Cadenza but remove it from history altogether…
Carlo Mazzoni, a young wordsmith arrives at the city gates intent on making his name as the bells ring out with the news of the death of the city’s poet-leader. Instead, he finds himself embroiled with the intrigues of a city in turmoil, the looming prospect of war with their rival Venice ever-present. A war that threatens not only to destroy Cadenza but remove it from history altogether…
484 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2022
22 people are currently reading
598 people want to read
About the author
Tom Beckerlegge
2 books14 followersMild-mannered children's author by day. Mild-mannered adult author by night. Currently living in London, in a flat with a bath but no shower.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
December 18, 2022
tw: suicidal ideation, gore, violence, sexual violence, physical violence, torture, rape, blood, murder, medical content, ableism, sexism, misogyny, fatphobia, abusive family
I want to preface this review by saying that based on the synopsis and the book being marketed as sff I expected this book to be very different than it ended up being. From the synopsis, I got the impression that I would be reading a story about giant libraries, poetry, that it's gonna be a magical fantastical story of poets and intrigue. However, this was a very dense, political alternate history about pretentious poets and society that threatens to destroy itself. It deals with very heavy topics, and despite being marketed in that way, this wasn't a fantasy story. This by itself isn't an issue, but take this into consideration before reading, and be mindful of the trigger warnings I listed.
The Carnival of Ash is a book about Cadenza, the city of words. In the city reside many poets, and we follow a plethora of characters, through whose perspectives we discover the corruption that runs deep in every part of the city. The book is divided into twelve parts (twelve cantos), and while I did enjoy the switching of perspectives in the second half of the book, in the first half it seemed slightly disorienting and confusing. It takes a while to understand how the stories connect, and while it works out well in the end, it made me bored at times and it made the pacing seem uneven. It also didn't help that I was expecting a different story, I might have enjoyed it more had I understood the concept earlier.
The things I liked about this book, were definitely the writing style and the worldbuilding. The writing style was intricate and rich, though maybe a bit too intense at times. I enjoyed the way Cadenza was unveiled, all the wonders and atrocities. I think that part was very well done, and I think there was a perfect amount of information given, and there was no info-dumping. I enjoyed some of the characters, mainly Carlo, and the characters that appear in the second half of the book.
Unfortunately, for every aspect of the book I liked, there were too many I didn't. Mainly the issue I had was how male-centered this book was. I understand that this is very much inspired by the historical period when society was patriarchal and largely misogynistic, but given that this is an alternate history I feel like that's something that the author could've avoided. From the first pages, the way that women were described, as breakable, delicate, frail creatures - to being objectified and described only in terms of body parts, I was uncomfortable. They are presented more like objects, targets of both desire and violence, and not as actual people.
This becomes very clear in the second part of the book, with our first female perspective. Hypatia, the character we follow, is presented in a way that seemed very misogynistic to me. There was sexual content that felt very uncomfortable and in this part in general, consent is very questionable. Hypatia is presented as a very traumatized woman, who the world keeps traumatizing further. And this was not written in a condemning way, and that's what was so uncomfortable. She is constantly forgiving and in my opinion further taken advantage of, despite the book presenting it like she is being done a favor. This part made me incredibly uncomfortable and made me want to stop reading this book entirely.
I pushed on, despite feeling uncomfortable. To give credit where it's due, I think the book gets better the more you read. The stories and the perspectives get more interesting, and the atmosphere of the book is different. While it's still dark, because the city is spiraling into chaos, I like that the characters who we follow are better in the latter parts. They feel less like pretentious poets who you don't want to root for, and more like real people whose motivations you understand. The unrelenting male gaze and the general favoring of men don't disappear, but the female characters we're following in the second half of the book are more well-rounded and well-written than Hypatia.
The book eventually comes together in the last part. Many of the characters' stories are now intertwined and we watch as the city crumbles onto itself no longer being able to sustain the corruption and the depravity that ruled for so long. I actually really enjoyed the ending, I think it was the only possible conclusion to such a story.
All in all, this book had a lot of potential but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. Many parts made me very uncomfortable, and the author made choices I truly didn't agree with. Had the author decided not to lean so heavily on "time period appropriate" sexism, this book would have been much better. I do think it's a shame, as I truly enjoyed some aspects of the book. Sometimes, just because something is "historically accurate" (even though this is a made-up Italian city) doesn't mean it's necessary. This might be more suited to someone who is a big fan of alternate history in fiction and can look past the issues I had while reading.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I want to preface this review by saying that based on the synopsis and the book being marketed as sff I expected this book to be very different than it ended up being. From the synopsis, I got the impression that I would be reading a story about giant libraries, poetry, that it's gonna be a magical fantastical story of poets and intrigue. However, this was a very dense, political alternate history about pretentious poets and society that threatens to destroy itself. It deals with very heavy topics, and despite being marketed in that way, this wasn't a fantasy story. This by itself isn't an issue, but take this into consideration before reading, and be mindful of the trigger warnings I listed.
The Carnival of Ash is a book about Cadenza, the city of words. In the city reside many poets, and we follow a plethora of characters, through whose perspectives we discover the corruption that runs deep in every part of the city. The book is divided into twelve parts (twelve cantos), and while I did enjoy the switching of perspectives in the second half of the book, in the first half it seemed slightly disorienting and confusing. It takes a while to understand how the stories connect, and while it works out well in the end, it made me bored at times and it made the pacing seem uneven. It also didn't help that I was expecting a different story, I might have enjoyed it more had I understood the concept earlier.
The things I liked about this book, were definitely the writing style and the worldbuilding. The writing style was intricate and rich, though maybe a bit too intense at times. I enjoyed the way Cadenza was unveiled, all the wonders and atrocities. I think that part was very well done, and I think there was a perfect amount of information given, and there was no info-dumping. I enjoyed some of the characters, mainly Carlo, and the characters that appear in the second half of the book.
Unfortunately, for every aspect of the book I liked, there were too many I didn't. Mainly the issue I had was how male-centered this book was. I understand that this is very much inspired by the historical period when society was patriarchal and largely misogynistic, but given that this is an alternate history I feel like that's something that the author could've avoided. From the first pages, the way that women were described, as breakable, delicate, frail creatures - to being objectified and described only in terms of body parts, I was uncomfortable. They are presented more like objects, targets of both desire and violence, and not as actual people.
This becomes very clear in the second part of the book, with our first female perspective. Hypatia, the character we follow, is presented in a way that seemed very misogynistic to me. There was sexual content that felt very uncomfortable and in this part in general, consent is very questionable. Hypatia is presented as a very traumatized woman, who the world keeps traumatizing further. And this was not written in a condemning way, and that's what was so uncomfortable. She is constantly forgiving and in my opinion further taken advantage of, despite the book presenting it like she is being done a favor. This part made me incredibly uncomfortable and made me want to stop reading this book entirely.
I pushed on, despite feeling uncomfortable. To give credit where it's due, I think the book gets better the more you read. The stories and the perspectives get more interesting, and the atmosphere of the book is different. While it's still dark, because the city is spiraling into chaos, I like that the characters who we follow are better in the latter parts. They feel less like pretentious poets who you don't want to root for, and more like real people whose motivations you understand. The unrelenting male gaze and the general favoring of men don't disappear, but the female characters we're following in the second half of the book are more well-rounded and well-written than Hypatia.
The book eventually comes together in the last part. Many of the characters' stories are now intertwined and we watch as the city crumbles onto itself no longer being able to sustain the corruption and the depravity that ruled for so long. I actually really enjoyed the ending, I think it was the only possible conclusion to such a story.
All in all, this book had a lot of potential but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. Many parts made me very uncomfortable, and the author made choices I truly didn't agree with. Had the author decided not to lean so heavily on "time period appropriate" sexism, this book would have been much better. I do think it's a shame, as I truly enjoyed some aspects of the book. Sometimes, just because something is "historically accurate" (even though this is a made-up Italian city) doesn't mean it's necessary. This might be more suited to someone who is a big fan of alternate history in fiction and can look past the issues I had while reading.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
October 27, 2021
Firstly, a trigger warning for this book: in the first part, the MC deals with suicidal ideations.
Note 1: I would like to give a massive thank you to Rebellion Publishing and Tom Beckerlegge for allowing me to access an ARC of this book!! I appreciate that I was given this opportunity.
Note 2: I DNF'd this book at around 30%. However, from what I read, I would rate it three stars.
The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge has a brilliant premise: A City of Words, run by poets and filled with libraries. That was all the knowledge I went in with as any novel that sounds remotely dark academic has me going all in!
The first part of the novel follows Carlo Mazzoni, a young poet sent to the city of Cadenza to make amends in his father's name and showcase his poetry for the town. Characterised as slightly arrogant and temperamental, Carlo encounters a lot of trouble when he first arrives, especially as the city's poet leader has just died. He is told early on in the novel that his poetry is childish and needs to be reworked before it can receive any acclaim in the city. As the synopsis had presented Carlo as the protagonist, I became slightly disoriented by the multiple points of view that followed in the subsequent parts. I understood how both Vittoria and Lorenzo fit into the story, but I was confused about how it all linked back to the novel's plot. Beckerlegge absolutely writes brilliant prose and is a talented world-builder, and he was able to draw me in with the first few lines. I became invested in Ercole and Carlo's friendship, until it had been so long since the characters had been mentioned, that my investment began to wane.
My two critiques of this book, and what caused me to stop reading, are some of the terms used to describe POCs and the, in my opinion, relentless male gaze. Firstly, some of the terms used within this novel could be viewed as problematic. In one instance, Carlo refers to a non-white character as 'exotic'. While I don't believe the author used this word to mean any harm or to have a negative connotation, it is not my place to decide whether or not the term is offensive. However, I do know that the term is viewed as a microaggression by many POCs as it is a term that typically describes animals. Therefore, I thought that there could have been a better word choice in this scenario.
Secondly, I must discuss the aforementioned male gaze. While it was not necessarily a negative aspect of the book, the continuous descriptions of certain female characters just left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Sadly, my high hopes for this novel were not met. Majority of the prose was brilliant, the world-building was great, and the premise was spectacular, however several aspects of the execution were disappointing to me. Nevertheless, if you are a lover of historical fiction, dark academia, and complex world-building, give this book a shot! Our opinions could differ entirely.
Note 1: I would like to give a massive thank you to Rebellion Publishing and Tom Beckerlegge for allowing me to access an ARC of this book!! I appreciate that I was given this opportunity.
Note 2: I DNF'd this book at around 30%. However, from what I read, I would rate it three stars.
The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge has a brilliant premise: A City of Words, run by poets and filled with libraries. That was all the knowledge I went in with as any novel that sounds remotely dark academic has me going all in!
The first part of the novel follows Carlo Mazzoni, a young poet sent to the city of Cadenza to make amends in his father's name and showcase his poetry for the town. Characterised as slightly arrogant and temperamental, Carlo encounters a lot of trouble when he first arrives, especially as the city's poet leader has just died. He is told early on in the novel that his poetry is childish and needs to be reworked before it can receive any acclaim in the city. As the synopsis had presented Carlo as the protagonist, I became slightly disoriented by the multiple points of view that followed in the subsequent parts. I understood how both Vittoria and Lorenzo fit into the story, but I was confused about how it all linked back to the novel's plot. Beckerlegge absolutely writes brilliant prose and is a talented world-builder, and he was able to draw me in with the first few lines. I became invested in Ercole and Carlo's friendship, until it had been so long since the characters had been mentioned, that my investment began to wane.
My two critiques of this book, and what caused me to stop reading, are some of the terms used to describe POCs and the, in my opinion, relentless male gaze. Firstly, some of the terms used within this novel could be viewed as problematic. In one instance, Carlo refers to a non-white character as 'exotic'. While I don't believe the author used this word to mean any harm or to have a negative connotation, it is not my place to decide whether or not the term is offensive. However, I do know that the term is viewed as a microaggression by many POCs as it is a term that typically describes animals. Therefore, I thought that there could have been a better word choice in this scenario.
Secondly, I must discuss the aforementioned male gaze. While it was not necessarily a negative aspect of the book, the continuous descriptions of certain female characters just left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Sadly, my high hopes for this novel were not met. Majority of the prose was brilliant, the world-building was great, and the premise was spectacular, however several aspects of the execution were disappointing to me. Nevertheless, if you are a lover of historical fiction, dark academia, and complex world-building, give this book a shot! Our opinions could differ entirely.
May 5, 2022
4.5 stars rounded up
The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge is possibly one of the beautifully worded books I have read this year thus far.
I can just imagine walking the streets of Cadenza, the city of libraries, of poets. The city of words. Where one can find their fantasies fulfilled in writing by the ink maids.
I adored the writing, the world. The author has a way of making thus city come to life on the very pages one is reading, making me want to crawl inside. Except maybe during the plague,who was to be in a plagued city. The characters are horrible and awful but so well done that you keep reading.
This book is filled with so much death and so much beauty. It is dark and has sinisterness to it and the writing style is very reminiscent of the classical style that from the moment I started it I knew it was one that I would love. It made me think of The Monk by Mathew Lewis, this is no way a comparison of the two as it has been quite sometime since I read that book but nevertheless it was The Monk that popped into my head whilst reading this one. It made me want to go back and read it again.
It is sensual, beautiful and mysterious, yet deplorable and grotesque. I wanted more and was never bored. Tom Beckerlegge is an author I will most definitely read more of.
I will definitely buying a finished copy to sit next to this uncorrected proof one.
Originally posted I Can Has Books as part of the Write Reads Ultimate Book tours
The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge is possibly one of the beautifully worded books I have read this year thus far.
I can just imagine walking the streets of Cadenza, the city of libraries, of poets. The city of words. Where one can find their fantasies fulfilled in writing by the ink maids.
I adored the writing, the world. The author has a way of making thus city come to life on the very pages one is reading, making me want to crawl inside. Except maybe during the plague,who was to be in a plagued city. The characters are horrible and awful but so well done that you keep reading.
This book is filled with so much death and so much beauty. It is dark and has sinisterness to it and the writing style is very reminiscent of the classical style that from the moment I started it I knew it was one that I would love. It made me think of The Monk by Mathew Lewis, this is no way a comparison of the two as it has been quite sometime since I read that book but nevertheless it was The Monk that popped into my head whilst reading this one. It made me want to go back and read it again.
It is sensual, beautiful and mysterious, yet deplorable and grotesque. I wanted more and was never bored. Tom Beckerlegge is an author I will most definitely read more of.
I will definitely buying a finished copy to sit next to this uncorrected proof one.
Originally posted I Can Has Books as part of the Write Reads Ultimate Book tours
dnf
November 13, 2021I was so excited for The Carnival of Ash; what booklover doesn’t want to read about the magic of books and writing? Unfortunately, this is only SFF in the sense that it’s an alternate history; there isn’t any actual magic (or at least, there wasn’t in the parts I read. I did DNF it; there’s a possibility there’s magic later. But from other early reviews, I doubt it.) Instead we have a fictional city in vaguely Medieval (or maybe Renaissance?) Italy, which is stuffed full of libraries and poets, and yet doesn’t really seem to be about books. It’s very pretentious, very male-gaze-y, very concerned with the egos of male poets and politicians. The prose isn’t anything I would consider lyrical or beautiful; it’s very thick, very heavy, so that reading it felt like an exhausting chore. I didn’t enjoy reading it, and every time I put the book down, I didn’t want to pick it up again. Distinctly unimpressed.
December 23, 2021
I’ve opted to DNF this book; I made it to 65%. It was difficult to push through as far as I did; I had resolved to finish the book for the purposes of writing a full and complete review, but ultimately some of the body horror content led me to put it down.
What I appreciate about this book: I appreciate when a book’s world-building is so intricate that the city becomes, in a sense, the lead character of the book: Cadenza was developed in this way, and the multiple POV storytelling gave a thorough and multi-faceted portrayal of the city. Beckerlegge’s writing style is, I think, well suited to a book in which many of the characters are poets.
What didn’t work for me: A section which very graphically described a plague quarantine building in which various forms of torture, including sexual torture, were occurring led me to put it down. This book calls for pretty much every content warning one can come up with. It was also not what I expected at all based on the description – maybe I just didn’t read far enough, but in the first 65% there were really no fantasy elements in the book; it was a historical fiction novel focused on the power politics of a fictionalized Italian city. The premise – the politics of a city of poetry – I was very much intrigued by, but ultimately the book didn’t quite live up to my excitement for the premise.
A POV is never returned to as far as I can tell, which was an interesting storytelling strategy; I ultimately thought it worked, giving many angles on the city, though I did think that some of the POVs were far more compelling than others – some I thought could’ve been entire books unto themselves, while others I could’ve done without.
Finally, and most seriously, I have some deep reservations with how gender is depicted in this book. The city depicted is deeply patriarchal and most of the POV characters are men – neither of these factors is necessarily a problem in and of itself; however, these combined with a few other issues do add up to a serious problem as far as I’m concerned. The female characters in the book are consistently sexually objectified, often described in terms of body parts and physical appearance and little else. Women in this book are not developed into multi-faceted individual personalities at all. On top of this, a significant number of the male characters in the book are sexually violent and predatory, with women for the most part only present in the book as victims of male characters’ violence. The result is a pervasive sense that women, in this book / city, exist only to be subject to violence and are described almost exclusively by way of misogynist commentary. On this basis, I cannot recommend this book.
Content warnings: physical violence, sexual violence, torture, rape, body horror, blood, gore, forcible confinement, stalking, medical content, ableism, sexism, misogyny, fatphobia
What I appreciate about this book: I appreciate when a book’s world-building is so intricate that the city becomes, in a sense, the lead character of the book: Cadenza was developed in this way, and the multiple POV storytelling gave a thorough and multi-faceted portrayal of the city. Beckerlegge’s writing style is, I think, well suited to a book in which many of the characters are poets.
What didn’t work for me: A section which very graphically described a plague quarantine building in which various forms of torture, including sexual torture, were occurring led me to put it down. This book calls for pretty much every content warning one can come up with. It was also not what I expected at all based on the description – maybe I just didn’t read far enough, but in the first 65% there were really no fantasy elements in the book; it was a historical fiction novel focused on the power politics of a fictionalized Italian city. The premise – the politics of a city of poetry – I was very much intrigued by, but ultimately the book didn’t quite live up to my excitement for the premise.
A POV is never returned to as far as I can tell, which was an interesting storytelling strategy; I ultimately thought it worked, giving many angles on the city, though I did think that some of the POVs were far more compelling than others – some I thought could’ve been entire books unto themselves, while others I could’ve done without.
Finally, and most seriously, I have some deep reservations with how gender is depicted in this book. The city depicted is deeply patriarchal and most of the POV characters are men – neither of these factors is necessarily a problem in and of itself; however, these combined with a few other issues do add up to a serious problem as far as I’m concerned. The female characters in the book are consistently sexually objectified, often described in terms of body parts and physical appearance and little else. Women in this book are not developed into multi-faceted individual personalities at all. On top of this, a significant number of the male characters in the book are sexually violent and predatory, with women for the most part only present in the book as victims of male characters’ violence. The result is a pervasive sense that women, in this book / city, exist only to be subject to violence and are described almost exclusively by way of misogynist commentary. On this basis, I cannot recommend this book.
Content warnings: physical violence, sexual violence, torture, rape, body horror, blood, gore, forcible confinement, stalking, medical content, ableism, sexism, misogyny, fatphobia
February 14, 2022
‘The Carnival of Ashes’ is a novel split into twelve sections or ‘cantos’, each told from a different characters perspective. While each tells separate stories they create different threads in the fictitious city of Cadenza. The city is one of words with publishers, printing, poets and poetry and authors galore. It is not all pretty and lyrical however as multiple things threaten the city and it’s inhabitants.
I’m really mixed on this novel. To start with I loved the writing and the authors use of words. It is very lyrical and I was drawn in quite quickly. However I did find with the different cantos it did involve starting over to get back into the book several times. The marketing of the book feels slightly inaccurate and it was definitely not the book I was expecting to read. It was less magical and fantasy based and also a lot darker and more violent than I had anticipated.
I think this book will be quite marmitey for most people. While I did love the writing style something felt a little off and as other readers have stated the portrayal of women was quite troublesome. I’ll be interested to know what others make of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m really mixed on this novel. To start with I loved the writing and the authors use of words. It is very lyrical and I was drawn in quite quickly. However I did find with the different cantos it did involve starting over to get back into the book several times. The marketing of the book feels slightly inaccurate and it was definitely not the book I was expecting to read. It was less magical and fantasy based and also a lot darker and more violent than I had anticipated.
I think this book will be quite marmitey for most people. While I did love the writing style something felt a little off and as other readers have stated the portrayal of women was quite troublesome. I’ll be interested to know what others make of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2022
I thought the book was off to a great start! The first chapter really seized me. However, the more I progressed and the more it felt like I was just thrown information left and right, which made it hard to follow.
The premise looks great, as readers, why would we not like the idea built for poets ? But some themes were hard to grasp. It often felt like the characters were in their own little world. Even as readers, I was not sure what the challenges were. We are often standing in the past, then in the present, and context is giving in both times. There's a lot of information to retain to optimize this reading - thus I would not qualify it as 'light reading', but it is entertaining.
The ambiance is oozing of drama and dark secrets. It reminded me a bit of 'If We Were Villains''.
Sometimes I would read paragraphs without understand much of it, and then I would have to read it again and deconstruct very long sentences to make sense of them. It feels like a long poem. Somehow, that's also the strength of the book: the richness of the vocabulary. To me, that changes the whole experience.
I feel like either people are going to love the conspiracy tone, either they are going to hate it.
The cover is gorgeous.
I will say this: the synopsis had a very different vibe from what I've actually read. This was wayyy more politic and it bothered me because it was not what I was excepting. I was expecting fantasy, I got boys playing war.
Also, there are many triggering themes, such as violence in its many form. I hope trigger warnings will be included. Also, describing women the way it's done? As a woman, it is getting old. And it's enough for me to not finish the book - which I sometime considered.
I'm giving this 3 stars because of the writing style and the world building.
The premise looks great, as readers, why would we not like the idea built for poets ? But some themes were hard to grasp. It often felt like the characters were in their own little world. Even as readers, I was not sure what the challenges were. We are often standing in the past, then in the present, and context is giving in both times. There's a lot of information to retain to optimize this reading - thus I would not qualify it as 'light reading', but it is entertaining.
The ambiance is oozing of drama and dark secrets. It reminded me a bit of 'If We Were Villains''.
Sometimes I would read paragraphs without understand much of it, and then I would have to read it again and deconstruct very long sentences to make sense of them. It feels like a long poem. Somehow, that's also the strength of the book: the richness of the vocabulary. To me, that changes the whole experience.
I feel like either people are going to love the conspiracy tone, either they are going to hate it.
The cover is gorgeous.
I will say this: the synopsis had a very different vibe from what I've actually read. This was wayyy more politic and it bothered me because it was not what I was excepting. I was expecting fantasy, I got boys playing war.
Also, there are many triggering themes, such as violence in its many form. I hope trigger warnings will be included. Also, describing women the way it's done? As a woman, it is getting old. And it's enough for me to not finish the book - which I sometime considered.
I'm giving this 3 stars because of the writing style and the world building.
March 1, 2022
The writing was poetic, the city was incredible and it is nicely dystopian in a fantastical kind of way. There are some big themes in this one, so it is not one to read when you fancy something light (corruption, sexual violence, ableism, sexism, microaggressions etc.). I really liked how it was written in a uniquely poetic way, with 12 cantos (parts). There are some trigger warnings to be aware of, including suicidal ideation right from the off. Not necessarily a book for everyone, but one that I certainly enjoyed.
May 3, 2022
This is an alternate reality historical fiction that is unlike anything that I have ever read. With a vast range of characters from different socioeconomic, religious and political classes. This book is a mastery on the confluence of characters.
February 14, 2022
Cadenza is a city whose fabric and industry is the written word.
A great premise, let down in the execution. The writing is competent, but for all the detail about the city and its inhabitants, the story fails to come alive. Adjective-heavy.
Disappointing.
A great premise, let down in the execution. The writing is competent, but for all the detail about the city and its inhabitants, the story fails to come alive. Adjective-heavy.
Disappointing.
March 6, 2022
Cadenza is a city ruled by words. Poets, writers and storytellers vie for power by sharing their works. Libraries and printing presses create the economy. Cadenza's Artifex Tommaso Cellini, an adept poet, dies mysteriously on the day Carlo Mazzoni arrives in town trying to find his place among the wordsmiths. Cellini is replaced by an Artifex more worried about budget numbers than words and the city rebels. Soon crime, plague and internal strife plague Cadenza as they prepare for war against the invading Venice.
Carnival of Ash is the story of a fictional city that is at its apex only to fall spectacularly and possibly begin to rise from the ashes. Written in Cantos, each Canto shows a point of view from a different citizen of Cadenza. As the Canto's continue, the character's stories begin to combine. Even though there are about a dozen characters and different stories to keep track of, the story seems to not be about the characters as much as the city itself and what can happen without a well-rounded society. The writing was verbose and pompous, fitting for characters who lived in a city of words; however, I expected some more word play, lightheartedness and poetry. The characters were all interesting and unique, each with their own flaws and failings. I felt most drawn to Vittoria's character and the tragedy of her circumstance. I was entranced by her story and how her words eventually took over. Carlo and Ercole, the gravedigger were another great pair. Carlo, who seemed doomed from the beginning, slowly finds his place. Ercole, an alchemist in a city of words brings in the next era. Carnival of Ash is an unexpected work with violence, ego and destruction.; it may not be for everyone but was an interesting read.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Carnival of Ash is the story of a fictional city that is at its apex only to fall spectacularly and possibly begin to rise from the ashes. Written in Cantos, each Canto shows a point of view from a different citizen of Cadenza. As the Canto's continue, the character's stories begin to combine. Even though there are about a dozen characters and different stories to keep track of, the story seems to not be about the characters as much as the city itself and what can happen without a well-rounded society. The writing was verbose and pompous, fitting for characters who lived in a city of words; however, I expected some more word play, lightheartedness and poetry. The characters were all interesting and unique, each with their own flaws and failings. I felt most drawn to Vittoria's character and the tragedy of her circumstance. I was entranced by her story and how her words eventually took over. Carlo and Ercole, the gravedigger were another great pair. Carlo, who seemed doomed from the beginning, slowly finds his place. Ercole, an alchemist in a city of words brings in the next era. Carnival of Ash is an unexpected work with violence, ego and destruction.; it may not be for everyone but was an interesting read.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
May 19, 2022
The tale of a city as much as of the people who live in it, this alternate history novel really took me by surprise.
Nothing is as it seems in Cadenza, except for the arrogance of its most lauded poets, and the city's seedy underbelly is progressively revealed with each Canto read and character introduced.
It's more of an ensemble novel. We meet many characters over 600 pages but don't spend a significant amount of time with them before skipping to someone new, only for those same characters to return as bit players in another's story.
It's the city, its legend and reputation and bloated arrogance, that is the real protagonist of The Carnival of Ash. And I for one had a great time reading its story.
Nothing is as it seems in Cadenza, except for the arrogance of its most lauded poets, and the city's seedy underbelly is progressively revealed with each Canto read and character introduced.
It's more of an ensemble novel. We meet many characters over 600 pages but don't spend a significant amount of time with them before skipping to someone new, only for those same characters to return as bit players in another's story.
It's the city, its legend and reputation and bloated arrogance, that is the real protagonist of The Carnival of Ash. And I for one had a great time reading its story.
November 20, 2022
I desperately wanted to give this book five stars given how much I loved it when it started out. The concept of a city whose entire economy is built on words? A book lover’s dream! But, there were too many loose ends left unresolved at the end for my liking.
February 7, 2022
i have very mixed opinions of this book. i feel like i was reading it for absolutely ages and wasn’t getting anywhere! i absolutely loved the writing style, plot, characters - everything was 10/10 except the fact it could’ve been a series. i feel like the separate parts are so random and unconnected it muddled my mind a bit. i loved the premise and the way it was written i just think it would’ve been better written as a series rather than a stand alone.
November 15, 2021
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I was hoping for something in the vein of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell but in all honesty it’s more like The Name of the Rose. It is well-written but densely so, and the fantastical elements which the book more or less promised are absent, so the story at times is quite leaden and a chore to read. If you’re hoping for a magical story then I’m afraid “The Carnival of Ash” will disappoint.
November 22, 2021
*4.25
This was a very unexpected story that read a lot like a collection of stories about different characters in this city. It's not going to be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it more than I expected to once I realized the format!
This was a very unexpected story that read a lot like a collection of stories about different characters in this city. It's not going to be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it more than I expected to once I realized the format!
dnf
May 7, 2022No rating, but DNF at 10%
I feel bad DNFing this book, as I received a free copy. But I'm going to quite while I'm ahead on this one. Looking at other reviews of the book, I feel I have to say that I am JUST ONE MORE reader who was mis-sold this book as SFF, while it is instead historical/political/literary fiction—a genre I do not tend to enjoy. Plus, the treatment of female characters appears to be abysmal (I might say classically and problematically male). If it was short, I'd push through. But I'm not going to force myself to read another almost 500+ pages of a book I'm not enjoying.
I feel bad DNFing this book, as I received a free copy. But I'm going to quite while I'm ahead on this one. Looking at other reviews of the book, I feel I have to say that I am JUST ONE MORE reader who was mis-sold this book as SFF, while it is instead historical/political/literary fiction—a genre I do not tend to enjoy. Plus, the treatment of female characters appears to be abysmal (I might say classically and problematically male). If it was short, I'd push through. But I'm not going to force myself to read another almost 500+ pages of a book I'm not enjoying.
March 6, 2022
The Carnival of Ash is a book I fear will confuse readers due to mislabelling. The blurb pegs it as a 'lyrical fantasy'; however, there are no real 'fantasy' elements in the piece. In fact, it would be far better described as an alternate-history tale. Readers approaching this piece expecting a standard fantasy story will likely be disappointed. But if you pick it up with the correct expectations, there is still plenty to enjoy here.
I confess the book bewildered me a little at first, as we jumped from character to character and I wasn't sure where things were heading. However, as the story progressed, all the threads began to weave together and I was able to settle back and enjoy the action. The characters were all well drawn and memorable, and I liked the interesting take on history the book presented, not least because a city focused on books and words is sure to appeal to an avid reader. The prose was perhaps a tad verbose at times, but I got the impression that was intentional, to reflect the setting and characters. Overall, I would say it was an enjoyable read and a book I am glad I had the opportunity to experience, since it was such an original tale, but I don't see it being a story I will want to go back to again and again. As such, I am giving it 3.5 stars, which I will round up to a four rather than down to a three.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I confess the book bewildered me a little at first, as we jumped from character to character and I wasn't sure where things were heading. However, as the story progressed, all the threads began to weave together and I was able to settle back and enjoy the action. The characters were all well drawn and memorable, and I liked the interesting take on history the book presented, not least because a city focused on books and words is sure to appeal to an avid reader. The prose was perhaps a tad verbose at times, but I got the impression that was intentional, to reflect the setting and characters. Overall, I would say it was an enjoyable read and a book I am glad I had the opportunity to experience, since it was such an original tale, but I don't see it being a story I will want to go back to again and again. As such, I am giving it 3.5 stars, which I will round up to a four rather than down to a three.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 17, 2023
City of Ink
Imagine a city-state of the Italian Renaissance dedicated to poetry and to the power of books, a city which rivals Venice and Florence in power and influence and hates these cities too. This city is Cadenza, filled with libraries and printing works, statues of poets, fountains flowing with ink. But this is a city in turmoil, its poet leader, the Artifex lately dead, replaced by a well-meaning but ineffectual bureaucrat. Internal conflicts and external threats combine with bloody revolution, plague, torture, depravity and self- destructive instinct to climax in the ruination of this magical city of words.
The author has constructed his story in twelve cantos, each a separate story focussing on individual characters, all gradually revealing the corruption and cruelty inherent in the city-state, its leading citizens and its downfall. I really enjoyed this structure as it gave a multi-faceted view into events rushing to a murderous conclusion. I loved too the allusive nature of the book with each canto a reminder of an aspect of Italian literature, society, even cinema. If Cadenza never existed, then it should have done. The author’s vision is wholly engrossing, a world from which the reader may not wish to emerge.
This is highly recommended, an imaginative, original, witty tour-de-force.
Imagine a city-state of the Italian Renaissance dedicated to poetry and to the power of books, a city which rivals Venice and Florence in power and influence and hates these cities too. This city is Cadenza, filled with libraries and printing works, statues of poets, fountains flowing with ink. But this is a city in turmoil, its poet leader, the Artifex lately dead, replaced by a well-meaning but ineffectual bureaucrat. Internal conflicts and external threats combine with bloody revolution, plague, torture, depravity and self- destructive instinct to climax in the ruination of this magical city of words.
The author has constructed his story in twelve cantos, each a separate story focussing on individual characters, all gradually revealing the corruption and cruelty inherent in the city-state, its leading citizens and its downfall. I really enjoyed this structure as it gave a multi-faceted view into events rushing to a murderous conclusion. I loved too the allusive nature of the book with each canto a reminder of an aspect of Italian literature, society, even cinema. If Cadenza never existed, then it should have done. The author’s vision is wholly engrossing, a world from which the reader may not wish to emerge.
This is highly recommended, an imaginative, original, witty tour-de-force.
March 24, 2025
I thought the book was off to a great start! The first chapter really seized me. However, the more I progressed and the more it felt like I was just thrown information left and right, which made it hard to follow.
The premise looks great, as readers, why would we not like the idea built for poets ? But some themes were hard to grasp. It often felt like the characters were in their own little world. Even as readers, I was not sure what the challenges were. We are often standing in the past, then in the present, and context is giving in both times. There's a lot of information to retain to optimize this reading - thus I would not qualify it as 'light reading', but it is entertaining.
The ambiance is oozing of drama and dark secrets. It reminded me a bit of 'If We Were Villains''.
Sometimes I would read paragraphs without understand much of it, and then I would have to read it again and deconstruct very long sentences to make sense of them. It feels like a long poem. Somehow, that's also the strength of the book: the richness of the vocabulary. To me, that changes the whole experience.
I feel like either people are going to love the conspiracy tone, either they are going to hate it.
The cover is gorgeous.
The premise looks great, as readers, why would we not like the idea built for poets ? But some themes were hard to grasp. It often felt like the characters were in their own little world. Even as readers, I was not sure what the challenges were. We are often standing in the past, then in the present, and context is giving in both times. There's a lot of information to retain to optimize this reading - thus I would not qualify it as 'light reading', but it is entertaining.
The ambiance is oozing of drama and dark secrets. It reminded me a bit of 'If We Were Villains''.
Sometimes I would read paragraphs without understand much of it, and then I would have to read it again and deconstruct very long sentences to make sense of them. It feels like a long poem. Somehow, that's also the strength of the book: the richness of the vocabulary. To me, that changes the whole experience.
I feel like either people are going to love the conspiracy tone, either they are going to hate it.
The cover is gorgeous.
March 17, 2022
"As a rule, the abbot said as little as possible. He treated every word as though they were a personal gift from God himself, only parting with them with extreme reluctance."
----------------------
I was really on the struggle bus with this one. The concept is so intriguing, a city in Italy that rivals Venice's art scene but with words. Poetry is everything. The politics, the religion, the day in and day out interactions are all about elevating, adoring and creating poetry. The idea and the writing are immensely beautiful. The plot and the arrangement just were very confusing to follow. There are so many characters and our POV changes so many times that by the time we settle with a character, the story has moved on and we don't get back to them fast enough for me to have remembered the details of their story.
I'm hoping I can revisit this one another time and perhaps it will all click for me. It's the first book I've read in a while that I wasn't sure if it was me or the writing that was the issue.
Thanks to Netgalley for access to an advanced copy. All opinions above are my own.
----------------------
I was really on the struggle bus with this one. The concept is so intriguing, a city in Italy that rivals Venice's art scene but with words. Poetry is everything. The politics, the religion, the day in and day out interactions are all about elevating, adoring and creating poetry. The idea and the writing are immensely beautiful. The plot and the arrangement just were very confusing to follow. There are so many characters and our POV changes so many times that by the time we settle with a character, the story has moved on and we don't get back to them fast enough for me to have remembered the details of their story.
I'm hoping I can revisit this one another time and perhaps it will all click for me. It's the first book I've read in a while that I wasn't sure if it was me or the writing that was the issue.
Thanks to Netgalley for access to an advanced copy. All opinions above are my own.
May 6, 2022
4.5 STARS
I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser for having me on this tour. And thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Trigger warnings: violence, death, murder, betrayal, treachery, gore/body horror, blood, suicide/suicidal thoughts, torture, sexual violence and abuse/rape, ableism, sexism, medical content, misogyny, drunkness. (Please let me know in th comments if I have missed any).
The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge is described on Goodreads and other sites as fantasy, but from reading it and from the other reviews on this tour, I think it’s fair to say this is definitely more of a lyrical historical fiction with some fantasy and theatrical elements, which is perfectly fine by me, but maybe confused some people as they were expecting full-on fantasy, as was I.
I think the main thing I have to say about this book before I can describe it in more detail and give you my thoughts is that it is HELLA violent, gory, descriptive and definitely, 100% NOT for the faint of heart. If you are even slightly squeamish about any of the trigger warnings I have mentioned above, I would not read this book if I were you. The violence, gore, etc, go hand in hand with the style and prose of the book, I don’t think any of it is gratuitous, at least not in my opinion. I am not bothered by any of these elements in the least because I can put it into perspective with the kind of book it is. It is just something to keep in mind. It is set in Cadenza, a kind of imaginary city in which so many awful things happen, in a type of Renaissance setting. If any of you are into history, you’ll know that this period was quite gory, violent and there was a lot of blood-lust and sexual violence, to only name a few. This book really fits into this time frame, genre and style, so just be aware of these things before jumping into the book as I know a few bloggers on the tour had quite the surprise. It is a dark book, it is violent, it is gory, it is quite long and it is sometimes a bit confusing, but overall, it is a unique and lyrical tale that I think works thoroughly well.
This is also a very vivid and vividly described setting/city. I could literally feel the place jumping off the page at me, it felt so real, so palpable. The author, Tom Beckerlegge has an AMAZING way with words, and so many sentences were just breathtaking. The author has created such a fascinating and fantastical “fake” city in Italy, it feels so real though. At first, I have to admit that I found the Cantos a little confusing as I was expecting the characters to come back and maybe meet, and they don’t really, although it does do a sort of loop toward the end where all the strings are finally woven together to give a grand view of Cadenza, the characters and the whole plot. Once I got over the desire to see all the characters again, I got swept up in the lyrical and magical feel of this book and I was so immersed in every Canto, every character, their feelings, their thoughts and what happens to them. I felt like a really long series put into one big book, although I never found it clunky, heavy or drawn-out, which I think shows just how wonderful and clever this world is. I never found it info-dumpy, it’s just not. It is extremely well-written and just flows so well.
And now, to talk about the atmosphere, a.k.a, my favourite part of a book. WOW, this story has Atmosphere with a capital a. This is a very sinister book and I could really feel how as the book went along and the different stories unfurled, it was getting progressively darker. I mean, the things that happen in this book as just crazy and the author did such a good job on the atmosphere but also on the writing which is just beautiful while the plot is despicable and atrocious. I don’t think I’m selling this book very well, but I think the people who dig these vibes will definitely know what I’m talking about and want to jump on the chance to read this book, it is 100% worth it.
The writing style is really what took my breath away, and also one of the reasons I can’t get all my thoughts in order. It was just stunning and I definitely had to take my time with it because it deserved to be read slowly and digested. I don’t personally think it is a book you can binge read unless it’s a reread. The first time around when you have no idea what is happening, the characters involved and the plot unfolding, it’s just too complex and insane to wrap your head around it. I do really look forward to picking this up for a second time. Maybe in winter as I think the darkness and sinister aspect of the story would really make a perfect dark winter night read in front of a fire. I want to go back to this city, I want to feel Cadenza envelop me in its ominous setting, its vile characters and its unforgettable descent into mayhem and destruction.
I gave this book 4.5 stars and I found it to be just a fantastic read that had me immersed and fascinated throughout. It’s all woven together seamlessly and even if you really don’t “get it”, just let yourself go along with it and enjoy it for what it is. A mix of tales and characters all living and going about their daily lives in Cadenza, to the backdrop of dramatics, commedia dell’arte, debauchery, the Renaissance and most importantly, poets trying to find their way, their voice and their art in a city built on words. It sounds far-fetched and crazy, and I have to admit that it is, but it is also wonderful.
If you are a fan of the commedia dell’arte feel with all the elements I have mentioned above, a sweeping tale of multiple stories and characters, a beautiful city which is described in the most lyrical and magical way, and above all a beautifully written and sinister plot, this is the book for you. I 100% recommend it, just make sure to check out the trigger warnings first as it is dark and daunting from the very first page.
I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser for having me on this tour. And thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Trigger warnings: violence, death, murder, betrayal, treachery, gore/body horror, blood, suicide/suicidal thoughts, torture, sexual violence and abuse/rape, ableism, sexism, medical content, misogyny, drunkness. (Please let me know in th comments if I have missed any).
The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge is described on Goodreads and other sites as fantasy, but from reading it and from the other reviews on this tour, I think it’s fair to say this is definitely more of a lyrical historical fiction with some fantasy and theatrical elements, which is perfectly fine by me, but maybe confused some people as they were expecting full-on fantasy, as was I.
I think the main thing I have to say about this book before I can describe it in more detail and give you my thoughts is that it is HELLA violent, gory, descriptive and definitely, 100% NOT for the faint of heart. If you are even slightly squeamish about any of the trigger warnings I have mentioned above, I would not read this book if I were you. The violence, gore, etc, go hand in hand with the style and prose of the book, I don’t think any of it is gratuitous, at least not in my opinion. I am not bothered by any of these elements in the least because I can put it into perspective with the kind of book it is. It is just something to keep in mind. It is set in Cadenza, a kind of imaginary city in which so many awful things happen, in a type of Renaissance setting. If any of you are into history, you’ll know that this period was quite gory, violent and there was a lot of blood-lust and sexual violence, to only name a few. This book really fits into this time frame, genre and style, so just be aware of these things before jumping into the book as I know a few bloggers on the tour had quite the surprise. It is a dark book, it is violent, it is gory, it is quite long and it is sometimes a bit confusing, but overall, it is a unique and lyrical tale that I think works thoroughly well.
This is also a very vivid and vividly described setting/city. I could literally feel the place jumping off the page at me, it felt so real, so palpable. The author, Tom Beckerlegge has an AMAZING way with words, and so many sentences were just breathtaking. The author has created such a fascinating and fantastical “fake” city in Italy, it feels so real though. At first, I have to admit that I found the Cantos a little confusing as I was expecting the characters to come back and maybe meet, and they don’t really, although it does do a sort of loop toward the end where all the strings are finally woven together to give a grand view of Cadenza, the characters and the whole plot. Once I got over the desire to see all the characters again, I got swept up in the lyrical and magical feel of this book and I was so immersed in every Canto, every character, their feelings, their thoughts and what happens to them. I felt like a really long series put into one big book, although I never found it clunky, heavy or drawn-out, which I think shows just how wonderful and clever this world is. I never found it info-dumpy, it’s just not. It is extremely well-written and just flows so well.
And now, to talk about the atmosphere, a.k.a, my favourite part of a book. WOW, this story has Atmosphere with a capital a. This is a very sinister book and I could really feel how as the book went along and the different stories unfurled, it was getting progressively darker. I mean, the things that happen in this book as just crazy and the author did such a good job on the atmosphere but also on the writing which is just beautiful while the plot is despicable and atrocious. I don’t think I’m selling this book very well, but I think the people who dig these vibes will definitely know what I’m talking about and want to jump on the chance to read this book, it is 100% worth it.
The writing style is really what took my breath away, and also one of the reasons I can’t get all my thoughts in order. It was just stunning and I definitely had to take my time with it because it deserved to be read slowly and digested. I don’t personally think it is a book you can binge read unless it’s a reread. The first time around when you have no idea what is happening, the characters involved and the plot unfolding, it’s just too complex and insane to wrap your head around it. I do really look forward to picking this up for a second time. Maybe in winter as I think the darkness and sinister aspect of the story would really make a perfect dark winter night read in front of a fire. I want to go back to this city, I want to feel Cadenza envelop me in its ominous setting, its vile characters and its unforgettable descent into mayhem and destruction.
I gave this book 4.5 stars and I found it to be just a fantastic read that had me immersed and fascinated throughout. It’s all woven together seamlessly and even if you really don’t “get it”, just let yourself go along with it and enjoy it for what it is. A mix of tales and characters all living and going about their daily lives in Cadenza, to the backdrop of dramatics, commedia dell’arte, debauchery, the Renaissance and most importantly, poets trying to find their way, their voice and their art in a city built on words. It sounds far-fetched and crazy, and I have to admit that it is, but it is also wonderful.
If you are a fan of the commedia dell’arte feel with all the elements I have mentioned above, a sweeping tale of multiple stories and characters, a beautiful city which is described in the most lyrical and magical way, and above all a beautifully written and sinister plot, this is the book for you. I 100% recommend it, just make sure to check out the trigger warnings first as it is dark and daunting from the very first page.
May 8, 2022
The Carnival of Ash was an instant request for me, because the premise sounded absolutely amazing, and as a reader and writer the idea of a City of Words was everything I wanted. I am a little conflicted on how it was marketed – it was listed as historical fiction and sci-fi & fantasy, and the latter I think gives a false impression of what the book is, and I know a lot of people – myself included – were expecting it to be more fantastical in nature. Although I will admit that I was expecting fairly low fantasy based on the blurb, it still felt as though it fell short of that. Instead, it is more fantasy adjacent with being an alternative history, and while there were a few other elements here or there that hinted at fantasy, it was very much more like literary historical fiction, which dealt very heavily with politics. That is something I do enjoy when done right, so while I had expected a bit more in the way of fantasy, it wasn’t something I could hold against this book.
However, The Carnival of Ash is a book that has left me with incredibly mixed feelings. Firstly though I have to say that I absolutely loved the writing in this one, as soon as I started reading I knew that this was going to be one of my favourite aspects of the book and it was. It is very literary and verbose, and in some places perhaps a little too much, so if you are looking for lighter prose then maybe this one won’t be for you, but I loved it, and it felt very fitting for a city of words and poetry and was a lovely extra touch to the worldbuilding. I also liked how this book was split into sections or ‘cantos’, as it gave us different POVs into the city and the events unfolding, and it was an interesting way of casting different views and experiences on the worldbuilding, and it also meant that there were helpful pauses as you switched cantos – because this is a fairly dense book, with lots of threads, and this broke it up nicely.
The other aspect I really loved was the worldbuilding, and there were some great descriptions establishing the city setting – to the point where Cadenza really did feel like the main protagonist in and of itself. With the focus on society and politics, this was where the worldbuilding leaned, and it was fairly intricate – and it must be said that there is a lot to keep track of in this book. It is one reason why the slower pacing particularly earlier in the book works so well, as it takes the time to establish it, although it can feel a little heavy going – but it does very much pick up towards the end.
While, there is certainly a lot to love – especially if you weren’t caught expecting something different from this book being labelled fantasy, there were some things that didn’t work for me. Firstly, this book could do with trigger warnings, as it does get dark and deals with a lot of issues that some people would not want to read about – violence (including sexual), murder and torture, and some of it are quite graphic. Some scenes had me pausing and putting it down for a break. For the most part, I did not mind the darker aspects, and they felt real to the setting and the unfolding chaos. However, the part which I will admit I did struggle with was the representation of women in this book, and while I know and accept that the society is very patriarchal and I understand that historically it would have been part of the setting and situation, but as an alternative history, it feels like it could have been handled differently. Instead, there were a lot of the parts that involved female characters that left me uncomfortable, and it just feels that a different approach could have strengthened the book considerably.
I also found myself not heavily invested in the characters. I don’t mind the multiple POVs or the fact that most of the characters are largely unlikeable, but I just felt like I didn’t get that connection that I wanted. I did like that they were the product of the society, and how their roles in this literature-dominated society shaped them – but I found myself more interested in the stories they were part of, such as the idea of plagiarism being worse than murder than the characters themselves. I think part of it goes back to where I said that Cadenza does feel like a character to the point it overshadowed those living within it.
I have to admit that I’ve gone back and forth multiple times on my rating for this one because there are aspects that I absolutely adore – the prose alone kept me reading, although I realise that will be a personal taste – as there were places where it was a little much. And the worldbuilding was fantastic, and I would happily have just meandered around Cadenza, and it would have been great to have more cantos exploring different viewpoints of the city. But, on the other hand, there were some problems. Still, for the most part, I did enjoy The Carnival of Ash, and I think that if you go in with the right expectations (and forwarned of the darker nature), then this could be an interesting read for anyone who loves books about books/writing/literature and alternative history, and who wants to be swept away by some truly beautiful prose.
However, The Carnival of Ash is a book that has left me with incredibly mixed feelings. Firstly though I have to say that I absolutely loved the writing in this one, as soon as I started reading I knew that this was going to be one of my favourite aspects of the book and it was. It is very literary and verbose, and in some places perhaps a little too much, so if you are looking for lighter prose then maybe this one won’t be for you, but I loved it, and it felt very fitting for a city of words and poetry and was a lovely extra touch to the worldbuilding. I also liked how this book was split into sections or ‘cantos’, as it gave us different POVs into the city and the events unfolding, and it was an interesting way of casting different views and experiences on the worldbuilding, and it also meant that there were helpful pauses as you switched cantos – because this is a fairly dense book, with lots of threads, and this broke it up nicely.
The other aspect I really loved was the worldbuilding, and there were some great descriptions establishing the city setting – to the point where Cadenza really did feel like the main protagonist in and of itself. With the focus on society and politics, this was where the worldbuilding leaned, and it was fairly intricate – and it must be said that there is a lot to keep track of in this book. It is one reason why the slower pacing particularly earlier in the book works so well, as it takes the time to establish it, although it can feel a little heavy going – but it does very much pick up towards the end.
While, there is certainly a lot to love – especially if you weren’t caught expecting something different from this book being labelled fantasy, there were some things that didn’t work for me. Firstly, this book could do with trigger warnings, as it does get dark and deals with a lot of issues that some people would not want to read about – violence (including sexual), murder and torture, and some of it are quite graphic. Some scenes had me pausing and putting it down for a break. For the most part, I did not mind the darker aspects, and they felt real to the setting and the unfolding chaos. However, the part which I will admit I did struggle with was the representation of women in this book, and while I know and accept that the society is very patriarchal and I understand that historically it would have been part of the setting and situation, but as an alternative history, it feels like it could have been handled differently. Instead, there were a lot of the parts that involved female characters that left me uncomfortable, and it just feels that a different approach could have strengthened the book considerably.
I also found myself not heavily invested in the characters. I don’t mind the multiple POVs or the fact that most of the characters are largely unlikeable, but I just felt like I didn’t get that connection that I wanted. I did like that they were the product of the society, and how their roles in this literature-dominated society shaped them – but I found myself more interested in the stories they were part of, such as the idea of plagiarism being worse than murder than the characters themselves. I think part of it goes back to where I said that Cadenza does feel like a character to the point it overshadowed those living within it.
I have to admit that I’ve gone back and forth multiple times on my rating for this one because there are aspects that I absolutely adore – the prose alone kept me reading, although I realise that will be a personal taste – as there were places where it was a little much. And the worldbuilding was fantastic, and I would happily have just meandered around Cadenza, and it would have been great to have more cantos exploring different viewpoints of the city. But, on the other hand, there were some problems. Still, for the most part, I did enjoy The Carnival of Ash, and I think that if you go in with the right expectations (and forwarned of the darker nature), then this could be an interesting read for anyone who loves books about books/writing/literature and alternative history, and who wants to be swept away by some truly beautiful prose.
December 13, 2021
It took a conscious effort of will to finish this book, which was disappointing because the premise was excellent.
The story is not at all a fantasy, more a socio-political history of a medieval city and its rivalries with neighbouring cities, so the fact that they have based their economy on poetry and libraries is very much beside the point. Beckerlegge is excellent at world-building, and there is no shortage of period detail, but his prose is needlessly dense, to the point where it disrupts the flow of action. I quite like an intricate sentence structure, and cannot, as such, fault the author's construction, but not every sentence needs to be a paragraph long, with every second word an archaic term. However, it could be argued that this is completely in keeping with the egotistical verbiage of its characters.
The prose might still have been bearable but his characters lost me completely. Firstly, there were too many different points of view, almost a new one with every new chapter, with seemingly little connection, until we got to the end of the book (if the reader lasted that long). Finally, it all meshed together - or, indeed, fell apart, because, as we can see from the title, the grandiose aspirations of the citizens come tumbling down in a final frenzy of destruction. The second chapter in particular nearly finished me: the author's description and characterisation of Hypatia, the ink maid, was highly distasteful at best, and borderline accepting of sexual abuse at worst.
But, in the interests of giving the author a fair shake, I soldiered on, and eventually the plot became clear. Sadly, it was hardly worth the effort: Cadenza became a city diverted from its lofty intellectual origins, spiralling into a bacchanal of debauchery, corruption and depravity, to its eventual destruction, and very few of the characters inspired much pity or regret (except possibly the feckless genius Ercole).
What might originally have been a dream city of glorious words and erudite research was, at the reader's (and Carlo's) entrance, a nightmare of macho egotistical rivalry, decadence and brinkmanship, and so far from the expected paean to literature and the redemptive power of words that this reader was not at all upset with the conflagration at the end.
My thanks, nevertheless, to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
The story is not at all a fantasy, more a socio-political history of a medieval city and its rivalries with neighbouring cities, so the fact that they have based their economy on poetry and libraries is very much beside the point. Beckerlegge is excellent at world-building, and there is no shortage of period detail, but his prose is needlessly dense, to the point where it disrupts the flow of action. I quite like an intricate sentence structure, and cannot, as such, fault the author's construction, but not every sentence needs to be a paragraph long, with every second word an archaic term. However, it could be argued that this is completely in keeping with the egotistical verbiage of its characters.
The prose might still have been bearable but his characters lost me completely. Firstly, there were too many different points of view, almost a new one with every new chapter, with seemingly little connection, until we got to the end of the book (if the reader lasted that long). Finally, it all meshed together - or, indeed, fell apart, because, as we can see from the title, the grandiose aspirations of the citizens come tumbling down in a final frenzy of destruction. The second chapter in particular nearly finished me: the author's description and characterisation of Hypatia, the ink maid, was highly distasteful at best, and borderline accepting of sexual abuse at worst.
But, in the interests of giving the author a fair shake, I soldiered on, and eventually the plot became clear. Sadly, it was hardly worth the effort: Cadenza became a city diverted from its lofty intellectual origins, spiralling into a bacchanal of debauchery, corruption and depravity, to its eventual destruction, and very few of the characters inspired much pity or regret (except possibly the feckless genius Ercole).
What might originally have been a dream city of glorious words and erudite research was, at the reader's (and Carlo's) entrance, a nightmare of macho egotistical rivalry, decadence and brinkmanship, and so far from the expected paean to literature and the redemptive power of words that this reader was not at all upset with the conflagration at the end.
My thanks, nevertheless, to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
June 3, 2022
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. The title is totally misleading suggesting to me some fantastical or creative celebration. Marked as "Fantasy" and "Books about Books" it does not really fulfill the criteria for either of those genres. For me it felt to have both a feeling of horror and a twisted erotica. Horror I don't really mind and, although this was at times very dark, it did not make me want to stop reading. The erotica carried through the storyline of ink maids was a different thing.
This is quite a lengthy book which, in my opinion, introduces many facets that could grasp the reader's imagination but fails to carry any of them through to completion. It has a disconnection to it and reminds me of someone trying to get every idea they ever thought of into a book that has little relation to the majority of those thoughts. I found it hard to really like any of the characters.
The ending suggests to me that something might spring from the ashes of this carnival into a second book, I would not be tempted to read it
This is quite a lengthy book which, in my opinion, introduces many facets that could grasp the reader's imagination but fails to carry any of them through to completion. It has a disconnection to it and reminds me of someone trying to get every idea they ever thought of into a book that has little relation to the majority of those thoughts. I found it hard to really like any of the characters.
The ending suggests to me that something might spring from the ashes of this carnival into a second book, I would not be tempted to read it
April 18, 2022
I was offered this book as an ARC via NetGalley. I normally do not like to review a book that I have not finished but despite getting through over a third of the novel I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.
I was really intrigued at the premise of this book, based in a city that was run by poets and celebrated literary endeavour. What the premise does not say is that this is more akin to pre-Victorian society where the city celebrates male poets. What do women who have literary ambitions do? As far as I could make out (up to the point I gave up) was for women to act as a written equivalent of a sex chat line. I couldn't see any attempt for these to be literary, in fact most were closer to BDSM wish fulfillment. Perhaps the author was going to have a complete change of culture in the next two thirds of the book but personally I did not want to read more to find out.
It does always amaze me when it is possible to imagine a world where alternative skills are celebrated however the gender roles seem to hark back to those taken for granted a century ago. Not one for me.
I was really intrigued at the premise of this book, based in a city that was run by poets and celebrated literary endeavour. What the premise does not say is that this is more akin to pre-Victorian society where the city celebrates male poets. What do women who have literary ambitions do? As far as I could make out (up to the point I gave up) was for women to act as a written equivalent of a sex chat line. I couldn't see any attempt for these to be literary, in fact most were closer to BDSM wish fulfillment. Perhaps the author was going to have a complete change of culture in the next two thirds of the book but personally I did not want to read more to find out.
It does always amaze me when it is possible to imagine a world where alternative skills are celebrated however the gender roles seem to hark back to those taken for granted a century ago. Not one for me.
March 16, 2022
The Carnival of Ash is an enthralling read. A lyrical fantasy about a city of poets and librarians. Cadenza is a city that lives and breathes for the written word. The story begins with Carlo Mazzoni, a young wordsmith arriving at the gates of the city of Cadenza, intent on making his name. However, as the bells ring out with the news of the death of the city's poet-leader. Carlo finds himself embroiled with the intrigues of a city in turmoil. With the looming prospect of war with their rival Venice ever-present. A war that threatens not only to destroy Cadenza but remove it from history altogether...
Carnival of Ash is made up of twelve different but interconnected stories or cantos. These stories all revolve around words, books, libraries, ink and parchment. Poets, librarians, writers, dukes and leaders, and all find their home in this city. For me, this added to my overall enjoyment of the book, reading about all the different characters. All the characters appear and then reappear throughout the twelve cantos. As these stories are told through the eyes of others, it gives you a different character perspective each time. Some stories were more appealing than others but I enjoyed how everything was woven together at the end.
Carnival is at times a witty novel with lots of situational comedy, more of wry humour than laugh out loud funny. The characters are well developed both rich and diverse, each having a unique voice. The world is both rich and familiar and one I enjoyed spending time in.
This is a wonderful story: dark, poetic and lyrical. My thanks to Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing an e-arc for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Carnival of Ash is made up of twelve different but interconnected stories or cantos. These stories all revolve around words, books, libraries, ink and parchment. Poets, librarians, writers, dukes and leaders, and all find their home in this city. For me, this added to my overall enjoyment of the book, reading about all the different characters. All the characters appear and then reappear throughout the twelve cantos. As these stories are told through the eyes of others, it gives you a different character perspective each time. Some stories were more appealing than others but I enjoyed how everything was woven together at the end.
Carnival is at times a witty novel with lots of situational comedy, more of wry humour than laugh out loud funny. The characters are well developed both rich and diverse, each having a unique voice. The world is both rich and familiar and one I enjoyed spending time in.
This is a wonderful story: dark, poetic and lyrical. My thanks to Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing an e-arc for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
April 18, 2022
Something in this book made me think about Italian romantic story of the XIX century. Poets, words, a city that could be in Italy.
I liked the style of writing and liked the characters, the different stanzas were an interesting literary artifice but I was sometimes confused by the variety of characters.
All in all I liked this book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I liked the style of writing and liked the characters, the different stanzas were an interesting literary artifice but I was sometimes confused by the variety of characters.
All in all I liked this book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
April 29, 2022
~Thanks to NetGalley for my eARC~
3 stars
It wasn’t exactly a bad book. I think it was just one of those in which the author thinks it’s a great idea and puts a lot of work in it, but the end result is just… pretentious. This book was so self-absorbed that I felt like reading it was work and not entertainment. There were good parts in it, too. When the author set it free and was just having fun creating all those characters and what happened to them. But for most of the time I was just wondering why is it even in there and whether it is going to have any impact in the great scheme of things.
3 stars
It wasn’t exactly a bad book. I think it was just one of those in which the author thinks it’s a great idea and puts a lot of work in it, but the end result is just… pretentious. This book was so self-absorbed that I felt like reading it was work and not entertainment. There were good parts in it, too. When the author set it free and was just having fun creating all those characters and what happened to them. But for most of the time I was just wondering why is it even in there and whether it is going to have any impact in the great scheme of things.
May 9, 2022
Dark, immersive, and delectable -surely recommended for those who love historical fiction and atypical social structures.
Read more from The Page Walker.
Read more from The Page Walker.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews