Where do I even begin.

Memories of Ash concludes with Hitomi escaping from the clutches of the High Council of Mages (right under Blackflame's nose), finding Huda, and setting off towards the Burnt Lands, prepared to honour her debt to the phoenix. Her magic bound and danger closely following, Hitomi has to navigate this new reality, learn to trust and accept help from her friends, and follow her unyielding sense of justice to make things right in the Burnt Lands.

Like I've said a hundred times, I love Hitomi and see so much of myself in her. And this book was no different. If anything, we really get to see a deeper, more vulnerable side of our main character as she confronts feelings she's been trying to bury over the last year. 

There's just so much good character development in this book. From Hitomi realizing she's using the people around her and putting them in danger by not sharing her secrets, to realizing she's taking choices away from her friends in order to keep them safe, to experiencing this betrayal herself, to learning to accept and trust and love and create her own version of a found family. All while still staying true to herself and her inability to accept "no" as an answer. (Honestly love this so much about her). She finds creative ways to get out of situations, realizing sometimes she has to make tough decisions that go against her morals. But I think what I loved the most was the relationships she develops in this book and how she comes to realize that she is just as worthy of love and life as anyone else.

Like damn Hitomi, why are you attacking me this way 😭 I also don't know how to live the life I have come to accept is mine. And I understand so well how lonely Hitomi feels, and how careful she is around people who care about her because she's afraid she will lose them or they will betray her.

When she comes to the realization that her mother abandoning her wasn't because of anything she did, but because her mother chose it, she breaks down in tears. "I was not some terrible, flawed creature, that my mother could not love me." She feels this grief and begins to accept that she can still allow other people to love and care for her.

There's a moment at the end of the book where Hitomi is asked what she wants to do next/how she wants to live, and she doesn't fully know how to answer that question because she's never had to think about what she wants in life. She's always put other people first, and I don't see that changing for Hitomi, but I think this journey she's been on has made her realize to set some space for herself too.

I swear this book taught me more about myself than a 60 minute therapy session.

Debts of Fire expands the world a bit more from the previous book. And I loved how the slower parts of the book were interspersed with more intense, fast-paced scenes. We also get to see Hitomi adapt and learn to use her magic despite being bound. My only complaint for this book would be that the way the magic-working was described was a bit hard to follow at times. And I think that's just because I'm a very visual reader and literally imagine everything that is happening inside my head like a movie. So when I have trouble picturing what's happening (especially when trying to break down the draining spells), I did feel a little frustrated because I felt like I could not fully understand/immerse myself in the book. It's not confusing to the point where you have no idea what's happening, but I'm just the kind of person who wants all the details. I will say, the finale gave me major Circle of Magic vibes, which made me very excited.

I'm going to conclude by talking about hugs because Hitomi hugs so many people in this book and it made me want to cry every time it happened. Her special bond with Val is probably my favourite, closely followed by the phoenix and Kerbanu. And I cannot wait to see what happens in the conclusion to this series. I'm hoping for more reunions and hugs especially.

Going to leave you all with a final quote that I think is very applicable to the current state of world affairs.

And sometimes the rules are plain wrong and it's okay to commit crimes!!

4.5/5 stars

Eagerly awaiting my physical copy!!!

I know I've said this before, but I regret not picking up this series sooner. As soon as I finished Sunbolt, I knew I needed to read the next book immediately because I could not stop thinking about this world and these characters.

Intisar writes books that are diverse, but still have that older fantasy vibe that I fell in love with as a child. I grew up reading Tamora Pierce and C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien and all the other classics. My heart goes all warm and fuzzy thinking about that period of my life and those books and how attached I became to the world and the characters. The only thing that was lacking was diversity and representation that I could relate to. I think one of the reasons I'm so hesitant about reading newer YA releases is because of how romance-focused publishing has become, which is definitely influenced by booktok. Tropes sell. And enemies-to-lovers and smut in YA is a thing now, and if you don't have either of those or the other tropes that people are obsessed with, publishing won't want your book. It's actually really sad.

Intisar's books feel so refreshing but also familiar. And this book was no different.

I had trouble putting it down because I was so immersed in what was happening and what was going to happen. Hitomi is now one of my all-time favourite characters. She dives right into trouble, determined to help the people she loves even at the expense of her own life. She's definitely a "main character" in the sense her magic doesn't act like other mages, but she's down-to-earth and loveable because she doesn't see herself as above the people around her. 

Because I'm obsessed with one (1) fanfic series, aka The Rigel Black Chronicles, I spent the entirety of this book feeling like Hitomi was just like Rigel Black/Harriet Potter. And Kenta is Leo. The similarities were striking and honestly made me scream sometimes. So I've totally done my best to convince the HGSS discord server to read the series.

The one-line that really summarizes this book and also The Rigel Black Chronicles:

<blockquote>"Even though you have the annoying habit of nearly getting yourself killed for other people on a regular basis."</blockquote>

Just AHHHHHsdjfsklfjskf

Anyway, back to the book. As a Tamora Pierce fan–this is not shocking–my least favourite book of hers was A Woman Who Rides Like a Man because of the Bazhir rep. And while Tammy has addressed this, it is still something I have to brace myself for every time I pick up that book. 

Memories of Ash though is 'what if A Woman Who Rides Like a Man was done well'. The plot is not exactly the same, but we do get a glimpse of the desert tribes and their hospitality. Their culture is clearly influenced by Middle Eastern/Arab culture. And it was done so well! It actually made me smile and so happy, and I have a feeling we're going to see even more in the third book, which makes me even more excited. 

I think I mentioned in my review for Sunbolt how resourceful Hitomi is. Well, that doesn't stop in this book. Whenever I know Hitomi has a plan or is up to something, but as the reader we don't exactly know all the details yet, I get so giddy. It does remind me a lot of Rigel, so that's probably why, but also, there's something so thrilling about not knowing what the character is up to, but also knowing at the same time that whatever they're going to do will be epic in some way. I just love Hitomi so much and get so excited whenever she's planning how to take down evil people.

I think my favourite side characters were the lycan guards, especially Osman Bey. I just had a feeling about them and it turned out to be right and I'm still sdfdksjfsdklf about their role in this book.

We finally get to see some old friends again, which was so bittersweet because Hitomi doesn't have a lot of her memories. I really, really love Kenta so much and his determination to not let Hitomi do things on her own and protect her was also very Leo-esque. We also get to see a reunion of a sorts, that was more painful than I was expecting. And we get to see a certain breather again!!!

Honestly the interrogation scene under the truth-spell was probably my favourite scene in this book. I get chills thinking about it. 

Hitomi herself goes through so much in this book, but I also thinks she learns to accept help from others instead of trying to do everything on her own. She still struggles with putting others at risk, but by the end I think she learns that people are more than capable of understanding risk and it's not her job to try and protect everyone all the time. 

I cannot wait to see what happens next. I miss this world and these characters already and I can't stop thinking about them. I wish the third book was already out in the world, but I'm even more excited to reread this series. Also, I badly need a map of this world. LIKE BADLY. 

10/5 stars for this book.

I feel like this year has been a series of me reading books at the wrong time and not enjoying them as much as I would have. I did like this book because I love learning about history, specifically a darker period of Joseon history, and what happens when there’s a coup and transfer of power done by a group of elites. People in power always care more about lining their own pockets than the lives of the actual people they depend on to live comfortably. I think where the book fell short for me was Iseul. She’s not a terrible character but she did annoy me a little with her privilege and rushing off into danger without thinking. The romance did grow on me though. I liked the conclusion even if it was a bit predictable. I just think the whole thing with Nameless Flower felt a bit off. I didn’t understand why he wanted to kill Iseul and Daehyun when they were literally working to overthrow the king. Yeongho seemed to have a bit more sense than that when we saw him throughout the book. I think if he stuck to killing the horrible people in the government, they could have ended up working together instead to kill the king. 

Not a bad book, but not my favourite of the ones I’ve read by June Hur.

A must-read for everyone. You definitely need to take your time reading this book. I think I probably only understood 85% of it, and that was with rereading paragraphs a few times and highlighting important bits, but I just think I'm not intellectual enough to understand the entire scope of what Mohammed is saying, but I did get the gist (!!) which is the most important part. It was very eye-opening and I think will allow me to dissect what I see and hear and read more carefully, as well as change the way I respond/argue with people. 

Ugh the urge to leave society and live in the middle of nowhere is so strong right now

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. I just knew there were demons, a cat, and a librarian. But it ended up being endearing and fun. It felt like watching Knives Out but in book form. Sherry is a very likeable character and it was refreshing reading a book where the mc isn’t in her late teens/early twenties. The fantastical element of the book was also kind of cool. I don’t read a lot of mysteries, so this felt like a mix between fantasy and mystery, which I prefer. I did kind of figure out the murder mystery by the end, but the whole cocaine plot I did not see coming lol. The ending was very cute. I love Sherry and her unique friend group. It gives me some hope that even if you’re old and single, you can still create a small community of friends around you.

I really truly adore this duology. Blood Like Magic ended with Voya and Keis's relationship forever changed, and with Voya taking on the mantle of matriarch. 

The one thing that frustrates me but also makes me like Voya is how messy she is and the mistakes she makes when she tries to take responsibility and authority. Sometimes I wanted to shake her and say "why are you doing this, just stop" or "that's the wrong move!" and other times I was thinking "she's just a kid and this is waaay too much responsibility for one person". Her doubts about not being enough, her family not believing in her/not feeling confident in her ability to lead them was so relatable. Despite her grandma picking her for this position, she still didn't feel like she deserved it or could do it. Voya's family is just as messy as she is, and they did eventually step up and recognize their faults, which was nice to see. I think what I love about this book is how no one is perfect and it more accurately depicts what a typical family is truly like. You can't really always forgive and forget past mistakes or decisions, but you can work to change in the present and future. I liked seeing Voya call herself out on her selfish decisions, but I also liked it when her family owned up to their mistakes and faults. It was kind of painful and sad, but really well done. 

This book, like the first one, feels kind of long, but I think pacing wise was slightly better than Blood Like Magic. There were scenes every few chapters that really kept me wanting to read more and something was always happening. There were so many things I didn't expect, and some things I figured out right before it was revealed. 

Voya's dream of creating a council and community for witches where everyone cares for each other instead of just looking out for themselves is a huge mood for me, especially as someone still taking covid and airborne precautions unlike the rest of the world. The dream of having a community where people care about everyone instead of themselves seems so farfetched right now as we watch people ignore science and continue to fall towards fascism, yet claiming to be part of the "resistance" which doesn't somehow include caring about your health and the health of the people around you. It's frustrating to watch, but maybe it's not impossible to dream of forming a community one day.

The last chapter of this book was so bittersweet, but heartwarming. I almost even cried. A perfect conclusion to this duology. 

4.5/5 stars

I’m loving this graphic novel series so much! Need the third book now

Okay this was so good! I loved the art style, and the story and plot are very engaging. Bea’s anxiety is such a mood and Cad is a sweetheart. I also love how there’s a cat coming along on their quest. I’m excited to read the next book!