A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.
While the armies of the Hadari Empire invade the borderlands, the Republic’s noble families plot against each other, divided by personal ambition.
But as Tressia falls, heroes rise.
Viktor Akadra is the Republic’s champion and conqueror of the rebellious south. A warrior without equal, he also hides a secret that would see him burned as a heretic.
Josiri Trelan would gladly see Viktor condemned to the flames – vengeance for a rebellion crushed and a mother slain. And while Josiri plots fresh insurrection, his sister, Calenne, is determined to escape their tarnished legacy and break the shackles of the past.
As dark days beckon, these three must overcome their differences to save the Republic. Yet decades of bad blood are not easily set aside. Victory – if it comes at all – will command a higher price than they could have imagined.
Wow! This book is packed with political intrigue. And with no clear sides to root for and so much going on, everything is exciting. There is a lot happening in just this one book. For those who get easily lost with lots of characters, I highly suggest you use the dramatis personae at the beginning. If you’re listening to the audiobook (like I was), this is one where I’d say keep it on 1x speed if you normally like to speed your audiobooks up.
What really caught my attention, aside from the politics, was the writing. It’s one of those styles that manages to be both straightforward while also invoking some nice imagery. There’s an ongoing metaphor that connects death to ravens (at least how I interpreted it), and it’s done very well. Even the title hints at the straightforward-yet-metaphorical nature of the prose. What with it implying both a phoenix rising from the ashes, as well as a forgotten legacy. The prose really helped make the massive book feel easier to handle. It got into the depths of characters’ motives and personalities without feeling overwhelming.
At least in my opinion, there really was no clear “These are the antagonists/protagonists” in the book. However, I wouldn’t call this a case of “everyone’s an antihero/no good guys” either. Everyone is simply human. Trapped in politics and schemes. Honestly, they didn’t feel like characters in a book. It felt like I was reading about actual people.
All in all, Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward is a great book for those wanting political intrigue, solid prose, and multi-POVs. It really is massive, though, and at times can feel a bit complicated. So I would suggest taking your time with this one and not rushing through it. The way everything builds up near the end is really something. I also want to give a quick shout-out to the audiobook, narrated by Suzannah Hampton. She does a fantastic job of bringing the characters and the story to life.
(We received an audiobook copy for review from the publishers. The ebook and audio versions were released on November 5, 2019. The physical edition is set to release on April 9, 2020.)
