A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.

Ruling families – once protectors of justice and democracy – now plot against one another with sharp words and sharper knives. Blinded by ambition, they remain heedless of the threat posed by the invading armies of the Hadari Empire.

Yet as Tressia falls, heroes rise.

Viktor Akadra is the Republic’s champion. A warrior without equal, he hides a secret that would see him burned as a heretic.

Josiri Trelan is Viktor’s sworn enemy. A political prisoner, he dreams of reigniting his mother’s failed rebellion.

And yet Calenne, Josiri’s sister, seeks only to break free of their tarnished legacy; to escape the expectation and prejudice that haunts the Trelan name.

As war spreads across the Republic, these three must set aside their differences in order to save their homeland. However, decades of bad blood are not easily forgotten – victory will demand a darker price than any of them could have imagined.

Wow.

Ok.

I mean. I’m not sure where to even start this review. It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book as gigantic as Matthew Ward’s Legacy of Ash…this one comes in at damn near 800 pages, and it’s just…epic in every sense of the word. This is a book that I found occasionally challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. And after spending a few days thinking about this book, and the experience of reading it, I’m just…stunned. Legacy of Ash is a fucking masterpiece. This is such a deeply immersive story, the kind you go to sleep thinking about, and wake up anxious to dive back into. Oof…what an incredibly special book this is!

I periodically see some…debate? Or at least, discussion, surrounding prologues. I never really gave it much thought, truthfully. It’s just another part of the book, and it can be done really well, or it can be kinda forgettable. That said, the prologue in Legacy of Ash is unbelievable. I remember thinking the prologue for The Rage of Dragons was intense, and this is every bit as riveting. So if you’re one of the people who potentially even skips prologues, DO NOT SKIP THIS ONE!

There’s a dramatis personae at the beginning of Legacy of Ash, which is helpful, because there is a whole lot of characters in this book. This was the aspect of the story that challenged me in the early going…at times, I felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters, many of whom are POV characters. But I think here a little patience pays off, because before I knew it, I was deeply invested in many of these characters’ storylines, and had more than a couple personal favorites.

The plot of the novel centers around war, rebellion, family, political scheming, dark magic, love…these are all familiar elements, but Ward really brings something new to the table with the first book in his Legacy Trilogy. I think the tone of the book is where the originality really shines…this book is never any one thing in particular. It’s dark without being hopeless. It’s violent without being shocking. There are plenty of characters who occupy that “morally gray” space, just as there are clearly emerging heroes & villains.

At the heart of the story is Viktor Akadra, champion of the Republic, and overall badass. Viktor was responsible for putting down the rebellion led by Katya Trelan. Some fifteen years later, Viktor is now attempting to convince Katya’s children, Josiri & Calenne, to fight the invading Hadari army alongside him.

Over on the Hadari side of things is where I found my absolute favorite character in this book, Melanna Saranal. Her introduction in this book will fucking haunt me, and I just grew so fond of her over the course of the book. You know the characters in a book or series where, you love them so damn much that you’re almost turning the pages with your eyes half-closed like I SWEAR IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO THEM I WILL FUCKING RIOT…that’s Melanna Saranal for me in Legacy of Ash. She’s the Hadari Princessa, and although it is not the custom of her people for women to fight, she feels a call to battle that is impossible to ignore.

So, look. This is a hard book for me to review, and I’m not sure I’ve done anything to adequately convey what it’s even about. But that’s ok. What’s important to know is that this is a magnificent book. It’s beautifully written, full of memorable & lifelike characters, and it’s a veritable treasure trove of fantasy goodness.

I know that starting huge books can be daunting. I feel that, too. When you’re someone with a seemingly endless TBR, and with more & more amazing books coming out ALL THE GODDAMN TIME, it can sometimes be hard to set aside the time for a book that’s 600, 700, 800 pages long. But, oh my fucking word…Legacy of Ash is so worth your time.

Wildly ambitious, truly epic in scope, and utterly gripping from the first page, Legacy of Ash is a monumental beginning to a trilogy. I can’t recommend this highly enough!

Massive thanks to Orbit for sending me a copy! Legacy of Ash releases April 7th!