Official Review: Circle of Ash by Sterling Magleby

[ritah]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Circle of Ash" by Sterling Magleby.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Dayang’s home town still isn’t quite the same after suffering a devastating attack years ago. Dayang grows up behind the protection of its walls while enduring high-level training to prepare for the dangers outside of it. Sanyago and Laris, on the other hand, live a challenging life in the confines of the Presilyo monastery; the two of them face intense training that tests their every strengths and weaknesses, in order to prepare for the life that has been set out for them. On the other side of the plane, Juliaen does her best to support her family and nation, but deep down she yearns to do more with her life by following her true calling far away from the place she calls home. What will become of the characters once they branch out into new worlds, far from everything they’ve ever known?

Circle of Ash by Sterling Magleby is a dark fantasy novel set in a dystopic world filled with mystical elements, magic, adventure, and action. Readers are catapulted into a world that is strikingly different from what we know yet bares significant remnants of what we do. By in large a coming-of-age novel, the author expertly brings each character to life with colorful and detailed descriptions.

A fascinating aspect of this novel was that the main characters’ worlds merge in interesting and unexpected ways. It was intriguing to witness the characters’ development through different circumstances and environments. One of its major strong points lies in the world-building; the vivid descriptions of place, languages, culture, history, religion, and battles fought all transported me to the characters' world. I couldn’t help but feel like a silent character in an alien yet eerily familiar world.

Another great aspect, as a coming-of-age fantasy novel, is the character development. The author expertly peels off the layers to reveal different facets of the main characters. The characters and their storylines hold significant depth, making it easy to become engrossed and invested in their lives and adventures.

The elements of suspense and mystery kept me on the edge of my seat, keenly anticipating what would happen next. I appreciated the satisfying, though unexpected, moments of humor in the narrative. And, while I got to know the characters so well (I could finish some of their sentences), some of the plot twists threw me for a loop.

The author’s first-rate writing style elevates the narrative; it was easy to feel the characters’ emotions and picture them in battle. Some of the tales, at the beginning of most chapters, bore a poetic feel to them, which I enjoyed. I also liked the shifting and interchanging of parallel stories with each chapter as it helped to keep things refreshing, especially because this was a lengthy read.

Even though the book appeared to have been professionally edited, I still encountered a number of errors. While some were clearly unintentional errors (such as missing words, misplaced words, and missing quotation marks), some seemed intentional, though it wasn’t always clear as to why the author chose to do this. In addition, some readers may not like the author’s risk-taking and unconventional writing. I’ll admit, some paragraphs left me confused about their intention and meaning. Though I liked the ending, I wasn’t fully satisfied as there were some loose ends. That being said, this is the first book in a series, and I anticipate that some details and events will be revealed in the next book. Nonetheless, this is a great, worthwhile fantasy novel that I’d recommend to those who enjoy dystopian novels and dark fantasies.

All things considered, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Given the nature of the story, there are some graphic descriptions of violence. The story also has hints of romance and lightly touches on same-sex relationships.

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Circle of Ash
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[Doziesixtus]

Mystical adventure brings out that imaginative neurons in me. They make me picture reality especially when the drama deviates from reality. Thanks for the review

[Kola+wole]

Dark fantasy gets my attention everytime. Great review, well done.

[Star_and_Buck]

This is a good suspense book to read.
A nice and detailed review.

[NetMassimo]

Maybe I'm old for coming-of-age stories but his one, despite the flaws you pointed out, seems a good dark fantasy. Thank you for your great review!

[Valkyrie9]

Magleby is clearly a gifted author with a knack for world building and character development. Thanks for a thorough review.

[Onyii1299]

this is a must read book from the cover page it got my attention .I love that it has mystery magic adventure and action that i dont want to miss

[Wy_Bertram]

Dystopic fantasy is an amazing unexpected concept. I would love to read this. Great job on the review.

[Justine Ocsebio]

You piqued my interest in that review. I usually find it brilliant when a novel has poetic storytelling.

[TCG]

Mystical novels are not my best read, but surely this one is promising. Great book.

[TCG]

Mystical novels are not my best read, but surely this one is promising. Great book.

[Menace Crypto]

Dark fantasy novels are definitely my thing. This review shows that I'll definitely enjoy it. Thanks for the review.

[SweetEchoJenn]

I am a fan of fantasy and sci-fi and this one sounds like a great read! Awesome review!