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A review by arachne_reads
First, Become Ashes by K.M. Szpara
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I read this as a galley before publication, but my coworker had already written a staff recommendation for it by the time I was able to crack mine open. This is the second time Szpara has handed us a novel that I inhaled in only 2 days. Szpara has a way of showing how vulnerable we are through stories that examine trauma and the erotic. Calvin's arc in particular-- his deep need for magic to be real, and his realization that his own pain and behavior enabled Lark in dangerous situations (but only when his best friend and Lark's own choices really sent the point home) -- cut to the bone.
I am usually not a fan of present-tense narrative, since I keep stubbing my toe on instances where it's used in an unreflective way (since past tense is the literary norm, I think its unreflective use stands out less at the moment, though this seems to be shifting). Szpara uses it to excellent effect in this book, aligning the narrative with the fan fiction community and playing present tense main narration against past-tense reports from Kane which develop the trauma of Lark's and Kane's childhood, but also highlight the complexities of their relationship.
I like where the narrative lands in terms of the reality of magic-- it remains ambiguous, and leans on personal interpretation of experience, but hints at other possibilities. The only thing that knocked it down from perfect in my opinion was the coda, which felt a little too saccharine. I love the way Szpara takes all this pain and trauma and vulnerability and shows these characters just being messy humans through it, trying to be good humans through it.
I am usually not a fan of present-tense narrative, since I keep stubbing my toe on instances where it's used in an unreflective way (since past tense is the literary norm, I think its unreflective use stands out less at the moment, though this seems to be shifting). Szpara uses it to excellent effect in this book, aligning the narrative with the fan fiction community and playing present tense main narration against past-tense reports from Kane which develop the trauma of Lark's and Kane's childhood, but also highlight the complexities of their relationship.
I like where the narrative lands in terms of the reality of magic-- it remains ambiguous, and leans on personal interpretation of experience, but hints at other possibilities. The only thing that knocked it down from perfect in my opinion was the coda, which felt a little too saccharine. I love the way Szpara takes all this pain and trauma and vulnerability and shows these characters just being messy humans through it, trying to be good humans through it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault