From the Ashes

The Acros Raiders #1

by Sara Tunder

While trying to escape the genocidal Castist Regime, Scotty Sedgewig and her fiancé run into some grave misfortune. Amid the chaos in a revenge-fueled fury, Scotty finds herself entangled with The Acros Raiders, an elite rebel division. When it’s revealed there is a traitor in their ranks, Scotty is singled out to uncover the identity of the mole. She must figure out who the traitor is before The Acros Raiders are destroyed from the inside, or her fight for revenge will be in vain.

Dive into Sara Tunder’s action-packed tale following Scotty and The Acros Raiders on their mission to end High Priestess Tapscott’s theocratic rule. An unorthodox fantasy series, The Acros Raiders tests the boundary between fantasy and science fiction, introducing readers to an exciting new world blended with steampunk elements.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk

549 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2022

About the author

Sara Tunder is an award-winning fantasy/steampunk author, captain, and gardening enthusiast. She grew up in the Appalachian foothills, the history and environment having a huge impact on her writing. She has always loved fantasy worlds, creating her first one when she was just 7 years old. The passion only grew from there. Now, she lives in Florida with her husband, parakeet, and cat where she works on writing more stories with vivid worlds for readers to enjoy.

Reviews

[Tristan Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great way to start the series. I started reading this book after hearing about book two. I thought the fantasy world sounded amazing, and I wasn’t disappointed. I love the world in this book. It’s unique and well thought out. I love the made-up religion. It adds a great feel to the overall story.
I prefer reading likable characters. They don’t have to be perfect, just not irritating. And I thought these characters were well developed, and I liked them all. I liked reading about their issues, and about why they joined the Acros Raiders. I liked their animal companions as well.
It was difficult to put down once I started reading it, which is also nice, even if it did make me stay up too late sometimes.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to delve into fantasy worlds. This was a great book.

[Steve Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover and the title made me want to read this book, and I'm so happy I did. It was nothing like I expected it to be, and I mean that in a good way. Every single character was a pleasure to read about, I just wanted to learn more and more about them. There are steampunk and fantasy elements throughout, which I loved. But what I loved even more was that none of it was overdone. None of it took away from the characters, which was my favorite thing about this book. It's very character based. The world itself is reminiscent of the Middle Ages with a mixture of steampunk and fantasy. I'm super excited to read more from this series and from this author in general.

[John York · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Ashes is my first foray into the world of steampunk fantasy. I wasn't certain what to expect, but quickly became enthralled with the rough and tumble adventures of Scotty, an unscrubbed, scrappy, and dangerous young woman bent on revenge. The author does a great job of describing the fantasy world and its unusual characters, creatures, and chaos. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ms. Tunder is an excellent and imaginative storyteller.

[Max Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relatable and in depth characters fighting through a visceral war conflict in a expansive fantasy steampunk world. Interesting technology, brutal fights, and an unexpected mystery all wonderfully on display.