Ashes

By: Iona Wayland

Narrated by: Melissa Medina

After her brother Donny's tragic death, Angela Soloman is instructed where to lay his ashes to bring peace to his restless spirit. She must journey and battle deviant supernatural beings, face her own traumatic past, and follow the rules of Hollow Forest to avoid the stalking creature called the Canid Carey. With help from a mysterious ally, she fights to quiet more tormented souls than one.

©2020 Allison Jade Wagner (P)2021 Allison Jade Wagner

Brilliant Debut!

This book exceeded my expectations! The flow is rather strenuous. However, I think its a good communication of the themes and nature of the story. I was certainly submerged in the narrative. The world building is rather light which causes some holes for me but but packs a punch nonetheless. The characterization is solid for all characters. And the ending is really fitting i think. The more i think back on the story, the more I appreciate Wayland’s imagination and efforts!
The narration is good, but the audio book is missing some dialogue in chapter 20. That error will need to be fixed.
Otherwise, this has become one of my favorite books of 2023. For a sequel, i think i a pov from Wyatt would be interesting or something that explains the Hollow Wood would be nice. I’ll be ok the look out for sure!

A story that creeps in

Following Angela as she deals with loss and trauma, through a surreal, magical experience, this story is a trip. It has vivid and visceral imagery that hits hard, in my opinion, and I swallowed every moment of it.
The narrator does a great job overall, managing to channel the different characters in an engaging way. There are a few editing mistakes in the audio, which is a shame, but it wasn't bad enough to ruin the experience.

This is how immersion is done!!!

I loved almost every bit of this story. And though it is a tale of tragedy and grief, I experienced the catharsis of the characters throughout their journeys. I felt the pain from Angela, Donnie, and Wyatt. I laughed and cried at the ending plot twist and could not have been more satisfied with how it wrapped up. And all the struggles that took place in Hollow Forest, hold a special place in my dark heart for its amazing world building and it's creepy creatures.
Iona Wayland wrote an epic story and Melissa Medina brought Angela's tale to life!! I will be raving about this book for quite some time!!

A dark fantasy journey everyone can relate to

After her brother’s untimely death, Angela Solomon must battle supernatural beings and echoes of the past to put his soul to rest, but when an unexpected ally comes to her aid, she begins to realize that her inner demons pose an equal threat to the monsters keeping her brother from rest.

Ashes is a dark fantasy with a nonlinear timeline that delves into trauma, death, and healing. Wayland weaves these elements together with ease and compassion for the characters. The book builds tension in a really great way throughout the story, and fully realizes both timelines being explored. It begins with intrigue and turns into a race against time as Angela struggles to save much more than just her brother’s soul.

Love this story

Read Ashes twice. Love this story so much. Hoping to read more from Iona in the future.