DNF early on but not because of the writing, because of the subject. I thought this would be a book I would be able to handle but my mental health cannot. This is an important topic and should be discussed so I appreciate the author for doing so,

I was hoping I'd enjoy this book but I just realized that this genre does not work for me. I am sure someone else would enjoy it if they are a fan of the genre.

I'm sorry to say that I DNF'd this book at 10%. Though I absolutely love the premise of the book (especially the allusions to medievel times), It was far too overtly heavy handed in political and social issues for me to ever put on my shelf at school. Though I agree with many of the sentiments, I never want my students to feel as though an agenda is being shoved down their throats. The most effective lessons in books appear organically, and this was far from it.

The writing also felt choppy, and it was hard to believe that the main character is in middle school. I'm sure this is a book that will resonate with many, but it's just not one that I could force myself to finish knowing that there are many others out there that I need to review for my classroom shelves.

Kind of a heavy book focuses on grief, sadness , and depression but still good. You definitely need to be in the right headspace before reading

My Thoughts:
I was drawn to this book because I love the cover and the way the title reads like a poem. I also thought that this would be a novel in verse so I was thrown off that the first part of it is not verse, but pain-ridden prose. Readers get to know Em from her angst, confusion, and anger. The story of what has happened to make her react this way unfolds like a novel in verse but in Em we have a very unreliable narrator who sometimes makes her sister's pain about her in a very teenage centric way.

The poetry part is a story within a story of Marguerite de Bressiux, a legendary avenging knight for rape victims. Perhaps this is closer to a multigenre novel as it is fluid and sharp like a sword. The social media ugliness, victim blaming and shaming are really hard to take, but we have to face this reality in order to do something about it, so the ugliness adds to the power of this (although it can also be triggering for some readers).

This is definitely an older YA novel and this new generation's Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson). Even from someone used to reading YA, just a caveat, that this story is difficult because like I said, the novel unfolds like a poem where we have to absorb images and emotions without really understanding the "why" and "what." As a reader, I felt adrift and tried to be open to the narrator even when I cringed at what she did or thought. If you are able to hold on, this is a powerful book.

From the Publisher:

Em Morales's older sister was raped by another student after a frat party. A jury eventually found the rapist guilty on all counts--a remarkable verdict that Em felt more than a little responsible for, since she was her sister's strongest advocate on social media during the trial. Her passion and outspokenness helped dissuade the DA from settling for a plea deal. Em's family would have real justice.

But the victory is short-lived. In a matter of minutes, justice vanishes as the judge turns the Morales family's world upside down again by sentencing the rapist to no prison time. While her family is stunned, Em is literally sick with rage and guilt. To make matters worse, a news clip of her saying that the sentence makes her want to learn "how to use a sword" goes viral.

From this low point, Em must find a new reason to go on and help her family heal, and she finds it in the unlikely form of the story of a fifteenth-century French noblewoman, Marguerite de Bressieux, who is legendary as an avenging knight for rape victims.

We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire is a searing and nuanced portrait of a young woman torn between a persistent desire for revenge and a burning need for hope.

Author: Joy McCullough

Publisher: Dutton Book for Young Readers

Publication date: February 9, 2021

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Thank you so much to @DuttonBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 09 February 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Em's older sister was violently raped & even though the man was found guilty on trial, the judge did not sentence him to anytime in jail. Em understandably struggles to come to terms with this decision.

WHAT I LIKED:
- sadly not a single thing

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I loathed the "story within a story" sections about a medieval noblewomen avenging rape victims
- the writing in general felt extremely juvenile & disjointed
- Em as a main character was incredibly selfish & while her hatred of men & the justice system was absolutely justified, the way she interacted with every person that cared about her was painful to read
- if my completionist heart allowed me to DNF books then this would absolutely have been a contender

I wasn't able to read this book prior to it's pub date due to unforeseen circumstances in my personal life. I regret that I was not able to do this, but I want to let the publisher and Netgalley know that I did not simply ignore this responsibility. I appreciate the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for gifting me this copy anyway.

What an intense book that will definitely have you thinking. It is a book of complex emotions and circumstances. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sharing.

DNF at 20%- I have been trying to get through this book for over a year, but it just isn’t for me.
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CW- rape

Who does not want to read about medieval women taking up swords, donning knights' armour, and killing their rapists on the battlefield? Especially when the title's so good.

This books is so very very important 👏🏻👏🏻 Dealing with topics such as assault against women and the criminal injustice after the fact. It was beautifully written and I couldn’t have asked for a better book to detail such topics.

This is definitely not what I expected. While it was interesting I found my interesting constantly wavering. Overall the book was enjoyable and the plot was okay. I’m a character driven reader, so my enjoyment Main came from reading about these amazing characters

A unique and unforgettable story. I loved the characters. I loved the verse chapters and how the story weaves itself together. What a wonderful and poignant book.

TW/CW for rape, gore, trauma and a vast array of more dark subjects.

This is a wild ride of a book and I can’t begin to put into words all of the things I felt through it all. There are so many good things that happen during this story and yet something was lacking for me.

If you’re able to read about these subjects, I encourage you to make your own decision about it.

We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire by Joy McCullough is a young-adult novel that is almost impossible to describe or put into words. With its creative mix of narrative (contemporary fiction) and verse (historical fiction), We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire feels like it is two books in one, and with its diverse and interconnected cast of characters (both in the present and the past), it could even be considered to be six different stories as one (Em, Nor, Kath, Jess, Marguerite, & Isabella), and possibly more. While I have many different conflicted feelings about the main character, Em, after a lot of self-reflection, I began to better see why Em and Marguerite mirror one another from the present to the past as defenders and “avenging knight[s]” for their loved ones and also for those in need of help. While at the time, the different sub-plots within We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire felt more important or worthy of my time, I also came to appreciate author Joy McCullough’s creativity and wit about topics that more than deserve our time and attention. This is a book that I plan on coming back to again in the near future, especially since there is so much to cover, just like Blood Water Paint.

DNF at 20%. I have tried to pick up this book so many times, and for the life of me I just cannot get into it. Nothing about this story immediately pulls me in, and I feel like it's more of a chore to keep going.

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire is a story about the patriarchy and rape culture that includes a story within a story. The main storyline is written in first person, which follows Em Morales after her older sister's rape trial. The rapist was found guilty but was sentenced to no prison time, which enraged Em even more. Em's perspective shows how rape not only affects the survivors but also the people around those survivors. It also shows how that speaking out against rapists and pursuing legal action permanently affects the survivors and their families.

To escape from her reality and release her emotions about the situation, Em begins writing a medieval story about a feminist figure in history. Parts of the story she is writing are included in the book and are written in verse.

I loved the messages in here so much espeically and as a survivor, I believe the representation was very well done. I really connected to Em in the sense that when I'm extremely passionate about an issue, I will go to the ends of the earth to do what I can to make a difference. I also appreciated seeing how supportive Em's family was, not only to her sister but to her and her friend. Em gains a non-binary friend through this story whose parents are going through a divorce, so those issues are also talked about. I am not non-binary or have parents who have been divorced so I can't speak on that representation so I would definitely check out own voices reviewers.

Another bit of representation is that Em's father is Guatemalan and that is sprinkled in but again I can't speak on that representation and I know that the author is not at all Guatemalan so I don't know if how the culture in this book was portrayed, is accurate.Despite really enjoying the messages and themes throughout this book, I really started to disconnect from is when more of the story Em was writing got included. Towards the middle of the book, half of the story began to be just that. I honestly didn't really care about that portion of the story and honestly was confused on what was going on most of the time.

I also do think this is still a bit of a white-washed version of feminism, and there is a lot more to rape culture in the patriarchy when people are a part of a minority, and while Em and her sister are having Guatemalan, that was not really discussed in regards to rape culture, and how they are more susceptible.

I still did enjoy this story and would definitely recommend it for younger readers, maybe around the ages of 15-16, who are just starting to witness these issues. I think it goes into a lot of nuances not discussed much and could be really helpful for those trying to understand the complexities of rape culture.

Thank you to Dutton Books, Joy McCullough, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We Are The Ashes, We Are The Fire by Joy McCullough is a force to be reckoned with. This book hit me right in the soul. It is a feminist story covering a modern day sexual assault where the perpetrator got no consequences as well as diving back into the past where a noblewoman takes up the sword for revenge. I am so glad I picked this book up and honestly if I wasn’t doing the whole newborn thing, I definitely would have read it in a single sitting.

Joy McCullough’s We Are The Ashes, We Are The Fire opens up with Em being irritated by the boys at her middle school play who don’t want to listen and just want to mess with the swords. Also, with her character who has no agency. Then we move to the present. Em’s sister Nor has been raped at her college in a situation similar to the Brock Turner case. It goes to trial and just when it seems like Nor will receive justice, the perpetrator ends up with an extremely light sentence. Em then goes viral on the news for saying she would like to learn to use a fucking sword.

From there, Em is befriended by Jess who is non-binary and whose friends are at drama camp for the summer. Jess, however, has stayed home, because their parents are going through a nasty divorce. Jess finds refuge in Em’s friendship and house. Along the way, Jess tells Em about Marguerite de Bressieux, a French noblewoman who was out to avenge the crimes committed against her and the women residing within her castle. And so, we get a book within a book as Em begins to tell Marguerite’s story in verse. Jess illustrates. Oh and real quick, just wanted to mention that Em is short for Marianne and she’s biracial – her father is Guatemalan.

I am blown away by We Are The Ashes, We Are The Fire. It is a thoughtful exploration of rape culture. Em has a righteous anger and it comes through right off the page. However, she’s as wrong as often as she is right. There is some serious character growth and coming of age taking place. At moments, Em is unlikable, but she is always, always realistic. I also loved the development of the friendship between Em and Jess. That was a huge highlight of the book for me. Another highlight was Em’s family – her parents are really well written and I ended up genuinely loving them. AND HER DOG TOO! Pick this book up for solid writing all the way through and excellent characterization and plot development.

While I loved Blood, Water, Paint, I somehow wasn't able to get into this one. I got 20% in before stopping. Though it is an important book that deals with hard topics and important issues, I unfortunately felt like there was too much of a disconnect between the main character and what was going on, since the story revolves around something that happened to her sister and not her, that she has very little to do with aside from being the family of the person it happened to. The fact that the main character is fired up about something that isn't her own issue made it slightly uncomfortable to read, and the disconnect there was hard to get past.