Of Shadow and Ash

by Stacy Shofner Williams

Janet Skyy was never quite as interested as her father Leslye in the myths of the lost City of Light. She is far more fascinated with hiking away from their ancient, secluded home into the nearby village to listen to an old traveling merchant and his wife tell tales of cities and places afar, and how those people were saved from a terrible plague by the Dramenian foreigners, far from their home across the sea. There seems no way she will ever meet one, or find a reason why her father regards them with such hostility.


Her world is turned on its head when the merchants arrive with a mysterious artifact for her father to examine. Janet finds herself drawn into an adventure to explore secrets long buried, and begins to see that there is more to her father than she has ever known – and why they all have so much to fear.

534 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 12, 2012

About the author

Stacy's passion for writing took off with her participation in online science fiction themed writing clubs. Her novel OF SHADOW AND ASH was spawned as a spin-off of one of those stories. In addition to writing she enjoys drawing and painting and listening to Beethoven and movie soundtracks. She is a Star Wars geek who has been rumored to dress up on occasion as a stormtrooper. She resides in her native state of Oklahoma with her husband and three sons and cats that can talk but choose not to. Follow this author on Facebook at facebook.com/StacyShofnerWilliams. Sometimes she even blogs at uplatewritingbooks.com.

Reviews

[Melanie's · Rating 4 out of 5]

**This Book Was Given To Me By The Author In Exchange For An Honest Review**

Of Shadow and Ash is a beautiful debut fantasy novel, that takes you on a journey through a whole new world with so many unexpected twists that for every question you get answered a plethora of new ones spring up to take their place.

The writing is fluid and the characters easy to identify with. The world you enter feels so real sometimes it is hard to step back and rejoin what is actually going on around you.

At one point I had to question if there was going to be a way to bring this book to a satisfying end because personally I would not have been able to do so, but once I read the ending I couldn't remember why I had any doubts.

My only criticism would be that this is a book that requires your full attention. Which is not necessarily a bad thing but in a busy household sometimes it was difficult to give it the time that I felt it really needed.

Definitely a writer to watch for in the future.

V""V

*** Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more info regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.Facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***

[For the Love of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of Shadow and Ash is a fantasy novel about a woman named Janet Skyy who wants desperately to escape from what is known and explore the world. But like so many before her she feels obligated to help assist her ever increasingly secluded father while he delves into a past that holds many dangerous secrets. If this theme sounds familiar than I'm sorry because I found this book to be compelling and very original every step of the way. It begins with a mystery and sucks you into a very disturbing landscape that keeps you on your feet throughout the whole story. Stacy has a very descriptive voice and it's not very hard to immerse yourself into Janet's world. It all just seems so real and therefore terrifying! With so many fantasy novels that tend to disappoint, this was an extremely refreshing experience. I hope this writer continues to share her gift. I for one would love more! ~Stacie (guest reviewer)