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Kingdom of Ashes
(Nightfall #1)
by
Myra never witnessed the Nightfall. She has only heard stories from the eldest among them; tales of the Old World and of the scientists who invented the WeatherWizard - a technological innovation that controls the weather. Unfortunately, the device also gave an ambitious vampire prince the means to cover the world in impenetrable clouds, allowing his armies to crawl out of
...more
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Paperback, 540 pages
Published
October 30th 2016
by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
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Start your review of Kingdom of Ashes (Nightfall, #1)

“She had become the author of her own fate.”
And Elena May became the author of a remarkable debut!

I hadn't read a book focusing solely on vampires for a very long time. I went through my vampire phase in high school, meaning I attended every single Twilight premiere and hung Edward posters on my bedroom walls and fought Damon Salvatore's fans online (Stefan girl here) and dressed up as a vamprire on Halloween etc. Later, I decided that I grew up and was too old for this drama. So, wh ...more

DNF at 52%
I will make him say he is proud of me, Myra thought. And then, only then, can I start thinking about killing him
That sentence was the last straw. I can't take it anymore. The MC is one of the dumbest I have ever read, and I read the first 3 books of Falling Kingdoms.
The dialogue was horrific. It was stilted, overly dramatic, and it had no natural flow. All of the humans in this book were just stupid. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not. The only enjoyment I got out of the book ...more
I will make him say he is proud of me, Myra thought. And then, only then, can I start thinking about killing him
That sentence was the last straw. I can't take it anymore. The MC is one of the dumbest I have ever read, and I read the first 3 books of Falling Kingdoms.
The dialogue was horrific. It was stilted, overly dramatic, and it had no natural flow. All of the humans in this book were just stupid. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not. The only enjoyment I got out of the book ...more

Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I have been very, very cautious with vampire books in the last couple of years. In fact, I don't remember the last vampire novel that I read, aside from re-reading The Historian and Dracula two years ago.
However, I read the synopsis of Kingdom of Ashes, and the many positive reviews, and I decided to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did!
This book reminded me why I ...more
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I have been very, very cautious with vampire books in the last couple of years. In fact, I don't remember the last vampire novel that I read, aside from re-reading The Historian and Dracula two years ago.
However, I read the synopsis of Kingdom of Ashes, and the many positive reviews, and I decided to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did!
This book reminded me why I ...more

I liked that Myra was confident and strong and did not give up. I liked how it explained Myra's part in defeating Vlad. I liked that the book explained how Myra was confident and I liked how it explained the positions all the characters were in. I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading the Nightfall series. I reaceived this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
...more

Utterly alluring and remarkable! This story was set in a dystopian future where humanity is at the brink of annihilation. When I started this book I was struck by how Ms. May created a terrifying reality for humans who survived a harrowing extermination attempt. I so enjoyed the attention to detail that explained the positions of both the side of the vampires and the humans in this conflict. I was drawn to feel compassion for both species in this war and it can be compared to many past events th
...more

Thanks to Elena May for giving me this book to review.
Kingdom of Ashes is a really good paranormal dystopian novel which is fast paced and raised good questions about morality and what it is to be human. I love the mix of post-apocalyptic with the gothic paranormal the book has. I also liked that where was not any romance between Myra and any of the vampires in this book as it was refreshing and would have been detrimental to the story.
Myra is naïve and creative but she is also very self-centre ...more
Kingdom of Ashes is a really good paranormal dystopian novel which is fast paced and raised good questions about morality and what it is to be human. I love the mix of post-apocalyptic with the gothic paranormal the book has. I also liked that where was not any romance between Myra and any of the vampires in this book as it was refreshing and would have been detrimental to the story.
Myra is naïve and creative but she is also very self-centre ...more

First, I’d like to say thank you to the author, Elena May, for sending me a copy of her amazing new book. And chocolate. Chocolate and books are always appreciated.
Kingdom of Ashes focuses on Myra, a girl who starts off with the same headstrong determination, black-and-white views and passion for writing as Briony Tallis in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Myra is a member of the Resistance, a dwindling pocket of humans trying to overthrow the world-ruling vampire, Prince Vladimir. She’s sent on a missio ...more
Kingdom of Ashes focuses on Myra, a girl who starts off with the same headstrong determination, black-and-white views and passion for writing as Briony Tallis in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Myra is a member of the Resistance, a dwindling pocket of humans trying to overthrow the world-ruling vampire, Prince Vladimir. She’s sent on a missio ...more

I want to thank Elena May for sending me a free copy of Kingdom of Ashes.
To be honest I had some prejudices against YA novels and I expected it to have a dull and common storyline but after reading Kingdom of Ashes my opinion changed in a good way.
I think Myra shows us you do not need to be physically strong to be called a heroine. In fact Myra's writing skills are her only weapon. The parts I enjoyed most were witty conversations between Myra and Prince Vladimir. I hope the second book of Nig ...more
To be honest I had some prejudices against YA novels and I expected it to have a dull and common storyline but after reading Kingdom of Ashes my opinion changed in a good way.
I think Myra shows us you do not need to be physically strong to be called a heroine. In fact Myra's writing skills are her only weapon. The parts I enjoyed most were witty conversations between Myra and Prince Vladimir. I hope the second book of Nig ...more

In a world, where vampires took over a weather-controlling device, people were reduced to small groups of resistance that hide and try fighting for their survival. They're becoming desperate. Hiding in caves, away from the sun is slowly killing them. The only way to win is to kill the vampire prince and try to take over the Weather Wizard.
Myra's mission is simple - ambush and kill the vampire leader. She volunteers for the task to prove she can be useful and strong. Their plan seemed to be good, ...more
Myra's mission is simple - ambush and kill the vampire leader. She volunteers for the task to prove she can be useful and strong. Their plan seemed to be good, ...more

I received eARC of "Kingdom of Ashes" by Elena May
At first I thought this going to be a predictable paranormal dystopian work with a love triangle thrown in
.
Its not. It is so much more..
Its situated in a post apocalyptic world "Nightfall" where the vampires underneath the Prince Vladmir have overtaken the Weather Wizard, A technology which manipulate the weather (why am not surprised that humans developed something that caused them doom)
Our Protagonist is Myra born in the world of darkness & dre ...more
At first I thought this going to be a predictable paranormal dystopian work with a love triangle thrown in
.
Its not. It is so much more..
Its situated in a post apocalyptic world "Nightfall" where the vampires underneath the Prince Vladmir have overtaken the Weather Wizard, A technology which manipulate the weather (why am not surprised that humans developed something that caused them doom)
Our Protagonist is Myra born in the world of darkness & dre ...more

Genre - Dystopian/Fantasy/Vampire/Young Adult
Pages - 400
Having just finished reading “Kingdom of Ashes (Nightfall, Book One)” by Elena May I continue to have faith in Young Adult Fiction and found this read to be quite entertaining. I want to thank Elena for providing me with an eCopy of this her debut book. I will say from the get go that if you are looking for a full stop ending to this story you will most likely be disappointed. You will have to continue the story in Book Two “Men and Monster ...more
Pages - 400
Having just finished reading “Kingdom of Ashes (Nightfall, Book One)” by Elena May I continue to have faith in Young Adult Fiction and found this read to be quite entertaining. I want to thank Elena for providing me with an eCopy of this her debut book. I will say from the get go that if you are looking for a full stop ending to this story you will most likely be disappointed. You will have to continue the story in Book Two “Men and Monster ...more

I didn't expect this book to be so good!!!!! I just really loved it!!!
I really liked how the tables are turned. The vampires are the one ruling the world and the humans are the ones in hiding.
Would really want to read the next book!!!! I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!!! ...more
I really liked how the tables are turned. The vampires are the one ruling the world and the humans are the ones in hiding.
Would really want to read the next book!!!! I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!!! ...more

Myra never witnessed the Nightfall. She has only heard stories from the eldest among them; tales of the Old World and of the scientists who invented the WeatherWizard—a technological innovation that controls the weather. Unfortunately, the device also gave an ambitious vampire prince the means to cover the world in impenetrable clouds, allowing his armies to crawl out of their caves and conquer all....more
Vampires rule over the New World, breeding humans for food. After fifty years of guerrilla warfare

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The novel, Kingdom of Ashes by Elena May, while not having an original title (I know of at least two others with the same name and have read one of them), is probably the most original book on vampires I have ever read. Sticking to the foundation of the original vampires in literature, Elena May builds a new layer on top of this already famous monster. What is this new layer? You’ll have to read to find out!
The story beg ...more
The novel, Kingdom of Ashes by Elena May, while not having an original title (I know of at least two others with the same name and have read one of them), is probably the most original book on vampires I have ever read. Sticking to the foundation of the original vampires in literature, Elena May builds a new layer on top of this already famous monster. What is this new layer? You’ll have to read to find out!
The story beg ...more

Kingdom of Ashes has an unique premise, as it is not as common to have a book about vampires that focuses on art and what makes humans "human." The book was pretty long and was at some points predictable, but the story flowed and was engaging. It was also surprisingly nice to have a book without a love interest, and the only romance was between side characters.
Myra was a relatable character, as she tried to conform to the rest of the Resistance (by being brave and volunteering to go on the miss ...more
Myra was a relatable character, as she tried to conform to the rest of the Resistance (by being brave and volunteering to go on the miss ...more

What I really liked about this book was that there was no "good" or "evil", and everyone was somewhere in between. You don't often get that in this kind of book.
The reason why I haven't given it 5 stars, though, is that I felt there was sometimes something a bit awkward in the writing, but it is still definitely worth reading. ...more
The reason why I haven't given it 5 stars, though, is that I felt there was sometimes something a bit awkward in the writing, but it is still definitely worth reading. ...more

Mar 13, 2017
Marissa
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-to-get-on-kindle
Awesome read!
I loved the story. The main character was relatable and interesting and her inner struggles about the morality of her actions with the vampires was amazing to read. This book is definitely in my top 10.
I loved the story. The main character was relatable and interesting and her inner struggles about the morality of her actions with the vampires was amazing to read. This book is definitely in my top 10.

It’s been a while since I last read a young adult fantasy book. You might have noticed the lack of that genre in this blog. The reason being is, aside from I want to make this blog as diverse as possible, meaning I want to read different books of different genres, I am more of a contemporary type of YA reader. The last young adult fantasy book that I can remember reading was Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas which was like ages ago. But from time to time though, when my mood switches, I crave for
...more

Disclaimer: I won this book on Goodreads.
This is a good dystopian fantasy story. The characters are well-described and have their own backstories. I could see the castle rooms and the surrounding lands in my mind. The vampires were manipulative and mostly evil. The one human who did want to be a vampire seemed shoehorned into the plot. There was no human-vampire love story. However, that makes the main character's actions even more incomprehensible as the book progresses. Her incessant need for ...more
This is a good dystopian fantasy story. The characters are well-described and have their own backstories. I could see the castle rooms and the surrounding lands in my mind. The vampires were manipulative and mostly evil. The one human who did want to be a vampire seemed shoehorned into the plot. There was no human-vampire love story. However, that makes the main character's actions even more incomprehensible as the book progresses. Her incessant need for ...more

After "Twilight", I had given up on vampire fiction. I was sick of the old “teenaged girl falls in love with sexy dark lord who abuses her, but it’s okay because he loves her” paranormal romance trope.
And, boy, was I glad to find out that this book is different.
Well, Myra is still a teenager and self-proclaimed "Prince" Vladimir is still pretty attractive for a mass murderer. There’s also some “Beauty and the Beast” in here, with Myra being held in a castle by her enemies and slowly growing to ...more
And, boy, was I glad to find out that this book is different.
Well, Myra is still a teenager and self-proclaimed "Prince" Vladimir is still pretty attractive for a mass murderer. There’s also some “Beauty and the Beast” in here, with Myra being held in a castle by her enemies and slowly growing to ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Truly a great book, very entertaining and interesting story.By the end of it I felt as if I knew the characters personally and was there the entire time.Having a rather different taste in literature I was pleasantly surprised of how intrigued I was in this book and it's ability to keep me entertained throughout.I can't wait to see how the story goes after this book.
...more

i have to say, i'm a big vampire fan and read many books of the genre. most of the times they are hidden in the night in a world of humans. this book gave it a different twist, in which humans had to stay hidden.
i really enjoyed this book, loved the worldbuilding and the dynamic between the lead caracters. so looking forward to how this story continues!! ...more
i really enjoyed this book, loved the worldbuilding and the dynamic between the lead caracters. so looking forward to how this story continues!! ...more

Rating: 4 Stars
Kingdom of Ashes by Elena May is an apocalyptic novel that questions the resilience of humanity not just in body but in spirit. I actually chose to read this book because I stumbled across an incentive from the author saying that she would be sending out e-arcs of the second book to anyone who reviewed this first book. This e-book was also 99 cents at the time so I figured what the heck I like vampires and apocalypses so why not give it a shot.
Fifty years ago the vampires came p ...more
Kingdom of Ashes by Elena May is an apocalyptic novel that questions the resilience of humanity not just in body but in spirit. I actually chose to read this book because I stumbled across an incentive from the author saying that she would be sending out e-arcs of the second book to anyone who reviewed this first book. This e-book was also 99 cents at the time so I figured what the heck I like vampires and apocalypses so why not give it a shot.
Fifty years ago the vampires came p ...more

Bloody good time
First off, I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
Second, I feel this book might need some trigger or content warnings. The main character is subject to much emotional abuse from the vampires including violence and torture to other humans to get her to bend to their will and to isolate her from her fellow humans. That being said this IS a vampire story and not you sparkly vegetarian vampire story either so that's kinda par for the course.
I think my favorite thing in the book was this ...more
First off, I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
Second, I feel this book might need some trigger or content warnings. The main character is subject to much emotional abuse from the vampires including violence and torture to other humans to get her to bend to their will and to isolate her from her fellow humans. That being said this IS a vampire story and not you sparkly vegetarian vampire story either so that's kinda par for the course.
I think my favorite thing in the book was this ...more

Fantasy with Real World Values
Amazing Powerful Story About War Sacrifice Prejudice Peace... the importance of hearing both sides of a story, humanity.. oh I could just go on!
Even learning how to write from a Vampire lol! I love love love this story! Read it straight through! The MC grows so much! There I so much packed into this dystopian fantasy war between humans and vampires. Things are not as black and white as they seem, and I think even Vampires still have humanity even though they see hu ...more
Amazing Powerful Story About War Sacrifice Prejudice Peace... the importance of hearing both sides of a story, humanity.. oh I could just go on!
Even learning how to write from a Vampire lol! I love love love this story! Read it straight through! The MC grows so much! There I so much packed into this dystopian fantasy war between humans and vampires. Things are not as black and white as they seem, and I think even Vampires still have humanity even though they see hu ...more

Need book 2 now please! Got really into the world building, borrowing from mythology while remaining its own world. Loved the details on just enough history, description of the environment, animals, and art. It was easy to get inside Myra's head. Story is a little far-fetched to me with the focus on art instead of fighting the vampires. But I thought the focus on art made this unique and not just another vampire story. Did NOT appreciate the torture scene! It was probably a good climactic scene
...more

Rating 3.5 stars.
I feel like I should start out by saying I love the novel Dracula. It's a book I re-read almost every year, as a sort of Halloween treat to myself. Because of this, I'm typically wary of new vampire-centric novels. However, I'm glad I gave this book a chance, since I ended up really enjoying it. Cuddos to the author for making the vampires sympathetic, while not shying away from the monstrous things they sometimes did. I also enjoyed the way she explored how sometimes humans can ...more
I feel like I should start out by saying I love the novel Dracula. It's a book I re-read almost every year, as a sort of Halloween treat to myself. Because of this, I'm typically wary of new vampire-centric novels. However, I'm glad I gave this book a chance, since I ended up really enjoying it. Cuddos to the author for making the vampires sympathetic, while not shying away from the monstrous things they sometimes did. I also enjoyed the way she explored how sometimes humans can ...more

I honestly wasn't sure what to think when I first started to read, but the more I read the more I needed to read. I was pulled in and left trying to decipher all the nuances of every conversation. I can't wait to read the next book and ultimately figure out what is the end game? Who is Prince Vladamir really? Will she save Tristan?
...more

A good escape
A fun read. I got super into the characters and ending up really rooting for the "bad guys". Hopefully there is a sequel?? ...more
A fun read. I got super into the characters and ending up really rooting for the "bad guys". Hopefully there is a sequel?? ...more
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Elena May writes fantasy in dystopian and historical settings. Born and raised in Bulgaria, she has studied in New Zealand and the US, worked in Germany and the UK, participated in various research or volunteer projects in Israel, Liechtenstein and Turkey, and traveled to over forty-five countries. In 2020 she relocated once again, this time to the land of little mermaids, ugly ducklings and snow
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Nightfall
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