King of Ashes will haunt me for forever. It was my first time reading S. A Cosby. And honestly, my mind is blown. Every single positive and brain shattering thing I have read about his work has been proven true to me. He deserves all the praise, and this book? This book is going to rattle people’s souls. 

King of Ashes is at its core a book about family and the responsibilities that come with loving and taking care of your family. At times, that might mean a regular check in, you know, a phone call, or a text. Not for this family though... whew!!! 

The story starts very simply, with the patriarch of the family being in the hospital and the eldest son, Roman, returning to make sure all is well. 

Spoiler alert: All is NOT WELL.

His sister Neveah is feeling depleted from taking care of the family business and holding down the family emotionally. While his little brother, Dante, has done the unthinkable and landed all of them in some dire straits. Of course, Roman does what proper elder siblings do, and steps in to ‘fix’ things. 

And here is where the story goes from interesting to addictive. Beyond the many quotable lines about life, choices, and family, we get an in-depth view of how people turn themselves inside out for those that they love. This was a gritty, gut churning path of street justice and life-level chess. Haunting. Every single chapter just stuck with me in a way I will never forget. 

This is your kind of book if you love family mafia stories, or urban tales that twist your brain. Actually, once you love engrossing stories, this is a book for you. I say this because I got up at 4 AM to finish it. I regret nothing!

Good books are fairly common, but great ones that teach you and change you are rare. King of Ashes? It is up there with the rare air. 
S. A Cosby definitely has me in his grips from now on.