I was initially drawn to "A Harvest of Ash and Blood" by D. J. Molles due to its intriguing premise and promising premise. The story follows a group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, facing numerous challenges and threats as they struggle to rebuild society. However, as I continued reading, I found myself increasingly frustrated with the slow pacing and lack of character development. The plot seemed to drag on without any significant advancement, and the characters lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with their struggles.
As I reached the halfway mark of the book, I made the difficult decision to stop reading and ultimately DNF (did not finish) "A Harvest of Ash and Blood." Despite my initial excitement for the story, I found myself losing interest in the fate of the characters and their journey. The writing style also felt disjointed at times, making it hard to follow the narrative cohesively. Overall, I was disappointed by my experience with this book and felt that it fell short of my expectations.
In conclusion, "A Harvest of Ash and Blood" by D. J. Molles was a disappointing read for me. While the premise held promise, the slow pacing, lack of character development, and disjointed writing style ultimately led me to DNF the book. I would caution readers who are looking for a fast-paced and engaging post-apocalyptic story to approach this book with caution, as it may not meet their expectations.
2.5/5 STARS!

The writing is very good. Just the right amount of action and the level on violence I enjoy. I know that sounds weird, but it made the story feel more real. I would defiantly read this author again.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

“The profane and the sacred always made odd dance partners, and battles seemed to be where they liked to dance best.”

★ ☆

Thank you to D. J. Molles, Blackstone Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The concept of this book is so interesting to me. Action, a crusade, magic led by the church? Sign me up. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

The main struggle for me was that I didn’t connect to the characters, so the action wasn’t high stakes for me like it should have been.

The world building wasn’t developed enough, and I had a hard time picturing the weapons and understanding the political system. As such, the pacing at the beginning was quite hard to get through.

This standalone was written with specific plot lines that continue beyond the book, so beware if you are not a fan of ambiguous endings. In particular, chapter 42 made the character’s entire POV feel unnecessary, given that we learned just enough to realize how irrelevant and limited the previous information was. To me, it felt like an information problem and not an ambiguity.

However, I did find myself highlighting certain sections as the writing had clear and impactful statements about war and morality (as grimdark books do), not to mention the notes of humor.

There were some really bright spots in this book, so while I didn’t connect to it, I’d say it could be worth a shot if the plot sounds interesting to you.

“A Harvest of Ash and Blood” by D. J. Molles:

In a world where the Empire relies on the ashes of children with magical abilities to fuel its machinery and weaponry. The narrative unfolds through multiple characters and points of view, each embroiled in the crusades to Leftland, a land rich in magic compared to the Empire.

The objective is to secure magical technology and eliminate the Tickers—beings described as both magical "people" and robots, depending on who is theorizing. These Tickers have resided in Leftland alongside the magical remnants left by the enigmatic Old Ones, said to have created them.

The diverse cast of characters, Lochled, haunted by his memories and family tragedies, Rony, who joins the fight to save her brothers, Kayna, a seeker of knowledge who grapples with balancing secrets and revelations, and Ord, a priest confronting internal struggles within his church and personal biases. Each character is driven by their determination to protect the Empire and its way of life, but as the story unfolds, questions arise about whether the Empire is truly worth defending.

I've given this book a rating of 2 out of 5 stars. If you're an enthusiast of intense action and combat scenes, this book may be a perfect match for your reading preferences. However, for me, the excessive combat sequences and the multitude of points of view did not align with my personal taste, resulting in a less favorable impression.

The concept of the story is intriguing, but the execution left something to be desired. The world-building, while promising, lacked depth, and readers are thrust into a complex setting with minimal explanation, making it challenging to fully immerse oneself in the narrative.

Kudos to D. J. Molles for stepping into a new genre. As a fantasy reader and as someone who is writing a fantasy novel I know how hard that is. Keep up the good work

A Harvest of Ash and Blood by DJ Molles is a gritty and unflinching exploration of the harsh realities of war and the internal struggles faced by soldiers fighting in a morally ambiguous conflict. Molles' portrayal of warfare is undeniably realistic, and he does an exceptional job of immersing readers in the visceral experiences and emotional turmoil of the characters. The internal conflicts and moral dilemmas faced by the protagonists add depth and complexity to the narrative, making it a thought-provoking read.

However, this book may not be for everyone, as it lacks a clear sense of direction in its plot and falls short in terms of world-building, with quite a few storylines being left unanswered by the conclusion of the story. The narrative can meander at times, leaving readers searching for a more defined storyline. Additionally, the world-building is frustratingly vague, making it challenging to fully grasp the context and nuances of the conflict. One of the most significant challenges, however, is the difficulty in connecting with the characters, given their involvement in a morally reprehensible war. Their actions, aligned with an army committing genocide against indigenous peoples, can make it tough for readers to sympathize or root for any particular character.

In summary, "A Harvest of Ash and Blood" excels in its realistic portrayal of war and the internal struggles of its characters. It's a gritty and emotionally charged narrative that delves deep into the moral complexities of war. However, the lack of a clear plot direction and the vague world-building, coupled with the morally ambiguous nature of the characters' actions, may deter some readers. If you're seeking a challenging and thought-provoking read that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of war, this book offers a compelling exploration of the human experience in times of conflict.

A Harvest of Ash and Blood follows the campaign waged by the Byrrhic Empire against the Leftlanders whose people are derogatorily called the Tickers. We see through the eyes of 3 main players: veteran and traumatized squad sergeant Lochled, new recruit and only female soldier in the army Roan and the priest assigned to the army Ord. Set in a grimdark world, the focus of this book is on the characters and their traumatic journey through war and how they grapple to find meaning in all the fighting and killing they are forced to do.

The Highlight: I thought the characters were excellently written and fleshed out. When at first you hear of a grizzled older man taking a younger female character under his wing, you get flashbacks to the Last of Us, the Witcher, etc and you initially start to wonder if people are going to grow out of this trope and write something original. However, Molles avoids falling into the trap and he does this successfully by exploring their personalities and relationship dynamics with other people rather than that 1 counterpart. Lochled is his own man as we get to peer into his past, his conflict with obeying orders vs his conscience, his sense of duty towards his comrades and superiors vs his compassion/empathy for the tickers etc. Likewise, Roan initially distrusts all the men but then gets to know them and accept that they are not necessarily evil, just traumatized men thrown into ever worse situations by their government. So the characterization in this novel was excellent and definitely a highlight.

The bad: Unfortunately, this book had several weak points including the political intrigue/broader background of the conflict between the church and the ruling government. It is brought up as a potential issue between the priest and the seeker but it has absolutely zero relevance to the plot and seems to be tied into a future book or something but why put it in this one if it is completely irrelevant. Also, why Ord is after this medicine in Leftland that drives the whole journey of the 3 squads is never fully explained; only hinted at regarding the plague which could have served as a good reveal but was a missed opportunity. I also really did not like/understand why the other 2 squads ended up betraying Lochled and Captain Hotsteel so I feel like this book could have done with a bit of polishing and tightening up especially on the plot and details.

Recommendation: Overall, a really good book with regards to characterization and dialogue but much weaker on the plot so I would recommend to people who enjoy morally ambiguous characters and great exchanges in a grimdark setting but not so much to people who love a very clear and focused plot.

Actual rating 2.5.

Wow, what a unique and amazing story! I was quite literally hooked from the first few chapters of this one!

The dark offspring of The Blade Itself and Blood Meridian, A Harvest of Ash and Blood is a crazy ride from start to finish. Feeling like a grimdark fantasy-style , behind enemy lines war movie is just incredible. It hooked me from the first page and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since, I can't wait for the next book!

I'm not familiar with this author, and I understand that this genre is new to the author as well. Their usual domain isn't something I usually lean towards, as I'm not particularly drawn to war or military themes. Nevertheless, the title of this work and the blurb caught my attention. I found the book's premise and the unique magic system intriguing, and the whole thing gave me major steampunk vibes, which I love. Unfortunately, this did not do it for me. I struggled with the writing style sometimes and wished the worldbuilding was stronger. It is not a bad book, by any means - it was just not for me.

An intriguing exploration of military brutality and the experience of those who suffer under it. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements that were woven into it. I was left wanting more detailed aspects of the worldbuilding as that interested me the most but overall 4/5 stars.

I will say my favorite genres are fiction/fantasy with aspects of fae and action. So this should have been up my alley.

Unfortunately the amount of blatant racism, as though white people are somehow victims of racist idiology from poc, homophobic slurs, grotesque descriptions of murder and mutilations of the living and dead bodies, burning in mass of bodies/genocide and disregard for life I DNF’d this book at 35%.

I have no problem with the writing itself. It’s not badly written. It’s the ignorance, homophobic slurs, and grotesque nature of the material I personally didn’t like.

I love a good fantasy novel sometimes world building is a bit tough for me but this was great. The characters were great and I loved learning more about them. I can’t wait to see where this story goes in the future

In a world ruled by Magic, things are not always what they seem.

DJ Molles has created a fantasy world unlike others, map included. While I don't read fantasy novels often, this one was quite captivating and immersing. The characters have real and very likeable qualities (Rony is my favorite) while trying to balance their beliefs with what they see right in front of them.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a dark and gritty fantasy, a story that made me struggle at the beginning as it was quite slow but I couldn't stop reading as the developments in the plot made it gripping and riveting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

***ARC received from Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

I struggled to get into this book, it was a little slow from the beginning. Its trying to set up characters, the world, alchemy and its just a lot to take in. Once it gets going and heads out on the crusade it gets a lot better.

The book is told from a few points of view, Rony the new recruit, Lochled the seasoned soldier, Ord the priest and Kayna the seeker with more knowledge that she is letting on. They each bring a unique view to the battles as where they are in their life. I liked Lochled the most, a disillusioned soldier simply following commands to give his life something to do. He already has a deep distrust of the church so its not really a crisis of faith but as a loyal soldier he begins to question blindly following orders and what has been asked of him. It doesn’t mean he is a good person, its very clear that none of these people are good. Nor are they truly evil either, its the old saying do monsters make war or does war make monsters and characters fall into either category.

There is a lot of violence in this book, its not the worst violence I’ve read in a book but if you don’t like descriptions on violence this won’t be the book for you. It is the characters response to the violence that is the story though. What it does to them both physically and mentally. Lochled has been through a few wars, he’s seen and done terrible things compared to Rony who is seeing her first battle. How they react to the violent they receive and inflict on others was well done as it reflects where they are as characters. The church and alchemy is fascinating look at what people are willing to give up for progress. Its a terrible thing that their society is built on but they justify it by it was their belief, following a gods will, those with abilities are less than. Multiple of reasons that when you start to think of how they justified it how horrible of a person they are. Its what Lochled has to struggle with which is goes through during the book, truly stopping to think. His internal struggles were really well written as he finally presses back on being just a soldier, tired of just taking orders.

The writing is good but things are still missing. I wish the world building had been a little stronger. The books seems to be a standalone but its built like its the first in a series with a lot of characters introduced that don’t add much to this story but would for a larger series. The lead characters are left without a full resolution but enough of a resolution for this arc of their story. If it does end up being a larger series I would be interested to see where it goes because there is a lot more to explore.

After having read chapter 14, I don’t care what happens next. I’m a fan for life. Couldn’t stop crying.

“…a drunken dream fueled by drips and goldendust.” The angst, the urgency of everything in this book. I’m exhausted and addicted. I haven’t read characters with such depth for a while I got so lost in them.

Will provide more details when the goldendust settles.

This one was a weird one. It was full of tons of religion and magic and racism. I want to say that throughout the books those who were bad got their karma. But I didn't make it that far. This book was bogged down by so much filler that I could not finish. The characters didn't grip me and the story at large was just super slow.

D.J Molles has created a fantasy world unlike others, map included. While I don't read fantasy novels often, this one was quite captivating and immersing. The characters have real and very likeable qualities (Rony is my favorite) while trying to balance their beliefs with what they see right in front of them. What do you get when you combine an epic fantasy, with war, religion, and politics. Well...pretty much a lot of fantasy novels actually. Specifically we get this gem, A Harvest of Ash & Blood.

This story goes hard and fast, we are thrown in to war, secrecy, morality, and interpersonal turmoil very quickly. The violence is very violent, but not off putting. The world that is built is very vivid with well developed characters. The story is well written and we see the struggles of humanity through all of our characters. How far is too far? Can we fix the past wrongs? Etc.

This is a really good, dark fantasy that does a fantastic job with all its subtleties and world building. I can't wait to see what else is to come.