The Ash Trials by Amy Suto | A Romantasy Novel
In today’s blog post, I’m going to be sharing my full review of The Ash Trials by Amy Suto. Amy is a writer who I’ve followed online for a couple of years now. She has a substack newsletter called From the Desk of Amy Suto where she writes about writing business, as well as shares tips and tricks for digital nomads. The Ash Trials is her debut romantasy novel and it was really a pleasure to read.
If you like fantasy, ferocity, and love triangles this is definitely the book for you. So make sure you keep reading for my full The Ash Trials book review.
What is The Ash Trials by Amy Suto About?
The deadliest game is remembering who you are.
In the isolated prison of Ashguard where the kingdom’s most dangerous criminals await judgment, one yearly event offers both salvation and destruction: The Ash Trials.
Saffron Vale awakens in an Ashguard cell wearing a ruined wedding dress with no memory of who she is. As the only powerless human competing against murderous shifters and spellcasters, she must survive the six otherworldly trials that transform villains into legends—or she’ll die trying.
Her only allies? A childhood friend turned royal commander and a mysterious assassin who claims she’s the real monster in the prison. As competitors fall and ancient magic stirs, Saffron must uncover the truth: was she truly an innocent bride, or something far more dangerous? (from Amazon.com)
Who is Author Amy Suto?
Amy Suto began her career as a Hollywood TV writer before hitting the road and becoming a digital nomad and six-figure freelance writer. Now, she travels the world while ghostwriting memoirs and working on her own creative projects. When she’s not writing, Amy travels the world and works remotely from cafes in Prague — or is misplacing her AirPods in Lisbon. You can learn more about Amy at: AmySuto.com. (from Amazon.com)
My Initial Thoughts
I’ll be honest. I haven’t read that many romantasy novels. But it’s an up and coming genre that has a lot of fans. And I really love stories about magic. So I was really excited to dive into this new fiction release by Amy Suto.
The Ash Trials (which is book #1 of The Septerra Series) is a romantasy novel filled with secrets, violence, and lust. Plus a lot of blood. So if you’re looking for a book with a feisty heroine who takes shit from no one, I would recommend checking this new romantic fantasy release out.
What Makes The Ash Trials Unique?
The Ash Trials tells the tale of Saffron Vale, who wakes up in prison with no memory of how she got there. Her confusion grows as she realizes she’s wearing a wedding dress. How did she get here? Who can she trust? She at least has one confidante in Callum, a royal commander who says he knew her in her prior life.
But Callum can only protect her from so much. The Ash Trials are announced, and Saffron and her fellow prisoners are pitted against each other. She befriends Rachelle, a shifter who agrees to help her survive for as long as possible.
Not if Tristin has anything to do with it. He’s violent. He’s arrogant. And he seems to know more about Saffron than he’s letting on. How does he know her? And why does she feel such a pull toward him?
To me, this story felt unique because of how things started. It’s very jarring to wake up in prison and have no idea how you got there. I really enjoyed following Saffron’s journey as she pieced together information about her current situation (and her life) little by little.
The Actual Trials Were Pretty Cool
This is going to be a spoil free review, so I’m not going to go too in depth about the trials. But I thought the different trials were a great aspect to the story. Each trial was a different challenge that the prisoners had to go through. And believe me when I said they were incredibly hard. Also surprising!
In a way, it reminded me of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Except that was a fun magical contest. Whereas the deadly trials in this book were, well… deadly.
A Recommendation
Are you a member of Kindle Unlimited? Because if you are, you can read The Ash Trials as part of your KU membership. Just visit the Amazon page for more information. Kindle Unlimited is a great way to check out new books and authors that you haven’t heard of before.
In Conclusion
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I was totally enchanted from chapter 1. I stayed up late a couple of nights because I wanted to try to finish it by the pub date. There are so many twists and turns and I was totally enthralled by Saffron’s story. Plus… I love a good love triangle. As she got to know both Callum and Tristin, I had no idea who would be a better match for her.
Make sure you check this book out if you’re a fan of magical fantasy stories. It just might be your next favorite romantasy book!
Thank you
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. I’m so glad that I got to be part of the arc readers. Now I get to share ALL my thoughts on The Ash Trials by Amy Suto.
It’s a really cool story and I’m going to be patiently awaiting the next book in the series.
