Review – A Heart of Blood and Ashes (A Gathering of Dragons Book 1) by Milla Vane (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 555 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: February 4, 2020
ASIN: B07SBR7QZ1
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in A Gathering of Dragons series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“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…”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the A Gathering of Dragons series. The third book in this series, A Dance of Smoke and Steel, is expected to be released in April 2022.
Thoughts: There are some things I love about this book and other things not much. Previous to reading this I had read all Meljean Brook’s Iron Seas series and absolutely loved those books; that remains one of my favorite series to this day. Milla Vane is a pen name for Brook and I was eager to see what her foray into a barbarian fantasy world would look like.
The premise of the story is at first glimpse a fairly basic “enemies to lovers” type of premise. However, don’t be deceived, this is a complex and well built world with a lush history that is packed full of intriguing politics, characters, and even some adventure.
I really loved the world-building here, as with Iron Seas, this is a huge strength of this book. The world is complex with an amazing history that definitely has an impact on the world as it exists in these characters’ present time. The world has its own environments, creatures, magic, and dangers. I also really loved the Barbarian culture created and how it existed in a way that supported a larger alliance; this was very well done.
Characterization is awesome as well. All the characters are complex, easy to engage with and fun to read about. The chemistry between our two main leads is very well done. Maddek and Yvenne each have their strengths and weaknesses and support each other well both emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Now on to a few issues I had. The story is a bit too long. Don’t get me wrong I loved all the side conversations, history, and feeling like I was really journeying with these characters through this country. What I didn’t need was long pages of hearing about both Maddek and Yvenne’s uncertainties over and over again. Some of this is great and really gives us insight into these characters, but I felt like there was too much of this especially as the story went on.
Lastly, this is a very sex heavy book. While I really don’t mind some (even a lot) of sex in my fantasy reads at points I felt like it actually took over the story. The amount of time we had to hear about Maddek’s…uh…steel against Yvenne’s back got excessive to the point of eye-rolling. Yeah, we get it Maddek really really likes her…moving on…we don’t need this pointed out constantly. I like romance in my fantasies but at times this was just too much and took over what was an amazing and epic fantasy read.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was very good; solid world building, amazing story and characters. For me though it tipped a bit too far into the realm where the romance/erotica takes over the whole plot. Some will love it I am sure but it was just over the edge for me, especially towards the last third or so of the book. Right now I don’t plan on continuing this series.
