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Review: Child of Ashes

Child of Ashes Child of Ashes by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I own and read each Elizabeth Hunter's books as soon as I hear that another one is coming out. Am I biased? Yes. Is she a favorite author? Yes. Would I read an Ikea instruction manual she wrote? You better believe I would. They need someone to make them fun and interesting. So whether it's about romance, contemporary fantasy, paranormal mystery, or time travel, I'm there for it. Whether we have vampires, shape shifters, mages, or fairies, count me in. I love the way she handles speculative fiction. She makes it easy to jump in and understand, and that is especially true for her latest, Child of Ashes.

Time travel is complicated enough. In this second book in the Seba Segel series, someone kidnaps the most powerful child anyone has seen in generations and takes him into the past. The continuation of "The Thirteenth Month" finds Narine building her life around protecting her son Samson, whose abilities make him dangerously important to the secret societies that govern time travelers and other magical bloodlines. She has kept him hidden as long as possible, but when he is abducted and taken into the past, Narine is forced to expose secrets she has guarded for years and turn to people she never wanted involved. Beside her is Jacob, a fellow traveler. He is her rock, and his patience, loyalty, and place within Narine and Samson’s lives are just as important as the search itself.

I loved how quickly this pulled me back into the Seba Segel world. The time-travel system is intricate, with rules about where travelers can go, what events can be changed, and which moments seem fixed no matter what anyone tries. The idea that people can move backward through time but not forward makes the appearance of travelers from the future especially unsettling.

The emotional center, though, is Narine, Samson, and Jacob. Narine’s fear and grief feel immediate, and Jacob may be one of my favorite kinds of romantic heroes: patient, steady, protective without trying to take control, and always putting Samson and Narine ahead of what he wants for himself. Their romance is a true slow burn, and I loved that it grows alongside the larger story instead of interrupting it.

Samson also completely stole my heart. He is immensely powerful, but he is still a child, and that tension gives every decision surrounding him more weight.

The book is dense because it spans different periods, countries, histories, magical factions, and generations. I do think this works much better if you have read The Thirteenth Month recently because so much of this story grows directly out of that book.

But once I was back inside the world, I did not want to leave it. The mix of time travel, Ethiopian history and culture, family, secret societies, suspense, and slow-burn romance made this an even stronger installment for me.

And that ending? I need the next book.

Another 5 ⭐'s


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