I'd give this book a 2.5 stars.

It has so much promise but fell short on some of the delivery. I enjoyed the beginning, with the friends to lovers trope, and it was sad when Lor's village was destroyed. I understood this developing into a plotline about revenge and how she ends up becoming an assasin. The book is reasonably fast paced here which is a strength but there is a lack of world building. I have no real sense of the war that is going on. We have no real knowledge about Lor's powers, what other powers there might be out there. There is no wider context.

When Lor leaves for Epherinia I have no idea why she had to go see a Mage or why there is a prophecy or how it was determined really why she had to marry the Prince. It felt really random. Also when Ryn declares him and Lor as mates this felt a bit random. A bond was perhaps alluded to but I think I only identified this once the mate trope was revealed because I'd read other fantasy books. It did feel like a suprise and mates could've been introduced earlier, even at the beginning when Lor reveals she loves her friend.

When Lor is in the palace it's a bit surprising she stops looking for Vengeance. I get that she's falling in love and wants to embrace this happiness but it seems strange she'd forget the years she's tried to hunt down the people in her village especially with one having been seem in the palace.

When she is kidnapped at the end, this was exciting. We knew people were jealous of her. But again it felt a bit jarring and too random to find her being imprisoned in the castle, allegedly by the King and Prince. There was no previous indication of her being at risk from them. Perhaps with wider world building, information about her powers and the politics in the kingdoms this might make more sense.

Overall I enjoyed the direction of the book and the main plot and I think this book and world has so much potential. Just without the wider world building I was a times left a bit confused and some developments felt a bit random.

As a fan of fae, assassins, and romantic fantasy, I was eager to love this book. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Alora, despite her traumatic past, seemed to rely on luck and fortuitous timing rather than proactive agency. This and the other characters' one-dimensional portrayals gave the story a somewhat generic 'chosen one' feel.

The world-building, while interesting, lacked a truly unique edge, a common challenge in the saturated fantasy genre.

Ultimately, I found it difficult to connect with the story and lost interest. While I believe there's potential, the story needs work.

The premise of this is crazyyyy. 21 year old Alora seeks revenge for her loved ones. She’s hell-bent into finding the men who did that and make them suffer for what they did. No matter that she’s got a weird voice in her head (never was explained why) and she’s got an awful sense of direction. In her world, war’s raging on and she somehow ends up as part of the assassins guild. She’s sent on a mission to the capital and somehow becomes a chosen one for a prophecy of the bad guys???? Crazyyyy but.. I don’t have it hahaha I’m just angry it ended at a cliffhanger!

Thank you Netgalley, Cursebreaker Books, and of course Ember Johnson herself for providing me with an e-ARC to review! 🫶🏼

I’ll do 3.75-4 ⭐️ this was such a fun read!!! Overall I really liked the book and the story and I will absolutely be reading the second one.
I love the FMC. I can relate to her caring so much for those close to her, and being protective. And when she faces grief, she dives deep into the badass version of herself and becomes an assassin to seek vengeance. Are you kidding?!?

There were a couple/few jumps in the time which made the storyline feel a little gapped for me. I didn’t like the plot twist that happens pretty quickly in the story. I wished there would’ve been a little more build to those characters and relationships before anything happens. I felt as though I was starting to get attached just to be jumping to something else.
I also would’ve liked to have more back story on Alora’s powers/magic so I could see why she was so important to the kingdom and what happens in the end of the books events.

I WAAAASSSS kicking my feet + giggling at the relationship between Lor and Ryn. The things he said?! It was nearing an insta-love a little bit but there was yearn to it which I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF. His nickname “love”….. pls 😭😭 swooning

Tid bits:
•loss / grief
•badass FMC
•found family
•fated mates
•fae & human
•magic
•betrayal

Alora vows to avenge her family. But she is betrothed to the hateful prince who also happens to be her one night stand and fated mate. Lots of tragedies and a very dramatic storyline.... Love the characters. Lots of intrigue. It has a slow start but it got interesting half way for me. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Awesome read. I love a female assassin. Always makes me disturbingly happy to read about savage woman doing shadowy things. I was hooked from page one. Finished it in 1 day! I loved it. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

3.5 stars
Daughter of Shadows and Ash by Ember Johnson is an intriguing mix of vengeance, magic, and fated love. Alora’s transformation from a grief-stricken survivor to an assassin and unexpected symbol of hope immediately captivated me. The emotional depth in the beginning hooked me, and her passionate, fateful encounter with the mysterious stranger set the stage for an intriguing romance.

However, after the initial 20-30% of the book, the momentum slowed, and some aspects felt underdeveloped. There were repetitive phrases that occasionally pulled me out of the story, and I wanted more depth regarding Alora’s magic and her grandmother’s role, which I hope will be explored further in the sequel.

That said, I truly enjoyed Alora’s character—she’s strong and determined, making her journey compelling. The ending left me excited to see how her story will continue. If you enjoy fantasy romance with fated mates, assassins, and dark forces, Daughter of Shadows and Ash is worth picking up, and I’ll be reading the next installment to uncover more of Alora’s story.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for letting me read this arc!

The story is very interesting but the execution was done poorly.

This is a fast pace adult romantacy that reads very YA. It starts of pretty good but goes from 0-100 very quickly. The world building was not there, and the story itself needed to be more fleshed out. It felt like we were jumping from one event to another without much context, so over all it fell very flat. The insta love from our fmc to another character also didn't leave room for any realistic connection between the too.

I can see what the author was trying to do with the story and I think with more fleshed out storytelling and world building this could be epic!

This is what you will call a fastpaced action-packed fantasy with romance, vengeance assassins and a bit of magic.

The world building and storyline was interesting, but I could have used a bit more of literally everything.
The maincharcter Lor was great, and she held her ground through every challange.

3,5 stars and a thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Post on IG the 28 jan. 2025 (one_fairy_tale_at_the_time)

Thank you to NetGalley and Ember Johnson for this ARC. I enjoyed this book, it definitely has elements that made me think of Throne of Glass. I am missing more of the story, such as more world building and character development. I was drawn into Alora and her story but just wanted more. It feels a little rushed for me. I am totally excited for the next installment in this series though and can't wait to see what Ember has in-store for Alora and her epic journey.

Very fortunate to be chosen as an ARC reader! I loved reading Lor’s story and can’t wait for the next installment. The first half of the book was a little slower paced after an absolute heart break. There’s a bit of a time jump and I do wish we had more of that time period but I also understand why it was skipped. I wasn’t sure where it was going but once it came together at the capital it took off and I couldn’t put it down. The ending was brutal though (in the best way)…probably the worst cliffhanger I’ve been left on since Iron Flame. I need to know what’s going on!!

Daughter of Shadows and Ash is so so good. I loved this book so so much!!!! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't give it more. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good.

3.5 stars.
First of all thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author to give me a chance to read this before release date. Plenty of great characters and the storyline is great. It just felt that the plot was a bit rushed to me. Would have liked more in the beginning about grandma and her story than just rush it all into war straight away.

I want to thank NetGalley for this eArc. I would realistically give this book 3.5 stars. I think the read was fun, smooth and gripping and I cannot wait to read the next book! What I will say is I feel like some of the pacing was a bit choppy (didn’t negatively impact the read) but I would have been fine with more pages and a longer read to have some smoother transitions.
Alora is an interesting character and her development was good, even if she annoyed me a bit in the first few chapters lol. I love that she truly went through something and we saw it not just flash backs. I think that was such an interesting way to go about the story. I do think that the mate bond situation could have been drawn out a little more. I felt like the real meat and potatoes of this book was at the end where not only was it gripping but really left me wanting book 2!

What a roller coaster! Lor is an extremely strong FMC that just sometimes forgets how deep that strength goes. I resonated with the idea that those we love are always with us even when they cannot physically be there. I feel like the story flowed well. Although I probably should have been, I wasn’t completely prepared for the cliffhanger of an ending. I’m anxious to see if redemption is to be had in the next book.

This was a fun yet dark note to end the year on!!
First of all I love a FMC billed as a deadly assassin that turns out to *actually* be a capable and deadly assassin, and I loved that the writer gave Alora at least 50% of the book to embrace and hone this before she starts getting distracted by boys. She may be little, but she also be stabby.

Alora's backstory of loss is heartbreaking and her need to go scorched earth for vengeance understandable. She is likeable as a character and easy to root for. There's a very strong found family connection throughout this book, which she definitely deserves. You really do want her to have it all by the end of this book (all meaning both grisly revenge and happy ever after)

My only real gripe, and sadly one that has really affected my rating for this book, is the fact that the author cannot seem to choose between present and past tenses, sometimes even within the same paragraph/sentence. I enjoyed the story, but this proved extremely distracting. I did receive this as an ARC though, so this may well have been addressed by it's official release date (which is January 16th)

That said, I enjoyed it as a fun, easy fantasy read and I will definitely be needing the next book in the series because ominous prophecies are afoot, plus.... THAT ENDING!! GAH!!

3.5/5

What a great beginning to a series. I wish it had been a little longer, especially in getting to know the characters in the book. It felt rather rushed. I read it in less than 2 hours. The unique storyline hooked me quickly, as well as the beautiful writing. I am looking forward to the next book! I would have loved to sink into the book even more with a little more storytelling instead of the huge time jumps. It's interesting how it verges on mystery, on romance, and on suspense. I liked the twists and the plot, and it was a good story. I just wish there had been a little more delving into the meat of the story and the characters. It is a little too fast-paced and skims over the important mystery solving and character building stuff that would be delightful to explore.

3 Stars for me!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for allowing me the privilege to have ARC access an allowing me the privilege to give my honest and open review of this book!

Wow this book was such a fun read and a great way to start off the new year. I really loved how sweet our FMC was and the true character development and challenges throughout the book! I felt as though the world building was truly immersive and I could picture and thoroughly live through what the character was experiencing. The relationship between characters as well as their interactions and commentary. There were many moments throughout the series that were highlighted as thy represented such a raw and real moment of truth and experience that allowed you to connect and relate to the characters.

I will say the story felt as though we would be taking one step forward just to go two steps back in certain points throughout the story. I also wish we got more within the story as certain moments felt rushed. I wish there was more story telling during these pivotal moments within the FMC's story. Some of the story was predictable but again I think it was just because it was rushed and more tellings during these moments really could have amped the story. Not to mention the ending just felt predicable as many common themes lay within the story. I can truly see where the comparison to Throne of Glass comes from, but you can feel much of Maas's themes from throughout her different book series within this one.

The FMC was a truly fun character but there were moments that gave me pick me energy that kind of threw off my relationship with the character and made interactions harder to connect with. I wish we had more insight into her adventures and what she experienced throughout the story. Not to mention the time umps made me feel like I lost out on truly understanding what our FMC wen through and made her into who was she was representing within the segment of the story. Her humor and drive to power through hardships was truly a great adventure and I cannot wait to see more with her character and where she goes with her powers and overall growth.

This story follows Alora’s battle to avenge her loved ones and rebuild herself anew. The story is fast paced and there was a constant flow of action throughout.

For me this book started out brilliantly, the first 20-25% i was hooked. I do feel as though the early plot twist was a bit disappointing for me, as i was really invested in that part of the storyline and felt many questions were left unanswered and the book just moved on rather quickly. This led on to basically the whole book really. She was doing this then she was doing something completely different almost instantly, but maybe this is more about the characters personality and soft heart than the writing of the book.

Personally i feel like the events could have spanned over two books perhaps and been more drawn out and built up to. Regardless of this i did enjoy the book, it was an easy read with a little spice, romance and the usual fights and betrayals.

3.5⭐️

Daughter of Shadows and Ash by Ember Johnson

4/4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC copy

"I'm starting to think this bond is cursing you with lunacy."

"If it is, I'll live the rest of my life cursed under your entrhall. I can't help but be obsessed with you."

Um with quotes like that??? Swoon.

So to start, I started this last night and binged all the way through today! That should tell you it was a pretty decent read, also kind of a quick one.

I have a lot of positives to say about this and only one or two semi negative things so let's get into it.

The first thing I want to discuss is the writing is beautiful. This is eloquently written. It is rare that I find a book, especially an indie book, with such nice prose. The wording was very detailed and just honestly so beautiful. It is very elaborate and detailed. Sometimes that however felt like too much, and did bog the story down just a tad, but in all honesty I would rather read overly detailed and beautiful writing than half assed writing, so that's all fine by me.

I loved the characters. Alora is a great FMC, she seems strong willed and passionate, and I love a good character building/out for revenge/badass assassin type vibes. This felt all like it was inspired by "Throne of Glass" while still being its very own unique tale, and I love that.

The only two semi negative things I have to say is the pacing felt off. At times it felt crazy rushed, and it felt too much like the story was skipping along too fast. That alone is what kept it from being a 5 star read for me. However, I will give grace there as its just book one - so we will have to wait and see what the author has in store for us in the next two books.

The only other minor complaint I have is it felt like a really strong start, and a really strong end, but the middle felt a little muddled for me. Part of that was world building/character building, etc. but then that made the beginning and ending feel a little rushed.

Again though - it was good enough as it was that I'm not mad about it! I really enjoyed the story as I mentioned, and I ate this up. I'm actually quite sad it's over for now and I am eagerly awaiting the next two books! This one was a real fun romantasy read, and I would recommend it to fans of the genre. It gave me heavy TOG vibes, with some ACOTAR vibes, etc. and I think this is going to be a really fun trilogy.

I will be picking this up to add to my own personal library upon release, and I'll likely be re-reading it again soon, or atleast before book two drops. :)


Original thoughts:

- Just getting started on reading it since the pub date is just a couple weeks out.

Initial thoughts are I'm excited but scared - this may be a little more YA than I enjoy based on other reviews, but we will see. I am excited about the banging playlist at the start of the book though???

David Kushner/Bad Omens/Sleep Token and my favorite, TAYLOR SWIFT?? It's got to be a good book right? The author has clearly impeccable music taste.