Waiting on Wednesday – Ashlords by Scott Reintgen

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this week’s instalment of Waiting on Wednesday, I feature a unique and compelling-sounding upcoming book, Ashlords by Scott Reintgen.

Ashlords Cover.jpg

Scott Reintgen is a rather new young adult fiction author who has already produced his first trilogy, The Nyxia Triad series of science fiction novels, which ran between 2017 and 2019. While I did not get an opportunity to read this previous body of work, I am very interested in his new upcoming book, Ashlords.

Ashlords is Reintgen’s first foray into fantasy fiction, and he has come up with a very cool concept for his new novel. Based on the below plot synopsis, it looks like Ashlords will follow several protagonists as the attempt to win a long and arduous race from atop their magical, fiery horses, while also fighting off sabotage and attacks from their competitors. I really like the sound of this fantastic plot idea and I think that it has some true potential to be an incredible read.

Ashlords is set to be released in late January 2020 and I am looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Every year since the Ashlords were gifted phoenix horses by their gods, they’ve raced them. First into battle, then on great hunts, and finally for the pure sport of seeing who rode the fastest. Centuries of blood and fire carved their competition into a more modern spectacle: The Races.

Over the course of a multi-day event, elite riders from clashing cultures vie to be crowned champion. But the modern version of the sport requires more than good riding. Competitors must be skilled at creating and controlling phoenix horses made of ash and alchemy, which are summoned back to life each sunrise with uniquely crafted powers to cover impossible distances and challenges before bursting into flames at sunset. But good alchemy only matters if a rider knows how to defend their phoenix horse at night. Murder is outlawed, but breaking bones and poisoning ashes? That’s all legal and encouraged.

In this year’s Races, eleven riders will compete, but three of them have more to lose than the rest–a champion’s daughter, a scholarship entrant, and a revolutionary’s son. Who will attain their own dream of glory? Or will they all flame out in defeat?