Happy Thursday and welcome back to The Bibliophagist. I know things are crazy right now. I live in western NY and stores are really bare here, people are panic buying everything. I was lucky enough to get some toilet paper before that all hit. I also found some produce at a local store yesterday! That was lucky in and of itself. Protein sources are hard to find in stores right now, it took me at least a day or two to find milk for my two kids. I am so thankful my older son’s school is providing breakfast and lunches for the kids and any younger siblings that might need it. I know we are all struggling but please, please, please…remember we are all human. Be kind, help someone by giving them one of the 4 packs of toilet paper you were going to buy. Hold the door, wash your hands after, but remember to smile. Something as small as a smile could go a long way these days and you might just make someone’s day.
Well now, aside from all of that, we are doing alright. I have still had no reading time because our business sells online, Facebook live sales. We are also working on getting our physical store set up to go. So, eventually, that will be done and I’ll finally have some reading time to get done! How have you all help up so far? Let’s get to something a little more fun huh?
I’m sure you can tell by the title of this post that I am a part of yet another blog tour hosted by Fantastic Flying Book Club! I have to thank them again because they are the most amazing tour group I’ve worked with. They also don’t charge authors for tours which are, let’s be honest, amazing!! I am so comfortable working with them and I think I will forever remain on the review team.
So…the book I am talking about today is one that I have been anticipating ever since I heard of it. Witches of Ash and Ruin!!!! I am a witch so obviously, I was excited for this book to come out. When I was given the chance to review it, I couldn’t not! So…let’s get started.
Don’t forget to check out all the other great posts for the tour here.
Witches of Ash and Ruin 
Author: E. Latimer
Published: March 3rd 2020
Publisher: FreeForm
Book Length: 384 Pages
Genre: Fantasy (YA), Retelling
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Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository (Use my referral ID: TheBibliophagist)
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.
And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer’s motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don’t stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.
With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that’s impossible to put down.
About the Authors
E. Latimer is a fantasy writer from Victoria, BC. Her middle-grade novel, The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray was published by Tundra Books and was recently nominated for the Red Maple Fiction Award.
In her spare time, she writes books, makes silly vlogs with the Word Nerds about writing, and reads excessively.
Review
** Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, mentioning of rape, mentioning of physical and emotional abuse, self-harm. **
I absolutely loved this book! Who wouldn’t love queer witches, serial killers, and of course Ireland?!?! It was perfect because I was reading this around the time of St. Patrick’s Day. The cover art is beautiful. I’ve said time and time again, I love simple covers that really draw your eye. See, I’m not sure I would pick it up right away unless I knew a little bit about the book.
There was wonderful diversity in the book and I fell in love with these amazingly detailed characters. How can you not fall in love with the story? I loved the OCD representation though I’m not sure the #ownvoices are fully represented. But I did feel some of the stigma regarding medication. I will say that I was a little annoyed with the romance between Dayna and Meiner. They have a love/hate relationship. I’m all for the enemy to lover romance but I just didn’t like this one. They weren’t necessarily enemies, so I guess it doesn’t fit that trope. Maybe like a nuance to lover trope. I just didn’t find myself secretly hoping they’d end up together like I do with other novels. Each character’s story entwined with others and this was beautifully written. Being in a small town, it makes sense that everyone interacts more personally. I’ve read small-town stories where two people almost seem like they are alone on an island, not interacting with anyone but that simply can’t possibly be the case in small towns…I know, I grew up in one.
The world-building in this book is phenomenal! I was basically living between the pages of the book the entire night I read this. It is intense, and not just here and there…this book kept me awake at night. There is no lack of action here; page after page is filled with scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat, or bed in my case. I think the last portion of the book was the most intense, begging me to ignore everything to finish. Who needs to eat or sleep…right?
This is for sure a new look at witches in YA fiction novels and won’t soon be forgotten. As a witch, I fell in love with the actual mythology, gods, and of course the gore. The witch in me was so happy to have real representation in a novel rather than fictional ideas we see in movies often.
Giveaway
Prize: Win (1) copy of WITCHES OF ASH AND RUIN by E. Latimer (US Only)
Starts: 16th March 2020
Ends: 30th March 2020
Embed Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway
What do you think? Is this book something you’d enjoy to read? Have you read it, what did you think?
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