A Heart of Blood and Ashes (Gathering of Dragons, #1)

by Milla Vane

A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.
 
Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.
 
Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…

• ISBN10: 0425255077
• ISBN13: 9780425255070
• Publish Date: 4 February 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 560
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425255070

Reviews

[Angie]

Proceed With Caution:

This book contains violence, blood, death, abuse, and several mentions of rape.

The Basics:

Maddek is commander of the Parsathean warriors and has just learned that his parents, the king and queen, have been executed. He doesn't believe their crimes, but he also can't retaliate directly because...politics! However, when attempting to kidnap the daughter of his parents' murderer, she reveals that she wants revenge against her father and brothers as well, probably more than he does. All he needs to do is marry her, get her pregnant, and let her take the throne. Should Maddek believe her or do things his way?

My Thoughts:

A Heart of Blood and Ashes was intense. Maddek and Yvenne are intense. Both of them are warriors, but in different ways. They're both hellbent on revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. Luckily, they have the exact same goal, but that doesn't mean that they see eye-to-eye. Maddek views Yvenne as a liar, as he's blinded by rage and grief. Yvenne is small and frail but she will not be pushed around. She pushes back.

I actually just loved Yvenn and Maddek. Separately and together. While she is physically weak, Yvenne has been through hell and back and will do it again to see her father and brothers dead and herself as the rightful queen. She and her mother had been locked away and cast as demons so her corrupt father and his sons could rule. But Yvenne was patient, she waited for the opportune moment and siezed it. Unfortunately, she did get Maddek's parents killed indirectly, something he must come to terms with.

Meanwhile, Maddek has been in the middle of battles. He's killed. He's seen his fellow warriors fall. He is a man who loves deeply even if he doesn't show it. He is crushed by the death of his parents, but he is honor bound to not retaliate. That doesn't mean he's a pushover. Not at all, he just has to go around rather than taking the direct route. His feelings toward Yvenne had me super invested. He hates her, but he wants her. He wants her to become a warrior-queen, and he needs her to help him become the king his people need. Lots of need. Oh yes. Lots of need.

I don't even really know what to say about A Heart of Blood and Ashes. It was just good. I was way too into these characters. There is an engaging and involved plot, but I was here for Maddek and Yvenne. The more I learned about them and then more I saw them working together, the more I just wanted to smush them together and force them to say those three magical words! Stop being so stoic!

[scarr]

I was really hoping for more from this book! It's what I would normally gravitate toward. I think it was too long, although the world-building was well done. I know that's a contradiction - "it's too many words, but all the words did paint a detailed portrait of this world . . . "

Anyway - I borrowed the second book from the library, hope it's better with the words and whatnot.

[Ashley]

Well this was addicting.

I docked half a star because of some really annoying and unnecessary miscommunication. It was largely the guy's fault. He forbade the girl from talking about his mother, even in passing. It was just so dumb and childish.

But otherwise this was a really addicting story with a great romance and overarching fantasy plot.

Trigger warning: abuse, violence.

[Leigha]

Warrior Maddek and Queen Yvenne join together for vengeance in this incredibly triggering fantasy romance.

Have you been longing to read Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen fan fiction? Then I have a book for you! I started reading A Heart of Blood and Ashes after seeing a glowing review from a blogger I follow. While I can appreciate the main characters slowly evolving enemies-to-lovers relationship, their violent and abusive beginning triggered me. I was withdrawn, insecure, and easily startled with my family, co-workers, and friends as I read it. My husband realized before me that the book was triggering these feelings.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s a well-thought out fantasy novel with intriguing politics. Maddek and Yvenne undergo huge transformations of character without losing their sense of selves. But I’m rarely, if ever, interested in a relationship where violence is part of the equation. When Maddek casually grabbed Yvenne’s tongue from her mouth and threatened to rip it out after they had an intimate moment, I should have bowed out. The violence is addressed and their relationship evolves into something very sweet, but the damage was done.

It held my attention, that’s for sure, but at what cost to myself and the others in my life? A market exists for this type of romance, but it’s not for me. I’ll be vetting my reads a little more carefully in the future.

tl;dr The antagonistic and violent relationship between the two main characters kept me from enjoying this interesting fantasy.

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[EBookObsessed]

Great adventure with a Game of Thrones feel. Loved the main characters. Can't wait for more.

Maddek, Commander of the Alliance Army, has just learned of the death of his parents, the King and Queen of Parsathe.  He is given no details until he arrives at the Alliance Council. He was imagining that a beast attack could be the only thing to fell both his parents but is devastated to learn that treachery is what brought down his noble mother and father.  Zhalen, ruler of Syssia, accused his father of attacking a woman in his household and had him executed and imprisoned his mother until her attempted escape got her raped and beheaded.  There is nothing more sacred to the Parsathean warriors than telling the truth and keeping an oath. A Parsathean would never rape, ever, nor would his father have broken his oath of fidelity to his mother. These lies are the worst insult to his people, but the Alliance Council has declared that the matter was investigated and Zhalen was justified in their deaths. Of course, it doesn't hurt that two of Zhalen's sons are on the Council, having taken over neighboring kingdoms under very questionable circumstances.   If Maddek defies the Alliance, he will destroy all that his parents worked for but he won't be denied his vengeance against Zhalen.   Maddek receives a message that Zhalen's daughter, the one who requested his parents travel to Syssia, is traveling outside the city.  If Maddek can't have his vengeance against Zhalen, he will take it out on his only daughter and deliver her corpse to Syssia.

Yvenne has spent her entire life locked away in a tower.  Syssia takes its Queen from the royal line of warrior queens.  But as brilliant a warrior as her mother was, she made the mistake of choosing Zhalen as her husband.  He poisoned her upon marriage and kept her locked away "holding her throne" until a female child would be borne.   Zhalen raped his weakened wife until she bore his five sons and one premature and physically frail daughter.  But even a frail daughter would be Queen and hold the throne over Zhalen and his sons so he kept her locked away with her mother so no one  knew about her.  Yvenne might be physically weak, but her mother taught her everything she needed to know about being a Queen and the leader of her people.  Yvenne managed to sneak a letter out inviting the King and Queen of Parsathe to meet her as a prospective bride to his son, Maddek.   Yvenne isn't old enough to take the throne, but if she bears a child, she can become Queen.  She hoped that marrying a great warrior like Maddek would provide her with the strength she cannot physically wield herself and help her take her place as Queen but her plan fails and it is his parents who pay the price for that failure.

Now that it is known a daughter was borne to the Royal House of Syssia, her father is sending her to marry the old and weak king in the neighboring kingdom so that he will be able to make a grab for that Kingdom as well.   Knowing Maddek has come to the Alliance Council, Yvenne has one last chance to make an alliance with Maddek sending a messenger to let him know that Zhalen's daughter will be unguarded on the road.  While Maddek wants her blood as vengeance, Yvenne needs to convince him that their marriage and the birth of a child will allow Maddek to get the vengeance against Zhalen that he desires.  

The biggest problem between them is that Maddek requires truth at all times, something that his mother explained to Yvenne, but he doesn't believe her declaration that Maddek's mother chose Yvenne as his bride.   He is convinced that Yvenne is as much a liar as her father and brothers.  She wants an alliance and Maddek is determined to use her as a lure to kill her father.

Maddek and his men need to get to their homeland so that Maddek's people can vote if Maddek will be the new king.  Traveling from the Alliance Council keeps them are on the road for about a month to reach their people so we have lots of time to get to know this group, and allows Maddek and Yvenne to get to know each other.  They are greatly attracted to each but it keeps coming down to Maddek not believing that Yvenne speaks the truth, which is the biggest offense to his people.

You have to feel for Yvenne, she has lived her life in one room and is finally outside for the first time.  Everything she sees is amazing, she even loves feeling a rainstorm on her face.  Her father kept her half-starved so she wants to taste everything and her first question when she sees a new animal on their journey is "can you eat it?"  She has hope for her future for the first time ever but Maddek's disbelief keeps crushing her fragile hope.  It is so horrible.  They are getting along so well and you see love blooming, then he's all "but she's a liar" and Yvenne is crushed again.

Yvenne  might be physically weak, but she is a Queen at heart and in her thinking and strategizing.   Maddek comes to respect this and is blind-sighted when Yvenne calls him out telling him that while Maddek is  a great warrior, he thinks like a warrior and not a King and until he can think like a King, he will never be a good leader for his people.  So they make a trade,  Maddek will teach Yvenne how to overcome her weaknesses and become a warrior-queen like her foremothers and she will teach him what he needs to know to be a good king.

While I wasn't a fan of Game of Thrones, this gave me the same feeling of time period, of Kingdoms at war and trying to make alliances to fight a greater enemy.   There is black magic but no actual dragons (and thankfully no incest).   I think the story had a great blend of getting to know the main characters as well as secondary characters, world building,  danger and adventure during their travels and of course, romance and whether Maddek and Yvenne can overcome their differences for the greater good and hopefully fall in love along the way.

I have read a short story by Milla Vane once before which I had also indicated that I like even thought it wasn't my usual choice  of story.  It appears to take place in the same world building but doesn't cross over with this except that Yvenne makes mention that one of the warriors her mother was considering for Yvenne was the hero from that story.

I am sad the next book, A Touch of Stone and Snow, will not feature Maddek and Yvenne but I am excited to see where the next story will take us.

Received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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