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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
1.5 Stars
An Inheritance of Ashes absolutely bored me. I would say it confused me, but honestly, I didn't care if I had no idea what was going on because it was so boring. The only reason I finished it was because I received it in a Goodreads Firstreads drawing. And believe me when I say it was a struggle. It was so long and drawn out, the majority of its pages pertaining to the inner workings of a failing farm. And I just didn't care.
An Inheritance of Ashes absolutely bored me. I would say it confused me, but honestly, I didn't care if I had no idea what was going on because it was so boring. The only reason I finished it was because I received it in a Goodreads Firstreads drawing. And believe me when I say it was a struggle. It was so long and drawn out, the majority of its pages pertaining to the inner workings of a failing farm. And I just didn't care.
An intensely personal, painful book about anger, and relationships, and spider-birds at the end of the world. I loved it.
Dieses Buch ist fantastisch.
Man wird in Hallies Welt hineingezogen und fühlt sich gefangen, in einer Winterlandschaft, in einer Welt nach einem furchtbaren Krieg, in der zwei junge Frauen versuchen ihr Leben zu meistern. Eine ganze Farm am Leben zu erhalten.
Der Hintergrund von Hallie und ihrer Schwester Marthe ist schwierig. Ein ständig tobender Vater, der den einzigen Menschen (den Onkel) vertrieben hat, der zwischen den Kindern und seiner Wut stand. Der sogar nach seinem Tod ständig präsent ist und die Beziehung zwischen den Beiden belastet.
Eine weitere Schwierigkeit stellt der Krieg dar. Gerade erst zu Ende, warten die Beiden auf die Rückkehr von Marthes Ehemann. Verzweifelt, die Hoffnung nicht aufgeben wollend, warten sie darauf, dass er vom Krieg nach Hause kommt. Selbst nach Monaten...
Und dann sind da noch die seltsamen Kreaturen, die nach dem Kampf gegen einen der Götter auf einmal vom Himmel fielen. Schwelend, brennend, gefährlich.... Durch sie merkt man erst richtig, dass es sich hier um eine fantastische Erzählung handelt.
Hallie fühlt sich völlig überfordert. Während ihre ältere Schwester schwanger den Haushalt meistert, versucht sie mit ihren 17 Jahren die Farm aufrecht zu erhalten. Natürlich nicht sonderlich erfolgreich. Die Hoffnung auf die Rückkehr von Marthes Ehemann, der die Beiden so glücklich gemach hat, trägt nicht gerade zur Ruhe in der Familie bei. Ständig in Sorge halten die Beiden ausschau... Und eines Tages steht ein rückkehrender Soldat vor der Tür. Nicht der Vermisste Thomas, aber ein Mann, der Thomas sein könnte. Auf dem Weg nach Hause zu seinen Geliebten und nun, kurz vor dem Winter um Obdach bittend. Hallie beschließt ihn bei ihnen aufzunehmen und er arbeitet für seinen Unterhalt, was es der Familie ermöglicht über den Winter zu kommen. Doch sein Erscheinen bringt nicht nur Erleichterung.....
Leah Bobet schafft es, dass man in das Buch hineingesaugt wird. Man fühlt sich in dieser Welt gefangen. Überall diese tiefen Gefühle von Enttäuschung, Hoffnung, Angst, Wut, Misstrauen und der ständige Kampf eine kleine Familie zusammen zu halten. Die Autorin hat einen tollen Sinn dafür das alles so nahbar zu machen, dass es mich einfach nur glücklich macht.
Dieses Buch ist düster, spannend und einfach wahnsinnig gut. Wer ein kleines bisschen Spannung und Grusel mag, dem fantastischen nicht abgeneigt ist und die feinen Verstrickungen in Beziehungen jeder Art gerne nachfühlt, für den ist dieses Buch genau richtig.
Man wird in Hallies Welt hineingezogen und fühlt sich gefangen, in einer Winterlandschaft, in einer Welt nach einem furchtbaren Krieg, in der zwei junge Frauen versuchen ihr Leben zu meistern. Eine ganze Farm am Leben zu erhalten.
Der Hintergrund von Hallie und ihrer Schwester Marthe ist schwierig. Ein ständig tobender Vater, der den einzigen Menschen (den Onkel) vertrieben hat, der zwischen den Kindern und seiner Wut stand. Der sogar nach seinem Tod ständig präsent ist und die Beziehung zwischen den Beiden belastet.
Eine weitere Schwierigkeit stellt der Krieg dar. Gerade erst zu Ende, warten die Beiden auf die Rückkehr von Marthes Ehemann. Verzweifelt, die Hoffnung nicht aufgeben wollend, warten sie darauf, dass er vom Krieg nach Hause kommt. Selbst nach Monaten...
Und dann sind da noch die seltsamen Kreaturen, die nach dem Kampf gegen einen der Götter auf einmal vom Himmel fielen. Schwelend, brennend, gefährlich.... Durch sie merkt man erst richtig, dass es sich hier um eine fantastische Erzählung handelt.
Hallie fühlt sich völlig überfordert. Während ihre ältere Schwester schwanger den Haushalt meistert, versucht sie mit ihren 17 Jahren die Farm aufrecht zu erhalten. Natürlich nicht sonderlich erfolgreich. Die Hoffnung auf die Rückkehr von Marthes Ehemann, der die Beiden so glücklich gemach hat, trägt nicht gerade zur Ruhe in der Familie bei. Ständig in Sorge halten die Beiden ausschau... Und eines Tages steht ein rückkehrender Soldat vor der Tür. Nicht der Vermisste Thomas, aber ein Mann, der Thomas sein könnte. Auf dem Weg nach Hause zu seinen Geliebten und nun, kurz vor dem Winter um Obdach bittend. Hallie beschließt ihn bei ihnen aufzunehmen und er arbeitet für seinen Unterhalt, was es der Familie ermöglicht über den Winter zu kommen. Doch sein Erscheinen bringt nicht nur Erleichterung.....
Leah Bobet schafft es, dass man in das Buch hineingesaugt wird. Man fühlt sich in dieser Welt gefangen. Überall diese tiefen Gefühle von Enttäuschung, Hoffnung, Angst, Wut, Misstrauen und der ständige Kampf eine kleine Familie zusammen zu halten. Die Autorin hat einen tollen Sinn dafür das alles so nahbar zu machen, dass es mich einfach nur glücklich macht.
Dieses Buch ist düster, spannend und einfach wahnsinnig gut. Wer ein kleines bisschen Spannung und Grusel mag, dem fantastischen nicht abgeneigt ist und die feinen Verstrickungen in Beziehungen jeder Art gerne nachfühlt, für den ist dieses Buch genau richtig.
I thought this book was going to have potential, but was disappointed. The story would peak my curiosity and then just not meet expectations. I appreciated the female heroine, Hallie, trying to save her family farm. I wish that the characters would have been developed more to make me feel some sort of attachment to them.
Reading this book was a very emotional and sometimes disturbing experience for me. The setting seems to be in a near future, and there are some strange elements, more horror than fantasy. At first I did not understand about the war and the Twisted Things, and then I realised that it was the same for the people in the book: they had no way of understanding either. I cared instantly and deeply about the girl, Hal, and since her life, and the lifes of those around her are hard, I cried a lot. The subjects of war, and of family, and how you survive and even grow out of the trauma of both is shown in such a realistic way that it hurts. But tears can be liberating, and in the end there is hope. Which makes me glad I read the book, even though I hated being so sad and worried most of the time.
I just want to add that this book is incredibly well written, everything so vivid and real. And it contains one of the sweetest love stories I remember reading. Not cheesy at all.
I just want to add that this book is incredibly well written, everything so vivid and real. And it contains one of the sweetest love stories I remember reading. Not cheesy at all.
Another 3.5 for me.
This one has a really interesting world. It's possibly not as fleshed out as I'd like it to be, but that's a minor complaint, and really only because I found the world so intriguing and wouldn't have minded seeing more of it. Hallie's a strong, complex MC, and the book has a wide cast of likable supporting characters. And the novel does have a very compelling emotional resolution between Hallie and all the people Hallie's has been led to believe are against her. I found that I connected to her journey quite strongly by the end.
On the negative side: Hallie's strained and contentious relationship with her sister, while vitally crucial to the story, did detract some from my enjoyment while reading. I feel like it's a bit unbalanced and wish it could have been evened out some. One of the twists did strike me as incredibly predictable. Again, important to the novel, but if it was going to be that obvious, I needed it revealed a whole lot sooner. And there was one thing that happened at the very end of the novel that I disliked. I can't say without spoilers, but it was a minor detail that struck me as uncomfortably close to a trope I do not care for and I found it unnecessary.
This is the first thing I've read by Leah Bobet, and I would definitely consider reading more by her. Her prose is simple and direct, which I like, and though certain elements of the story didn't quite work for me, overall I thought it was a very worthwhile read.
This one has a really interesting world. It's possibly not as fleshed out as I'd like it to be, but that's a minor complaint, and really only because I found the world so intriguing and wouldn't have minded seeing more of it. Hallie's a strong, complex MC, and the book has a wide cast of likable supporting characters. And the novel does have a very compelling emotional resolution between Hallie and all the people Hallie's has been led to believe are against her. I found that I connected to her journey quite strongly by the end.
On the negative side: Hallie's strained and contentious relationship with her sister, while vitally crucial to the story, did detract some from my enjoyment while reading. I feel like it's a bit unbalanced and wish it could have been evened out some. One of the twists did strike me as incredibly predictable. Again, important to the novel, but if it was going to be that obvious, I needed it revealed a whole lot sooner. And there was one thing that happened at the very end of the novel that I disliked. I can't say without spoilers, but it was a minor detail that struck me as uncomfortably close to a trope I do not care for and I found it unnecessary.
This is the first thing I've read by Leah Bobet, and I would definitely consider reading more by her. Her prose is simple and direct, which I like, and though certain elements of the story didn't quite work for me, overall I thought it was a very worthwhile read.
Another 3.5 for me.
This one has a really interesting world. It's possibly not as fleshed out as I'd like it to be, but that's a minor complaint, and really only because I found the world so intriguing and wouldn't have minded seeing more of it. Hallie's a strong, complex MC, and the book has a wide cast of likable supporting characters. And the novel does have a very compelling emotional resolution between Hallie and all the people Hallie's has been led to believe are against her. I found that I connected to her journey quite strongly by the end.
On the negative side: Hallie's strained and contentious relationship with her sister, while vitally crucial to the story, did detract some from my enjoyment while reading. I feel like it's a bit unbalanced and wish it could have been evened out some. One of the twists did strike me as incredibly predictable. Again, important to the novel, but if it was going to be that obvious, I needed it revealed a whole lot sooner. And there was one thing that happened at the very end of the novel that I disliked. I can't say without spoilers, but it was a minor detail that struck me as uncomfortably close to a trope I do not care for and I found it unnecessary.
This is the first thing I've read by Leah Bobet, and I would definitely consider reading more by her. Her prose is simple and direct, which I like, and though certain elements of the story didn't quite work for me, overall I thought it was a very worthwhile read.
This one has a really interesting world. It's possibly not as fleshed out as I'd like it to be, but that's a minor complaint, and really only because I found the world so intriguing and wouldn't have minded seeing more of it. Hallie's a strong, complex MC, and the book has a wide cast of likable supporting characters. And the novel does have a very compelling emotional resolution between Hallie and all the people Hallie's has been led to believe are against her. I found that I connected to her journey quite strongly by the end.
On the negative side: Hallie's strained and contentious relationship with her sister, while vitally crucial to the story, did detract some from my enjoyment while reading. I feel like it's a bit unbalanced and wish it could have been evened out some. One of the twists did strike me as incredibly predictable. Again, important to the novel, but if it was going to be that obvious, I needed it revealed a whole lot sooner. And there was one thing that happened at the very end of the novel that I disliked. I can't say without spoilers, but it was a minor detail that struck me as uncomfortably close to a trope I do not care for and I found it unnecessary.
This is the first thing I've read by Leah Bobet, and I would definitely consider reading more by her. Her prose is simple and direct, which I like, and though certain elements of the story didn't quite work for me, overall I thought it was a very worthwhile read.
I received an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review
Initial Reaction:
I’ll be completely honest with you…I was REALLY disappointed with An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet. I thought I was getting this post-war era book. I thought it was along the lines of historical fiction…”strange war down south” signifies to me the civil war. This was my first mistake. It didn’t take me long to realize I was way off base. The characters had modern technology. So yay! I thought I was getting a dystopian. I LOVE dystopians! This was my second mistake. Yes to some degree, it is a dystopian, BUT it has none of the traditional things we all know and love. An Inheritance of Ashes is actually a poorly done fantasy.
Harsh statement I know, especially coming from me because I REALLY wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t. There are so many things wrong with this book. Let’s break them down…
First, the world-building…it’s basically nonexistent. It wasn’t until I was roughly 25% into the book that I realized it was set in a post-modern time as the main character describes the ruins of the “great cities.” This was a big problem for me as I was – as I stated earlier – expecting civil-war era. The tone I had set for the book, the way I viewed the characters and their surrounds, had to change. Then there’s the monsters in the book. What are they?Why are they there? Why is there a war against them? None of this is really addressed until the next to last chapter. I was baffled and confused!
Then Hallie…Hallie is the main character and the entire book is told from her perspective. She’s an odd-ball, but I liked her. She’s the younger sister and part-owner of the farm they live on. Her sister is pregnant so it is up to her to run the farm. This is a huge responsibility for a barely 16 year old. The weight really crushes her. My problem with her though is there is little insight on why she does the things she does. She makes some very bad choices involving her sister and then tries to cover it up. There’s really not much remorse and then when she does FINALLY come to the conclusion that what she did was bad, she completely loses it! Who does that?! Suck it up and be a woman!
Lastly the war…the entire story revolves around this war that occurred down south. Soldiers have been home for a while yet there’s really no explaining what they did or saw down there. They don’t talk about it AND when one of the characters finally does it seems there wasn’t a war at all. So why all the injuries and deaths? Makes no sense!!!
The book’s saving grace is it’s secondary characters. While I liked Hallie, I really liked her friends Nat and Tyler. They are fully developed and bring out the best in Hallie. Nat adds levity while Tyler adds a touch of romance to the story.
Overall, I would whole-heartedly recommend you skip this book. It has a lot of problems that need to be fixed, mainly the actual plot of the story which again is nonexistent. The only positive I can think to say about the book is that for a young adult book it is a clean read (so yay for that!). Also the premise of the story had a lot of potential, it just wasn’t carried out. If you enjoy young adult, dystopia, and fantasy, then maybe give it a try. If you do, come back and let me know how you liked it!
Initial Reaction:
I’ll be completely honest with you…I was REALLY disappointed with An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet. I thought I was getting this post-war era book. I thought it was along the lines of historical fiction…”strange war down south” signifies to me the civil war. This was my first mistake. It didn’t take me long to realize I was way off base. The characters had modern technology. So yay! I thought I was getting a dystopian. I LOVE dystopians! This was my second mistake. Yes to some degree, it is a dystopian, BUT it has none of the traditional things we all know and love. An Inheritance of Ashes is actually a poorly done fantasy.
Harsh statement I know, especially coming from me because I REALLY wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t. There are so many things wrong with this book. Let’s break them down…
First, the world-building…it’s basically nonexistent. It wasn’t until I was roughly 25% into the book that I realized it was set in a post-modern time as the main character describes the ruins of the “great cities.” This was a big problem for me as I was – as I stated earlier – expecting civil-war era. The tone I had set for the book, the way I viewed the characters and their surrounds, had to change. Then there’s the monsters in the book. What are they?Why are they there? Why is there a war against them? None of this is really addressed until the next to last chapter. I was baffled and confused!
Then Hallie…Hallie is the main character and the entire book is told from her perspective. She’s an odd-ball, but I liked her. She’s the younger sister and part-owner of the farm they live on. Her sister is pregnant so it is up to her to run the farm. This is a huge responsibility for a barely 16 year old. The weight really crushes her. My problem with her though is there is little insight on why she does the things she does. She makes some very bad choices involving her sister and then tries to cover it up. There’s really not much remorse and then when she does FINALLY come to the conclusion that what she did was bad, she completely loses it! Who does that?! Suck it up and be a woman!
Lastly the war…the entire story revolves around this war that occurred down south. Soldiers have been home for a while yet there’s really no explaining what they did or saw down there. They don’t talk about it AND when one of the characters finally does it seems there wasn’t a war at all. So why all the injuries and deaths? Makes no sense!!!
The book’s saving grace is it’s secondary characters. While I liked Hallie, I really liked her friends Nat and Tyler. They are fully developed and bring out the best in Hallie. Nat adds levity while Tyler adds a touch of romance to the story.
Overall, I would whole-heartedly recommend you skip this book. It has a lot of problems that need to be fixed, mainly the actual plot of the story which again is nonexistent. The only positive I can think to say about the book is that for a young adult book it is a clean read (so yay for that!). Also the premise of the story had a lot of potential, it just wasn’t carried out. If you enjoy young adult, dystopia, and fantasy, then maybe give it a try. If you do, come back and let me know how you liked it!
DNF at 30%. I may pick it up later, but it was a bit too slow to start to grab my attention at the moment.
There is SO much going on in this book, but it doesn't feel tossed-together - all of the different elements of the story mesh organically, and nothing feels superfluous. In the simplest terms, this is about the aftermath of a potentially apocalyptic event in a world that has already weathered a previous apocalypse or near-apocalypse (depending on your definition). But it's also about communities, and it's also about the strange jagged edges that child abuse and neglect leave you with, and it's about speculative biology, and about the narratives people create and what happens when those narratives run up against reality.
Also, bonus points for it containing one of the rare boy/girl childhood-friends-to-romance subplots that I actually ENJOYED and that I felt enriched both characters rather than flattening them! And for the background gay uncles! And for people TALKING ABOUT AND PROCESSING THEIR FEELINGS, but in a realistic way, after plenty of screwing up and bumbling. I did not expect this book to be cool in so many specific ways, but here we are.
Also, bonus points for it containing one of the rare boy/girl childhood-friends-to-romance subplots that I actually ENJOYED and that I felt enriched both characters rather than flattening them! And for the background gay uncles! And for people TALKING ABOUT AND PROCESSING THEIR FEELINGS, but in a realistic way, after plenty of screwing up and bumbling. I did not expect this book to be cool in so many specific ways, but here we are.