amandalorianxo's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a unique and enjoyable fantasy novel with phoenix horses and three POV’s including second person point of view. But it’s a semi - slow start and that’s what made me rate this a 3. There was a lot of exposition and world building which helped make sense of the fantasy world but not capture my attention 100% It does pick up and get a little gritty once the race starts. Ends on a cliffhanger so chances are I will read the sequel.
ameliadagit's review
5.0
It was so hard to put this book down!!!! It’s a beautiful combination of western (horse racing), sci fi new world, and a twist of what feel likes mythology (god’s - their worship and temples). It has class battles but you fall in love with each character for their own battles and struggles. Can’t wait for the second book to be released!!!!
sabisays's review
4.0
Ashlords was my first read by Scott Reintgen and it was a really pleasant first encounter.
Ashlords is a high YA fantasy revolving around phoenix riders.
We follow three perspectives: Pippa, an Ashlord, Imelda, a Dividian, and Adrian, a Langhold. All three are taking part in The Races, a race riding Phoenixes that stretches over days and whose winner is crowned a champion. The riders are not only skilled riders but also have to be good at alchemy. The only question left is - who will win?
Okay, phoenix riders, I mean, how cool is that?
I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis of this new release and the premise held what it promised. This was a fast-paced and action packed read, full of intrigue and twists and turns.
The characters were all really differnet and all very interesting to read about. We experience Adrian and Imelda through first person narration, and Pippa through second person narration. The second person narrator is definitely one to stand out, because we rarely see it in fiction and it also creates a pretty interesting relationship to Pippa.
Pippa is the only Ashlord whose perspective we share. Ashlords are the elite of the phoenix riders, Pippa is also the daughter of two former champions, so she is the obvious winner. I‘m normally ALWAYS rooting for the underdogs, which made it even more surprising that I wanted Pippa to win, which is, I guess, in consequence of the second person narration. It is even stronger than the first person. .
.
The story itself somehow reminded me of The Hunger Games, although it was of course entirely unique in its plot. It has also been compared to Red Rising and The Scorpio Races (I haven’t read neither, so I can’t say anything about that!)
Overall this was a really great read. The ending didn’t feel the best developed one to me and at some parts I thought the plot a bit predictable, but it definitely gets bonus points for uniqueness and action!
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars for me ⭐️ .
Ashlords is a high YA fantasy revolving around phoenix riders.
We follow three perspectives: Pippa, an Ashlord, Imelda, a Dividian, and Adrian, a Langhold. All three are taking part in The Races, a race riding Phoenixes that stretches over days and whose winner is crowned a champion. The riders are not only skilled riders but also have to be good at alchemy. The only question left is - who will win?
Okay, phoenix riders, I mean, how cool is that?
I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis of this new release and the premise held what it promised. This was a fast-paced and action packed read, full of intrigue and twists and turns.
The characters were all really differnet and all very interesting to read about. We experience Adrian and Imelda through first person narration, and Pippa through second person narration. The second person narrator is definitely one to stand out, because we rarely see it in fiction and it also creates a pretty interesting relationship to Pippa.
Pippa is the only Ashlord whose perspective we share. Ashlords are the elite of the phoenix riders, Pippa is also the daughter of two former champions, so she is the obvious winner. I‘m normally ALWAYS rooting for the underdogs, which made it even more surprising that I wanted Pippa to win, which is, I guess, in consequence of the second person narration. It is even stronger than the first person. .
.
The story itself somehow reminded me of The Hunger Games, although it was of course entirely unique in its plot. It has also been compared to Red Rising and The Scorpio Races (I haven’t read neither, so I can’t say anything about that!)
Overall this was a really great read. The ending didn’t feel the best developed one to me and at some parts I thought the plot a bit predictable, but it definitely gets bonus points for uniqueness and action!
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars for me ⭐️ .
novelheartbeat's review
3.0
3.5/5
This one is rather hard for me to review, because I had some pretty mixed feelings about it. First, I just want to say that the concept is EPIC!!! Alchemy! Phoenix horses!!! I loved the riders' use of specific alchemical components to basically upgrade their horses. The concept was the shining gem of this book, and ultimately the main thing that kept me interested. I adored the horses and everything about them. The race was cool, too - it had a very Hunger Games-esque feel to it, but more magical. I will say that the end of the day death was pretty rough: every night, the phoenix horses died to be reborn again the next day. It was hard to watch them die, but
Spoiler
the worst was when Bravos stabbed his horse to death. It also sucked when other riders poisoned their competitor's horses :(The phoenix horses were definitely my favorite part, and I really wish there'd been more! I was disappointed at how short the actual race was. It didn't start until halfway through, and only made up about 40% of the entire book. I craved more! If the focus of the whole book had been on the horses, it could have easily been 4-5 stars for me. I wasn't super jazzed about the rest of the story, and I was pretty bored in the beginning, to be honest. The snippets of phoenix horses and alchemy were the only thing keeping me going because I didn't really care about any of the characters. Which makes me so sad! I really enjoyed Nyxia, and Scott is awesome. This book was one of my most anticipated releases, and I feel like something is wrong with me because I didn't enjoy it more :(
I found Adrian to be meh. He didn't seem to have much personality or dimension, and I struggled to find anything worth cheering for in his character. I liked Imelda at first, but her character arc totally lost me mid-race. In the beginning I was on her side because she was stepped on and looked down on, but later,
Spoiler
after she broke out of the race,I will say, however, that Pippa grew on me! She struck me as a spoiled, frivolous, rich brat at first, but toward the end I found myself actually cheering for her. I really wanted her to win! Plus I loved that her point of view was written in second person, present tense, very unique!
Overall, this book was fun while I was reading, but won't leave any kind of lasting impression on me outside of the phoenix horses. I've already forgotten almost everything but them - I had to refer back to the book for my review, sadly. I didn't enjoy it as much as Nyxia, but still worth the read for the magical quality of the alchemy and phoenix horses! I have no doubt most everyone will love this book!
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
perusinghannah's review
3.0
(6.0/10) - 3 stars
I was barely 5 years old the first time I climbed on top of a horse (and by horse, I mean vicious little pony), and while at age 31 I no longer feel the need to wallpaper my bedroom in equine centerfolds, I am still every bit as much the horse lover today as I was back then. Which means that, in theory, this book was everything I should have loved.
I’m sad to say that this wasn’t the case.
Let me start off with the positive, though – the phoenix horses in Ashlords are extremely cool. Each sunrise, these race horses rise from their ashes anew, and riders can influence these rebirths through alchemy. By adding certain powders to the ashes before the sun hits, alterations can be made to things like agility, speed, strength, and even physical aspects like fangs, spikes and armor. While it’s clear that Reintgen has no idea what actual riding entails, I most likely still would have devoured this book had it solely revolved around the races.
Unfortunately, Reintgen tries to cram in a whole political structure around the races that just never finds its footing, because there isn’t enough page time for careful world building. While he certainly tries to create a well-rounded exploration through Pippa, Adrian, and Imelda (the three points of view in Ashlords that all represent a different social class in this world), there simply wasn’t enough space in 350 pages to have them fully make sense.
Pippa especially was a weird choice all around. For one, her sections are inexplicably written in the second person, and as a member of the ruling class she barely has an influence on the rebellion story line that Reintgen desperately tries to get off the ground. Imelda, too, has a very strange arc that I don’t fully understand the point of, because she more or less finds herself in the races accidentally, is wildly unprepared, and then barely takes part. In my opinion, this book would have benefited from just one point of view, and I think Adrian would have been the best choice here – he has trained for the races for most of his life, he is part of a society that has been severely wronged by the ruling class, and his father is the one aiming for war. Had it been just him, there would have been time for a more elaborate exploration of the history of this world, the phoenix horses, his role in the rebellion, and – most importantly – the actual race.
As it stands, we got the bare bones of everything and only managed to skim the surface of a world that has every potential for being absolutely amazing. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the second book in the duology will offer more in terms of world building, but the ending of Ashlords seems to steer it in a different direction. A girl can dream, right?
I was barely 5 years old the first time I climbed on top of a horse (and by horse, I mean vicious little pony), and while at age 31 I no longer feel the need to wallpaper my bedroom in equine centerfolds, I am still every bit as much the horse lover today as I was back then. Which means that, in theory, this book was everything I should have loved.
I’m sad to say that this wasn’t the case.
Let me start off with the positive, though – the phoenix horses in Ashlords are extremely cool. Each sunrise, these race horses rise from their ashes anew, and riders can influence these rebirths through alchemy. By adding certain powders to the ashes before the sun hits, alterations can be made to things like agility, speed, strength, and even physical aspects like fangs, spikes and armor. While it’s clear that Reintgen has no idea what actual riding entails, I most likely still would have devoured this book had it solely revolved around the races.
Unfortunately, Reintgen tries to cram in a whole political structure around the races that just never finds its footing, because there isn’t enough page time for careful world building. While he certainly tries to create a well-rounded exploration through Pippa, Adrian, and Imelda (the three points of view in Ashlords that all represent a different social class in this world), there simply wasn’t enough space in 350 pages to have them fully make sense.
Pippa especially was a weird choice all around. For one, her sections are inexplicably written in the second person, and as a member of the ruling class she barely has an influence on the rebellion story line that Reintgen desperately tries to get off the ground. Imelda, too, has a very strange arc that I don’t fully understand the point of, because she more or less finds herself in the races accidentally, is wildly unprepared, and then barely takes part. In my opinion, this book would have benefited from just one point of view, and I think Adrian would have been the best choice here – he has trained for the races for most of his life, he is part of a society that has been severely wronged by the ruling class, and his father is the one aiming for war. Had it been just him, there would have been time for a more elaborate exploration of the history of this world, the phoenix horses, his role in the rebellion, and – most importantly – the actual race.
As it stands, we got the bare bones of everything and only managed to skim the surface of a world that has every potential for being absolutely amazing. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the second book in the duology will offer more in terms of world building, but the ending of Ashlords seems to steer it in a different direction. A girl can dream, right?
biblioemily's review
3.0
3.5 stars. The world-building is extensive and makes the pace move slower than I'd like...yet the Ashlords' gods are just not well explained at all. Also not sure why Pippa's chapters were written in second person. The characters just feel generally underdeveloped. But it is a unique premise and the actual racing section was pretty interesting.
writehollydavis's review
5.0
4.5/5 stars. What a thrilling ride Scott took us on! This book is chock full of rich worldbuilding, strong writing, and exciting adventures! I enjoyed all three POVs (2 from 1st person and 1 from 2nd person which was sooo interesting and quick for me to get used to). I loved the alchemy behind the phoenix horses and the politics between the Ashlords and other clans. I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel!
skateanddonate's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book until she cheated and stole. I wanted her to win the right way. I read for the horses and the race. Violence and war is not my taste.