I LOVE the world of The Ashen series, and returning to it early, albeit briefly, was such a gift.

Meant to be read in between books two and three, this novella covers the conspicuous absence of the Bloodaxe Crew from Kingdom of Claw through the lens of its new leader. Halved by the events of the first book, the Crew is still struggling to recover. Hekla still has a job to do, trying to figure out the mysteries surrounding the killing mist that threatens the town. But she’s not being listened to, what with the misogyny of the warriors she’s forced to deal with. Plus she has to contend with the identity of her one-night-stand complicating everything further, and… a magical squirrel? (His name is Kritka and I love him and I will accept no criticism of him). 

I cannot express just how much I adore Hekla. She is such a brilliant character, and has been through so much. Yet she is so much stronger for it. Watching her help another woman in a similar situation to that which she’d survived in the past gave me such a rush of pride for a fictional character. We certainly need all the feminist badasses we can get, fictional or otherwise. As she has previously, Demi Winters continues to weave her characters with incredible depth and nuance, each fighting their own battles and wrestling with past traumas and expectations when the true hope lies in the complete unknown of the future. And maybe, just maybe, Hekla can find the happiness she’s been without for so many years. 

I am so upset I can’t give this a higher rating than five stars. I am so excited to know what happens next in Hekla’s story, because it’s clearly going to be crucial to the next book, and because I need more of my new Book Husband Eyvind. I have just met him and I love him. 

Thank you so, SO much to Demi Winters for letting me be a part of #DemisCrew and be one of the first to read this incredible ARC! I can’t wait to own a physical copy of this when it releases :)
🌶️🌶️🌶️