Week 4 Review: Witches of Ash and Ruin

From Goodreads:
Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy and CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA.

Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.

And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer's motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don't stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.

With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that's impossible to put down.

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book! I mean, it sounded really interesting, the idea of witches in Ireland, and murder and I just wanted to get to know these characters and how the magic worked. And it was such a intriguing read! 

We did get to be in multiple perspectives, and I enjoyed most of them. Sam was my least favourite, but he added outsider knowledge so I get why he's there, I just enjoyed reading his perspective the least. And Cora, oh, I felt so bad for her, how easily she was being manipulated.

This was a story about witches and magic, but it also deal with mental heath as well, since two of the leads, Daryna and Meiner deal with some OCD/related because I don't think Meiner said what she dealt with, only that she used similar coping mechanisms. On top of that, Meiner had a lot of rage, justifiably so, but she wasn't so great at letting it out, at least, letting it out appropriately, at the right time and place, at the right people. It just really built up who these characters were and that was really great! 

Ok, this book can't be a stand alone, I need a sequel, I need more time in this world. I mean, there's so many questions that I have about the characters. What's up with the thing with Dayna and the Goddess I believe, with a similar name, combined with the familiarity that she'd felt? And Sam, sure, maybe it was just him making that choice, but I want to see what's going to come of it! And finally, there's that final scene. It just can't end there, I need more!

This was such a fantastic read, and I really, really hope that we get a sequel! 

Author: E. Latimer
Read: March 28th, 2021
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded good, and it's a SAC 2021 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book!
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: March 3rd 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars