Do you like YA Fantasy? Have you encountered a Scott Reintgen book yet? Oh boy, this teacher can write! I’ve read all his books to date. This is one badass book!

Medival-like times meet Horseracing meets Alchemy. What more could you want in a book? Once again, Mr. Reintgen has given his young (and old) readers the adventure not to be forgotten. I don't even want to give a "this is what the book is about" summary because I don't want to ruin the journey for anyone! I just suggest that if you love fantasy, if you love strongly developed characters and out of this world writing that you read this book. You will not regret it!

Thanks to Netgalley, Scott Reintgen and Randomhouse Childrens for the great opportunity to read Ashlords in lieu of my honest review. It has been an honor and a pleasure to read it and recommend it!

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . 

ashlords (Scott Reintgen)

Title: ashlords

Author: Scott Reintgen

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0593119174

Source: NetGalley

To those new to the crew, ye should know that horses were me first love before the sea stole me heart.  So obviously the flaming horse cover drew me in.  I have enjoyed this author's work in the past and I just had to read this.

Me favorite part of this book was of course the horses, known as phoenixes, in this particular world.  Basically these horses were gifts from the gods, are powered by the sun, and last a day before bursting into flames and turning into ashes.  The riders save the ashes and when they are set back out in the rising sun, the phoenix horse is reborn.  Of course there be a catch.  If ye mix certain chemicals into the ashes, the phoenix's properties can change.  They can become faster, grow armor, etc.  This phoenix magic was so very cool.

The plot involves a yearly competition called The Races.  Eleven riders participate to see who will be champion.  The winner receives fame and money.  But the race is dangerous, sabotage is expected, and people have been known to die.  The ashlords are the ruling elite and have the best chance of winning.  But there are two other groups of people - the middle class Longhorns and the Dividians at the bottom.

This story has three points of view - racers from each of the three classes.  Pippa is the daughter of two racing champions and belongs to the ashlords.  She was born to win.  Adrian is a Longhorn, a splinter branch of ashlords that doesn't worship the gods.  Adrian is part of a group that be plotting rebellion and winning the race is part of the plot.  And then there is Imelda, a Dividian, who has always dreamed of being in the Races but doesn't truly believe she will.  Her goal is to spend as much time with the phoenixes as possible.  One thing to note about the points of view are that they change tenses: third person, first person, second person present tense.  It was a little odd at first but I got used to it.

This was a quick one setting read that I enjoyed overall.  I loved Imelda from the beginning and found her choices in the race to be the most interesting.  Pippa was a character that has fantastic development.  I hated her in the beginning and she grew on me.  Seriously, it was surprising.  Adrian was the weak link for me and I didn't really like him much.  I never got excited to read his POV.  The other thing I really enjoyed were the gods and how they impacted the race.  I would like to know more about them and how they work.

The main reason I only liked and didn't love this one was the ending of both the race and the book in general.  How the race ended was a bit ridiculous.  Seems to be a trend because taos lightning and the scorpio races had basically the same issues.  As for the ending, well I didn't know it was part of a duology when I read it.  The set-up for book two was rushed and the tone felt completely different from the rest of the book. 

The author's endnotes discuss the changes made to the story from its initial inception.  I wonder if the redirection led to the strange ending.  I kinda wonder what the story would have been like if he had kept the original POV character.  She was me favourite in the book and I was sad she was only a side character.  I am not sure if I will like book two's rebellion (that I saw coming from the get-go) or the love interests that seem to be developing.  But I will be reading it for more of the phoenixes cause they be awesome.  Arrrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Crown Books for Young Readers!

Wow, I freaking loved this!!!
From the introduction at the beginning, I was hooked on this story. I love competitions and the world building in this was so well done. The mash up of magic and technology was interesting and the phoenix horses were awesome. We meet three main characters in this book: Imelda, the poor Dividian who is a phenomenal alchemist and gets to the races on scholarship; Adrian, a Longhand looking to spark an uprising against the ruling Ashlords; and Pippa, one of those Ashlords who's a legacy rider and shoe in to win the races. The rotating points of view gave us a good understanding of the world and helped keep the plot moving.
Entertaining, fun, and exciting, I enjoyed every page of this and I am so excited to see where the story goes in the next book!

Ugh I love Scott Reintgen’s work. His writing just pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Ashlords is full of action with a phoenix-horse racing competition and a growing rebellion. In this world, there is a social hierarchy in which the Ashlords are at the top, the Longhands or those who live in the Reach are in the middle, and the Dividians are at the bottom. The Ashlords rule over the other two “in fire and blood”

This novel follows 3 povs; Pippa who is an Ashlord, Adrian who is a Longhand, and Imelda who is a Dividian. Pippa is the daughter of two former champions and she believes she is destined to win. Adrian is the son of the leader of the growing rebellion and will be their symbol once he wins the race to begin their war. Imelda is known as “the Alchemist” because of her crazy phoenix rebirths. The fame that this brought her gave her a 1 in a million chance to be a part of the race. However, she soon realizes that she never stood a chance at winning.

I give this book a 4.5/5 because I do love the writing and the world building. The characters are diverse and different. I, personally, did not like Adrian. It seemed like the writing was too focused on how he’s a big strong man who could win a fight against anyone when it could’ve been said in less words. My favorite character actually ended up being Pippa, which I did not expect lol. I love how Scott makes his female characters so unapologetically badass and clever.

The pacing started off a little slow. The character development and rotating of three POVs was done very well. The world building could have been more vivid earlier on. I felt like I was filling in gaps to build the world earlier on. About 30% in the world started to become more detailed. This was an interesting book and really picked up speed. If you love character driven reads this is definitely a book you should pick up.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters and the vivid description not this exciting world were so enthralling.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone when it comes out!

I think the big asset of the novel is it universe. The concept of phoenix horses that need to be resurrected every morning is a great idea. The magic system is frankly well found, I enjoyed discovering the different components of the alchemists, the many possibilities and the functioning of the horses. In addition to this magic, we have a rich history, the empire where the story takes place has been attacked in the past, the gods intervened and save the day, and in fact, faced with certain sacrifices they continue to intervene in the life of some peoples. We hardly see the potential of these gods in this first book and I hope they will be more present in the following one. And finally, there is the whole social organization with the rich and affluent winners and the losers without respect or possibility of an evolution.

The book has three POV. The first is Emelda, she belongs to the people who lost years ago, her people face many injustices and it is her participation in the race that will really open her eyes. I found her character well written, she is intelligent, resourceful and I am happy with her intrigue which is not that classic. Adrian our second point of view, is there for one thing, to create a rebellion, he is an outstanding fighter and he will not give up. In this first volume, his evolution is rather classic, but we feel the potential for the next volume. And finally Pippa if there is a word for her, it's badass and it suits her. She has a strong personality, but also certain flaws and I find this character to be the most well written of the three.

For the intrigue, prepare for bloody, violent, and breathless action. There is no downtime in this race and the author is relentless for both his characters and his reader. It's been a long time since I had had such an original book with the world building and it feels good. The ending is also explosive and I can't wait to immerse myself in the maze of political issues with the sequel.

**Review will be posted on my blog/goodreads/instagram on January 15th. I will update the links on that date!**

ACTION-PACKED.

When you read a tagline that has “Red Rising meets The Scorpio Races…”, both of which are books you LOVE, it makes you think you have to know what this book is all about. I can’t say I see the Red Rising resemblance, BUT I do see The Scorpio Races with a bit more fire.

This book easily keeps you reading. I love how action driven this one was (a difference in my usual choices). The three POVs are all unique voices and really drive the desperation each one has to win The Races. What I found odd at first, yet really vibed with as the story went one was the difference in narration from the others. I think it would be more fun to not go into more detail, but it really adds to the personalities in how it was written.

World-building was totally awesome. The phoenix [horses] are killed each night, and rise each day under new conditions. There’s thousands of combinations to give your horse more speed, armor, better heart and lungs, the possibilities are endless. I love how the alchemy and magic system worked for these. I was a bit confused by the addition of gods into the story? They definitely played a part, but felt a bit disjointed. I kept feeling like they were added only to move the plot along because it needed a boost from somewhere.

I loved all of the characters for a variety of reasons. Imelda is the true underdog with a thorn in her side and something to prove. The choices she makes ultimately lead to larger consequences that will be a big deal in book two. Adrian is the saucy son of the rebellion who’s trying to win for his people. Lastly, Pippa, the daughter of two former winners who’s meant to win, supposed to win, and destined to win. Because of the intricacies of styles it was very easy to know which chapter you were in and who was speaking. I appreciated that it wasn’t muddled whatsoever.

Full of action and seriously not sure who was going to win. The race was exciting, with a touch of mystery and plenty of magic. The bigger politics of the society made the phoenix races that much more important and the story that much more enchanting.

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: none
- Violence: fire, physical, whips, guns, swords, battle/skirmishes

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ashlords was a pretty interesting book. In it, you are following three riders who have been entered into a racing competition. This one just has phoenix horses, which are created by ashes with certain components by the Riders. Again, it was interesting and I was kind of getting vibes from other books that feature competitions.

The riders - Imelda, Adrian, and Pippa - were from completely different backgrounds. The one in favor with the gods and Ashlords, Pippa. The other two were the underdogs that you couldn't help but root for. Each person had wanted something from this race - whether it was winning it, finally being seen as a person of value, or something complete different. They all made it an interesting ride from start to finish.

Low-key, I loved Imelda. She was my favorite underdog who was completely underestimated by everyone. They had no idea what tricks she had up her sleeve until the very end. Even then, I don't think they realize what she actually has planned. This reason alone is why I'm freaking excited for another book.

With hints of war and so many other things, there's no reason as to why I wouldn't want to dive into the next book ASAP.

3.8/5 stars

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of ASHLORDS for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

ASHLORDS strongest elements are its intricate world design and beautifully fleshed-out characters. I particularly loved the science behind Phoenix recipes and the delicate calculations required of adding special components. Learning more about that is what kept me reading whenever the first half of the book lost my attention.

Because there were times where my focus wandered elsewhere.

The story moved slowly at first; I could only get myself to read one chapter at a time during the first half of the book. The pace did pick up around the halfway mark, when the races officially began, and held my attention until the very end.

Around 80% through, I said this on Goodreads:

"During this whole book, I've been wondering where the author went. NYXIA captivated me from start to finish, but the first half of ASHLORDS was such a bore. Now, however, I'm so happy I kept reading! This is what I've been waiting for."

Let's talk about Pippa's character development, shall we? I was probably supposed to be rooting for Imelda, the underdog, but Pippa's character development was just too good to ignore. I'm interested to find out how Pippa's loyalties will change, moving forward. If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't all that invested in Imelda's POV during the races. Not until... Well, you'll have to find out for yourself.

I have to believe the tedious start to ASHLORDS was necessary. That the sequel will be full of the action and adventure I so craved until the second half of this book. Only time will tell.

Do I recommend this book? Sure.
Will I be reading the sequel? Yes.

Set in a world where there are 3 groups of people; Ashlords with their gods, Dividian who are second class citizens, and Longhands who are descendants of Ashlords that have spurned the gods. We follow young people from each group as they participate in the annual Races. The Races are a multi-day event where participants ride their Phoenix horses (yes!) through a course. It involves riding, alchemy and fighting. But this year’s race has a rebellious undertone as the Longhands and Dividians are starting to rise up against the Ashloads and the race might be the spark that sends it over the edge. This is such a fun combination of competition, rebellion, science, religion, magic and good characters. I would definitely recommend this one and can’t wait for the next book.

This fantasy gets off to a somewhat slow start, which surprised me a bit after the Nyxia stories' 0-80 speed bang out the gate. But this is also a more complicated world, and a more complicated story being set up.

We've got three POVs, each written in a different style. Reintgen does a fabulous job establishing the three voices through the first half; I noticed that, in spite of the stylistic difference (third person, first person, second person present tense) the voices began to sound the same, causing me sometimes to look back to see who we were with, as the race began in the second half. But I think the adrenaline rush of the brutal race explains the intense focus of the characters, who not only have to win, but to survive.

The worldbuilding, in particular, the horse/phoenixes, is marvelously realized. The Ashlord gods I don't think are computers or robots, as so many fantasies have opted for, but something genuinely weird. (I could be wrong about that. We only learn about them through our young protagonists' eyes as they prep for the race, then embark. Lots of potentially intriguing questions there.) Altogether an involving world and a story that--once it gets going--slams home at mach speed, as the world erupts into war.

I really want to see what happens next!

Let’s start off with a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish for this book. I was provided an eARC of Ashlords in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, all I needed to know about this book was ‘Phoenix Horses’ and I was all in. I was hooked right from the start. We follow three characters, a champion's daughter, a scholarship entrant, and a revolutionary's son. Imelda Beru is our scholarship winner. She’s also known as The Alchemist. I loved her. She saw through the ruse that is the scholarship for Dividians. She was my favorite of the three characters. The other two focused on their goal of winning the race but Imelda has different priorities. I think the next book is going to be even better for her storyline.
Next is Adrian. The Longhand. He’s the son of a prominent leader and has come to win the races. I liked that he was dedicated to his family, but was even more interested when that dedication wavered. I wish that had been explored more. I loved his confidence and his kind heart. I have a feeling that he and Imelda are going to meet in the next book and I am more than here for it.
Finally, Pippa. Her chapters were interesting. They’re written in the second person, but also clearly about Pippa and not the reader. They still had her personality. I thought this was a really interesting way for Pippa to tell her story. I liked her, she was the child of two previous race winners, and planned to become one herself. She doesn’t depend on her parent’s success though. She works hard and that work shows. She is the best and has proven it time and time again. The only part I didn’t like about Pippa was her dreams about Bravos. She focuses on boys instead of winning and that was her first mistake.
The world was incredible. The politics and the drama was very interesting. I liked all the different dynamics. But the Ashlord Gods were the most compelling of all. I wish they had been a bigger part of the story. They have potential to really shake things up and they did a bit of shaking in this book. I’m dying to know more about them and the history of this world.
Overall, this story was incredible. I absolutely adored and will be silently dying inside while I wait for the next book that isn’t even written yet because Ashlords hasn’t even been released yet.

This one had everything going for it for this reader. It was pegged as the Hunger Games meets Red Queen meets The Scorpio Races and well other than that last one the other two I loved. So I thought I would give this one a go. Sadly this one just didn't work for me. The three POVs were fine but the writing wasn't meshing well with me. You have three POVs all in a different stance. One was in first person, one was in second person, and one was in third. For me that was a very odd choice to for a story. If all three POVs would have been in the same format I think that would have been a lot better. I wanted to love the aspect of the Phoenix and I did very much. But the other parts of the story just didn't work out for me.

Overall, I think those who don't mind the switch and writing might enjoy this one very much.


Go Into This One Knowing: Multiple POVS in different tenses

A rip-roaring adventure reminiscent of The Scorpio Races! I loved Reintgen's NYXIA series and this follow up doesn't disappoint. I thought the plot could've moved a bit faster and I wanted a deeper look into the character's relationships with one another, but Reintgen delivered on the concept of phoenix horse races fully. Recommend!

4.25 stars. After reading and loving this author's first series, Nyxia, I knew I'd need more from him. Ashlords was exactly what I was waiting for! This book centers around horses called Phoenixes that die each night in a burst of flames and are raised from their ashes each morning using alchemy and magic. The alchemists choose what strengths and features their horse will have based on the chemicals used.

It's such a unique premise and I loved it. Ashlords is The Scorpio Races meets The Hunger Games meets Hidalgo.

There's a major race every year and this year Pippa, Adrian, and Imelda are 3 of the riders. Each teen comes from a different background and the story is told from their alternating points of view. The race is grueling, and extremely dangerous, especially since the racers try to knock each other out of the competition.

What I really liked was the YouTubing aspect and how 2 of the protagonists film everything for the fans. The race itself is also live reality TV similar to The Hunger Games.

This book kept me up late into the night and now I can't wait for the sequel!!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Childrens for the advance copy!*

This book is incredible!! It's pure adrenaline with the phoenix horse racing competition. I love the concept of the riders having to summon their horses with alchemical powders, and I loved Imelda. She's such a strong character and starts out the story as the underdog of the competition. I loved her "youtube' video concoctions and how her passion for phoenix horse racing was conveyed through her videos.

The story follows multiple perspectives of each of the racers in the competition, and I loved getting to see the different racers from their different castes and having different insights and personalities. Overall, I am super excited to see where the next story goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I'm a simple girl: I see a horse on the cover, I request it. Though the idea of phoenix horses did propel my interest in this book even more. It's an amazingly cool idea, and I think for the most part the world was established well. I got a pretty good sense of who all three of the main characters were-- their personalities, how they saw themselves and the world around them, their goals, et cetera. I usually do my critiques first, so let's get on with it.

The book is broken down into three main POVs: Pippa, Adrian, and Imelda. Except for some reason Pippa is in second person while the other two are in first person. It always bugs me a little when authors single out one of the POVs like this; there never seems to be a purpose and only makes that one narrative stand out. There's no reason or purpose behind Pippa's section being in second person. It's constantly distracting whenever it cuts to her.

Also, this is going to sound weird, but I feel like there was too much plot going on. It's pitched as a mesh between Red Rising and The Scorpio Races. I've only read a few pages of Red Rising, so I was seeing more Hunger Games, but it's still the same idea: some group is being suppressed by the ruling class, there's a violent competition that is entered every year where people pay big money to watch and gamble on the winner, someone from the suppressed class enters said game, there's talk of revolution and war... I don't want to spoil, but there are definitely a lot of comparisons. My problem is that this book would've been just fine if it was a cool race between these athletes from different walks of life. The rebellion and war was adding stuff that wasn't needed, nor did I really get why it would spark war if Adrian won.

There are some pretty big plot holes with the world created here. As much as I loved the gods being involved, it feels like there could be a lot of bad consequences. Murder is treated like a non-issue if it's handled in the right way. There's actually a scene where someone is poisoned during a party and nobody even bats an eye. Yet things like that are not really explored in depth.

I admit I was wanting to see the bond between rider and horse a bit more. Since this is all about the horses needing to die and be reborn every day, I was hoping the book would show the connection. But we don't really get that. I don't mind the focus on the race since it was cool and exciting, and all the creative ways the phoenix horses were used was really fun to imagine. Also, all the characters are interesting but their arcs feel like they all happened very suddenly. They each reach a moment where their thinking shifts, but it's very quick. Also, the climax and resolution happened very quick as well. It honestly felt rushed. Again, if it'd just been about the race, we wouldn't have that problem.

But the world-building is very cool. All the different gods are interesting and I'm very intrigued by how involved they are in the world. They actually go down in "person" to interact with people. I would honestly read another book just about the gods. The phoenix horses are extremely creative and the race itself is exciting. My heart was actually pounding when I read through those parts. I really wanted to see who won and what would happen next. The society is pretty interesting as well. If this is just going to be a duology, that's a shame, because there is so much going on in this world that it can really grow and become richer with more books. Of course, I say that while also thinking the story could've been a lot more simple.

I still enjoyed this book a lot and I'll be checking out the sequel. It has some incredible creativity and imagination. I just feel like maybe it's a little too big, and if I'm being honest, I'm getting a little tired of the "start revolution against oppressive ruling government" cliche in YA books.

I want to love this book I just cant get into it. Love the concept but have to DNF for now. Will pick up hopefully again in the future.

I really wanted to like this book but I ended up not really liking it. The plot was okay but I was bored about half way through.