Witches of Ash and Ruin

By: E. Latimer

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy and A Discovery of Witches.

Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch - plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.

And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester - an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer's motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don't stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.

With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that's impossible to pause.

©2020 E. Latimer (P)2020 Listening Library

Consuming

Love it.Could not put it down. Looking forward to more from this author... So amazing.

Holy Celtic gods and witchlings!

This was amazing. Getting started it was a bit slow, but by about 15 chapters in I was completely hooked. There were so many amazing elements to the story, the Celtic mythology was woven in well, and not overwhelming for someone like me with no prior knowledge of the Celtic gods. I appreciated the discussions and realistic portrayal of mental health issues and the representation shown in the characters. The inclusion of POC and LGBTQ+ characters was not overdone, or stereotypical. Sometimes representation in fiction can feel forced, or like it's only being done to try and be relevant. But E. Latimer does a great job at making the characters feel authentic. It made sense for the story but was also not overdone. I also like that romance is light, but meaningful and fitting to the story. But by far the best part was all the witchy details. Katharine Lee McEwan did an amazing reading which really helped make the story that much better. I will say that the chapters are from the POV of five different characters, it didn't bother me, but I know some people aren't partial too it. Overall a definite 5* for me!

Wonderfully Witchy

This was everything I'd hoped for and more!

What I hoped to see:

Bad ass witches.
Cannibals.
Monstrous gods.
Great LGBTQ+ rep.
Romance.
Great mental health rep.
Excellently written story.

Latimer checked all those boxes! With the added bonuses of:

Karmic bitch slaps.
Ominous omens.
A captivating story told in a compelling and satisfying way.
A beautiful start to what I hope will be a long and glorious series.

FINALLY!

I stream witch stories each fall and I’ve come across some subpar ones this year. Until I found Witches of Ash and Ruin. Finally! Rich characters and brilliant visualizations. I loved this story. Wondering about a sequel already!

Great narration, so-so story

The author seems to have written this story originally as set somewhere else and then transplanted it to Ireland -- badly.

The story's not bad, but the localization feels off, and there are implausibilities that have nothing to do with the fantasy elements. Like -- how does a supposedly Catholic priest have a wife and daughter and still keep his church?

The narrator was the best part

i don’t even know what to say about this. the story is about witches yet one of the main characters hardly does magic. just goes in fists blazing without even being a good fighter. it’s a disappointment. 1/3 of the book was mildly decent. a lot of the characters are frustrating. and none of it was therapeutic.