Ashes of Gold

Name: Ashes of Gold
Brand: Simon & Schuster Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: J. Elle
ISBN: 9781797150222

Author: J. Elle

Series: Wings of Ebony

Narrator: Bahni Turpin

Unabridged: 14 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Published: 07/26/2022

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, African American & Black Fiction, Own Voices, Fantasy

Synopsis

In the “thrilling…masterful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicole Yoon calls “bold, inventive, big-hearted, and deeply perceptive,” Rue makes her final stand to reclaim her people’s stolen magic.

Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from East Row. And girls from East Row don’t give up. Girls from East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from East Row break themselves out.

But getting free and finding her friends is only half the battle. Rue vows that when she reunites with them, she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit; with half a foot back in Houston and a heart that is half human, half god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.

When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve, because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.

About J. Elle

J. Elle is the author of the instant New York Times and Indie bestseller Wings of Ebony, a YA novel about a Black teen who must lean into her ancestor’s magic to protect her inner-city community from drugs, violence, and crime. Ms. magazine calls it “the debut fantasy we need right now.” She also wrote its sequel, Ashes of Gold. Elle is a former educator and first-generation college student with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s in educational administration and human development. When she’s not writing, Elle can be found mentoring aspiring writers, binging reality TV, loving on her three littles, or cooking up something true to her Louisiana roots.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ms. Woc Reader

I really wanted to love Ashes of Gold because I did enjoy Wing of Ebony but I felt like I was reading a completely different story rather than the continuation of one I already knew. Rue was more insecure in this story as she takes on this new role as the chosen one. And I wasn't a fan of the chosen......more

Goodreads review by ♥Milica♥

I loved Wings of Ebony and Ashes of Gold was one of my most anticipated releases this year for that reason. I was expecting to love it just as much, but sadly that wasn't the case. The book just dragged on and on, the whole vibe of it was so different from the first one and it didn't quite work for m......more

Goodreads review by Celia

Huge thanks to Books Forward and Netgalley for the chance to review this title! Reasons to read a tenacious heroine, superb world-building, and a compelling B cast. Personal rating: have I met a better duology? Nope. Wings of Ebony was one of the more unique books I'd read in 2021 ( a weird year, but g......more

Quotes

"In the closing of this duology, Bahni Turpin brings this story to life by embodying specific characters and masterfully representing the cultural spaces with great precision through characters who are from vastly different worlds. This YA fantasy is the story of Rue, a powerful teen who escapes imprisonment and fights to return magic to her kinfolk, the Ghizoni people. Turpin brings out Rue’s American accent while simultaneously connecting her to people from a faraway land — Ghizon. The tone of the story is dramatic, with nonstop adventure. There are numerous moments of warmth, especially when Turpin narrates the love triangle in Rue’s life or moments of loss. But the high energy in Turpin’s voice is unmistakably exciting."