I think Ms Khanani is an excellent writer. This novel length follow up was very enjoyable and I will be eagerly awaiting the next in the series. ( )

Second in the series and I had the same experience: I was completely engaged, loving the story and the characters, then realized that there were not enough pages left to finish the story arc (to MY satisfaction).
I was left wanting, again.
Well done, Ms Khanani! ( )

Book 2 of The Sunbolt Chronicles
In the year since she cast her sunbolt, Hitomi has recovered only a handful of memories. But the truths of the past have a tendency to come calling, and an isolated mountain fastness can offer only so much shelter. When the High Council of Mages summons Brigit Stormwind to stand trial for treason, Hitomi knows her mentor won’t return—not with Arch Mage Blackflame behind the charges.
Yay! I get to return to the world of Hitomi and the Eleven Kingdoms!
Everything I've read by Khanani so far I've loved, and although I had to wait a while for this one, it is well worth the wait. I reread Sunbolt when Memories of Ash appeared on my kindle ((pre-ordering is awesome when it works)) just to jog my memories of characters and plots. I tend to forget the details and need that reminder. And I'm so glad I did, because I loved my reread of the first book and could dive straight into book 2 without any of the "who s/he" moments I might have had without that reread.
I just love the world that Khanani is expanding on her. In Sunbolt it is a much tighter, narrower focus. We get to see some of a city, and then we're pretty much isolated away from the outside world. Here we get to travel around much more of the kingdoms, learn more about the mages, and even parts of the history of the world. And all without ever getting lost in an info-dump or losing the urge to turn the page and find out what happens next.
Yesterday it rained pretty much all day long, so I barely left the house, this was the perfect book for me to spend reading. That's really all I did with my Sunday, and I'd call it damn productive :) ( )

Even better than the first! Memories of Ash was a wonderful roller coaster of fun. Hitomi is so wonderful and resourceful but I live how she always gets the crap beat out of her. She's powerful and amazing but not too powerful and amazing. Khanani does a great job of throwing her main character in trouble and getting her out of it in a believable way. And all though she gets beat up a lot, the book is still definitely a fun romp that ends well.

I'm honestly really in love with the concept of honour in this book and how it affects everything. But it's not any kind of sexist or gross honour, it's an awesome honour that is deeply engrained in many of the characters and affects the outcome of the book.

I loved Sunbolt and this just improves on everything. The pacing is better and the characters are amazingly done. This earns a spot on my favourites list. Everyone needs to read this series. ( )

Memories of Ash is a full, novel length sequel to the YA fantasy novella Sunbolt. In my review of Sunbolt, I noted that I was waiting to see where the sequels would take the series. Well it was worth the wait! Memories of Ash was even better than the first installment. It’s so much of what I want in a fantasy novel – a focus on adventure rather than romance, amazing world building, and a clever and kindhearted heroine.

While I suggest reading Sunbolt before Memories of Ash, you might be able to go into it without having read the novella. But why would you? Sunbolt is a lot of fun. Anyway, it was over two years since I’d read Sunbolt, and I didn’t find myself getting confused. Do note that there will be spoilers for the novella in the rest of this review.

Hitomi has spent the last year recovering her memories and learning magic under the tutelage of Brigit Stormwind. But then the High Council of Mages summons Stormwind to a trial, where she is accused of treason. The devious Arch Mage Blackflame is behind the trumped up charges, and Hitomi fears that Stormwind won’t return. As a result, she sets out on a mission to save her friend and mentor.

I really loved the world building of Memories of Ash. We get to see a lot more of the world than we did in Sunbolt, and the story takes us to a desert city. Khanani has a knack for making her settings come alive, and there’s plenty of details that make her world feel unique and real. It also isn’t the Ye Old Medieval Europe type setting which you tend to see ad nauseam. Hitomi herself is mixed race, from cultures that seem analogous to Japan and somewhere in the Middle East. I also love the way magic is described in this book. It has an almost visual feel which strongly appeals to me.

Hitomi is a delightful protagonist. She’s a fledgling mage with some unusual capabilities that combine wonderfully with the tricks she picked up while living as a street thief and working in the resistance effort to Arch Mage Blackthorn. I have a fondness for rogue type characters, and Hitomi did not disappoint. She’s courageous, smart, and most of all, kind. She has a real moral backbone, and she’s determined to do what she believes is right, no matter the difficulty. In a word, she’s the best kind of heroine.

Memories of Ash was sheer fun. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes YA fantasy, and am eagerly awaiting whatever Ms. Khanani writes next.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. ( )