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The Changeling #5
The Glassfire Serpent: Ashes
The Glassfire Serpent: Ashes picks up where Embers left Robin and his friends, stranded and alone in the wilds of the Netherwolde…
With the forces of Eris tracking their steps, Robin and his friends must locate the Mysterious Lady Tinda and discover the truth behind the Glassfire Serpent.
But the clock is ticking. The Pyrenight celebrations are looming, and they must work fast if they are to save their captured friends before it’s too late.
With Karya fading fast, and the Grimm’s hot on their heels, Robin must seek aid from any quarter, and fate brings him to the resting place of the weapons of the very elementals themselves.
Hearts must be reunited, dark pasts must be faced, and unlikely alliances forged, and the Scion of the Arcania, if he hopes to survive, will need to choose between friends, before the sun goes black.
With the forces of Eris tracking their steps, Robin and his friends must locate the Mysterious Lady Tinda and discover the truth behind the Glassfire Serpent.
But the clock is ticking. The Pyrenight celebrations are looming, and they must work fast if they are to save their captured friends before it’s too late.
With Karya fading fast, and the Grimm’s hot on their heels, Robin must seek aid from any quarter, and fate brings him to the resting place of the weapons of the very elementals themselves.
Hearts must be reunited, dark pasts must be faced, and unlikely alliances forged, and the Scion of the Arcania, if he hopes to survive, will need to choose between friends, before the sun goes black.
242 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2022
About the author
James Fahy
14 books334 followersJames Fahy is the childrens author of the Changeling fantasy series, a Middle-Grade age series following the adventures of Robin, a seemingly unremarkable boy who is swept up into a war between our world, and the Netherworlde, a shadowy realm which lies beyond our own.
In addition to fantasy for younger people, James also writes adult Urban Gothic
James is represented by the Ampersand Literary Agency, Oxford, Publisher Venture Press, London
In addition to fantasy for younger people, James also writes adult Urban Gothic
James is represented by the Ampersand Literary Agency, Oxford, Publisher Venture Press, London
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
March 17, 2022
A wonderful second half to the story set off in GF: Embers.
Ashes continues the story, and has Robin and his crew tracking down the Lady Tinda, figuring out the secret of the Glassfire Serpent, and finally understanding how this object is their one way ticket into the fortress city of Dis.
What follows after a battle to rival Frodo and Shelob at Glassfire Manor, is a rescue mission and a race against time to save Jack and Ffoulkes from being burned alive as part of the second eclipse pyre night ceremony, and to find the cure for Karya before it's too late and she fades altogether.
Not everyone escapes this adventure unscathed, and almost no one ends this book unchanged in some way. The characters in the Changeling Series are always evolving, and the narrative always feels like a living breathing world. What happens next on Robin's journey is anyones guess, but I will be following along for sure.
Ashes continues the story, and has Robin and his crew tracking down the Lady Tinda, figuring out the secret of the Glassfire Serpent, and finally understanding how this object is their one way ticket into the fortress city of Dis.
What follows after a battle to rival Frodo and Shelob at Glassfire Manor, is a rescue mission and a race against time to save Jack and Ffoulkes from being burned alive as part of the second eclipse pyre night ceremony, and to find the cure for Karya before it's too late and she fades altogether.
Not everyone escapes this adventure unscathed, and almost no one ends this book unchanged in some way. The characters in the Changeling Series are always evolving, and the narrative always feels like a living breathing world. What happens next on Robin's journey is anyones guess, but I will be following along for sure.
May 24, 2022
Book 5 in the Changeling series is another hit for James Fahy. The book is yet again action packed and hilarious at the same time, Woad gets me every time. Robin's developing power have also really surprised and impressed me, not to mention his bravery that has reached a new high. It seems that all the kids have done some serious growing up throughout the whole series and I seriously can't wait to see what happens next.
The way this book ended btw... mind blown! So come on James, write faster 😆
The way this book ended btw... mind blown! So come on James, write faster 😆
March 17, 2022
One thing I've enjoyed about this series ever since the first book, is that, for Children/ MG / YA, it's never shied away from difficult topics, or sugar coated anything. yes, the books are full of magic and adventure, and lots of whimsical and exciting stuff, but from day one, they have also handled some pretty mature themes like responsibility, grief, dealing with guilt, the very blurry line that exists in real life between doing the right thing and doing the wrong thing, and some very complex heroes and villains, who seem to be one thing, then another, and sometimes both at the same time.
Glassfire Serpent Ashes takes this kind of storytelling to the next level, and the scenes between Lady Tinda and her long time arch enemy and brother are both chilling, scary, emotional, heartbreaking and ultimately, like most things that happen in the Netherworlde, no matter how dark, redemptive.
Forgiveness seems to be a big theme in this book, as does the concept of finally choosing sides, standing up for yourself, and even not always making the right choice. There are things that happen in this book that are clearly going to shape the rest of the series, and some of them are uplifting, and others left me distraught. It's a heavier emotional read than usual, as Robin and his friends have matured as the series progresses, and I ended it finding myself genuinely worried and concerned about everyone's safety and future. I've come to care about these characters, and as this book proves, just because you're one of the 'good guys' doesn't mean you get a happy ending.
Glassfire Serpent Ashes takes this kind of storytelling to the next level, and the scenes between Lady Tinda and her long time arch enemy and brother are both chilling, scary, emotional, heartbreaking and ultimately, like most things that happen in the Netherworlde, no matter how dark, redemptive.
Forgiveness seems to be a big theme in this book, as does the concept of finally choosing sides, standing up for yourself, and even not always making the right choice. There are things that happen in this book that are clearly going to shape the rest of the series, and some of them are uplifting, and others left me distraught. It's a heavier emotional read than usual, as Robin and his friends have matured as the series progresses, and I ended it finding myself genuinely worried and concerned about everyone's safety and future. I've come to care about these characters, and as this book proves, just because you're one of the 'good guys' doesn't mean you get a happy ending.
March 17, 2022
For fantasy books full of humour, magic and lots of deeply inventive excitement, the Changeling series has always had at least one or two moments in each book where we have gone far less of a 'Walt Disney presents' fairytale, and much more into a 'Grimm's bloody and dark' fairytale.
Even in book one, for me it's the chase underground with the harpies that reads more like something from Lovecraft than Tolkien. In book two, there's a pretty grim scene where Robin and Henry are in cages being taunted and tortured by Strigoi, and the entire backstory in book three about the 'minotaur' at the centre of the labyrinth is dark dark dark. Even in book four, which is full of adventure, those unicorns are literally the stuff of nightmares.
But in book five of the series, we genuinely meet real horror. I'm talking of course about Glassfire Manor, and not even the eight legged monster that dwells within. I'm talking about Lord Flint.
The whole idea of what he is, and what happened to him, and what he has become, is so chilly and creepy and visually so powerful, that it had me thinking about it long after the rest of the book was closed and finished.
It's a really clever way, rather than showing your main antagonist, (Lady Eris in this case) to be some big growling monster, or scary, fiery balrog, to show what happens to those people who get in their way, or like Lord Flint, those who are loyal, but who no longer serve a purpose. it tells me more than any description could, and it was by far my favourite part of the book. (though the rest was great too)
Even in book one, for me it's the chase underground with the harpies that reads more like something from Lovecraft than Tolkien. In book two, there's a pretty grim scene where Robin and Henry are in cages being taunted and tortured by Strigoi, and the entire backstory in book three about the 'minotaur' at the centre of the labyrinth is dark dark dark. Even in book four, which is full of adventure, those unicorns are literally the stuff of nightmares.
But in book five of the series, we genuinely meet real horror. I'm talking of course about Glassfire Manor, and not even the eight legged monster that dwells within. I'm talking about Lord Flint.
The whole idea of what he is, and what happened to him, and what he has become, is so chilly and creepy and visually so powerful, that it had me thinking about it long after the rest of the book was closed and finished.
It's a really clever way, rather than showing your main antagonist, (Lady Eris in this case) to be some big growling monster, or scary, fiery balrog, to show what happens to those people who get in their way, or like Lord Flint, those who are loyal, but who no longer serve a purpose. it tells me more than any description could, and it was by far my favourite part of the book. (though the rest was great too)
March 17, 2022
I love good foreshadowing. it's always a sign that a story has been well planned out, and when that foreshadowing stretches back two or three books in a series, then I'm genuinely impressed.
The hunt for the elusive, maybe dead, maybe alive Lady Tinda continues here in Ashes, and the time is running out to find her before certain Erlkingers meet their doom in the city of Dis.
What's lovely is that when we DO find out what Lady Tinda is all about, it's something that has been casually hanging around in the background of the last two books as well, and I never even noticed.
The Changeling books do this a LOT. They mention so many little things that at the time seem like throwaway comments to add flavour to a scene, or thumbnail sketch characters either mentioned of very briefly featured, that at the time you figure are just basic NPC's. but as with this book, often it turns out that that tiny thing, hidden in all the other tiny things, was actually crucially important! The writer likes to tease us by dangling the answers right in front of us, but in ways we won't notice until the truth is revealed, sometimes books later, and once we know, then it's blindingly obvious and very clever.
I also enjoyed Lady Tinda because it's rare to have interesting female characters in fantasy who are shaped and act like regular people. not everyone is a fantasy Disney princess, and it's the strength of her character, not her appearance, that leave a lasting impression.
The hunt for the elusive, maybe dead, maybe alive Lady Tinda continues here in Ashes, and the time is running out to find her before certain Erlkingers meet their doom in the city of Dis.
What's lovely is that when we DO find out what Lady Tinda is all about, it's something that has been casually hanging around in the background of the last two books as well, and I never even noticed.
The Changeling books do this a LOT. They mention so many little things that at the time seem like throwaway comments to add flavour to a scene, or thumbnail sketch characters either mentioned of very briefly featured, that at the time you figure are just basic NPC's. but as with this book, often it turns out that that tiny thing, hidden in all the other tiny things, was actually crucially important! The writer likes to tease us by dangling the answers right in front of us, but in ways we won't notice until the truth is revealed, sometimes books later, and once we know, then it's blindingly obvious and very clever.
I also enjoyed Lady Tinda because it's rare to have interesting female characters in fantasy who are shaped and act like regular people. not everyone is a fantasy Disney princess, and it's the strength of her character, not her appearance, that leave a lasting impression.
April 26, 2022
The Changeling series as a whole absolutely delights in subverting expectations.
book one, you think the Grimms are the big bad guys of the series? by book two, you realise they're down the ladder of evil by a good few rungs. Book two, you think you have a handle on who's side everyone is on? By the end of the book, I was totally wrong. Book three showed me not every bad thing that is happening stems from the "Eris" influence, and that the antagonists can be the people you least expect, and here in the second half of Glassfire, it happened again.
I spent much of the previous book building up Lady Tinda's brother as 'the bad guy', absolutely convinced that things were building up to a battle with him at some point in this volume. but as ever, that's not quite the way things go, and instead we get a very strong lesson on how power corrupts, and also a surprising one on how forgiveness heals, even if it's cold comfort.
There are some great set moments in Ashes. The battle in the town square is magical, the inside of Eris fortress is mind-bindingly strange, and the secrets held in the laboratory we finally get to...I couldn't have even begun to guess at.
I have my idea's about what might happen in the next book, but given what I've said here, I'm probably wrong, and I'm probably going to be pleasantly surprised.
book one, you think the Grimms are the big bad guys of the series? by book two, you realise they're down the ladder of evil by a good few rungs. Book two, you think you have a handle on who's side everyone is on? By the end of the book, I was totally wrong. Book three showed me not every bad thing that is happening stems from the "Eris" influence, and that the antagonists can be the people you least expect, and here in the second half of Glassfire, it happened again.
I spent much of the previous book building up Lady Tinda's brother as 'the bad guy', absolutely convinced that things were building up to a battle with him at some point in this volume. but as ever, that's not quite the way things go, and instead we get a very strong lesson on how power corrupts, and also a surprising one on how forgiveness heals, even if it's cold comfort.
There are some great set moments in Ashes. The battle in the town square is magical, the inside of Eris fortress is mind-bindingly strange, and the secrets held in the laboratory we finally get to...I couldn't have even begun to guess at.
I have my idea's about what might happen in the next book, but given what I've said here, I'm probably wrong, and I'm probably going to be pleasantly surprised.
March 4, 2022
This review is for both Glassfire Serpent Embers and Ashes, as I've read the fourth instalment duo logy together.
With the book of Fire, the rule book is out of the window! the first book, Embers, reads like a classic quest book, with Robin following a series of clues on the trail of an old family of Panthea who might be able to help him in both the war against Eris and his friends mystery illness. By the end of that book, all of the best laid plans of the Erlking squad are in tatters, with half of them in deadly peril, and the other half flung into the wilds with no guidance and no idea what to do next.
Where Ashes picks up in book two, Robin finally gets to the bottom of the mystery, and the book takes a notably darker turn than ever before, with the running themes being returning to old sins to face the past, a fantastic set piece with a monster to rival Tolkien's Shelob, and of course the cherry on the cake, the breach of the City of DIS.
By the finale, some classic enemies are in the wind, others are revealed to be not what they seemed, and some new ones are even made from the most unlikely and heartbreaking of sources.
This was a powerful episode of the Changeling book, and definitely ups the stakes for the ongoing war of the Netherworlde. Bring on book six!
With the book of Fire, the rule book is out of the window! the first book, Embers, reads like a classic quest book, with Robin following a series of clues on the trail of an old family of Panthea who might be able to help him in both the war against Eris and his friends mystery illness. By the end of that book, all of the best laid plans of the Erlking squad are in tatters, with half of them in deadly peril, and the other half flung into the wilds with no guidance and no idea what to do next.
Where Ashes picks up in book two, Robin finally gets to the bottom of the mystery, and the book takes a notably darker turn than ever before, with the running themes being returning to old sins to face the past, a fantastic set piece with a monster to rival Tolkien's Shelob, and of course the cherry on the cake, the breach of the City of DIS.
By the finale, some classic enemies are in the wind, others are revealed to be not what they seemed, and some new ones are even made from the most unlikely and heartbreaking of sources.
This was a powerful episode of the Changeling book, and definitely ups the stakes for the ongoing war of the Netherworlde. Bring on book six!
April 26, 2022
I've always thought that you can have the best, most interesting fantasy world ever, but if your readers don't care about the characters, it's not going to be a good book. The Changeling series excels at characters. We've been with these kids for a while now. Some of them since book one, some since book two, but Fahy writes them so well, and so individually, that you can't help getting very attached to them.
Do that, and then throw those characters into constant danger, and as a reader, I'm in a constant state of stress and excitement. Woad has so many near-misses in the last book and this one that I nearly had a heart attack. Karya's life has been hanging in the balance since page one, and god-help-me I'm even made to care about some of the villains!!
It's great to see how all of these characters have developed since we first met them. They're never static, and always evolving and growing in tune with the story around them. I'm in it for the long haul now, and NEED to see where they all finally end up. (and who makes the final cut when the dust settles in the Netherworlde). Ending of this volume broke my heart a little, but I am hoping that there's some kind of amazing redemption arc coming up. There has to be SOME way everyone can live happily ever after.
Do that, and then throw those characters into constant danger, and as a reader, I'm in a constant state of stress and excitement. Woad has so many near-misses in the last book and this one that I nearly had a heart attack. Karya's life has been hanging in the balance since page one, and god-help-me I'm even made to care about some of the villains!!
It's great to see how all of these characters have developed since we first met them. They're never static, and always evolving and growing in tune with the story around them. I'm in it for the long haul now, and NEED to see where they all finally end up. (and who makes the final cut when the dust settles in the Netherworlde). Ending of this volume broke my heart a little, but I am hoping that there's some kind of amazing redemption arc coming up. There has to be SOME way everyone can live happily ever after.
April 26, 2022
The first half of this epic tale of the tower of fire really treated us to some parts of the Netherworlde we have never explored before in previous books. the sprawling and dizzying market town built like a mad jenga tower on top of a waterfall, the boggy and haunted forests filled with giant insects, deadly unicorns and extremely hungry bog hags, and sweeping alpine mountainsides carpeted in flowers, sunshine and ice streams. So I was keen to pick up with the second half and see where it took us.
Just as many amazing places, as it turns out. This time Robin navigates magical mountaintops covered in libraries carved from crystal, a vista of volcanic grasslands full of fire-geysers and beautiful blood red blossom trees, the city of Dis itself, in all it's stark and authoritarian splendour, and most impressive of all, Eris' palace, which felt like the inside of a galaxy brought to life and was so unusual and strange it made me think of the dizzying staircase rooms from Labyrinth.
If nothing else, what this series deserves at some point is an illustrated edition, or a companion's guide, because in and around all the great storytelling, we are always given the impression that we've only just begun to scratch the surface of what the Netherworlde has to offer.
Just as many amazing places, as it turns out. This time Robin navigates magical mountaintops covered in libraries carved from crystal, a vista of volcanic grasslands full of fire-geysers and beautiful blood red blossom trees, the city of Dis itself, in all it's stark and authoritarian splendour, and most impressive of all, Eris' palace, which felt like the inside of a galaxy brought to life and was so unusual and strange it made me think of the dizzying staircase rooms from Labyrinth.
If nothing else, what this series deserves at some point is an illustrated edition, or a companion's guide, because in and around all the great storytelling, we are always given the impression that we've only just begun to scratch the surface of what the Netherworlde has to offer.
March 17, 2022
I just finished book two of the Glassfire Serpent, and I'm still processing everything that happened in it.
There is just SO MUCH to unpack here. The big reveal with you know who at the end in the Tower of Heaven's Lens. I knew it I knew it I knew it!! (and if you don't know who I'm talking about, you will once you've read it. Small hint. Think Darth Vader if Darth Vader was a metal wolf.
But Ashes doesn't just give me the satisfaction of finally confirming something I've been suspecting (and hoping for) since book two of this series, it literally smears on the big reveals, the huge payoffs and the answers to long-standing questions with a big generous spoon.
Do we find out what the deal with Karya is? Yes we damn well do! Do we finally get to meet the ever elusive Lady Eris? Yes, we do!! Do Robin and Peryl hook up?? OMG.
But way before we get to any of these super satisfying crescendos, the author drags us through some dark with a capital D stuff, and the tone of this volume is maybe the most serious and scary of the series so far. I loved every bit of it, and I am now very impatiently awaiting the next one, because the ending of this one? It Broke my Heart
There is just SO MUCH to unpack here. The big reveal with you know who at the end in the Tower of Heaven's Lens. I knew it I knew it I knew it!! (and if you don't know who I'm talking about, you will once you've read it. Small hint. Think Darth Vader if Darth Vader was a metal wolf.
But Ashes doesn't just give me the satisfaction of finally confirming something I've been suspecting (and hoping for) since book two of this series, it literally smears on the big reveals, the huge payoffs and the answers to long-standing questions with a big generous spoon.
Do we find out what the deal with Karya is? Yes we damn well do! Do we finally get to meet the ever elusive Lady Eris? Yes, we do!! Do Robin and Peryl hook up?? OMG.
But way before we get to any of these super satisfying crescendos, the author drags us through some dark with a capital D stuff, and the tone of this volume is maybe the most serious and scary of the series so far. I loved every bit of it, and I am now very impatiently awaiting the next one, because the ending of this one? It Broke my Heart
March 17, 2022
Dis! we finally get to Dis! and it's a bloody scary Orwellian nightmare of a place. Kind of like the Goblin King's city in the movie Labyrinth, if that city was run by scary Nazis. I loved it.
This book delivered everything I wanted it to. Seeing Robin take out hordes of peacekeepers in the basement using pretty much every cantrip and spell he knew gave me major Aang the Avatar vibes, and I thought the prison where Eris puts people to forget about them was especially horrific, and illustrates a lot of what it means to be brave enough to actively stand against the empress and potentially end up in a place like that forever.
Eris' palace was mind-bindingly strange. Absolutely not what I imagined, and as ever I was impressed with the scope of originality and imagination that always goes into making the Netherworlde like nowhere else I've seen or read about.
Robin gains some friends in this book, and loses some others, and I have a feeling in future books things are going to get a lot darker before the dawn.
This book delivered everything I wanted it to. Seeing Robin take out hordes of peacekeepers in the basement using pretty much every cantrip and spell he knew gave me major Aang the Avatar vibes, and I thought the prison where Eris puts people to forget about them was especially horrific, and illustrates a lot of what it means to be brave enough to actively stand against the empress and potentially end up in a place like that forever.
Eris' palace was mind-bindingly strange. Absolutely not what I imagined, and as ever I was impressed with the scope of originality and imagination that always goes into making the Netherworlde like nowhere else I've seen or read about.
Robin gains some friends in this book, and loses some others, and I have a feeling in future books things are going to get a lot darker before the dawn.
March 8, 2022
Review for both the Embers and Ashes parts of Glassfire Serpent.
Book four and five of this series should have been called the Book of Revelations, because by golly do we get them!
Ever since the series started, we readers have been given teasing hints about certain characters, (no spoilers here) and in Glassfire, we finally get some very satisfying reveals, on more than one front, and it's a heck of a game changer on both counts, (and both sides of the war).
Of course like with any good writing, these revelations about who and what certain people are, while satisfying to discover, only raise more and new questions going forward!
Glassfire rounds off the cardinal elements in this series so far, (air, water, earth and now fire), so I'm interested to see what book six will tackle. (There are three more towers of magic left to cover. Darkness, Light and Mana).
My money is on darkness next, especially given the dark and ominous conclusion to this one.
Book four and five of this series should have been called the Book of Revelations, because by golly do we get them!
Ever since the series started, we readers have been given teasing hints about certain characters, (no spoilers here) and in Glassfire, we finally get some very satisfying reveals, on more than one front, and it's a heck of a game changer on both counts, (and both sides of the war).
Of course like with any good writing, these revelations about who and what certain people are, while satisfying to discover, only raise more and new questions going forward!
Glassfire rounds off the cardinal elements in this series so far, (air, water, earth and now fire), so I'm interested to see what book six will tackle. (There are three more towers of magic left to cover. Darkness, Light and Mana).
My money is on darkness next, especially given the dark and ominous conclusion to this one.
April 26, 2022
I dived straight into this following 'Embers', and while 'Ashes' is noticeably darker in tone, it just picks up exactly where the previous book let off and hits the ground running.
The darker tone is absolutely necessary to be fair, as we are getting into some deep revelation stuff at this point in the series, and a lot of fans are going to be VERY satisfied with finally getting some long awaited answers to certain character origins and arcs. (I know I was).
As always, the story of the Netherworlde keeps me guessing, and I can never quite predict which direction things are going to go in, which I love. It keeps the stakes and tension high from the get go to the very end, and the final 'showdown' threw so many curveballs all at once that I had to re-read it to enjoy it again. Cannot wait for the next instalment!
The darker tone is absolutely necessary to be fair, as we are getting into some deep revelation stuff at this point in the series, and a lot of fans are going to be VERY satisfied with finally getting some long awaited answers to certain character origins and arcs. (I know I was).
As always, the story of the Netherworlde keeps me guessing, and I can never quite predict which direction things are going to go in, which I love. It keeps the stakes and tension high from the get go to the very end, and the final 'showdown' threw so many curveballs all at once that I had to re-read it to enjoy it again. Cannot wait for the next instalment!
April 26, 2022
Loved this book!
In the last one, I really enjoyed the city of Titania's Tears, and in this one, we get quite a contrast as we see the city of Dis, and they play off against one another brilliantly. Titania's Tears was bustling and alive and chaotic as a melting pot for all different kinds of panther. Dis is rigid and policed and felt like something out of the police state Soviet Union or something. filled with those rich and loyal to Eris, but ruled over with some serious 'big brother is watching you' vibes.
I thought the differences were great, and it was cathartic to finally get to meet Eris herself after five books. The author keeping the main antagonist in the shadows as long as possible is always a good way to build intrigue and mystery, and the payoff here is great, because as always, she isn't what you'd expect.
In the last one, I really enjoyed the city of Titania's Tears, and in this one, we get quite a contrast as we see the city of Dis, and they play off against one another brilliantly. Titania's Tears was bustling and alive and chaotic as a melting pot for all different kinds of panther. Dis is rigid and policed and felt like something out of the police state Soviet Union or something. filled with those rich and loyal to Eris, but ruled over with some serious 'big brother is watching you' vibes.
I thought the differences were great, and it was cathartic to finally get to meet Eris herself after five books. The author keeping the main antagonist in the shadows as long as possible is always a good way to build intrigue and mystery, and the payoff here is great, because as always, she isn't what you'd expect.
August 20, 2022
Um...I don't know what happened with that ending but they literally all GAVE UP on an ally who they were close with, like legitimately just left with a "ya can't save everyone" shrug, contrary to their EVERY OTHER STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY IN EVERY BOOK. Yeah, shouty caps, because that was such a lame way to turn a character to the darkside? The character would have been totally fine if they'd just done what they always do and rescued???(!!)
I didn't enjoy this one as much (but I did still enjoy it). I just found it slower, with no time to relax in Erlking, and that ending was ridic. Also, I was filled with sadness the entire time, knowing I'm caught up on the series now and waiting.
Super highly recommended series despite my ANGRY CAPSLOCK AT THAT STUPID SENSELESS DESERTION 👿👹👿👹👿👹👿👹👿👹
I didn't enjoy this one as much (but I did still enjoy it). I just found it slower, with no time to relax in Erlking, and that ending was ridic. Also, I was filled with sadness the entire time, knowing I'm caught up on the series now and waiting.
Super highly recommended series despite my ANGRY CAPSLOCK AT THAT STUPID SENSELESS DESERTION 👿👹👿👹👿👹👿👹👿👹
March 4, 2022
I had been pretty firm that Chains of Gaia, (book three of this series) was my firm favourite, but now that I've finished Glassfire Serpent Parts one and Two, that is out of the window.
This two-part, fourth instalment of the fantasy saga finally gets around to answering some of the BIG questions. Who/What is Karya? What's the deal with the Skyfire we've heard mentioned for Woad ever since book one. What is Lady Eris really like? and my personal favourite, what kind of monster lurks under Strigoi's mask??
That final revelation almost killed me. but not as much as the ending of part two: Ashes. which had a heck of a lump in my throat and now I need to know what's happening next!
(posting this review on both Embers and Ashes as I read them both at once).
This two-part, fourth instalment of the fantasy saga finally gets around to answering some of the BIG questions. Who/What is Karya? What's the deal with the Skyfire we've heard mentioned for Woad ever since book one. What is Lady Eris really like? and my personal favourite, what kind of monster lurks under Strigoi's mask??
That final revelation almost killed me. but not as much as the ending of part two: Ashes. which had a heck of a lump in my throat and now I need to know what's happening next!
(posting this review on both Embers and Ashes as I read them both at once).
April 26, 2022
There's a scene in Glassfire Ashes, in the ruined shell of the tituar mansion, with an exchange between a brother and sister, and it's almost perfectly executed. For me it sums up all the themes that have been running through this series since book one. of darkness and light, good and evil, the blurring of lines between both, and how nothing is simple or ever quite one thing or another.
It's partly horrifying, chilly and grim, and sweet and emotional at the same time. And it does more to paint a picture of what the antagonist of this series, Lady Eris, is like, and what she stands for, than any amount of fire and brimstone ever could.
I adored it, and it was just one moment in a book filled with similar moments.
story goes from strength to strength
It's partly horrifying, chilly and grim, and sweet and emotional at the same time. And it does more to paint a picture of what the antagonist of this series, Lady Eris, is like, and what she stands for, than any amount of fire and brimstone ever could.
I adored it, and it was just one moment in a book filled with similar moments.
story goes from strength to strength
January 19, 2025
I'm a 56 year old woman and I've just finished reading a book aimed at people many years younger than me......and I loved every single word the author wrote!
Every book in this series was a masterpiece of perfection. The characters were superbly drawn and came to life immediately and forcefully. The blend of humour and heartbreak was intoxicating and descriptive passages were rich in the power to send the reader to each place our heroes visited.
Reading this series took me right back to my 10 year old self reading my dad's fantasy books and wishing I was a hero too on an epic journey.
I'm bereft now I've finished Ashes and can only hope James Fahy is writing the next adventure because my back pack is already packed and waiting in the hall!
Every book in this series was a masterpiece of perfection. The characters were superbly drawn and came to life immediately and forcefully. The blend of humour and heartbreak was intoxicating and descriptive passages were rich in the power to send the reader to each place our heroes visited.
Reading this series took me right back to my 10 year old self reading my dad's fantasy books and wishing I was a hero too on an epic journey.
I'm bereft now I've finished Ashes and can only hope James Fahy is writing the next adventure because my back pack is already packed and waiting in the hall!
April 26, 2022
A fittingly epic conclusion to this two-part entry into the Changeling saga. Glassfire Serpent Ashes takes us up mountains to magical libraries, back to Erlking, to haunted mansions, underground prisons, and finally to the city of Dis itself, and the belly of the beast, Eris' stronghold.
I was overjoyed to find some of my favourite 'bad guys' turning up at the eleventh hour, after being conspicuously absent from the previous book, and there's even time to fit in a little passion and romance (bittersweet as always) in amongst all the action. The ending is just cinematic, and the whole scene in the palace of Dis had me in goosebumps. Wonderful fantasy reading.
I was overjoyed to find some of my favourite 'bad guys' turning up at the eleventh hour, after being conspicuously absent from the previous book, and there's even time to fit in a little passion and romance (bittersweet as always) in amongst all the action. The ending is just cinematic, and the whole scene in the palace of Dis had me in goosebumps. Wonderful fantasy reading.
April 26, 2022
Fast paced, fun, and fiery!
Robin's continued search for the missing (or dead) noble panther Lady Tinda culminates in a heist-movie style break-in to the most fortified city in the Netherworlde, where he must attempt to rescue his captured friends before they are literally burned at the stake during the Pyrenight celebrations.
I loved this book. It's equal parts funny, scary, adventurous, heartwarming, and tragic, especially the end. (I had a feeling not everyone was going to get through things alive or unscathed, but I was not prepared for that epilogue!)
In a fantasy series that is as familiar as it is ambitious, the writer once again turns up the heat in every way.
Robin's continued search for the missing (or dead) noble panther Lady Tinda culminates in a heist-movie style break-in to the most fortified city in the Netherworlde, where he must attempt to rescue his captured friends before they are literally burned at the stake during the Pyrenight celebrations.
I loved this book. It's equal parts funny, scary, adventurous, heartwarming, and tragic, especially the end. (I had a feeling not everyone was going to get through things alive or unscathed, but I was not prepared for that epilogue!)
In a fantasy series that is as familiar as it is ambitious, the writer once again turns up the heat in every way.
April 26, 2022
Karya!!
This whole last two books, to be fair, have had me white knuckling about Karya, and this volume is HER story more than anything else. There have been hints and whispers about the mysterious slightly feral girl who first showed up at Erlking since book one, but Fahy has been playing the long game. Teasing out clues via throwaway comments and details in scenes all leading up to her having to head back to Lady Eris' palace where she first started out, and confronting her own backstory. And the payoff is well worth it!
I look forward to seeing where things go from here
This whole last two books, to be fair, have had me white knuckling about Karya, and this volume is HER story more than anything else. There have been hints and whispers about the mysterious slightly feral girl who first showed up at Erlking since book one, but Fahy has been playing the long game. Teasing out clues via throwaway comments and details in scenes all leading up to her having to head back to Lady Eris' palace where she first started out, and confronting her own backstory. And the payoff is well worth it!
I look forward to seeing where things go from here
April 26, 2022
Do I regret saying I wanted to ship Robin and Jackalope in my review of the previous book? Nope. Because if anything, that just makes what happens in this one more heartbreaking!
I am wounded!!
I did not see the ending coming at all, and it's almost impossible for me to talk about it without spoilers, but I loved it, and it was cruel and scary and sad and wonderful. And everything better be okay in the next book or I am going to storm the Netherworlde myself to put things right.
a wonderful, suprisingly emotional read
I am wounded!!
I did not see the ending coming at all, and it's almost impossible for me to talk about it without spoilers, but I loved it, and it was cruel and scary and sad and wonderful. And everything better be okay in the next book or I am going to storm the Netherworlde myself to put things right.
a wonderful, suprisingly emotional read
April 26, 2022
The fire might have been lit in Embers, and it blazed beautiful, but here in Ashes, we're treated to the other half of the story. Namely the damage the blaze can do. Whether that's the blaze of emotions from all the characters here making some big life choices, decisions and acts that are going to affect the course of the rest of the series for sure, or the blaze of imagination that rips through this book. Once again, we have grounded, relatable characters dropped into worlds of impossible things and amazing vistas, and I am here for every bit of it.
April 26, 2022
Glassfire Serpent: Ashes reads like the book equivalent of a great TV series that has suddenly gotten a huge budget increase for the next season and has pulled out all the stops.
Bigger scenes, bolder confrontations, higher stakes, amazing showdowns and battles, and some true "omg did that just happen?!" moments.
I love this series so much, and this is firmly my favourite book so far. I just want to eat up the next right now
Bigger scenes, bolder confrontations, higher stakes, amazing showdowns and battles, and some true "omg did that just happen?!" moments.
I love this series so much, and this is firmly my favourite book so far. I just want to eat up the next right now
April 26, 2022
I went into this prepared to pitch a fit if anything bad ended up happening to Woad or Karya.
By the end of the book I was kicking myself for not worrying about other people too!
Don't want this series to end, and I'm deeply invested on all of the Erlkingers somehow getting to the finish line of this fantasy saga intact. Next book please!
By the end of the book I was kicking myself for not worrying about other people too!
Don't want this series to end, and I'm deeply invested on all of the Erlkingers somehow getting to the finish line of this fantasy saga intact. Next book please!
March 17, 2022
This epic conclusion to the instalment which was started in Glassfire Serpent Embers definitely delivers. It's almost impossible to say anything about it without giving away massive spoilers, but wow..does it get dark, does it get dramatic? is the ending amazing? Yes to all.
April 24, 2022
The series just keeps on getting better and better!
I am so enamoured with the characters--even some of the evil ones have a way about them that intrigues the reader. Bring on the next book--please😀
I am so enamoured with the characters--even some of the evil ones have a way about them that intrigues the reader. Bring on the next book--please😀
April 26, 2022
The Glassfire Serpent (part two) takes all the pins it has carefully set up in part one, and rolls a great big bowling ball at them, scattering them with a very satisfying clatter for a total strike.
well crafted, engaging and delightfully imaginative storytelling.
well crafted, engaging and delightfully imaginative storytelling.
May 3, 2022
A great second half to the continued story of Robin and his friends but another cliffhanger. Can Jack escape a horrid fate? Only the author knows. I wonder how many more books till the netherworld is whole and safe…
June 21, 2022
Just a short review. The whole series of books were excellent. I have read one after the other and found them very gripping and unputdownable. Thanks for keeping me entertained. Hope there are more
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