The King Of Bones And Ashes by J. D. Horn

Having read the Witching Savannah series I had high hopes for this series.  Unfortunately they were soon dashed to smithereens - almost from the very first chapter.  I kept hoping that it would improve and kept on reading but by the end I was just as confused and muddled as I was at the beginning.

There are no distinct voices in the book so every character sounds exactly the same on the page and the only way you can tell who is supposed to be telling their tale is by the names; they really do all blend in to one.  The real problem comes form the fact that the cast is so vast so you never really get under the skin of any one of them and the homogenisation of them all makes it even worse.

The basic premise of witches losing their power and their being a book that could hold the secret to them getting it back is a strong one.  The mixing of Voodoo religion and a more European take on Witchcraft works well within the setting and allows for the use of some wonderful settings - what is more iconic than the Garden District or The French Quarter in New Orleans?  Juggle in some childhood bogeys and you have a promising start - unfortunately when it comes to the execution of the tale it all fell apart.

I finished the book a week ago and can only remember a couple of the characters with any clarity but I am not entirely sure if I have who is who right in my head.  For instance there is Evangeline - was she the one whose mother was Soulange the Voodoo Priestess or is she the one who ran the bar?  You know, I am pretty sure she is one with the bar and an unhealthy relationship with the males of the Mason family.  So did her mother go to the Dreaming Place or was she killed by her sister witches?  Or was her mother neither of these ancestors and someone else entirely?

You get the point by now - it is one confusing book.

Overall, there are some good ideas in here but it is the execution that has let them down.  I have, sadly, already purchased the second book in the series so I will read it at some point but I certainly won't be looking forward to it with any sort of anticipation - more a dread of "well I bought it so I'll have to read it".