daijoboy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Ashes of Onyx is an exhilarating story; with refreshingly fast-paced writing, the main protagonists are vibrant and fit together well as a team, and I was completely hooked for the ride! The book isn't bogged down by long tirades of exposition and worldbuilding; you have just enough to get you through the plot and a little on the side for flavour, so I never caught myself wondering when the plot would start up again. Overall a very enjoyable book with a lot of personality and action.
Spoiler
The one small thing that fell short of expectations was I found the main antagonist to be a bit flimsy as we only get to see their real character and motivation right at the end. But the interactions between the central characters are the highlight here, their complex relationships offering more than enough to absorb me.barb4ry1's review against another edition
4.0
As a huge fan of Skorkowsky’s Valducan series, I was excited to check his newest book. Ashes of Onyx begins as Urban Fantasy but it contains elements of High, Portal, and Epic Fantasy, mixed with more than a bit of Horror.
Kate Rossdale is a sorceress, and she comes with a lot of baggage. She blames herself for the accident that killed her friends and made her lose her magic. When we meet her, she’s a junkie. She justifies her behavior in a way that makes sense (the need to feel magic again), but in reality, her addiction allows her to cope with grief, self-contempt, and guilt.
Things change when she meets Richard Harcourt, who reveals she hasn’t caused the tragedy that destroyed her life. In reality, the sorceress Kate considered a friend cursed her and stole her power. Before Kate gets her magic back, she must get clean. Not an easy task.
Ashes of Onyx shifts between subgenres and settings. Kate's team looks for answers across the globe and across worlds. Unraveling Skorkowsky’s world of monsters, magic, and all the strange in-between gives a lot of fun. Some of it is what you’d expect, some of it not. The mix of familiar and foreign kept me interested throughout. I mean, he makes it feel like this stuff could be real.
The alternate worlds and their inhabitants are imaginative and richly described. While it'll appeal to some readers, others (me included) will feel the novel spends too much time exploring places. I prefer focused narratives and can't help but mention that in places not much was happening.
Kate is a strong lead character. Fiercely loyal, brave, but also broken and lost. All things combined, she makes for a complex, charismatic and memorable protagonist. If the book gets a sequel, I will read it for Kate alone. Secondary characters feel distinct but I wouldn't describe them as particularly memorable.
Ashes of Onyx incorporates aspects of many genres ranging from urban fantasy to horror. Skorkowsky takes recognizable story beats and shapes them into a compelling whole. Fans of character-driven stories who prefer heroes with a grain of moral ambiguity should add this novel to their "should read" list.
Kate Rossdale is a sorceress, and she comes with a lot of baggage. She blames herself for the accident that killed her friends and made her lose her magic. When we meet her, she’s a junkie. She justifies her behavior in a way that makes sense (the need to feel magic again), but in reality, her addiction allows her to cope with grief, self-contempt, and guilt.
Things change when she meets Richard Harcourt, who reveals she hasn’t caused the tragedy that destroyed her life. In reality, the sorceress Kate considered a friend cursed her and stole her power. Before Kate gets her magic back, she must get clean. Not an easy task.
Ashes of Onyx shifts between subgenres and settings. Kate's team looks for answers across the globe and across worlds. Unraveling Skorkowsky’s world of monsters, magic, and all the strange in-between gives a lot of fun. Some of it is what you’d expect, some of it not. The mix of familiar and foreign kept me interested throughout. I mean, he makes it feel like this stuff could be real.
The alternate worlds and their inhabitants are imaginative and richly described. While it'll appeal to some readers, others (me included) will feel the novel spends too much time exploring places. I prefer focused narratives and can't help but mention that in places not much was happening.
Kate is a strong lead character. Fiercely loyal, brave, but also broken and lost. All things combined, she makes for a complex, charismatic and memorable protagonist. If the book gets a sequel, I will read it for Kate alone. Secondary characters feel distinct but I wouldn't describe them as particularly memorable.
Ashes of Onyx incorporates aspects of many genres ranging from urban fantasy to horror. Skorkowsky takes recognizable story beats and shapes them into a compelling whole. Fans of character-driven stories who prefer heroes with a grain of moral ambiguity should add this novel to their "should read" list.
ksmarsden's review against another edition
4.0
Kate Rossdale was once a powerful witch, but after a terrible accident that was her fault, she is a shell of her former self. Craving a taste of the magic she once had, she agrees to work with a mysterious man who promises the real answers behind the tragedy. In Ashes of Onyx, enemies become allies, and different realms come together, to face the real threat to all worlds.
This is the first book I’ve read by Seth Skorkowsky, and I really enjoyed the worlds he has created. This is much more than just your usual Urban Fantasy, restricted to the world around us. There are different realms that can only be traveled to with magic. I thought this was the strongest part of the book; the different realities felt solid and believable, whilst also exotic and full of opportunity. Of course, the plot tied to our world was also very interesting. Those who train in magic join covens or ‘towers’, which have their own secrets and motives. To add more pressure, they have to hide from the witch hunters.
I felt that the pace of the story was sacrificed a little, perhaps for the book’s focus on creating a strong multi-level background. There was a lot of waiting for spells to be ready, for troops to gather. The momentum does build back up for the final battle, which did hook me in until the end. Ashes of Onyx is an impressive standalone novel, which neatly wraps everything up. I think there is room for a series, and it would be a shame if the author didn’t revisit the world he has created.
This is the first book I’ve read by Seth Skorkowsky, and I really enjoyed the worlds he has created. This is much more than just your usual Urban Fantasy, restricted to the world around us. There are different realms that can only be traveled to with magic. I thought this was the strongest part of the book; the different realities felt solid and believable, whilst also exotic and full of opportunity. Of course, the plot tied to our world was also very interesting. Those who train in magic join covens or ‘towers’, which have their own secrets and motives. To add more pressure, they have to hide from the witch hunters.
I felt that the pace of the story was sacrificed a little, perhaps for the book’s focus on creating a strong multi-level background. There was a lot of waiting for spells to be ready, for troops to gather. The momentum does build back up for the final battle, which did hook me in until the end. Ashes of Onyx is an impressive standalone novel, which neatly wraps everything up. I think there is room for a series, and it would be a shame if the author didn’t revisit the world he has created.
vinayvasan's review
4.0
A difficult to classify genre book. It basically has elements from a bunch of fantasy genres - urban, epic, portal etc and manages to work it all well together. There is an undercurrent of darkness permeating through the book and the instances of violence are sudden and brutal
What makes the series really work is the lead character - Kate Rossdale when the story starts is at her lowest. Having lost her powers, killing her tower mates in the process, Kate Rossdale has become a junkie - sniffing magic powder. It is at this time a mysterious agent approaches her promising vengeance along with her magic powers
This kickstarts the adventure that spans not only multiple places on Earth but also multiple other realms - all the way towards a legendary mythical kingdom and an antagonist who wants nothing but power.
The book works for the most part - the pacing is fluid, the world building quite good and the team chemistry is fun. The burst of violence and Kate's loss and her instability brings that layer of darkness to the book. The only flaw being the antagonist - after all the buildup, its kind of does fizzle out
What makes the series really work is the lead character - Kate Rossdale when the story starts is at her lowest. Having lost her powers, killing her tower mates in the process, Kate Rossdale has become a junkie - sniffing magic powder. It is at this time a mysterious agent approaches her promising vengeance along with her magic powers
This kickstarts the adventure that spans not only multiple places on Earth but also multiple other realms - all the way towards a legendary mythical kingdom and an antagonist who wants nothing but power.
The book works for the most part - the pacing is fluid, the world building quite good and the team chemistry is fun. The burst of violence and Kate's loss and her instability brings that layer of darkness to the book. The only flaw being the antagonist - after all the buildup, its kind of does fizzle out
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