3.5/5

A Curse of Ash and Embers is the first book in the Tales of the Blackbone Witches series by Jo Spurrier. I would classify the Tales of Blackbone Witches series as an upper young adult fantasy series with new adult and adult crossover appeal. I think this novel was a really good start to what seems like it will be a very interesting series. I enjoyed the plot of A Curse of Ash and Embers and I became very invested in the characters. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen with them in the next installment.

In A Curse of Ash and Embers, we meet our main characters Elodie and Aleida, who find themselves as an unlikely pair on a journey to try and help Aleida from a predicament that she finds herself in. I liked the mysterious air surrounding the story, from the initial letter that Elodie receives which led her to her current job at Blackbone Cottage to the warring witches and warlocks that might be pulling some strings throughout, there is enough unanswered questions to keep my interest level high throughout the story. I appreciated that mysterious element because the pacing of this story felt a bit slow at times. There are certainly action packed moments and scenes, which were some of my favorite, but a majority of the story takes place surrounding the cottage, which sometimes made me feel like not a whole lot was happening. It didn’t bother me much because it allowed me to get to know Elodie and Aleida rather well. Character driven readers will enjoy that aspect of A Curse of Ash and Embers.

I loved how different Elodie and Aleida are at first glance. Elodie has suffered a few forms of abuse at home and she is not well connected within her community. Aleida by outward appearances is much more self assured and confident, but she too has suffered from someone else controlling her, though it is a different type of manipulation in her case. Either way, watching them come together, learn from each other and help each other was my favorite aspect of this story. I can’t wait to see it developed further in the next book. This was a great fantasy story that is full of magic and gives off fairytale vibes. I think readers of fairytale inspired fantasy will really enjoy A Curse of Ash and Embers. I can’t wait for the next book.