We’re so back! If you’ve been following THP’s book team for the past year, then you’ll recognize this incredible West African-inspired historical fantasy series by Lucia Damisa. We just finished reading book two of the series, A Winter of White Ash, and can’t wait for you to see what’s in store!
If you thought we had an adventure in the first book, A Desert of Bleeding Sand, then be prepared for so much more action and angst in the sequel! Zair and Dathan travel across the seas to faraway kingdoms in the hopes of forming alliances in the war against Albion and the wraiths.
A Winter of White Ash is a bit of a longer read, but we think it was absolutely worth it! Here are three things we love about the sequel to Lucia Damisa’s A Desert of Bleeding Sand series!
Book Overview: A Winter Of White Ash
Content warnings: murder, death, graphic violence, serious injury, gore, torture, slavery, racism, PTSD, forced captivity, attempted rape and sexual assault, bodies, decapitation, human bones, skulls, poisoning, warfare, terrorism, vomit, and weapons (Please read at your discretion!)
Summary: My kingdom, Thalesai, stands at the edge of a great war as the king of the darkness steers his forces against us. Within our own borders, a rebellion simmers as tribes threaten to split and rulers start to take sides, leaving the wounds the kingdom suffered at the coronation still open and bleeding.
Dathan and I are no longer aligned.
He’s been sent across the sea on a mission shrouded in secrecy, tasked with stealing fragments of an ancient weapon lost to myth.
And me? The Commandant has given me orders that place me directly in his path. Once again, we’re rivals—our missions at odds. And yet…how do I stop a man who once fought by my side? Whose touch still lingers like fire on my skin? How do I stay cold when our hearts burn for more?
The World-Building Expands
With a total of five books in the series, we knew that A Winter of White Ash would share the bulk of expanding the world that was set up in book one. Zair and Dathan travel outside of their homes in Thalesai to Dahomey and Sariq. On the surface, they attempt to form military alliances in the impending war against Albion. But Zair and Dathan must also carry out covert operations under the Queen and King’s orders, respectively. There are new players in this war now. As such, we even get an added perspective, someone whose role and even timeline has not been fully revealed.
Zair & Dathan’s Push-Pull Romance
Oh, Zair and Dathan, our beloved main characters! They pushed and pulled on our heartstrings so much in A Winter of White Ash. Their whirlwind engagement paired with their increasingly strong yet conflicting feelings for each other had us in a chokehold. Zair’s Esan traits are ostracized by other tribes and make her unwilling to ruin Dathan’s life if they married. Dathan wants nothing more than a life with Zair, but his loyalty to the king keeps him from letting her in. But as they both grow in this book, they find their way toward each other and a future together.
An Ending That Changes Everything
Whatever the future holds for Zair and Dathan, however, has been suspended until further notice after that cliffhanger ending. The last several chapters were fast-paced and volatile, blowing up everyone’s plans, including our own predictions. It’s the kind of chaos that we live for in fantasy novels, the kind that continues to raise our excitement for the books to come. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long for book three, which is due to release this March! We’re hoping it’s a bit kinder to our feelings and beloved characters, but we won’t be surprised if it’s not…
Brimming with action, espionage, and a whole lot of angst, Lucia Damisa’s A Winter of White Ash absolutely blew us away. We’d risk the heartache just to read it all over again!
A Winter of White Ash is on sale now, and you can order a copy of it here!
What do you think of Lucia Damisa’s new sequel? Have you already read A Winter of White Ash? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LUCIA DAMISA:
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