Forged in Blood and Lightning: Descendants of Thor Trilogy: Book One

Descendants of Thor #1

by S.A. Ashdown

Most twenty-one-year-old men don’t expect to die on their birthday, but then again, the Clemensen warlocks are no ordinary men. Theo Clemensen’s desperate quest to escape his family’s fortress and hunt down the man who killed his mother would be a little easier if it wasn’t for the iron grip of the Praetoriani, and the return of vicious vampires and unhinged, Italian witches set on taking over his home town. They all know there’s something different about Theo’s strange access to magic, and they’ll blast the Nine Realms apart if it helps them get their hands on it. Now Theo must choose between avenging his mother or ensuring his own survival – because there’s a darkness on the horizon, and Hellingstead is about to be smothered in it.
If you like Deborah Harkness, C. Gockel, Laini Taylor, Neil Gaiman, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Amanda Carlson, Rachel Medhurst, Rachel Caine, Anne Rice, or Shayne Silvers, you will LOVE the first instalment of the Descendants of Thor Trilogy. What inspired you to write Forged in Blood and Lightning?
I’ve loved vampire fiction since my early teens (thanks, Anne Rice!), and anything involving witches and other magical or supernatural creatures before that. I wanted to bring my love of the English countryside, Norse mythology and Italian folk traditions into a contemporary setting. It’s a story for new adults, but young adults and older people will enjoy it too – anyone who’d like to read a new twist on witchcraft and the origins of vampires.

What order should I read the Descendants of Thor Trilogy in?

Genres: Fantasy

414 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2018

About the author

S.A. Ashdown is a fantasy author, currently working on her Norse mythology based Descendants of Thor Trilogy. She has articles published in Kindred Spirit and Writing Magazine, including the competition-winning short story, 'Trolled'. In addition, her work has appeared in two anthologies. In the future, she intends to publish a range of YA and NA fantasy standalones and series.

Her interests include ancient history, mythology and folklore, witchcraft, feminism, and lots of other interesting stuff.

For your chance to be included in her VIP Reader Club, including previews, competitions, giveaways, and fantasy roundups, visit her website at www.theinkyfeather.com

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/6/2020)! 🎁

[Louisa Dwyer]

A pleasingly complex construct based on a mix of mythology with nicely developed characters make for an original fantasy that kept me curious. The mixture of Norse beliefs, witchcraft, vampires and elves work surprisingly well to create a sub world which feels believable. I’ll be reading the second instalment for sure!

[Myriam]

This is a magnificent book, as is the author's writing. Internal monologues are poetic literary constructs of the highest quality. The writing is superb and at times I found myself getting lost, forgetting the plot and letting myself be taken away and immersed in the melody of the author's words. Every so often, the author would strike a chord and resonate deeply in my mind with some of the insights she offered to the reader.
Fortunately, the author's ability to keep the reader informed and on course, would not let me stray for too long into re-reading of my favourite phrases and passages. The plot is so carefully woven and slowly unraveled that I had to keep on reading. Still from time to time, I would write some of the phrases down. Every word counts in this amazing book.
There is magic, warlocks, Norse mythology, vampires, witches and a lot of supernatural elements, as well as regular human contemporary reflection. For example, the author contemplates a relationship between an overprotective father and a rebellious son and discusses in detail the perils of protecting children from danger by imposing ignorance. The topic is not a novelty but the depth of analysis of the issue and the number of discussed scenarios certainly is.
Theo is a 21 year old Gatekeeper of all magic, currently the most magically responsible person in the world and beyond, however, instead of teaching him about magic, or how to defend himself, his father chooses to isolate him from the world and lock him up in the mansion. If Theo dies - magic dies, if Theo does not produce an heir - magic dies, and Theo is completely ignorant of the world and the magic he possesses as well as completely socially inept. So, most of the perils Theo finds himself in, are not the result of his desirable magic, but the fact that in order to protect him, his father kept him away from the world and did not give him any tools to improve his chances of survival. Fortunately, Theo is a determined to find the answers he needs and survive as best as he can.
Although Theo is the main character, there are numerous other characters worth mentioning, namely Lorenzo, Raphael, Ava, Penny, Menelaus, Espen, Nikolaj, Malachi, and Julian. Some of them are likable, some are not, but all them are well developed and three-dimensional. Lorenzo is a tortured soul in strange circumstances. His life interrupted abruptly and forced in a different and undesirable direction. Raphael is a mysterious creature of the nature, strangely compelled to intervene when he should not. Espen is an overprotective father, and a former Gatekeeper dealing with a personal loss and the loss of his power. Ava is a special person in a family that does not wish to recognise that kind of special. And I am going to stop here before I reveal all of the characters.
The plot is incredibly complex, consisting of so many intricate details that they felt infinite at times. The author masterfully builds the world, adds to the plot and develops characters. Although at times some additions might seem unexpected, they perfectly follow the logic and reasoning of the story line and bring the reader closer to the resolution. I cannot find the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book and how I am looking forward to the next one.
The author's powerful expression and the ability to address some timeless as well as contemporary issues left me astounded at times. One particular quote made an especially deep impression and I wanted to leave it here for contemplation:
"Humans are driven to obliterate whatever doesn't fit within their stringent belief systems." (Father to Theo, at 11%)

[Daniell Marsh]

I go back and forth on this book. In one case I did like the overall story line which started a little slow but picked up as went along. I can understand Theo in the sense that he was sheltered by his family and why they thought they were helping him by doing so. Yet in some ways his age really showed and not having to really make decision till now. I thought Ava was interesting and wished there was more with her. Liked how Mythology was woven in the story. It did have an ending with more to come feel. As it is stated as book one that can be expected. Some of the things that I had a problem with was how wordy the book was. I can see a description being there so that you can picture the story as you go along, yet I felt this was over the top on it. I actually read a couple sentences out loud to family members as was reading this and they were shaking their heads as was more than what was needed to get the point across. It was like being in a lovely garden with lots and lots of flowers but you started to get lost as the path through the garden was buried under flowers after a while. There was a couple times it would be bad enough that I was losing interest in the story. I did read it to the end yet not sure I would read the next book or not. I did receive an ARC from Hidden Gems for an honest review. I would say this would be a three to three and half star for me. As I usually round up I will mark it as a four only because it did have an overall good story line. This one is a hard one for me as it does make me as I stated in the beginning go back on forth on this book.

[Tamara]

I loved this book. Took a little to get into but I truly enjoyed the twists and turns it took.

Theo is the descendant of Thor who on his 21st birthday dies in order to receive powers that are passed on from generation to generation. His father who has rarely let him out of the house finally lets him start to explore and on his first unsupervised outing he happens to run into a vampire, a witch, and someone he feels connected to.

Lorenzo is a newly made vampire with a special ability, Penny is a witch and leader of her coven and mixed up with vampires, Ava is special because she is a clairvoyant and someone who doesn't know where she fits in.

This book is a must read to find out all the different spins on the Norse myths plus various cross references of other myths.

Awesome book and I can't wait for more to this series.

[Michael Avery]

Sadly, I just don't care

Forged in Blood and Lightning was a slog to read. At the end of the book there were many loose ends to be tied up. That's typical of a series book. There were some great ideas, but all too often things were resolved by previously unknown deus et machina, which is not fair to the reader.

However, I found no character I cared about. Maybe Ava, but not all that much. Too many names were very similar, which made things confusing.

All in all, this is the last book in the series I'm reading.

[Angela]

Few books start with the death of the main character. On his 21st birthday, Theo Clemensen dies and is reborn as the Gatekeeper of the World's Magic. Theo must keep his family legacy a secret even as he tries to uncover the events of 11 years ago when his mother died and his childhood friend vanishes from his memory and his life.

[Michele]

I didn't know when I started this if I would like it. I never have read a book that gets into Norse mythology and know nothing about it. But I really enjoyed it. The author does not assume everyone understands the Norse mythology. Great characters and move along at a good pace. I am looking forward to the next installement.

[Josephine Sanderson]

Beautiful, Magical, Captivating

Witches, vampires, elves, Norse gods and magic have been seamlessly woven together to create an epic fantasy. This is also a story about family and love, secrets and lies, desperation and independence. The characters and relationships are deeply developed leaving me feeling strongly emotionally connected. The writing is vivid and powerful. Surprise after surprise, I couldn't stop reading this book and can't wait to see how Theo's choices have shaped his fate.

[Michael]

can't get into it

[Cerinawithasea]

He controls the world’s magic – now the world wants to control him.

**A page-turning debut in the tradition of Laini Taylor, Rachel Caine, and Deborah Harkness, *Forged in Blood and Lightning *is a sweeping contemporary fantasy infused with a touch of Tolkien. A war between ancient powers is about to begin — fuelled by one warlock’s quest to master his genetic destiny.**

**---**

**ONLY THOR’S DESCENDANTS GUARD THE NINE REALMS AGAINST DESTRUCTION AND CONTROL THE FLOW OF MAGIC ACROSS YGGDRASIL. THEY ARE THE GATEKEEPERS OF THE ** **LÍFKELDA** **, PASSING THEIR BURDEN TO EACH GENERATION.**

Hey, I’m Theo Clemensen, and on my twenty-first birthday, my genetic destiny warped me into the living embodiment of the world’s Magic. Trouble is, my paranoid father and half-Elven uncle never told me I’d become a cosmic syphon for the Nine Realms of existence, or that my survival stands between Life itself and the End of All Things.

Now my hometown of Hellingstead is crawling with vampires and witches desperate to destroy the one thing that threatens us all, and they need my magic to do it. But the Praetoriani are watching my every move. My mother died at their hands and the man responsible is out there somewhere…

…And no supposed destiny is going to stop me avenging her.

**---**

The Clemensens hide in plain sight in the Praetorinai heartland of Somerset, England. Descended from Vikings – from Thor himself – no other family can rival their magic. But the source of this magic must be hidden from those who wish to initiate Ragnarok and burn the Nine Realms to ash.

Forged in Blood and Lightning is a fantasy swamped in magic and religion, from Asatru to Streghe, to a crumbling old church. Liberated from his gilded prison at last, Theo will travel from the English countryside to the lush Elven homeland, Alfheim, and to the depths of the Underworld where he’ll be forced to strike a bargain for survival. He’ll do whatever it takes to uncover the secrets hidden from him since childhood, even if it means revealing himself to the forces of darkness.

Forged in Blood and Lightning is S.A. Ashdown’s debut that will blow what you thought you knew about the Norse Gods out of the water…

Buy now to discover Nine Realms of magic and adventure.

**Content Warning: **contains occasional profanities and mild sexual content.

Author Q&A

**What inspired you to write Forged in Blood and Lightning?**

I’ve loved vampire fiction since my early teens (thanks, Anne Rice!), and anything involving witches and other magical or supernatural creatures before that. I wanted to bring my love of the English countryside, Norse mythology and Italian folk traditions into a contemporary setting. It’s a story for new adults, but young adults and older people will enjoy it too – anyone who’d like to read a new twist on witchcraft and the origins of vampires.

**Who’s *your *favourite character?**

Ultimately, there’s a reason I chose Theo Clemensen to narrate his story; he’s been hidden away his whole life, and so he’s innocent of the world.