A Curse of Ash and Embers is the first book in the Tales of the Blackbone Witches series by Jo Spurrier. An intriguing young adult paranormal fantasy that pulls you into the world of witches and magic. A Curse of Ash and Embers has great characters and an action-packed story of two witches trying to clean up the messes made by an evil dead witch who's not quite done yet. The kind of book you don't want to end, so you try and read it slowly to suck it all in.

This book was a solid 2.5 star read, up until the final 75%. From there, the story went from “just okay” to “pretty interesting.” You spend most of the book learning about the world, Elodie’s past, and the rumors surrounding Aleida and her previous mistress, Gyssha. I really wanted to like this book, and it had all of the elements to be incredibly interesting…but it missed the mark for me.

Full Review: November 30th, 2020

This is a book set in a secondary world pre-industrial revolution world with witches and warlocks. The more magical people appear to inhabit the mountains and hills and most of the “normal” folks on the plains do not believe in magic. The primary protagonist, Elodie or “Dee”, is sent to a rural mountain town to become a lady’s maid. While suspicious of how she got this job, Dee nonetheless sets off for sights unknown. With a wretched family life at home, this isn’t a hard decision. Dee very quickly realizes this will not be a normal position.

While I did enjoy parts of this book I also found myself more than a little bored at times, unsure if I wanted to finish reading the book. There were moments of excitement, mostly in the last 20% of the book.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Curse of Ash and Embers was a cute witchy book if you're looking for one but nothing too out of this world. I was entertained well enough throughout the book but it not really a book I see myself recommending to friends or family. Entertaing enough to get through but a bit lackluster

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I could identify with Elodie (Melody without the M). The world building was fantastic, it’s fast paced, & little pieces from the beginning fit into the end. I love making connections in books. Hooking and wonderfully written.
The climax of the book was a little short and at the very, very end and I feel it could have played a little differently but the ending was still awesome and I loved the twists and turns!

A Curse of Ash and Embers is the first fantasy novel in The Blackbone Witches series by Jo Spurrier. In A Curse of Ash and Embers we are introduced to Elodie. A young woman who is hired on as a servant at Black Oak Cottage. Elodie soon realizes she is working for a witch, named Aleida. Aleida is surprised by her arrival, but takes Elodie in, knowing she could use her help.

Aleida is recovering from a battle with an infamous dark witch named Gyssha Blackbone. She may have won the battle, but the war is far from over. Suffering from the effects of a curse enacted by Gyssha, Aleida relies on Elodie for assistance. Soon Elodie realizes that her new job involves much more than she originally thought. Aleida must deal with the remnants of Gyssha's curse and legacy, none of which are easy feats. Aleida enlists Elodie's help, confronting monsters that roam the nearby woods, vanquishing a demon tree from her orchard, and providing assistance in spell-casting.

When Aleida and Elodie are thrust into battle, Elodie must decide if she will embrace what Aleida has taught her or return to her home and family. Will Elodie risk her life to aid Aleida, the witch?

This is such a wonderfully witchy novel! Spurrier does an excellent job of world and story building in this book. Once the world and story building is in place the magic, suspense, trials, and tribulations are thrilling! The story is a little slow to start, which I attribute to providing the reader with knowledge of the world surrounding Elodie and the story that leads us to to the current state of Aleida's character. This knowledge is imperative as the storyline unfolds and I appreciated the slow start for this reason.

The author's detailed writing style allows the reader to visualize events, characters, and monsters in a phenomenal way. This is not a predictable witchy read, it is truly unique. The twists and turns are perfectly placed, engaging, and action-packed.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy fantasy novels centered around witches or magic. This book is action-packed and makes for an engaging read. There are some graphic descriptions of death and dying, so those who are sensitive to these subjects may wish to refrain from reading. There are no instances of profanity or graphic adult content. I believe that mature young adults would enjoy this book as well as adults of all ages.

Elodie is a young woman his is mistreated and used by her family. A mysterious letter shows up offering her a job at Black Oak Cottage. She is forced to take it and as she makes the trip there, she learns that she will be a witches servant. The old witch of the cottage is dead, but her young apprentice has taken her place. Elodie must decide whether the risks of working for a witch are worth it to stay, or if she should flee while she can.

This book is not what I had expected, but it wasn't bad. I really enjoyed the descriptive story telling and the story itself. It is original, fast paced, and intriguing.

However, it was a bit boring and unstructured. Characters were often added to the story, then not talked about again. Things kind of just happened that did not make much sense. I was also severely lacking the magic aspect that I hoped for in a witch novel. I want to know more about the world and the characters, but I don't know if this one pulled me in enoigh to pick up the second book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

This book was certainly unexpected. Not necessarily in a bad way. I didn't love this one too much, but I didn't hate it. I felt like there is a romance that was starting up, but it kind of came out of nowhere? There was no real... development of that relationship. The conflict fell a little flat for me, at least until the very end. That being said, there were some twists and turns that left me reeling in a good way. I mentioned the conflict being flat until the end, because the book felt like there was no pacing until the last 30% or so.

The characters were okay. I didn't feel one way or another about them. I felt like the main character, Elodie was a little bit... naive. That being said, I think she was SUPPOSED to be naive. This is a girl who has never left the family home, leaving home and being thrust into this new world that was very very unexpected, and new to her. The witch in the story, Aleida Blackbone can step on me. I would LET her step on me and thank her for it.

All that being said, if I get the opportunity to read the sequel, I will. I think that the story has some potential!

I really couldn't get into this story and that's not the author's fault. I might try to read this book again when I'm not so busy and distracted.

This was a DNF for me. That doesn't happen often but this just wasn't for me. I'm sure there are lots of others that would love it!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book is boring. I wish I could just leave my review at that but I have to have so many words. I dont even know what to say about this book because nothing happens.
A girl is sent from her family that pretty much hate her to a witch that didn't even know she was coming. But dont worry she's not that evil of a witch. Its just a lot of the girl trying to get eggs and get some money it seems like

This is a fun fairytale type story. I think readers of Naomi Novak and those who enjoy Alix E. Harrow’s new book will enjoy this. It is a coming of age with some very complex family relationships. There is an interesting mystery running throughout the book. I really enjoyed the story and was drawn in right away. I enjoyed Elodie as a main character—she is plucky and determined. I am excited to read the rest of the series and hoping some of the other interesting characters appear and get developed more. Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read this book in a single day. It’s a very fun story. .Kind of reminded me a bit of a Baba Yaga story of the bold and true peasant girl getting mixed up with dark magic but pulling through with hard work and spunky spirit. Only the evil witch is gone and the witch she ends up having to serve is the very grouchy apprentice that killed her. I highly recommend. It would be a suitable read for a teen as well even if it’s not a YA book.

This book was unfortunately not for me. I wanted to love it So much but couldn't bring myself to get into it. Others may enjoy it but just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

When Elodie receives a mysterious letter informing her she's been given a position at Black Oak Cottage out of town, she doesn't expect to find herself in the middle of a magical fight. The war between Gyssa and Aleida has left scars on the younger witch, and Gyssa is dead. Gyssa leaves behind dark forces and terrible creatures, ones that Elodie and Aleida will have to defeat if they wish to survive.

I found this to be an engaging read. It is the first in a series, so it's setting up the narrative of future books, but there is enough action and development to make it interesting. I liked Aleida and Elodie, and am interested in seeing what their future holds!

Sooooo good! Real rating is a 4.5

I will admit, I had not heard of this book or author before I got my hands on this book. So with almost no hype, I didn't have the highest expectations. Boy, was I blown away!

This book starts off like a classic fairytale. A girl is wronged, unappreciated and treated poorly by her family (her step father in particular). She is mysteriously sent away to work as a servent for a woman who lives very far away. Then, she finds out the woman is a witch and has no idea who sent for her.

This is a beautifully written story. The author uses beautiful discriptive language to discribe a picturesque, if not somewhat foreboding, landscape. She brings the characters to life and makes even the mundane tasks of cleaning the cabin seem magical.

I truly enjoyed every minute of this book, and had a really difficult time putting it down (stupid work and adult responsibilities!) She used humor and made the characters multifaceted and real. I truly look forward to reading the next book in the series. I hope this turnes out to at least a trilogy, because the author has done something very special here.

Let me just start off by saying, if you want a fast paced, feminist book about Witches with extraordinary world building, then pick this up! This is one of the best witch books I’ve read in a long time! I’m always on the hunt for witchy books that have the kind of vibes this book had. I was hooked from page one and even after finishing the book I’m still hooked and want the sequel!

DNF at 35%

I thought this was going to be right up my alley but sadly, it was just not for me. It has one of my least favorite tropes right at the very beginning, a mom who chooses a man over her daughter... and it kind of went downhill from there.

The writing was good, but the plot was just boring. for a relatively short book, everything seemed to be moving along quite slowly and I just wasn't gripped.
I think this may be good for people who read more YA and like a slower paced book, but it just wasn't for me.
The traveling chapters seemed strange and pointless and I'm not sure why the random wizard was introduced unless he shows back up later.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for gifting me a copy of this book.

In this book we are following Elodie, who is wanting to be free of the cruelties of the step father. Eloide get's a letter from an employer requesting her for a job in a place far away from her home. What Eloide, or Dee as she prefers to be called, doesn't know is that her new employer is a witch.

This book was very fast paced, and action packed. At times it did seem to drag on, however, after that something usually happens and it's back to being action packed. Aleida is a young witch who is having to deal with the aftermath of killing her mother, Gyssha, when Dee arrives to the cottage and finds that things are not what they seem. This book was not what I expected, and in a good way. It had a little bit of everything , and the twist at the end caught me by surprise. I'm excited to read more in the future about Eloide and Aleida.

A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier was a fantastic surprise read. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this early. I took a chance on an author I hadn't heard of, the storyline sounded like it could be interesting. A young woman, Elodie, get a letter for a job far away. What she sees and is exposed to there is beyond her world, but just what she needs. I loved this story and am really looking forward to the next one. The writing pulled me in and kept my interest throughout. I love finding new authors to add to my list.