Saga of Steel and Bone (Ashes & Phoenix)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Can a King rise from the ashes of a broken soul?

As a half-breed abomination blamed for the death of his brother, Roland's father disowned him and his pack rejected him. Without a home, only the vilest of overlords accepted him as a slave.

His past defined him, his present seemed futile, and his future seemed hopeless.

Until he escaped the assassin overlords and came to meet a small family who adopted him as their own. They forced him to look past what he’d come to expect in Humans; forced him to face what he’d become. They showed him a glimpse of happiness for the first time in his life.

But tragedy is never far from one running from the past. The Empire steals his first glimpse of peace, putting him on a collision course of past, present, and future that will take him to a small town needing a hero and vast mountains hiding deadly secrets and fire-breathing creatures. It's a race against time to rescue those he loves... before they, too, become more cold bodies laid at the feet of the Emperor.

His path will take him on the journey of hero and villain, the lines blurred between right and wrong, his hands stained red with the blood of both the guilty and the innocent.

But Roland knows one thing. Those who took his family will pay.

He’s coming for them, and Avidon will never be the same.

Ashes is clean werewolf fiction with redemptive and psychological elements. It is the first in a planned trilogy, set in the First of the Four Worlds, Avidon. This tale contains elements of faith, family, and fighting for hope in hopeless situations. There is war: so violence, blood, and gore are common, as are vague references to torture and rape. Dive into Avidon and her sister worlds today for heart-pounding adventure, laughter, and baby dragons. Enjoy!

Want to know what's happening on Beulah, Second of the Four Worlds? Hop over toThe Guardianand explore a world of magic and mayhem where one girl and her pony-sized wolf roam the streets looking for people they can devour. Or the wolf does. Aria is merely trying to find her place in a world while avoiding pesky princes and royals.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2021
Author: Rhea Bring

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 188
Views: 145,163

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

JEPayneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Usually I avoid Shifter stories on the internet, not really my cuppa tea with the Alphas and Omegas and all that, but this story really took me by surprise. It's a mature, emotional and very well written fiction about a wolf, running from his past guilt, grappling with his nature while trying to protect those important to him.
Style - The author has a fantastic authorial style, the senses are evoked wonderfully in every scene. I could hear the creak of the rickety wagon, smell the woodsmoke of the lynch mobs' fires. Every scene was crystal clear and detailed in my mind. There is a good balance between dialogue, introspection and action. My personal preferences sit a little off from where the author's does, but for the target audience I think Rhea has nailed it!
Story - The story is a classic! What's not to love about it? It's heartrending right out of the gate; a found family torn apart by evil men. The monster with more humanity than the humans around him destroying what they don't understand out of fear and anger. His quest to rescue his family and salvage the peaceful life he had finally found. There's something about this story that will resonate with everyone who reads it.
Also I literally cheered in Chapter 9. You'll get it when you read it.
Grammar - I couldn't find any issues, 5 stars!
Character - 5 stars here as well! The MC is the real standout at the start, we spend a fair few chapters mostly in his head until the cast re-expands around the Ch 7 mark. The MC is a compelling and compassionate character, full of mystery and potential. I'm reading, devouring every morsel of suggestion and waiting for the moment he really unleashes! Every character who is introduced, no matter how briefly, feels fleshed out and real, due to the author's affinity for excellent, effective physical descriptions of appearance and mannerisms. As the story continues I can only see the characters becoming more and more compelling!
BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a pretty good one. From the first chapter or two it actually becomes pretty clear that the author put int time to edit the story. No obvious grammar mistakes could be found, style actually flows better than the average, and the character introductions is pretty fun. 5/5 from me.
Capital StationRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is definitely a slow burn character drama (think Citizen Kane meets Jekyll and Hyde).
The story follows a werewolf-like individual who is often refered to as "Kursk Scum" or some version of "Kursk." (But his real name is Roland, though he keeps it hidden for the most part)). The MC is no shifter--he's more a Beast with a werewolf like appearance (or straight wolf) when transformed. The MC wants to roam the wilds and be free, but the story cleverly starts with an attack on his home.
Immediately, we're thrown into a world of captivity. The warnings on the tale are accurate! A lot of messed up stuff happens to Roland and his family. For several chapters its a trek to the slave pits, and Roland's captors are vicious and just straight evil.
This is definitely the type of tale you want to emmerse yourself in and not get up to do something else. It has its own atmosphere and tone, and the writing is actually quite good. Lots of instresting descriptions for the environment (and emotional state). I like that Roland never truly gives up, and that he's willing to save those around him.
I definitely wanted Roland to bite a fool at some point, or generally fight someone with unbridled rage, but this isn't that kind of story. It's more about keeping hope in bleak situations and protecting the people you love.
Roland has some amazing internal dialogue with himself (speaking to "the wolf" so to speak, about how he should act) and I honestly wish there was more of that!) Really enjoyed that part. It was rather clever.
So far, this is a great tale if you're into character drama.
There are a few grammar mistakes, but they're mostly capitaliztion issues, which never pulled me out of the stroy (I just noted them because I'm insane). This is super easy reading.
I recommend.
S.N. KeirsteadRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ashes is a gripping tale of tragedy and revenge. Featuring werewolves. What is there to not love by that pitch alone?
It opens up gripping, with the MC and their family getting caught by "jingoists" because of their abilities. The jingoists are depicted as being cruel and violent; the kind of villains you want to see hurt.
Grammar is on point. Didn't notice anything off.
Style is great. Main character's voice is distinct. Descriptions are top notch and vivid.
A definite read for readers into werewolves.
The Sly King KongRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It's clear to me that the prose is not meant to cater to me, (I like a different type of prose) yet despite that, I find myself sucked into the authors remarkable ability to pain a picture with words (cliché I know, but it's the best way I can put it.)
Read it if not only for the prose. I would recommend.
CloudfallRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cover: Beautiful cover.
Synopsis: Quite good. It's descriptive and tells the readers what the book is all about vividly.
First Chapter: Very good. It grabbed my attention.
Grammar: No error that could affect the flow of the story.
Story: The story is mainly a mixture of high fantasy, psychological and supernatural. From what ive read, the story is well written.
Style: First person narration, and it's well executed.
Characters: They are designed in a great way. So far, so good.
Overall: Excellent work.
HWPerfidyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story: We follow the story of a shifter called Roland as he is captured and taken away from his family by jingoists. The story is great from the get go. Roland grapples with guilt and self loathing as he tries to keep the monster inside him at bay, while trying his best to use his powers to protect instead of kill.
The worldbuilding is great, giving us insight into the world in bits and pieces here and there. It’s implemented naturally and smoothly, while giving us enough curiosity about the world to yearn for more.
Style: The style is detailed and flows well. Character reasoning and environments are described in detail, not so much that it bogs down the story but enough that we can follow along naturally. Dialogue also flows naturally. Pacing is just right.
Character: The characters are the strongest point of this story. The author does a great job at conveying emotions through their writing, as well as getting the reader to empathise with the characters. At chapter 1, I was already feeling for Roland and his predicament. Throughout the story, this feeling only gets stronger. You can really understand his motivations, struggles and emotions as if they were your own. Every character is distinct and can be told apart based on their dialogue. Even after only seeing a character once, you can already start feeling for them.
Grammar: Some mistakes but nothing that affects the flow of the story.
Overall: A beautiful story with a lot of love and care put into it.
ArmorienRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Style: Ok, so one thing I noticed here is that the pacing is honestly really great. The main problem I have with most RR works is that even if the story is written well, that it really just goes too fast, and doesn't offer enough explanation that it sort of takes you out of the whole thing. I can safely say, that not only is this not the case here but that there is a real rich language and level of writing here that is quite commendable.
Story: Nice, admittedly I'm not very well versed in the werewolf fiction of things, but even so, I think the story is well done. It's believable and doesn't come off as stupid and the subtle details of worldbuilding left in are great that hint at a grander scope of things or just the concept of there being a reality outside the character's environment.
Grammar: Did not notice any issue, but I also suffer from a case of not being very grammatical at times, but even so, it's really fine!
Character: The main protagonist is great and does a good job of carrying the story while having compelling motivations, definitely not one that's just a self-insert or a one-dimensional being per se. The only issue is that, there isn't any other character that's left a particular impression so far, and the main antagonist which is alluded to time and time again, is just there, I suppose? Though I also have a penchant for very odd characters, so I am weird in that regard to be fair.
Banner CaygeonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is a story of revenge...long coming revenge. If you are into the wham-bam type stories, this is probably not for you. But if you want to read something that is expertly written, nay crafted, then this is for you.
Grammar Score: There was nothing jarring that took me out of the story. I read a few other reviews and noticed something about italics, but even if that's not the correct use, I totally understood what the author was doing. Full marks from me.
Style Score: Each paragraph is like a poem, every word clearly selected to paint a picture of what the MC is experiencing at that moment. At times a bit a brevity might be better, but it doesn't detract from getting inside the head of the MC and experiencing what they are.
Story Score: I'm reviewing at chapt 7 I think, and the story has set up to be one of revenge. The world is starting to unfold and we are figuring out what kind of world the MC will have to traverse to exact that revenge. The opening scene is heart wrenching and brutal.
Character score: It's pretty heavily focused on the single MC but he is done so well. The internal dialogue with his wolven self is really really great. The jingoists are also well done, even if not that detailed. There's a really dark cruelty to them that brilliantly crafted by the author.
All in all, this is dark, beautiful, brutal and utterly engrossing work, and I definitely recommend you read it.
CKJ5Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I hope people will keep in mind this review is based on only one chapter of the story: Saga of Steel and Bone, and does not necessarily reflect the entirety of it. Okay, now that's out of the way, let’s get into it.
Pros:
It is a beautifully written scene that gives insight into the MC’s character. The dialogue feels real and meaningful, and it is short. It seems as if the author wanted to show us an impactful moment and did not add any fat to the scene, getting us in and out.
Cons:
While I loved the scene, it felt a bit useless. I don’t know any of the characters, and it did not show me anything about the universe. It also didn't address anything from the blurb. If I didn’t read the blurb, I would not know that werewolves were involved and probably wouldn’t read on based on the strength of the prologue alone, only because I would have no idea that the story had awesome werewolves.
Overall:
I thought everything was well-written but was it needed to get me to read further? I am not a person who believes prologues shouldn’t exist. In fact, I quite like prologues. However, I do think they need to serve the purpose of giving us world information or relevant history. I will say the length of the prologue works well because it is a quick read, so I don’t think it is a massive flaw in the overall experience.