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Cinders & Ashes #6
Cinders & Ashes Book Six
Accept your fate…
The dread Death Mage Marikoth Ravenspar rules the Empire of the Eclipse Throne. Now, he intends to conquer all the lands that made up the Empire’s former glory, including the Kingdom of Rirea. Only Finn and Rohan truly stand in his way of conquest and destruction. But to defeat Marikoth and heal the land, both lovers must accept their fates.
For Finn, that means he must embrace being Death’s Chosen and lead the Dreadbrood, the terrifying army of the dead, against Marikoth. But will he lose himself and his beloved Rohan if he accepts the truth about himself?
For Rohan, that means he must take on the mantle of leadership for the entire Empire and not just his beloved Kingdom of Rirea. But the rulers of these lands have no desire to cede control to him. Can he convince them that he should rule them all?
NOTE: THIS NOVEL SERIES HAS CLIFFHANGERS! EVERY BOOK WILL END ON ONE. THAT'S MY NATURAL WRITING STYLE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE CLIFFHANGERS, WAIT UNTIL THE WHOLE SERIES IS PUBLISHED TO READ. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!
The dread Death Mage Marikoth Ravenspar rules the Empire of the Eclipse Throne. Now, he intends to conquer all the lands that made up the Empire’s former glory, including the Kingdom of Rirea. Only Finn and Rohan truly stand in his way of conquest and destruction. But to defeat Marikoth and heal the land, both lovers must accept their fates.
For Finn, that means he must embrace being Death’s Chosen and lead the Dreadbrood, the terrifying army of the dead, against Marikoth. But will he lose himself and his beloved Rohan if he accepts the truth about himself?
For Rohan, that means he must take on the mantle of leadership for the entire Empire and not just his beloved Kingdom of Rirea. But the rulers of these lands have no desire to cede control to him. Can he convince them that he should rule them all?
NOTE: THIS NOVEL SERIES HAS CLIFFHANGERS! EVERY BOOK WILL END ON ONE. THAT'S MY NATURAL WRITING STYLE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE CLIFFHANGERS, WAIT UNTIL THE WHOLE SERIES IS PUBLISHED TO READ. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!
435 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2022
57 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
X. Aratare
90 books712 followersX. Aratare is the pseudonym for Raythe Reign's Gay(M/M) books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 10, 2024
Audio: 5 stars
Book: 4-4.5 star
What an ending and the long epilogue was just what we needed to finish out this 6 books series!
I was glad to go on this journey! And could see this could be a good reread when I can spare the time haha!
I love all the secondary characters, they help make this sorry that much better!
Book: 4-4.5 star
What an ending and the long epilogue was just what we needed to finish out this 6 books series!
I was glad to go on this journey! And could see this could be a good reread when I can spare the time haha!
I love all the secondary characters, they help make this sorry that much better!
January 18, 2024
An exciting conclusion!
This series felt a lot like one very long book, with each part ending on a cliffhanger that led directly into the next. It made them a bit hard to review individually, but with the ending this is definitely a 5 star series in my opinion.
This was as much a high fantasy as it was a romance, and both parts of it were compelling. There was magic, action, war, politics, ancient prophecy, dragons, etc. The worldbuilding and plot were so much more involved than I was expecting from a Cinderella retelling, and that was definitely to the story's benefit. It was very loosely inspired by Cinderella.
Finn and Rohan had to go through SO MUCH to get their happy ever after, but it was as satisfying as I hoped it would be. I even teared up a bit at the end!
This series felt a lot like one very long book, with each part ending on a cliffhanger that led directly into the next. It made them a bit hard to review individually, but with the ending this is definitely a 5 star series in my opinion.
This was as much a high fantasy as it was a romance, and both parts of it were compelling. There was magic, action, war, politics, ancient prophecy, dragons, etc. The worldbuilding and plot were so much more involved than I was expecting from a Cinderella retelling, and that was definitely to the story's benefit. It was very loosely inspired by Cinderella.
Finn and Rohan had to go through SO MUCH to get their happy ever after, but it was as satisfying as I hoped it would be. I even teared up a bit at the end!
May 26, 2023
הספר האחרון בסדרה היה בהחלט קריאה מהנה מבחינתי!
סוף סוף על הקצוות בעלילה נסגרים וכצפוי, כולם חיים באושר ועושר.
כמובן שסדרה של 6 בפרים עלולה להוות אתגר עבור חלק מהקוראות וכם אני מודה שאולי היה לי נוח יותר עם משהו קצר יותר ובכל זאת נהניתי מאד ואני סבורה שהסופרת הצליחה ליצור פנטזיה מקסימה, עם שלל דמויות שובות לב.
ממליצה על הסדרה בחום!
סוף סוף על הקצוות בעלילה נסגרים וכצפוי, כולם חיים באושר ועושר.
כמובן שסדרה של 6 בפרים עלולה להוות אתגר עבור חלק מהקוראות וכם אני מודה שאולי היה לי נוח יותר עם משהו קצר יותר ובכל זאת נהניתי מאד ואני סבורה שהסופרת הצליחה ליצור פנטזיה מקסימה, עם שלל דמויות שובות לב.
ממליצה על הסדרה בחום!
June 30, 2023
Another great one!
Beautiful story. My only complaint really is that they were doing a lot of talking during times when they should have been acting, like after Christopher announce a certain door had been opened and that someone had went through said door. They stood around talking about things that could wait, knowing the potential danger and unknowns of that door being opened. Then when they finally arrived at the location, they again stood around talking even after being reminded that someone had entered and discovering that in fact more than one had entered and it was someone they supposedly cared deeply for.
There were a couple more times this happened, but this was the freshest since it was nearer to the end. Another was outside of Rohan’s rooms when they found Thomas.
Speaking of that (without giving any spoilers) I wonder why it is that no one did as Marikoth had with the Luminus. They were told by Tearlach in a previous book that the previous conversations could be viewed like a recording and Marikoth had admitted to doing such a thing, but neither Rohan or Finn attempted to do so. Ryleth didn’t seem to have told them that before her capture she had witnessed someone using the Luminus in Amayra(sp) to view into Rohan’s rooms. And even after Thalanil’s father had told him he’d been speaking to Marikoth throughout his exile, he didn’t think to see what was being discussed to learn more about what his father was trying to tell him. If either of them had thought to do so, they could have known how Marikoth was doing things in Rirea Castle.
Anyway, it was a good read despite my frustrations at the above mentioned things. I’m still upset that it was never revealed what Marikoth did to betray Tearlach in the end. So if you wanted to know as well… you will never know. ☹️
See my notes, highlights and commentary on Goodreads. Happy reading!
Beautiful story. My only complaint really is that they were doing a lot of talking during times when they should have been acting, like after Christopher announce a certain door had been opened and that someone had went through said door. They stood around talking about things that could wait, knowing the potential danger and unknowns of that door being opened. Then when they finally arrived at the location, they again stood around talking even after being reminded that someone had entered and discovering that in fact more than one had entered and it was someone they supposedly cared deeply for.
There were a couple more times this happened, but this was the freshest since it was nearer to the end. Another was outside of Rohan’s rooms when they found Thomas.
Speaking of that (without giving any spoilers) I wonder why it is that no one did as Marikoth had with the Luminus. They were told by Tearlach in a previous book that the previous conversations could be viewed like a recording and Marikoth had admitted to doing such a thing, but neither Rohan or Finn attempted to do so. Ryleth didn’t seem to have told them that before her capture she had witnessed someone using the Luminus in Amayra(sp) to view into Rohan’s rooms. And even after Thalanil’s father had told him he’d been speaking to Marikoth throughout his exile, he didn’t think to see what was being discussed to learn more about what his father was trying to tell him. If either of them had thought to do so, they could have known how Marikoth was doing things in Rirea Castle.
Anyway, it was a good read despite my frustrations at the above mentioned things. I’m still upset that it was never revealed what Marikoth did to betray Tearlach in the end. So if you wanted to know as well… you will never know. ☹️
See my notes, highlights and commentary on Goodreads. Happy reading!
February 15, 2024
This series started off strong in my opinion. But turned out to be AT LEAST three unnecessary books too long. You would think creatives would be at least a little bit concerned about preserving the integrity of their work but nope, the desire to bleed as much money out of an endeavor as possible overshadows everything, every single time. I was so excited after finishing the first book but as the series progressed, the story got so watered down and drawn out with filler words I stopped even caring about the characters. The constant and repetitive inner musings was incredibly annoying. Having to read multiple paragraphs of a person's inner thoughts and wonderings even while they were in the middle of a conversation with someone who could answer alĺ the questions they were asking themselves? Ridiculous. And the most irritating thing through mainly the last 3 books was reading through pages and pages and pages of chatter whenever there was a big and immediate threat. What should be exciting action-filled scenes were completely killed with every character needing to talk everything to death.....Lets spend 2 pages floating above the glass tree, discussing FOR THE THIRD TIME how Rohan is going to power the stones and put up the wall again instead of actually doing it... I mean the longer the wall stays down the more devastating it is for Rirea but yeah let the conversation go so far as to stray to Christopher (who isn't even here) and what an amazing alchemist he is...... SMH. Still, it couldn't be any other way could it? Gotta put as many words as you can in there to stretch this to as many books as possible!
November 1, 2023
It is a truly amazing masterpiece of storytelling. The final book of this six book retelling of cinderella did not disappoint, but like a good wine, it improved as it went on. The characters, the backdrop, the evolving role of the chosen one, and the Aeturnal king all kept me as the reader captivated. As with all good fairy tales, love stories, and epic works of art, the victory of right over wrong, justice over injustice , good over evil is the end result. And, of course, our hero gets his hero. Oh, to be in that castle at night time when Finn and Rohan get intimate. I have one problem with the book and series, it had to end. But what an ending...thank X Aratare.
October 11, 2022
Beautiful and Inspiring
Well worth the wait for all 6 books!
These books beautifully embrace love, friendship, family and of course magic!
The story line and character building are well thought out, seamlessly blending to create a fantastic novel.
Any lover and believer of fantasy will surely thrive within these pages, and magically manifest it in one’s reality.
Thank you X.Aratare for sharing this with your readers!
Well worth the wait for all 6 books!
These books beautifully embrace love, friendship, family and of course magic!
The story line and character building are well thought out, seamlessly blending to create a fantastic novel.
Any lover and believer of fantasy will surely thrive within these pages, and magically manifest it in one’s reality.
Thank you X.Aratare for sharing this with your readers!
April 17, 2023
Good story, but this one really needed an edit
I found myself skimming and almost DNF, but the bones of a really great story are still here, so I felt compelled to finish it. I really think this whole series should have been cut down to three, maybe four books, with a few less moments of insta-forgiveness.
Christopher is my favorite.
I found myself skimming and almost DNF, but the bones of a really great story are still here, so I felt compelled to finish it. I really think this whole series should have been cut down to three, maybe four books, with a few less moments of insta-forgiveness.
Christopher is my favorite.
November 19, 2024
This was a well-written series but unfortunately not exactly my cup of tea, so it was hard for me to get too excited about it. Even not being a fantasy reader, I recognize the author pulled off some very solid world-building and strongly developed otherwordly characters. It was all impressive enough that I was sufficiently drawn in to finish all six books. The bomb-ass narration helped as well.
The reason I picked up book one in the first place was the "gay Cinderella retelling" tagline. If the plot line had stuck to that, I would've been in hog heaven. But it was a very, very loose retelling and by book two, there were no similarities to Cinderella to be found. I don't understand why the author kept that tagline on the book covers throughout the entire series. It's quite misleading. Anyhoo. If gay romantasy is your thing, I'd give this a go.
The reason I picked up book one in the first place was the "gay Cinderella retelling" tagline. If the plot line had stuck to that, I would've been in hog heaven. But it was a very, very loose retelling and by book two, there were no similarities to Cinderella to be found. I don't understand why the author kept that tagline on the book covers throughout the entire series. It's quite misleading. Anyhoo. If gay romantasy is your thing, I'd give this a go.
February 2, 2024
I finished the final book in this series and loved it. Finn and Rohan finally accept who they are; they are a powerhouse of energy together. Death Mage Marikoth Ravenspar now has the Empire of the Eclipse Throne: a King, but a skeleton of a King as he is dying and will not accept it.
Finn has finally accepted his role as the Death's Chosen, the only one to control the Dreadbrood, and Rohan has accepted he is King of the Empire. You'll find out who Rohan chose to be the King of his beloved Kingdom of Rirea. The fighting action had me biting my nails and heightened my awareness as to what was happening everywhere. In the end, Rohan and Finn find the HEA.
This is not a series to miss out on. Of course, I have loved all of X. Aratare's books.
Finn has finally accepted his role as the Death's Chosen, the only one to control the Dreadbrood, and Rohan has accepted he is King of the Empire. You'll find out who Rohan chose to be the King of his beloved Kingdom of Rirea. The fighting action had me biting my nails and heightened my awareness as to what was happening everywhere. In the end, Rohan and Finn find the HEA.
This is not a series to miss out on. Of course, I have loved all of X. Aratare's books.
August 2, 2023
Good Lord the redemption arks never stopped. I legitimately loved every bit of this creation. The arks, the sudden cameo-like nods to Cinderella, and mercy, the open communication. The refusal of the MCs to hide things from one another, to lean INTO one another, to work TOGETHER. Be still my heart. Every temptation to slap the overused literary plot crutches, neatly sidestepped. My respect and thanks, Aratare. You are a true craftsperson. Thank you for reminding my why I love your work (and also why I try to avoid it, hehe... getting sucked into your beautiful worldbuilding means nothing else in my realm gets attention for Days).
Please keep writing.
Please keep writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book it had all the excitement and the thrill the previous books lacked in a way
I'm not totally satisfied with the way marikoth end happened.. like i get that his abuse of the magic ate at him that he became a shadow of a villain but still i wanted more action yk
Also i love that we got an image of how things could've ended if marikoth "won" , showing how scary and depressing life is without the person you love and the visual the writer put in was amazing that it left me sobbing
Overall a great series would read again 👌
I'm not totally satisfied with the way marikoth end happened.. like i get that his abuse of the magic ate at him that he became a shadow of a villain but still i wanted more action yk
Also i love that we got an image of how things could've ended if marikoth "won" , showing how scary and depressing life is without the person you love and the visual the writer put in was amazing that it left me sobbing
Overall a great series would read again 👌
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2024
What a fabulous read! The characters have grown on me already, especially Serxio and Christopher. However, It felt incomplete, or it would have been nice for some short stories showing how everything went aside from the wedding. It was also kinda sad that no romantic relationships aside from the main couple were ever explored. It would have been such a nice addition to the happily ever after. And I'm quite sure Christopher might have found the secret to immortality since during Finn's musings/hopeful peek into the future, they were alive during Jacob's grandson's time. I want more. 🥹
June 17, 2023
Simply Magnificently Magical
This whole series was breathtaking.
From the very beginning of book one to the very last page of book six, there was amazement. I loved that the characters had evolved into better versions of themselves (some worse versions) but were still true to their nature.
The audible version of the book gave this series an even better visual concept of this tale.
X. Aratare is truly a great story teller and i can not wait to read more!!!!
This whole series was breathtaking.
From the very beginning of book one to the very last page of book six, there was amazement. I loved that the characters had evolved into better versions of themselves (some worse versions) but were still true to their nature.
The audible version of the book gave this series an even better visual concept of this tale.
X. Aratare is truly a great story teller and i can not wait to read more!!!!
October 2, 2022
Awesome
I’m sad it’s the end of this series. I loved it so much and knowing I don’t do cliffhangers but I couldn’t stop reading. Book 6 was amazing there was action from the beginning and couple twist in the middle. I’m happy to see these two finally got their HEA. It was a bit longer but all worth it. I can’t wait for the audiobook.
I’m sad it’s the end of this series. I loved it so much and knowing I don’t do cliffhangers but I couldn’t stop reading. Book 6 was amazing there was action from the beginning and couple twist in the middle. I’m happy to see these two finally got their HEA. It was a bit longer but all worth it. I can’t wait for the audiobook.
October 3, 2022
love it
I sy ply love every book in this series, I just finish reading the last one and I’m Sade.
I’m going to start all over tomorrow with the first book thank , I’m looking forward to your next series, hope it’s another faerie tell. Please don’t make us wait so long again for each book.
I sy ply love every book in this series, I just finish reading the last one and I’m Sade.
I’m going to start all over tomorrow with the first book thank , I’m looking forward to your next series, hope it’s another faerie tell. Please don’t make us wait so long again for each book.
November 3, 2022
4.5 stars. A stunning conclusion so an immense series. The world building in this book is phenomenal with the introduction of new characters and fulfillment of numerous story threads building up across the series.
I will say, the Dreadbrood build up ended up being a bit anti-climatic, but overall this was an excellent end to this series.
I will say, the Dreadbrood build up ended up being a bit anti-climatic, but overall this was an excellent end to this series.
December 28, 2022
Rating: 4.5 stars
By far my favorite of the series. I have only one minor complaint and that is I think the confrontation at the end was new bit anticlimactic. Other than that a wonderful end to this series.
By far my favorite of the series. I have only one minor complaint and that is I think the confrontation at the end was new bit anticlimactic. Other than that a wonderful end to this series.
June 20, 2023
Finally the audiobook came out, I was so excited!! The narration was excellent, and the conclusion was all that I hoped it would be. This is definitely my favorite series by this author, the world building was incredible. I can't wait to see what they release next.
October 8, 2022
No puedo creer que termino así, fue demasiado perfecto
October 16, 2022
A wonderful ending
A really enjoyed this series, and I am sad to see it come to an end. An excellent conclusion to a great series.
A really enjoyed this series, and I am sad to see it come to an end. An excellent conclusion to a great series.
October 26, 2022
LOVED THIS SERIES!!!!
November 9, 2022
This serial was super fun!
December 26, 2022
An incredible end to an awesome saga.
I'm sad to see it end. What an amazing retelling of a classic, that even managed to improve upon it.
I'm sad to see it end. What an amazing retelling of a classic, that even managed to improve upon it.
Want to read
June 22, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/22/2023)! 🎁
August 23, 2023
Absolutely perfect.
No misunderstanding. No confirmation. Well written
No misunderstanding. No confirmation. Well written
April 17, 2024
Just as brilliant as the first
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2024
A perfect ending to a beautiful story! I love the way Finn and Rohan grew into who they are. All the twists and turns were fantastically written as always!
January 5, 2025
I think things went a bit south with this one. More often than not, Rohan gets white knight syndrome with Finn where it doesn't truly seem like Rohan views Finn as an equal, but as someone who needs saving. Finn's entire purpose boiled down to being an energy bank for Rohan to do the actual healing of the world was another questionably bad plot choice. I actually think Finn had a healthier relationship with Tearlach.
We also have to suffer through more caricature villain dialog from people like Hugues, only to see him win out and get rewarded in the end. That was a bit too much to swallow. This story hinges too much on 'everyone can be redeemed and should be given a second chance.' Thomas' fate didn't really have quite the impact the writer expected. I'm surprised they didn't sing kumbaya with Marikoth in the final battle. We were even cheated of an epic final battle scene with the Dreadbrood as everything happened off-page.
The relationships didn't really get enough time to develop throughout the series as there were always crazy events happening. Thalanil and Finn had very few heart to hearts that weren't centered around Rohan.
I'm not quite sure what to make of the series altogether. It was worth reading through, I just never liked the magical dynamic between Finn and Rohan and the way Finn saw himself. Finn saw himself as the bastard Fae child who wasn't loved by his stepfather and couldn't be loved by his people. I don't think the book properly developed him out of that.
We also have to suffer through more caricature villain dialog from people like Hugues, only to see him win out and get rewarded in the end. That was a bit too much to swallow. This story hinges too much on 'everyone can be redeemed and should be given a second chance.' Thomas' fate didn't really have quite the impact the writer expected. I'm surprised they didn't sing kumbaya with Marikoth in the final battle. We were even cheated of an epic final battle scene with the Dreadbrood as everything happened off-page.
The relationships didn't really get enough time to develop throughout the series as there were always crazy events happening. Thalanil and Finn had very few heart to hearts that weren't centered around Rohan.
I'm not quite sure what to make of the series altogether. It was worth reading through, I just never liked the magical dynamic between Finn and Rohan and the way Finn saw himself. Finn saw himself as the bastard Fae child who wasn't loved by his stepfather and couldn't be loved by his people. I don't think the book properly developed him out of that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews