A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane – Review & Giveaway

 

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Description:
A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.

Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.

Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…

 

 

Review:

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane is the 1^st book in her A Gathering of Dragons series.  I was not sure what to expect when I started this fantasy novel that was 560 pages, but as I read a few chapters in, I became totally engrossed into this fabulous story that kept me unable to put the book down.  Milla Vane is a new author to me, and I am happy to say that I will most certainly be reading the future books in this series.

We meet Maddek, our hero, at the start, when he learns that his mother and father (King and Queen of Parsathe) have been murdered by a King from another realm, who are part of an alliance protecting them from The Destroyer.  Maddek confronts the Alliance Council, determined to enact vengeance against the corrupt King and his sons; he is ordered not to attack someone in their alliances.  Maddek takes his army and heads for Syssian, only to find the corrupt Kings daughter being taken away.  Since the daughter was the one who invited his parents to visit, and thereby were killed, Maddek plans to enact his revenge against the daughter.

Yvenne, our heroine, is the King’s daughter, and to his surprise, she kills her brother in front of him, and offers herself to help him defeat her evil father, and other nasty brothers.  Yvenne was not what Maddek expected, as she was nothing like a warrior queen was supposed to be, being small and weak,   having suffered most of her young life.  But Yvenne was horribly treated by her family, having lost fingers, damaged knees and imprisoned most of her life; she was though very intelligent, with knowledge that would make her a fine Queen.  She proposes marriage to help Maddek become King of both lands, which he accepts.  The problem is Maddek hates her, thinking that she lured his parents to their deaths.  No matter how much she explains that she became close to his mother, and tried to help her, Maddek treated her with distain and threatens to shut her up.

I will say that for a 1/3 of the book, I was not a fan of Maddek, as he was nasty to Yvenne, even though all his soldiers began to love her.  I did love Yvenne, as she made such a wonderful heroine, making up for her disabilities, working hard to use a knife and arrows, as well as strengthen her body.  She slowly earned the respect from the men and women on Maddek’s team, as she was able to use her ‘sight’ to warn them of the enemy coming close to attacking.   Maddek in a short time, slowly began to fall for Yvette and help train her, but it did take some time. The chemistry between them was sizzling.

What follows is a fabulous, exciting, entertaining adventure filled with danger, magic, betrayals, as well as fantastic secondary characters created by Vane.  I loved the Parsathian men and woman, and how they opened up to Yvenne, as well as their loyalty to Maddek.   Heart of Blood and Ashes is a big novel, but it is so worth it.   To tell too much more would become spoilers, and you really need to read this from start to finish. 

A Heart of Blood and Ashes is fantasy at its best, with intense nonstop violent action,  excitement, fantastic characters and a wonderful romance.  I will also say I loved loved the ending, which had an epilogue.  So many fantasy books end with a cliffhanger, but A Heart of Blood and Ashes had a satisfying conclusion, even though the story will continue in the next book.  Thank you Milla Vane for this wonderful conclusion, and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Milla Vane’s publisher is  offering a paper copy of A HEART OF BLOOD AND ASHES  to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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9. Giveaway runs from February 3 -7, 2020