Blog Tour: Witches of Ash and Ruin + Giveaway

Hey everyone! I’m so exciting to be apart of the Witches of Ash and Ruin blog tour hosted by The FFBC! In this post you’ll find some information about the book and the author, my review, a dream cast of the main characters, and an awesome giveaway!

About the book:

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 andA DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. 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.

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About the Author:

E. Latimer is a fantasy writer from Victoria, BC. Her middle grade novel, The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray was published by Tundra Books, and was recently nominated for the Red Maple Fiction Award.In her spare time, she writes books, makes silly vlogs with the Word Nerds about writing, and reads excessively. Her latest novel, Witches of Ash and Ruin, will be released Spring/Summer 2020 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Review:

Things I liked:

The witchy atmosphere blended with Celtic mythology: This book had such a strong atmosphere that really added to the reading experience. I truly believed I was there, in a small Irish town full of witches and murder. I was spooked by the murders because it was super mysterious and atmospheric. It was fantasy set in a real world setting, which I loved so much.
The diversity: I hardly read any fantasy with representation so this was such an awesome aspect! Our main character, Dayna, is bisexual and has OCD. Another character, Meiner is lesbian, and something similar to Dayna’s OCD that she takes medication for. The f/f romance was so cute, and I was rooting for them the whole time
The family dynamic and friendships: I loved Dayna’s coven and her relationship with her best friend Reegan! They were all super supportive of her family issues and sexuality. I could really tell that they all cared deeply for her, and Dayna for them.
Meiner: Miener was by far my favorite character throughout the whole book. She was so fierce and unapologetically herself.

Things I didn’t like:

The five perspectives: When I first started reading this book, I was very confused as to who was who. There were too many perspectives to keep track of, and I just wish we only had two or three perspectives to follow instead.
The beginning: The beginning was very slow, and I felt like I was thrust into the middle of the story with no prior knowledge of what was happening. But as the book progressed things were explained, and things made more sense. I just had to give things a bit of time.

If you love atmospheric, witchy, and queer books, definitely check out Witches of Ash and Ruin!

Dream Cast:

While reading the book, I definitely pictures these celebrities as some of the book characters, so I thought I’d share who I fan-casted as each character!