The King of Bones and Ashes

I never thought that I would find finishing a book set in New Orleans, with a story that includes witches and voodoo traditions and everything such a chore...And yet, it happened. I prompted myself to finish it, I even bribed me with chocolate and ice cream and it was painful. And sad. And it lasted for about two months and a half. And not even watching Clayne Crawford in ''Lethal Weapon'' could make me feel better...

I won’t occupy your time with long paragraphs. All the problems I faced with this novel have been described in wonderful reviews. The issues started fairly early and everything went downhill from the sixth, seventh chapter. There was little to no development. The characters were utterly ludicrous with the exception of show more Alice that was drowned in the sea of indifference. The dialogue was mediocre, at best, and I felt as if I was watching a teen TV series with witches and vampires. Since I don't watch those, the book was not for me. I thought I would love it because I love New Orleans and witches but this novel had very little to give me. Almost nothing apart from a handful of beautiful New Orleans descriptions.

I know many readers enjoyed this one. Many others didn’t and it is sad to say that I fall into the second category…

Many thanks to 47North and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review. show less

I instantly felt that The Kings of Bones of Ashes was something I wanted to read and I was thrilled when I got the book to read and couldn't wait! And, the book was great. I was thrilled to read a book about witches set in New Orleans (and not a YA) and the premise of a story about witches that are slowly losing their magic felt refreshingly new.

The King of Bones and Ashes is the first book in the Witches of New Orleans and the book starts off with a young Alice Marin right before she is sent to an asylum by her father who feared that she was going insane just like her grandmother. She will not come back to New Orleans until 10 years later when her grandfather dies. And, her return will be the start of unstoppable events...

This book is show more the kind that I felt right from the start was perfect for me. I love reading Gothic novels set in the American South about old feuds and secrets. The writing really appeals to me and I loved how the book both had a satisfying ending (to the story in this book), but at the same time, a cliffhanger that makes me wanna read the next book since not everything has been resolved.

I want to thank 47North for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! show less

I had such high hopes that this would be a truly awesome and memorable book. It had so much going for it, the setting, New Orleans always is a draw, witches (of course), and family drama, but to say it was a slow read is an understatement. I put it down and went back to it at least 3 times.
The story moves very very slowly, it does finally pick up the last third or so of the book. It is overpopulated with characters, 33 at least to be exact, which made it hard to follow, even the author realized this, there's a guide to the characters in the back but it certainly takes away from the enjoyment of the story when you have to keep referring to it.
I'm not sure that I'm going to read anymore of this series, (spoiler alert) so many of the show more characters that I liked in this one are gone! show less

I am pretty sure there must be a coherent story in here someplace but trying to deal with multiple pov in multiple timelines and a jump-cut narrative style is too exhausting for me and I quit. This seems to be a new thing with 47North books. Staff changes? I have been hearing rumours about the new crop of junior editors across the publishing business. Oh my. What are we in for…

I received a review copy of "The King of Bones and Ashes: Witches of New Orleans, Book 1" by J. D. Horn (47North) through NetGalley.com.

I won this book in a giveaway...a signed copy! I entered the giveaway because when I read witches and New Orleans, I immediately thought of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches series and I was intrigued, as everyone knows Rice is one of my favorite authors. The similarities end at witches and New Orleans, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good story. While it had somewhat of a slow start, it eventually picked up momentum and I became engaged with the story. I've heard a few people mention that the story was hard to follow. I didn't find that at all. The individual story lines of each character/group of characters were interesting. Eventually, how they were all tied together was revealed. What a reveal it was! There are some genuinely scary show more moments as well, and a quite gory part toward the end (just to make anyone faint of heart aware...be prepared). In all, it was an enjoyable paranormal/horror novel.

This is the first book in a trilogy so I'm looking forward to reading the subsequent books. J.D Horn is also the author of the Witching Savannah series. I'm definitely going to check that series out as well. show less

The King of Bones and Ashes by J.D. Horn is the first book in A Witches of New Orleans series. On Monday, August 29, 2005 the witches of the Chanticleer Coven tried to divert the storm without success. They are now preparing to evacuate. While waiting for her father, young Alice is drawn outside and sees Babau Jean (John the Bogey) in the water, and he almost succeeds in grabbing her. While Alice got away from his clutches, Babau Jean is still with her. In the present day, Celestin Marin has passed away after being in a coma for the past eight years. Celestin was the head of their clan and the witches are looking forward to claiming his residual magic for themselves (in a disgusting ritual). Magic is fading from the world and has been show more for some time. Those who have relied on it are not coping well. Some are going mad, others are taking the “Dreaming Road”, and a few are managing to cope. Alice is finally being freed from the asylum where she was placed by her father. Her oldest brother, Luc is dead. No one believed Alice when she told them Babau Jean forced Luc to kill himself. Witches have been disappearing from New Orleans and people are told they have taken the “Dreaming Road”. Alice’s mother supposedly took this path when Alice was a child. If this is the path the witches took, where are there bodies? They have not been found. There are dark forces at work in New Orleans. What will the witches do to keep their magic alive?

The King of Bones and Ashes is an odd book. I did like the setting of New Orleans and that it involved witches. There are numerous characters in the book and the POV changes frequently. It can be difficult to keep track of the various people and their storylines. I found the book to be a convoluted and disjointed. I think the author tried to put too much into one book. I wish the author had focused the story on Alice. That alone would have been an intriguing story. Evangeline and Lisette (other main characters) should have had their own books. I thought the book lacked focus and continuity. The writer was overly descriptive which led to a glacial pace (I fell asleep more than once). It was a struggle to finish this novel. And this is just the first book in the trilogy. Please be aware that The King of Bones and Ashes contains foul language, extreme violence, drugs and large quantities of alcohol. I was surprised that The King of Bones and Ashes is by the same author that wrote The Line. The writing style is very different (what I enjoyed in The Line is missing from this tome). While The King of Bones and Ashes is not my cup of tea, it will appeal to other readers. I suggest getting a sample of the book and see if the book interests you. show less

It wasn't until I finished the book on my kindle did I see the characters in the back.
It gives a little more about them. I imagine it is way easier to reference with a physical copy.
Had I realized this I think I would have referenced it maybe a little more just so I wasn't so confused at each chapter start.

I enjoyed this book. Towards the end I did start to drift a little.
The concept is there. There characters are lively. There is enough detail in them and their goings that you can get a good picture of them. I loved the setting and the merging of real world happenings with this story.

The only thing I wished about the chapters was maybe a name was set instead of a number. That way you quickly realize what POV your reading with.

This show more book definitely leaves an opening for a next one but at the same time does leave me satisfied. show less