Title: A Curse of Ash and Embers (Tales of the Blackbone Witches #1)
Author: Jo Spurrier
Publisher: Voyager
Publication date: November 3rd, 2018
368 pages
4/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
A dead witch. A bitter curse. A battle of magic.
Some people knit socks by the fire at night. Gyssha Blackbone made monsters.
But the old witch is dead now, and somehow it’s Elodie’s job to clean up the mess.
When she was hired at Black Oak Cottage, Elodie had no idea she’d find herself working for a witch; and her acid-tongued new mistress, Aleida, was not expecting a housemaid to turn up on her doorstep.
Gyssha’s final curse left Aleida practically dead on her feet, and now, with huge monsters roaming the woods, a demonic tree lurking in the orchard and an angry warlock demanding repayment of a debt, Aleida needs Elodie’s help, whether she likes it or not.
And no matter what the old witch throws at her, to Elodie it’s still better than going back home.
Review
A Curse of Ash and Embers was a very interesting read. I really enjoyed the world Jo Spurrier created, and how she was able to give information about it without openly world-building or info-dumping. The MC leaves her family home to take a job with a witch, which she didn’t know at the time. In her tasks for the witch, she learns of magic and plots and evil and gets drawn into the world, somewhat against her will.
I liked the characters, the plot was fast paced and unique, and the magic system wasn’t confusing. It isn’t fully explained, but you don’t feel like you need more information to understand the plot. I am excited to continue in this series and read more Tales of the Blackbone Witches.
Thank you to Voyager and Edelweiss for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 