House of Ash and Shadow
I finished reading Leia Stone’s Gilded City series last week. I believe this series is the author’s most current release, the last book of the series having come out just this year.
In true Leia Stone fashion, the series ends with a happily ever after. I love it! If you ever read Leia Stone and I highly recommend you do. What you’ll find is that she rips your heart out a few times during the series, but then tries to mend it back with a positive end that makes up for all the heartache she puts you through. I love it! LOL! That is what makes reading fun and why I love this author.
Back to Gilded City. As a whole, I really enjoyed the series. If I had one sort of negative comment, is that the heroine is only 17 when the story starts. That’s not a bad thing, but I’m just used to reading books where the MC is a little older. Honestly, though, the age was in the book description, but I didn’t read the description prior to purchasing. Leia Stone for me, has become one of those authors, that I just buy their book because it’s them.
The MC is Fallon, a 17 year old girl who has lived with a curse her entire life. The curse is that if any part of her gets touched, even a single strand of hair, she experiences intense pain. She has survived and even thrived thanks to her adopted dad. She and her adopted dad live in a village where magicless fae have been outcasted to. Despite their living conditions being very poor, she and her dad and her few friends are happy and truly care for each other. (She was abandoned as a baby and really had no idea where she came from.)
In book 1 – House of Ash and Shadow, her dad becomes deathly ill due to an infection. Fallon has no choice, but to get help. She decides the best help is to come from the great Gilded City where Fae have magic and resources. She figures that’s where she’ll be able to find medicine and possibly even a healer. So she sets out on a 3 hour walk to get to the Gilded City. Once she’s there she finds both medicine and help for her dad.
The highlight of Ash and Shadow is the healer who agrees to help her can touch her without her crumbling in pain. This is where it really starts to pick up. Because shortly after this, Royal Guards come to her village and take her back to the Gilded City where she’s thrown in a prison and forced to enter the magical academy. Fallon finds out that she’s actually oozing with magic and not magicless like she grew up to believe. She also finds out that she comes a long line of dark magic users who go crazy and turn into undead night creatures.
In book 2 — House of War and Bone, she’s gotten her footing at the magic academy, she’s got a mentor, she’s got a great and loyal friend, and she has fallen in love with the healer who could touch her, who also happens to the heir apparent to the throne — Prince Ariyon.
In book 2 — in an effort to save Ariyon’s life, she accidentally teleports him to the land of the dead. Alot of book 2 is trying to figure out how to get Ariyon back, learning how to control her powers, and the impending war with the Nightlings who is being led by her bio mom, Marisa. A really powerful, but insane, dark, and evil fae.
Book 3 — House of Light and Ether, our MC Fallon is getting desperate. Her powers are growing – fast. On one hand it’s great, because she becomes one of the strongest Fae, but the darkness of her power is taking over and she feels herself going dark.
In an effort not to hurt her loved ones, she runs away and of course finds trouble while she’s separated from her friends. There are prophetic visions she learns about that has her both feeling fearful and determined. But time is ticking away and the war is literally just days away.
I try not to do spoilers in my reviews, but give just enough details to whet your curiosity. You already know the series ends with a HEA, but OMG, what it takes to get there will having you wiping tears from your eyes, and sniffing back snots from your nose.
Another great series to add to Ms. Leia Stone’s ever expanding library. I recommend reading this. Thumbs up. Four bright stars.
Showing below are the pretty covers. Click on a cover and it will take you to the e-book link for the book.
Enjoy and happy reading!
