This was my first book by Django Wexler but it certainly won't be my last. After reading Ashes of the Sun, I'll be diving into their backlist!

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the premise of rival siblings. Maya and Gyre are separated as children and when readers meet them years later, they are essentially on opposing sides of a war. Maya is in the Twilight Order, while Gyre's main objective is to destroy the Order. The tension this caused kept the plot tautly paced and yanked me through the book.

Another thing I noticed that I loved was Wexler's writing. The prose was excellent--well-written yet accessible, and I just fell into the story from page one. For this reason, I absolutely think readers who may primarily read YA fantasy and are interested in trying adult fantasy would love this book.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ashes of the Sun walks the line between sci-fi & fantasy, with long-lost artifacts powering magical technology. The haken is the chosen weapon of the centarchs…basically a sword with a blade made of elemental magic, which is so radical!

The two POV characters in Ashes of the Sun are siblings; Maya and her brother, Gyre. When Maya was five and Gyre was eight, Maya was taken from their family farm by a mysterious centarch of the Twilight Order. Promising to cure Maya of the various illnesses she’s struggled with, the centarch doesn’t get far before Gyre, bereft, attacks the man. The centarch reacts violently, leaving Gyre not only without a sister, but with a vicious scar as well.

The action picks up twelve years later, with Maya now a centarch-in-training, and Gyre part of a rebellion who look upon the centarchs almost as oppressors. Now, this isn’t necessarily a good v. evil kindaof setup. But if it helps to think of the Twilight Order as the Jedi, well, ok. It is a big organization with a rich history, and while they ultimately stand for peace & justice, there are inevitably some corrupt & twisted members of the Order. But all the cool worldbuilding & epic action scenes in the world don’t much matter without a great cast of characters, and Ashes of the Sun introduces us to some truly memorable characters.

Ashes of the Sun is literally everything I’d look for in a fantasy book. It’s fun, super heartfelt, and beautifully diverse. It’s original, wildly vivid, and honestly so thrilling.

I used my review copy to interview Django for the Fantasy Inn podcast, which has received several hundred listens and is continuing to find a larger audience.

I did not expect any different, but wow I really enjoyed this book.

The first couple chapters were a little rough while I was trying to figure out where the story was happening, and what was going on, then once I started to get a handle on it I was on for the ride.

Django Wexler does a great job of balancing plenty of action with a supporting background of intrigue. I stayed up all night to finish the book, hoping I would get some answers to questions about some of the bigger world plot going on. The characters are not perfect, but they are relatable enough that I enjoyed reading about all of them. Sometimes having two major POVs means you end up dreading switching back to the other from your favorite, but I found both of them interesting and engaging.

Overall this was well worth the read, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel to see where the story goes next.

I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would have. I think it was a mix between not being in the mood for it and the pacing. I've been trying to put off this review because I still don't really know how I feel about it.

There were interesting creatures, magic systems and I really enjoyed the world building. I don't think I connected to the characters as much as I would normally like to and a few parts left me questioning... Again, I think that was more due to me being a mood reader than the book itself?

I think I as a bit thrown off from the beginning as well, as we were introduced to two siblings playing when the young girl is taken by the Twilight Order and then time jumps 12 years. The story obviously opens up throughout the book, but I was already thrown and had a hard time following and keeping interest due to this and the pacing through the first 1/3 of the book.

The writing was wonderful though, very descriptive and emiersive. This was my first introduction to Wexler's work.

I generally love stories like this and am planning to pick this up again at a later time for a re-read. I will update my review accordingly once I do since I feel that I may have a better grasp on the story and my thoughts about it. Until then, don't take my word on this incoherent review and check it out for yourself!

As the author puts it, this was a book that heavily reminds me of star wars. It was a delightful read and the most admirable parts of it are the environment and general mystery created after massive events that took place long before the story. The characters felt very weak at times, and I didn't enjoy the bizarre romantic affairs that sprouted up like weeds. Overall, I would say this was a fun read and I'd like to see where it goes from here.

Another great story from Django Wexler. I have yet to be disappointed by this author. I highly recommend this book. Thanks Netgalley

Like any addict, I have my rituals. One of those is that I divide my SFF authors into three categories.

There are those authors whose work I like and admire, or who have been vouched for by someone whose judgment I respect and I’ve decided to give them a try. Currently on my list are the likes of Kearney, Sykes, Scalzi, Liu, Jemisin. To be read, at leisure.

Then there are those whose new books are added to my to-read list (Jemisin, Tad Williams, Hobb), even if I don’t always get around to reading them immediately.

And lastly there are those authors whose every new publication I must read as soon as available (if not sooner). I scheme to obtain the book early by ordering through amazon.jp (12 hours ahead of EST), purchasing ARC copies from ebay, or travelling considerable distances to find a bookstore that has it in stock and is oblivious of embargoes. I end up finishing their books within 72 hours of publication or sooner.

In this list I put Martin (duh), Lynch (yes, even now), Abercrombie, Butcher, Gaiman, Mantel, Zachary Mason, and Django Wexler. Wexler? Why not Sanderson or Rothfuss or any of a half dozen big names in the SFF world? Consistency in quality is a big reason, as is the ability to vary style. Speed of publication also matters (see above, re addiction). The ability to surprise.

Stephen Donaldson has spoken about his discovery that his fans weren’t really fans of Stephen Donaldson (despite the excellent work he has done in various genres) but fans of Thomas Covenant. For me to become a fan of an author and not just their best-known work means I trust every word they write is worth reading. And I’ve read everything Wexler has written so far.

All this navel-gazing brings to me Ashes of the Sun, Wexler’s second book this year, and the start of a new series that came out at the end of July. I obtained an ARC through NetGalley for the promise of an honest review.

It should be no surprise that I think it’s really, really good. It rivals the Shadow Throne as a first novel. And while it lacks the electric figure of Janus bet Vhalnich, the choice of a brother-sister protagonist (Gyre and Maya) works extremely well. The world-building is very well done and the accomplishments and set-backs feel earned. The magic system is cool and interestingly mixed in with ancient lost technology. It's inspired by Star Wars and there are homages in the novel.

There's something of a caper novel about it, and mysteries are gradually revealed with the promise of more. As in his earlier Shadow Campaigns series, Wexler doesn't shy away from demonstrating the human cost of grand ambitions and noble sentiments in maimed bodies and casualties.

If there is a part of the novel that is somewhat disappointing, it is the ending which feels somewhat unconvincing. But all in all another excellent novel with the promise of much more to come.

Easily going on my favorites of all time shelf. There wasn't a moment I didn't like, I never once glanced or skimmed a section because I was getting bored or that the story was too long. There is so much amazing world building in this that the second the next books are released I will instantly pre-order my copy. The plot is engaging and gripping, the characters warrant the time invested creating them. There's twists, there's a ton of suspense, there's just really everything you want from a book of this genre, or any for that matter. I think fans of Star Wars will enjoy this as well as fans of epic fantasies. I have not read any other Wexler novels yet so I'll need to add his work to my TBR pile. Thanks, had a ton of fun with this one. Probably best book of the year for me.

Long ago, a magical war destroyed an empire, and a new one was built in its ashes.

Ashes of the Sun alternates between the perspectives of two siblings, Gyre and Maya, who are separated at a young age when the Empire seizes Maya. Fast forward twelve years to the present. Gyre holds a grudge against the Empire and lives to destroy the Twilight Order that enforces its rule. Maya trains to become a centarch of the Order. When Gyre chases rumors of a fabled city in search of an artifact powerful enough to bring down the Empire, the siblings’ paths cross.

Through Gyre, Maya, and their respective companions, Wexler explores the complexities of family and duty, justice and freedom. Gyre and Maya’s beliefs in their respective causes are tested through the characters they encounter and the situations they face, resulting in compelling character arcs as they rise and fall and climb back up. On Maya’s end, a f/f relationship develops gradually from friendship to something more.

I enjoyed many elements of the worldbuilding. The world has unique hair colors (blue, green—colors I’d only before seen in anime hair!), the use of hakens and deiat (think lightsabers, but with magic), and goblin technology. The people have found unique ways to adapt to post-fantasy apocalyptic life. And the magic and technology result in epic fight scenes. As this is a Star Wars inspired novel, Star Wars fans may enjoy seeing its influences on the world that Wexler has created.

Ashes of the Sun is an enjoyable read that drew me deeper into its thrall as the story progressed. Once I hit the 50% mark, I couldn’t put this book down. I look forward to seeing what Wexler brings us in the next installment of the Burningblade & Silvereye trilogy.

I haven't read Django Wexler before now, and I can see myself picking up his other work. This was a wonderful fantasy adventure with hints of D&D - Video Game like sequences. Complex, diverse characters, perfect for a young adult audience.

This was an interesting take on sibling rivalry. At first you start out with a brother and sister who enjoy each others company. Then someone comes along and takes the sister away. All while injuring the brother but also giving him the motivation he needs to destroy those who took away his sister. And by the way these people are so powerful the brother has little to no chance of avenging himself or his family. Fast forward a number of years now the brother finds himself on the opposite side of his sister in a fight for a discovery that could upset the balance of power in their world.

If you did not grow up with a sibling this book may seem strange to you. The beginning is very long winded. and drags on and on. The middle is better and the end feels like a race to the words, the end. At least until the next book in this new series. The fighting between the siblings is what is supposed to carry the book. The problem is when one multi legged character gets involved the story loses itself for a few chapters. Overall this was good. i can relate to the sibling issues but the rest was just decent.

An epic fantasy tale filled with twists and turns and an intriguing cast. Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson and Michael Sullivan.

I am telling you, this book is a MUST READ! Pick it up right this instant and thank me later. Having read all of Wexler's books, Ashes of the Sun marks the pinnacle of the authors craft as this is by far his best book yet (high praise when his past work has been excellent as well).

As a reader, I am a master of fantasy. It's what I read and love more than any other genre and for my YouTube channel I tend to read about 120 books a year. I'm already more than halfway past that goal as of this book's July publication. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is among the best books I've read in the last 2-3yrs. Ashes of the Sun seriously impressed me and I'm shattered I have to wait a year for a sequel.

This book follows two siblings who are ideologically opposed after having been torn apart in childhood. Maya belongs to the Twilight Order, the guardians of humanity, sworn to the Chosen who disappeared after wielding destructive power in the war to exterminate the Ghouls 400yrs ago. The Order are the highest authority in the land and they make sure to keep it that way by maintaining their stranglehold on humanity by way of an endless quest to seek out and destroy the technology and magic of the ghouls.

On the other side we have Gyre, Maya's older brother whose eye and whose family was destroyed by the Order Centarch who abducted Maya as a child. Gyre has been searching his whole life for something powerful enough to cast off the yoke that the Order keeps of humanity, and to get his personal revenge doing it.

This world is really interesting as it and its economy rely on a lot of Ghoul-derived technology called Dhak or arcana that people scavenge, ignorant or contemptuous of the Order interdictions against it. The world is also run rampant with a Plague, magical in nature, as well as the humans called Dhakim who wield the Ghoul fleshmagic that seems to have created it in the first place. The Dhakim are humans who are hunted down relentlessly for using Ghoul magic to craft Plague-beasts, nightmarish creatures who ingest other animals (humans preferably) to repurpose and twist the corpses in order to grow. Think horrifying versions of Sanderson's Mistwraiths. These beasts are horrors of exposed meat and mix matched limbs who are driven by a ravenous hunger to endlessly consume. When large enough the creature splits itself into smaller versions that continue the cycle to create an endless sea of monstrous broken flesh.

And if that weren't bad enough, it seems like the two sides of that ancient war might not be as dead and buried as everyone thought, for forces are stirring that may plunge the world back into conflict, unleashing a level of horror that will see unfathomable atrocities committed unless someone can stop them in this pulse-pounding tale that will see new legends rise—the legends of Silvereye and Burningblade.

Check out a deeper review on my YouTube channel Books Rebound where I talk about all things fantasy!

"How much trouble would I be in if I lit him on fire just a little?"

So I received the ARC of this from Netgalley and I made myself start it since it just came out 😅 and great cashews!!

I bought it immediately half way into chapter 2.

There are VERY few books I enjoyed from start to finish and this is definitely a new favorite of mine.

The story starts after a war with two children, Gyre and Maya, showing how Maya was taken from you family by a Centarch when she was 5 and Gyre refused to let him take her even tho he was only 8 he dared to take on the warrior of the Twilight Order. Losing his eye in the attempt as a "lesson" this set the brother and sister on two very different life courses. One fighting with the order. Who believes they are the best hope for the people and keeping the dhak away from the wrong hands. The other a rebel fighter. Trying to find the tomb in which will destroy all of the Twilight Order and their outdated ways of the "Chosen ones".

I simply adored the characters mostly Kit Doomseeker. If you read it you will understand.

And if you didn't get a little wiff of it does have a starwars vibe. Which I'm living for!

And that cover!!! Was Definitely the main reason I click on it.

I'd rate this at somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars. Though it certainly has potential and I'm more than a little interested in seeing what happens next I'm not sure the world building or even characters were really here for me to get super into the story.

I like the concept a lot. The world of Ashes of the Sun is one built on the bones of an ancient war. 400 years ago the Chosen and the Ghouls fought it out for world supremacy and the Chosen lost and the Ghouls vanished. They left behind amazing and mysterious technology only the Chosen and their heirs can use and the remnants of dhaka, a strange, organic Ghoul magic.

Now society is kept under control by The Twilight Order and their Centarchs (wielders of Chosen power that allows them to use Chosen tech). The Order works to maintain peace, but their numbers have dwindled over the years and things are pretty chaotic. Lots of people live in abject poverty underground and a very small merchant, nobility class basically hoards everything and keeps the masses enslaved to their factories and mines.

So into that world are thrust siblings Maya and Gyre. When Maya is five years old she's taken by the Centarchs who correctly identify her chronic illnesses as a sign that she's a wielder of Chosen power. Gyre attempts to stop them and his horribly mutilated as a result. Years pass and Maya becomes a powerful Centarch apprentice and Gyre is a respected member of a group of bandits who are kinda sorta also freedom fighters with no real goals.

That's unfortunately where things kind of fall apart for me. Despite an interesting idea for a setting and some fascinating pre-story historical tidbits we never really learn much about the Chosen or the Ghouls or the war or what really happened versus what everyone believes. The people who are anti-Twilight Order don't really have a better idea for how the world should work they just sort of abstractly believe the order is evil. The Order isn't evil or good really, its just a bunch of mildly ineffective scholars who send people out on missions to fight monsters and argue among themselves. Its not even very clear how, with so few of them, they even manage to stay in power.

I think we're meant to feel that Gyre and Maya are truly pitted against each other in a Civil War level rivalry but Gyre's total lack of motivation beyond "they took my sister" make his blood thirsty desire to basically end the world seem kind of insane and Maya, who seems to be a really good person, kind of sort of figures out that not everyone in the Order is a good person but honestly most of them seem to be and they seem like they're trying to help people so I just didn't really get what was at stake. There just wasn't any true dramatic tension.

What Django Wexler seems way more interested in is the sex lives of his characters. Because I sure learned a heck of a lot about Maya's crush on her companion Baq and Gyre's firey flirting with the more than mildly sociopathic Kit.

I have some hope that Wexler will get more in depth on the actual story in the second book, which I would like to read but alas, this promising concept loses almost all of its punch to star crossed love affairs and half hearted sibling rivalry. I would, at least, like to know what happens next.

The theme to my life recently, it seems, is being late. This released last week, gah!

I actually picked up the audio already for this, I had 20% left to go on release day and I needed to get through it quickly and I didn’t have time to physically read. The audio is pretty good, although, the first rating on audible was a 1 star. I do think this narrator could be marmite-like. She is a very expressive narrator that uses a lot of accents and tonal changes to create the characters voices. She also has a very storyteller quality to her narrations which may or may not work for you. Personally, I enjoyed it.



Anyway, this is a story about two siblings and their polar opposite roles in society. When Maya was very young she was taken away from her family by the Twighlight Order. She was constantly sick, and it was getting worse as the years progressed. The Twilight Order said they could help, but, unfortunately that also meant she couldn’t go back and visit her familt until she was done with training. ..which takes over a decade to finish. As the years went by they faded from her memory, and the Order became more like a family to her than the one she left behind. She had a mentor who I really liked and want to see more of in the next book.

Her brother, Gyre, tried to defend his sister when she was being taken. Maya was crying and screaming and didn’t want to go, so he stabbed the order member in the leg. He lost an eye for it, and he’s been bitter ever since. Bitter that his family was torn apart. Bitter about his parents subsequent deaths and depression. Bitter that there’s an organization thats above the rest, and dictates what magical items can and cant be used. As the years marched on he became a rebel leader, and a thorn in the Order’s side that they would like to eliminate.

Maya’s perspective paints the Order in a complex light, making them not the evil enemy that reading only Gyre’s POV would lead you to believe. I love when each side of a war is equally represented and neither side inherently wrong. The Order serves as a protection from dark magic, and from plaguespawn.

This is a really neat world, I love old school epic fantasies with tons of magic. I love the gross horrors of the Plaguespawn, which are monsters of a frankenstein nature…put together pieces of animals and humans to make a functional, albeit terrifying creature.

I enjoyed both Maya and Gyre, they were both relatable in their own ways, and had compelling arcs. I was waiting and waiting for them to finally meet up and it doesn’t happen until like 60% through the book. I was hoping their meeting would have held bigger consequences for their arcs, but it didn’t, yet. That could be coming in later installments.

The prose was excellent, as to be expected of Django. The pacing threw me off a bit at the end. It seemed like the story was wrapping up and setting up for the sequel and… lol it just kept going for a while. All things considered that’s not a huge problem, and I did enjoy what came later.

I recommend this to people who enjoy dual povs, sibling povs, lots of magic, old school epic fantasy, and two sides of a ‘war’. (Not a war yet, just rebellion from the lower class).

Ratings

* plot: 12/15

* characters: 12.5/15

* world building: 13.5/15

* writing: 13.5/15

* pacing: 11/15

* originality: 11/15

* personal enjoyment: 8/10

Final Score: 81.5/100 or 4/5 stars on goodreads!

I have read Mr. Wexler’s books and enjoyed them, but Ashes of the Sun was a step too far out of my usual reading.
Swords wielding heroes, some arcanists, mages and or alchemists, fine. But I draw the line at strange ,misshapen beasts, ghouls, elves, dark or of luminence,, no. My first impression was that this book was more YA than adult. The teen characters, Maya and Gyre , along with the grotesques of a weirdly shattered world would fit in well as a super hero weird science Netflix feature. Pit a few real actors , fitted out with showy prostheses and Have them swirl , jump and skewer baddies and beasts on a blue GCI screen-An appealing hit.
Mr. Wexler’s imagined world is awesomely well done, his characters fully drawn, and the action does not let up. But I simply could not get past the almost over the cartoonish ( I do not use that word in a perjoratiive way) pictures flitting through my head while reading.
Maybe I have simply gotten too old for this genre. Yep, sadly true.
Final words: good stuff for fans of the genre.

Gyre hasn't seen his beloved sister since their parents sold her to the mysterious Twilight Order. Now, twelve years after her disappearance, Gyre's sole focus is revenge, and he's willing to risk anything and anyone to claim enough power to destroy the Order.
Chasing rumors of a fabled city protecting a powerful artifact, Gyre comes face-to-face with his lost sister. But she isn't who she once was. Trained to be a warrior, Maya wields magic for the Twilight Order's cause. Standing on opposite sides of a looming civil war, the two siblings will learn that not even the ties of blood will keep them from splitting the world in two.

3 stars

I received an uncorrected advance copy of Ashes of the Sun in exchange for an honest review. I'd like to thank Django Wexler and Orbit Books for the opportunity.

This is a dystopian book with a twist on the chosen one(s) idea.

The two povs we get are not the love interest this dynamic following a brother and sister one taken by the order to be a soldier and one creates a rebellion soldier reputation based on a legend. So when the brother and sister meet you know they are fighting each other and that leads to confusing turmoil for both of them yet figure in the end they’ll be working together.

The side characters were a trip!

I preferred the brother's story however he was the character that lacked more development (burn, burn, burn things down). Maya was the more rounded character (badass that could be vulnerable) but I preferred the rebellion more than being inside the order/republic.

The end was not mind-blowing but did offer some elements/plot I hadn’t predicted.