Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of A Song of Ash and Moonlight by Claire Legrand in exchange for an honest review. What an epic journey this book is. This is book two in the series and even though I haven't read the first, I still really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the duality that everyone had and how it was portrayed either as good, bad or both.

DNF @ 26%

I barely liked the first book although I remember liking the sisters more than I liked Gemma, so I wanted to give this a shot.

Farrin also is kind of rubbing me the wrong way. I didn't get far enough in to get to any sparks between her and Ryder. Mostly just the enemy aspect in the beginning. Hopefully that set up a great enemies to lovers for anyone that continued on.

The characters and the story I felt was too similar to YA, even though it was supposed to be an adult fantasy. Again, I stopped at 26%, so it has the possibility that they matured more by the ending.

I just know the point where I was in the book, it said I still had 9.5 hours to go and I couldn't even imagine continuing.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley. My thoughts are entirely my own.

I was really thrown when I started reading and realized that we are now following Farrin! I don`t know why, it just did not occur to me as I do not usually read blurbs, so it took me a minute to really get into the story again from a different point of view. I was really invested in Gemma and Talan and really wanted more of them, but Ryder and Farrin grabbed me by the throat and took my breathe away! The battles between their families has really made it hard for her to work with him, as they are forced to do, even though Ryder is obviously holding something back, some secret... he makes every effort to draw her out. They work really well together, when she forgets to be angry, and the tension between them is palpable. There will be some startling revelations to come, so be prepared, this one take it all a step further! The danger, the anger, the passion and the past all come together to create another unique story for a sister that could not deserve to be loved and appreciated more! I am so excited for more! This world seems to only be getting started and I wish it would continue beyond the three sisters!

“A Song of Ash and Moonlight” is like a dramatic Bridgerton episode, but with dark magic, monsters, and a hero who’s basically a walking "Don’t-You-Dare-Ignore-Me" sign. Meet Farrin, the sister who’s had it up to here with her family’s drama and now has to cozy up with their sworn enemy, Ryder, to figure out who's messing with the waking gods. Because, you know, why not add a side of romantic tension to an already complicated situation?

Farrin is the relatable sister we didn't know we needed—full of insecurities, grumpy moments, and an emotional rollercoaster that rivals any soap opera. Her romance with Ryder is a slow-burn masterpiece with so much angst, it might as well come with a warning label. Their fiery chemistry makes for some seriously sizzling scenes that are worth the wait.

The book offers a unique twist on a Bridgerton-style world with its dark magic and menacing monsters, making it a captivating read. The writing is lush and lyrical, perfect for getting lost in.

On the flip side, Farrin’s habit of yelling at everyone who’s trying to help her gets old, and some sub-plots feel like they’re there to test your patience. Still, Ryder’s teaching sessions and the magical world-building are worth the ride.

Claire Legrand has done it again. When I read the first book in the Middlemist Trilogy, I was excited by the intriguing setting and all the possibilities for the series. A Song of Ash and Moonlight doesn't exactly expand upon expectations, but rather busts open the doors with style and grace. Farrin is my favorite type of heroine: prickly, soft, and unwilling to give into her feelings. I already liked Ryder in the first book and was not disappointed by their dynamic. Claire doesn't pull any punches, leaving me gasping by the end of the book. It's satisfying and also leaves me needing the final book like air.

This follows Farrin, Imogen’s oldest sister, who has always watched out for the family before herself. Always. And now, she has to ally herself with her family’s enemy, Ryder, to find out who is hunting the waking gods.

I love that we get to learn more about another sister. I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first one! I think it’s because I relate more to Farrin than I did to Imogen. Farrin’s insecurities are similar to mine and so I totally got her and understood how she felt about herself, especially around Ryder.

I think the romance in this one is so much more emotionally charged and more of a slow burn with that underlying angst between these two enemies. It was wonderful to read and 🔥 when they came together.

This again had darker vibes like the first one, which makes for an interesting take on a Bridgerton style world, but filled with dark magic and monsters. I love the unique take on that world.

Again I would definitely recommend this series! I look forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted e-ARC to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was one of my more anticipated books this year and I really liked it but also think I have some conflicting thoughts. Things I loved: every single scene with Ryder (except when he was getting unjustly,in my opinion, yelled at), the expansion of the world and how magic worked, the peak into the potential love interest for Mara, Ryder, and also Ryder. I loved when Ryder was teaching Ferrin to fight and all the tension between them early in the book. The writing is so lyrical and sumptuous and I feel like you can really disappear into this story.

Things that were a bit frustrating and/or I don't know how I feel about them: the shear amount of time Farrin spent being angry at the people who were trying to help her and how often she lashed out at them. I appreciated that Farrin's inner monologue showed us that she was remorseful and regretful for her actions when she would lash out and I know that she would apologize to people, but at some point I just wanted her to either learn to do better or reflect on why she was getting so angry and unintentionally hurting people around her. Additionally, some of the sub-plots felt like they slowed down the story a bit or were just confusing.

Overall, I still have to give this a high rating because I did enjoy myself while reading and am excited to see what happens next!

In this epic fantasy romance, two families must put aside their generations-long feud and work to save the entire world. You can easily guess who's going to fall in love there!

Although it's the second in a series A Song of Ash and Moonlight can easily be read on its own. Necessary plot points from the previous book are deftly dropped in as needed. This book is from the perspective of Farrin, the oldest of the three Ashbourne sisters. Though very self-contained and competent, she has low self-esteem and is emotionally stunted—for much of the book she comes across as being in her early teens rather than twentysomething. This is sometimes exasperating, but the story is good and the romance is tender and steamy.

A Song of Ash and Moonlight, the second in the Middlemist trilogy, follows Farrin Ashbourne as she tries to discover the strange things happening in their world. Farrin is the oldest daughter and has kept her family estate running smoothly after a series of disastrous events in the past; but underneath her logical and calm demeanor she is also rightfully exhausted and angry.

She is forced to confront this past as she works directly with Ryder Bask, whose family was formerly in a magical feud with Farrin's own. In Ryder she finds an unexpected friend and someone with whom she can be herself. As they start to discover the truths of what is happening with magic in their world they grow inevitably closer in this slow-burn romantasy.

The world expands and secrets are revealed that push the main arc of the trilogy forward, in some very surprising ways! I was pleased with how this book built upon the first while switching narrators and keeping up the gothic romance feel to the setting. I enjoyed this book more than the first and look forward to the last book in the series!

We learned in book one, A Crown of Ivy and Glass, that a demon has pitted the Bask and Ashbourne families against one another. Both have been cursed for several generations, each generation learning to hate from their parents. The curse has become so extreme that each family has made attempts on the others lives. The point of view of book one was from the perspective of the youngest daughter in the Ashborne family, Gemma, as she worked to free her demon lover, Talon, from the clutches of the evil being known as Kilraith.

Farrin Ashbourne is a complex and complicated woman. As the oldest child, she is heir of Ivyhill, the Ashbourne family home. Because of this Farrin has had to learn to be responsible at a young age. After her mother abandoned her, her two sisters, and her father, Farrin was forced to manage the family estate while her father fell into a pit of depression and then raged from intense bouts of anger. She is a savant, with the magical talent to entertain through her ability to create beautiful music using any medium. When Farrin was a child, the Bask family attempted to kill her family by setting fire to Ivyhill. Farrin would have perished if not for the shining boy who guided her out of the fire and to safety.

With a very precarious truce between the Ashbourne and Bask family they come to realize they must all work together to learning what is causing the Queen to become ill, the changes to the Middlemist, and bringing scary creatures to the capital. Farrin must work closely with Ryder Bask, a Wilding who has the ability to communicate with animals. When Ryder's sister goes missing his focus to bring this war to an end has only intensified. He will work with the Ashbourne's in any manner to bring his sister home.

Each installment of this series focuses on one of the Ashbourne sisters. Gemma's was the first story. It was quite a lengthy preamble, setting up the basis for the remainder of the story. Let's be honest, Gemma and Talon were very flawed characters. Both had selfish tendencies. Farrin and Ryder are selfless. Farrin had to give up her lifes desires to hold her family together when her mother physically left them and her father checked out mentally. While reading book one I was extremely excited for Farrin and Ryder's story. Farrin has so many layers, like an onion. She keeps up a solid wall to prevent herself from getting hurt. Because of this, she can come across as cold and frigid. She only allows those she wants to let in to see the true her. I was curious to better understand her. Ryder initially appeared to be the 'bad guy'. He comes across as tough and rage filled but just like Farrin, once you get to know the real him, you see he is patient, kind, giving and he is so easy to love.

The entirety of this series when taken as one whole story can take some patience to read. It started out as a walk with book one but easily became a run in book two. There is and incredible amount of depth to the history of both the characters and the world. It takes some time to absorb all the minute details as they are presented and to really get to know and understand each characters motivation. I am very excited for Mara's point of view.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Song of Ash and Moonlight is a mesmerising blend of magic, mystery, and simmering romance that will sweep you off your feet and plunge you into a world where the gods aren’t dead, they’re waking up, and they’re bringing chaos with them.

Farrin Ashbourne is the kind of FMC you can’t help but admire, strong, stubborn, and fierce, but burdened by the weight of her family's curse and her own heartbreak. As the eldest Ashbourne daughter, she’s spent years holding her family together, hiding her dangerous musical magic, and ignoring her own need for love and happiness. Enter Ryder Bask, the infuriatingly handsome and equally stubborn scion of the Ashbournes' rival family. Their chemistry crackles from the very first page, and watching them go from enemies to reluctant allies is pure magic.

Legrand cleverly weaves together an intricate plot of gods, curses, and ancient magic, but it’s the emotional depth of her characters that makes this book truly shine. Farrin and Ryder’s banter is sharp, their tension deliciously slow-burning, and their journey together is as much about healing old wounds as it is about saving the world. Their fiery partnership is impossible to resist, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them, both as individuals and as a couple, every step of the way.

But this isn’t just a romance. A Song of Ash and Moonlight is packed with heart-pounding action, haunting visions, and high-stakes danger. The Middlemist is weakening, magicians are vanishing, and something dark and ancient is stalking Farrin, making for a gripping plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The stakes are sky-high, and the twisty, unpredictable plot is full of surprises that will leave you anxious.

If you love fierce heroines, smouldering enemies-to-lovers romance, and epic fantasy worlds where gods are waking and chaos reigns, A Song of Ash and Moonlight is a must-read.

3.5/5

A Song as Ash and Moonlight is book two in Legrand’s adult Fantasy Romance series. It follows Farrin and Ryder, two children from rival families, working together to fight the otherworld creatures that are starting to come through the Middlemist. Throughout the story we learn about Farrin and Ryder’s past, their traumas and their strengths, and we watch them learn to trust one another when their whole lives they were taught to dislike each other. We have folklore, gods, paranormal creatures, and magic, alongside a slow burn soft romance.

The first book in the series was not particularly engaging to me and this one was only a smidge better. I feel that the pacing was much better in this book and was consistent with the story, however the first half of the book did drag along and made it hard to keep my attention. And adding that to an already slow burn romance, it made the story less engaging. However, I feel that the romance between Farrin and Ryder was more noteworthy than between Gemma and Talan in book one and the way that Legrand handled consent and Farrin’s view of herself in the romance was done with great care that I can appreciate.

We learn more about the world and its history, the gods, and the creatures, and also with the setting staying in one general area, it helped keep the focus of the story stable. I also enjoyed seeing all the characters together.

Overall, this book was better than the first in this series, however there is still something missing in this series for me, especially when I compared it to the Empirium Trilogy that she wrote. This book did not suffer from the second book slump and compared to book one it feels like Legrand found her feet here. I may or may not continue this series, only time will tell.

As usual, Claire Legrand amazes me with her magical world-building and even more magical prose. I absolutely loved the second book of the Middlemist trilogy and would highly recommend this series to anyone! Legrand's characters are human - sometimes loveable and sometimes irritating - but full of heart. She does an amazing job at highlighting disabilities without making them the center of attention or the only thing to advance the plot. And the enemies-to-lovers tension? Immaculate. There's something so giddy and fun about the slow burn in this book.

If you love sweeping, magical tales of lost heroines learning who they are, strong sisterly bonds that overcome just about anything, and swoony romance - this series is for you. And if you didn't know - each book is based on one of Claire's favorite ballets (which I think makes these series even more enjoyable).

Would highly recommend checking out the playlists that go along with each book. The instrumental music add to the epic vibes and it really feels like you're watching this play out in a theater - which I really need to make happen with at least one of Claire's series.

5/5 stars - would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC. 3.5/5 stars rounded up. I was on the fence whether or not I was going to continue this series as I was extremely frustrated with Gemma’s character in the first book of the series. By the end of A Crown of Ivy and Glass, I was interested enough to see Farrin and Ryder’s relationship develop. Although I enjoyed Farrin and Ryder’s story more, I still was not crazy about Farrin’s character. My second complaint is the length of the book - it seemed a few scenes could have been removed and still have all the important elements remain. I did enjoy learning more about the world and magic. If you enjoyed the first book in the Middlemist Triology I would recommend this one as well. Despite my FMC complaints, I will be interested in finishing the series and have hopes that Mara will be my favorite of the three sisters.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the arcs. My opinions are my own.

I have been anxiously awaiting this sequel and it did not disappoint. I started out reading the ebook and was able to switch to the audiobook about 40% of the way through. Claire has crafted a very layered world that reveals more of itself as the story goes on. I loved the dynamic between Farrin and Ryder and continuing the fight against same evil as before.

Let me start off by saying this book really held a mirror up to my own eldest parentified daughter trauma god damn. 🫣

This suffered a little bit from book two-itis, BUT it really expanded on the world and the magic and the lore and gave a whole new perspective on everything from book one which was quite neat.
While book one followed Gemma, this book follows Farrin and from the get go it’s very obvious both girls have internalized trauma and I loved seeing both the different ways that manifested for them and the different ways they overcame the struggles that comes with it.
This book felt a little bit more predictable, but in a good way. Gemma was not a very observant person, she leaned toward self centered where as Farrin is more observant and is constantly thinking about the people around her, so she naturally was more aware of things which really just meant the reveals had slightly less shock value that the revels in book one.

But all of this aside the plot and mystery really took off in this book! You got a lot of answers but you also got so many more questions. The magic and lives of people were so greatly expanded and the mystery we were following grew more layers.

I’m still 100% obsessed and fully invested in what’s to come next.

Closer to 3.5/5 -- thank you Netgalley for the review copy!

Like the first in the series, there were things I liked, and things I didn't like, but overall enjoyed it. Following Farrin (the sister of the protagonist from the first book, Gemma) it picks up after the first left off, and I'm assuming that the next book in the series will follow the third sister. Dark, fantastical, and romantic, the premise is a decent follow-up from the first, though fell flat because this book felt entirely too long. I was reading page upon page, yet felt not a huge amount happened. My second issue with A SONG OF ASH AND MOONLIGHT is that Farrin's personality also was quite similar to Gemma's, and while I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, it did mean elements of the two books came across very repetitive. I'm hoping the third will be a switch of pace regarding character narration.

I love it when the 2nd book doesn’t fall flat! This is such an amazing dark epic fantasy adventure with just a touch of spice. Ongoing conflict and character growth. Very relatable characters that are each coping with some sort of trauma, chronic illness/pain, abuse/neglect or nuerodivergency. This second installment we are immersed into Farrin’s POV as the saga continues. I love that this isn’t your standard romantasy, it’s not happy go lucky, it's deep and raw. You really get a feel for who the characters are and what made them that way without sacrificing plot. The storyline is engrossing and keeps you guessing at what will transpire next. I can’t wait to see how the story ends in the next installment!

Aside from the 3rd act breakup, this was exquisite. The plot twist at the end with the queen -- fantastic and unexpected. Looking forward to he 3rd and final book in the series!

I loved the first book so was super excited to get this! It totally delivered! It follows a different sister but I found myself connecting to her right away. I love how fast paced it is and how easy it is to fall back into the world building. Will be recommending and adding to our library!