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A review by the_cheerful_necromancer
Smoke and Ashes by Tanya Huff
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Partially ported over from my now-abandoned Goodreads:
A really solid end to the Smoke series, I think this one met the expectations I brought with me from Book 2, although that one remains my favourite.
The tension is just as well-crafted as in Mirrors, and Tony's character development is well-rounded and satisfying, though not world-shattering (since it's not a main focus).
The magic system solidifies in this final novel as Tony gets to grips with his ability, and Huff's interpretation of wizardry is innovative and fascinating- there's some details she includes that I haven't ever seen before, and I loved it.
If I've got one complaint, it's that the resolution for all the (very Queer!) sexual tension was a bit quick. Then again, it's made up for by how much of that sexual tension there was! There was also a lot of sex in this one, which I didn't quite come prepared for, but given the cover art, and the sex-demon premise... yeah, that's on me.
Demonic sex-appeal-powers are used a little too much for my taste. Some of the action also happens off-page, which makes the pacing a bit squiffy- could maybe have been streamlined some more, but it's not as though the book feels bloated, so it's acceptable nonetheless.
A really great end to a series I enjoyed immensely, this book wrapped it up pretty well, and I'm glad.
A really solid end to the Smoke series, I think this one met the expectations I brought with me from Book 2, although that one remains my favourite.
The tension is just as well-crafted as in Mirrors, and Tony's character development is well-rounded and satisfying, though not world-shattering (since it's not a main focus).
The magic system solidifies in this final novel as Tony gets to grips with his ability, and Huff's interpretation of wizardry is innovative and fascinating- there's some details she includes that I haven't ever seen before, and I loved it.
If I've got one complaint, it's that the resolution for all the (very Queer!) sexual tension was a bit quick. Then again, it's made up for by how much of that sexual tension there was! There was also a lot of sex in this one, which I didn't quite come prepared for, but given the cover art, and the sex-demon premise... yeah, that's on me.
Demonic sex-appeal-powers are used a little too much for my taste. Some of the action also happens off-page, which makes the pacing a bit squiffy- could maybe have been streamlined some more, but it's not as though the book feels bloated, so it's acceptable nonetheless.
A really great end to a series I enjoyed immensely, this book wrapped it up pretty well, and I'm glad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
This book has a lot of sex in it. It's not actually pornographic, but it's fairly explicit nonetheless.