Remnants of Ash

Reign of Fae, Book 1

By: CK Dawn

Narrated by: Sydnee Fullmer

Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

Mere mortal. Fae hunter. Oh, and the apocalypse? Yeah, that happened! She's an unstoppable human. He's an immovable beast. But the fae have scorched the earth and humans are next....

Chloe Etain, stumbled into an ancient war between the light and dark that has culminated in her world being thrown into darkness and pre-industrial chaos. Vampire-like creatures roam free, feeding on unsuspecting humans. Chloe knows the truth though and, possibly, how to stop it. But as a mere mortal, what can she do?

That's when the fates step in. Bram Tice, a fae hunting his own kind, vows to help Chloe. But he won't say which Court demands his allegiance. Together, they set out to right the imbalance plaguing her world and save humanity before it turns into nothing more than remnants of ash.

©2019 CK Dawn (P)2019 CK Dawn

Totally new take on the fae

This was a great book, and my only complaint was that I want more! Cue book two! The author did a great job taking stories we know (four huntsmen/fae/apocalypse) yet putting an entirely new spin on it. The narrator did a wonderful job with both the male and female voices and I loved her ability to differentiate between emotions. Bram and Chloe are wonderful characters and I can’t wait to find out what happens next! Onto book two!

meh

I’m only going to write one review for the first two books (which is what I read). The reason is that I feel this is a serial, not a series and, and as such, both books contain one single story that doesn’t break. I don’t actually understand why it’s broken in two. Neither book is so long as to prohibit their remaining as one. I can only imagine the same can be said for the rest of the series. I got no conclusions in either of these two, so I doubt I’d get one in the next or the next, etc.

There was a time I felt like I was making this point, about the difference between a serial and a series, every day. I even wrote a ranty blog post about it. But the trend finally died down and I haven’t had to in a while. I guess all those same books are making it to audio now. Because this is the second time in a week I’ve written a review for a ‘series’ that is actually a serial in my opinion.

So, on to the actual review. I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t think this was particularly good. I think the author probably had a good idea, but didn’t quite manage to get it onto paper. The hero and heroine meet in the prologue (meet and nothing more) and then when all hell breaks loose in chapter one (some time in the future) they are meant to already be friends and at least one is in love. The story moves from there. HOWEVER, the reader has been left out of all of it. Thus, I didn’t feel Bram’s affection for Chloe at all. How could I? We don’t see any of it prior to him basically telling her he loves her. NONE. In fact, I initially thought they were still virtual strangers.

We also don’t see any of the research Chloe, Bram and the professor have been doing to understand the Scorch. So, when it happens right out of the gate, the reader is clueless and basically unconcerned. And Chloe seems to know things she shouldn’t, because I didn’t know what she’d been researching. So, how could she recognize a royal fay [fae] on sight? No idea.

Then there is the rather large and abrupt shift in Chloe’s personality that happens at roughly 50% into the first book. She goes from teary and afraid to kick-butt superhero in a split second (in a seriously stupid move too). Though she does remain a too perfect Mary Sue throughout, as well as too good at everything, mastering magic and weaponry in an instant, without effort.

Then there is the fact that I think the author tried to get too much in. There are fae (high, low and royal), the four horseman of the apocalypse, witches, werewolves and vampires. And none of it given any real world building to understand it all.

The narrator did a fine job, except that it’s based in Seattle. Chloe started out sounding perfectly American. But about halfway through the fist book she turned English, apparently. Then in book two, she’s American again.

All in all, this was not a winner for me. Mechanically the writing is fine but the story feels barely sketched out.

Note: I received audio codes for this book. I chose to listen and review it, however.

Remnants of Ash

If your world went into utter chaos and destruction tomorrow, how would you survive? Would you have the will to survive if you lost all of the people who meant anything to you? In a post-apocalyptic world, it is kill or be killed. In Remnants of Ash, Dawn takes two characters who are unlikely to pair up—and they are forced to save what is left of humanity. This story will pull readers in just enough to give the reader a sense of foreboding and then it’s over.

Chloe Etain is a college student, making her way through the world on her own when the war picks up its pace and obliterates the earth with something called the Scorch. The Fae have really put survival to the test with these vampire-like creatures scouring the earth in search of their next meal. Meeting up with Bram has been the best and possibly the worst thing that could have happened. Bram is mysterious, sexy, but most importantly, he is a hunter and very lethal. As their journey rapidly continues, both individuals must learn the ways of this new world and each other. Can they work together? Can they survive against the impending doom that lurks at their destination?

Dawn has a very short story with the first installment of the Reign of Fae series, called Remnants of Ash. Short stories are totally acceptable for certain genres; however, this specific series seems to have a lot going on which is not conducive to this type of writing. In such a short time frame, the story loses space for a well-written backstory on characters and the plot is virtually thrown together which appears sloppy. In this story, characters appear a bit underdeveloped and scenes typically smoosh together fairly quickly, which may leave readers with confusion or complete loss of interest. Since this review does compliment the audiobook, Fullmer kept up with the quick pace fairly well; however, some wording was slurred together and there were mispronunciations through the story. The story itself has the capacity to be five-star worthy if the author ever decides to lengthen this installment and add more “meat” to the characters and scenes, and categorizes the book correctly. The development process of this story could definitely use another look. If you are a reader of post-apocalyptic, science fiction, magic, fantasy with a small amount of romance, you may enjoy this read. Since this is the first installment within the series, readers are able to jump right in.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a three-star rating to Remnants of Ash by CK Dawn.

Remnants of ash. free read.

This is a different spin on the apocalypse, the horseman and the fae that invades our world. To a uni student who tries to stop it all. I enjoy this book with its twists in the plot. looking forward to the next part.

A little confusing at first

I ended up really liking the story. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a book. Slot of things happened right in the first chapter and it felt a little bit sloppy. But after the first couple chapters it got so interesting! Things slow a bit and we start learning and connecting to our characters.

The narration was good. I didn’t have any problems with her voice or the way she told the story!

A fun read!

I received this book for a good honest review. I really enjoyed this and would recommend recommend it!

Book 1

I love the story! What bothered me, apart from the length, is the way it started. There was no time stamps to let us know some time passed. The story just started and then apparently stopped and there was no warning or explanation. We just had to sit along confused until we caught on. The hero and heroine apparently has this history that the audience has no idea of. We are just expected to what? Assume theres some deep connection or friendship between the two that warrants the hero’s passion, love, and drive to protect the heroine?

Awesome!

I really enjoyed this new take on the fae, the apocalypse, & the four horsemen!

This New Adult novel had me hooked from the beginning. I just had to know who (or what) Bram was! And the revelation? Oh yes!

As for Chloe, I loved that she was well educated, & invested in learning. The way she stumbled into Bram’s life was spot on.

As for the narration, I quite enjoyed this voice actor. She didn’t go overboard with deepening her voice for Bram, yet still managed to convey masculinity. Her words flowed smoothly and were filled with passion for the story.

4 ⭐️

Started off slow then picked up quickly. Good character development will be interesting to see what happens in the next book. Good listen!

Remnants of Ash

The blurb in this audiobook seems amazing, and I wanted a copy available to listen. I was immediately intrigued. I’m a huge fan of anything fae

Great YA

The premises for Remnants of Ash is intriguing, an apocalyptic tale with the fae and the four horsemen. The destruction of the world is at the pinnacle. Erath is about to obliterate by something called the Scorch. An unlikely pair, Chloe Etain, is a college student, and Bram Tice, a fae hunter, takes on the task of saving the world. The storyline is fast-paced, loaded with magic, supernatural creatures, and a bit of romance. Perhaps due to the length of the book, the characters' backstories weren't fully developed. Sydnee Fullmer does a fantastic job with the narration, bringing the characters to life. Overall this was a great YA listen.

Brilliant first book in series real page turner

Well narrated absolutely loved this first book in the Fae series need to find the others fantastic

Entertaining

Remnants of Ash is a fast paced, entertaining story. The storyline is interesting and memorable. The characters are intriguing and likable. Overall, I really liked the story. It does end on a small cliffhanger. The narrator did a good job. I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent first book

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Although it says for young adult 13 up I am 57 and really enjoyed it and was eager to start the second book.

Great first book.

I given this book on the provision I leave an honest and voluntary review on audible.

This first instalment was really good, it's captivating, entertaining and very well written. it's really easy to follow, the characters are very likeable and not to over powering.
Sydnee Fullmer performs the narration flawlessly, making the while experience more enjoyable.
10/10.