Orlando A. Sanchez

This was fun. I can see this Urban Fantasy series becoming a comfort read for me. ‘Tombyards & Butterflies’ released me from the grip of a mini reading slump that had left me unable to engage with the books I’d planned to read, even though I could see that the books were just as good as I’d expected them to be. I knew I needed something fresh, fast, and entertaining to revive my interest. ’Tombyards & Butterflies’ delivered all of that and more.

Although ‘Tombyards & show more Butterflies’ is the first book in an Urban Fantasy series that now stands at twenty-nine books, it felt like I was stepping into a well-established series. The story hit the ground running and challenged me to keep up. The opening scene had Montague and Strong chasing a huge werewolf through the streets of Mahatten. I didn’t know who either of them was, what they were capable of or what their relationship to each other was, but I could see that these were folks who’d worked together a long time and who were confident enough in each other’s abilities that they had time for banter even while a rampaging were was trying to rip them apart. The scene pulled me into the action and stirred my curiosity.

After the werewolf had been dealt with, I expected the pace to slow so that we could have some introspection and some worldbuilding in the way of so many Urban Fantasy stories, but that didn’t happen. The pace didn’t let up. The action was continuous, and the threat level kept rising. Strong and Montague quickly become entangled in plots and subplots that lead to them being the only ones who might stand a chance of saving the world, as long as they do it in the next 48 hours or so.

Yet the frantic pace of the plot didn’t mean that world-building and character development were neglected. This is a world with a complex history, with gods from every pantheon and with supernatural creatures of just about every kind you can imagine, but there’s no infodumping or lengthy elaboration of magical theory. Instead, I got to discover this world through the eyes of Simon Strong, a man who is much more interested in doing stuff than thinking about stuff. Stone's not a supernatural. He has no magical abilities. He knows how to fight, and his big mouth means that he pisses off enough vampires, weres, gods and sorcerers to ensure that he has lots of opportunities to practice his fighting skills. One consequence of his big mouth is that he’s been cursed by the goddess Kali and is unable to die, or at least to stay dead. I loved the idea that this was a curse and not a gift.

Strong’s irreverent stubbornness sets the tone for the book. This is a full-fledged Urban Fantasy which shamelessly twists into new shapes almost all the tropes I’ve ever seen, and yet it manages to feel fresh and energetic. There is a lot of humour, but that’s just because Stone can’t help himself. The underlying story is full of very dangerous people doing very violent things. The body count is huge, but it doesn’t descend into tedious, trapped-in-a-video-game fighfest like a John Wick movie.

‘Tombyards & Butterflies’ is a complete action/thriller novel in its own right, but the plot also lays the foundation for a series, with Strong and Montague acquiring allies and enemies along the way whom I’m sure I’ll meet regularly in the series.

I read the whole thing in a day and finished it feeling energised and keen to read more . show less

I absolutely love this series. I just devour every new book that comes out. The characters are fun and interesting, and while each book has its own magical disasters for Monty and Strong to overcome, the over-arching storyling is moved forward throughout the series as we learn more about the characters and the history around them...little clues dropping here and there moving the puzzle pieces closer together as we get to see how the various Gods and Goddesses involved may be manipulating show more things behind the scenes for their own nefarious purposes. My favourite character is Peaches the Hellhound, who talks to Simon telepathically. The banter between them always makes me giggle. It's just such a well written, fresh take on magic and is just a fun ride. I read the first 12 books one after another and never once felt bored. Ordered this one and read it as soon as it arrived. They never disappoint. If you haven't tried this series or author yet, you are missing a treat! show less

facebook // twitter // bloglovin // youtube

Kick ass heroines racing to exonerate themselves is much beloved trope/genre for me. I mean, I’ve loved reading all about Anita Blake’s antics (before it all went to hell in a harem), as well as Sookie Stackhouse’s adventures. So, when I was approached to review A Dream of Ashes by Orlando A Sanchez, I was really excited! Not only was I getting the kick ass heroine, but also a book written by a local author! The novel was certainly fast-paced, show more sometimes a bit too much so, but the characters were engaging, and the world was interesting, if a bit lacking.

For such a short novel, just shy of 300 pages, the plot moved quickly. There was never a dull point in the story and everything that happened was for a reason that quickly propelled the story. This was great, but did have its downfall, mainly being that there wasn’t enough time for the reader to catch their breath. So much happened in so little time that everything seemed to blur together with information not having enough time to sink in.

This small issue bleeds into the larger issue of world building. It’s certain that author Orlando Sanchez knows this world he’s creating. It feels solid. But as a reader, I felt lost. I didn’t know what the enclaves were, what the mystics were, what those special sticks were about. If the action and plot were slowed down just a little to offer some world building explanations, the book would have been tremendously improved.

Character-wise, however, Sanchez was right on point. Ava was strong, but still had her weaknesses and moments of vulnerability. She wasn’t a super-woman, and I loved this. Ghost and his daughter were mysterious and I’d love to know more about them. I’d love to know more about warders and mystics in general, which goes back to slowing the book down a little just go give more world information.

A Dream of Ashes by Orlando A Sanchez is a good first book in a series. The action seems real and well thought out, and the characters are relateable and well developed. The pacing is fast, but hopefully subsequent books in the series will slow it down a little to help readers get a firmer grasp of the world Sanchez has created because it looks to be a good one!

// I received this title for free in exchange for an honest review // show less

My Thoughts:
Glad I stumbled into this series!

This is another " Dresden Files by Jim Butcher " story where the characters even mention "that wizard in Chicago" urban fantasy worlds combobulation. Originality-wise, it has been around the block once or twice too many... However, it is not necessarily the originality that I am looking for as an urban fantasy reader, it is how the story is told! And Orlando Sanchez is wonderful!! In fact, for an author to pull it off and compete in a very show more congested market, one has to be good enough for readers to keep coming back. And this author pulled it off. How's that for talent?! And of course, my favouritest of them all, is Peaches! My image of Peaches in my head is not that of a scary hellhound, but he is still a puppy. Besides he is bound to Simon. He gets his fierce hellhound look only when there are bad guys around.

And hey, there is a plot too! Plot is not something I highly prize in an urban fantasy book as I would in a crime fiction one. But this book got it anyway. Another kudos to the author! The title... so Hack mentioned it, but, it still hasn't been explained what the ef**** it is!?!...

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 3.5
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2020/08/tomyards-butterflies.html show less