Knowing that he was compromised by the Crowmarket, he didn’t want to give them more influence of the Republic’s governance.

I’m not exactly sure what drew me to this book, but I like a good rebellion and enjoy some court politics. While I had hoped they would be front and center as well since it’s Josiri’s people and land that needed both saving from the Hadari and the rest of the Tressian Republic, their causes and personalities felt very bland and one note in comparison to Viktor. Not horsemen, but the Council’s simarka – bronze constructs forged in the likeness of lions and given life by a spark of magic.If you removed 75% of the unneeded or unexplained names of people/places/things and at least gave a little info on the remaining 25% this book might be enjoyable.

The insidious Parliament of Crows schemes in the shadows, while to the east the Hadari Emperor gathers his armies. Matthew Ward’s The Legacy Trilogy opens with Legacy of Ash, a 240k word behemoth of a novel which sets out Ward’s stall for the series and emphasises the epic in epic fantasy. There’s a great deal of court intrigue and the following of minor characters who end up playing much larger roles, which makes it seem slow.Ward did an incredible job of keeping each character distinctive in their personality and their motivations. Mostly in the sections that dealt with the Southshires and their dilemma of being caught up in an incredibly difficult choice. The Black Knight, Viktor Akadra, the man who murdered their mother, gains the ruling Council’s approval to march into the Southshires to fight off the invading Hadari Empire.

I was going to compare LEGACY OF ASH to another series that I truly love, but in the end, I don't think it's fair to do so. No, it didn’t really provide anything truly new and different, but I liked that it was a familiar backdrop, so my mind easily filled in any gaps and let me better enjoy the story. Mysteries are fine but it is hard to get into a story when you do not even have a basic understanding of how things that are very important in the book work or relate.The sequel, Legacy of Steel, has a lot to live up…but on the basis of this book, the Legacy Trilogy promises to be something very special indeed. The second half of the novel the plot takes a pivotal turn and the story is turned up to eleven and the reader is gifted with some truly awesome action scenes. Our introductions focus on the warring families of Tressia and the heroes that will be the main focus of this epic tale. Rebellion threatens in the Southshires and Josiri Trelan, the son of the rebel Katya Trelan and now imprisoned in his own home, is gathering his forces so that he can lead the rebellion started by his mother 15 years ago and free his people from Tressia’s harsh rule.