Skip to main content

Blog Tour: Air and Ash (Tides #1) by Alex Lidell: A Book Review

AIR AND ASH (Tides #1)
Author: Alex Lidell
Pub. Date: May 2, 2017
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Pages: 284
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads
Genre: YA Fantasy/Steampunk
Source: This book was given to me by Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Master and Commander meets Tamora Pierce in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess’s quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms.

     After a lifetime of training, seventeen-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission—and fails.

     Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battleworthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile’s blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

     But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

     AIR AND ASH is the thrilling first installment of the TIDES series. Recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and Naomi Novik.

     My Review: Princess Nile is a lieutenant on the Ashing naval flagship. On a mission, the ship sails into battle and fails. Discharged from the Navy, Princess Nile finds herself facing a political marriage. She decides to run away by pretending to be a common sailor and works on the first ship she can find. However, her problems are far from over. She must deal with a greedy captain, a mean officer, and a hostile crew. The biggest problem that Nile faces is that she must hide her identity and her magic powers.

  Nile is a loveable character. She is very relatable. She is a compassionate woman who wants to save her brother. She is stubborn and majestic. While she is not strong physically, she is nevertheless a determined heroine. She never gives up. Thus, she is tough on the inside. At times, she can be disrespectful to her superiors. She believes that she knows what s best and this proves to be her worst flaw. She is also very judgmental and gullible at times. She acts before she thinks. Still, I love this hardworking princess, and I look forward to her next adventure!

   Overall, this book is about family love, love, and mistakes. The characters were engaging, and all of them are very likable. The world-building was complex, but very creative. There were some violent scenes in this book. Thus, I recommend it for mature teens sixteen and up. I was a bit disappointed in how the book ended. It was very abrupt and left in a cliffhanger. Still, I can’t wait for the sequel! Air and Ash is full of magic, adventure, romance, and is very action-packed! Readers will love this feisty heroine and will devour this book in one sitting! I recommend this novel for fans of Shadowfell, The Black Mage, and Daughter of the Pirate King.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


About Alex:



     Alex Lidell is an avid horseback rider, paramedic and ice cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s lifelong love for YA fantasy books. Alex’s debut novel, THE CADET OF TILDOR, was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards finalist. Her second book AIR AND ASH releases in May 2017.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram


Giveaway Details:


     1 winner will receive a finished copy of AIR AND ASH & a hardcover of A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas, INTERNATIONAL.




Tour Schedule:


Week One:

5/1/2017- Wandering Bark Books- Excerpt
5/1/2017- Twinning for Books- Review
5/2/2017- Don't Judge, Read- Interview
5/3/2017- Fiction Fare- Review
5/3/2017- Book Princess Reviews- Review
5/4/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
5/5/2017- Margie's Must Reads- Review
5/5/2017- Angelic Book Reviews- Review

Week Two:

5/8/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest Post
5/8/2017- Book Briefs- Review
5/9/2017- A Backwards Story- Interview
5/9/2017- Mundie Moms- Review
5/10/2017- Book Sniffers Anonymous- Excerpt
5/10/2017- J.R.'s Book Reviews- Review
5/11/2017- Bibliobibuli YA- Review
5/11/2017- Booklove- Review
5/12/2017- Reese's Reviews- Review
5/12/2017-A Dream Within A Dream- Review



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Guest Post by Aleksey Linetskiy: The Women Behind the Klondike Story

       Today's guest writer is Aleksey Linetskiy. He is the co-author of Finch and Hawk:   The Klondike Letters , which is a unique yearly subscription in which the reader reads a story by mail. In this guest post, he introduces us to a few historical women of the Klondike era. Some of these women are Alice Freeman, Flora Shaw, and Helen Dare. Thank you, Mr. Linetskiy! The Women Behind the Klondike Story        Before we began writing Finch and Hawk: The Klondike Letters , my partner, Alona Umansky, and I spent a great deal of time researching the Klondike Gold Rush. We were interested in finding the stories of people who maybe didn’t become rich and famous but still went through the experience of a great stampede.  As we were reading the newspapers of the time and firsthand accounts, it became very clear to us that we wanted to tell at least part of the story through the women’s eyes. There were so many incredible women who underto...

The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer: The Life and Times of Margaret More Roper by Aimee Fleming: A Book Review

The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer: The Life and Times of Margaret More Roper Author: Aimee Fleming Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Pen & Sword History  Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 207 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A presentation of Margaret More Roper, an accomplished writer whose life offers insight into Tudor England and the English Reformation. Margaret More Roper may be remembered as the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More, but she was much, much more. Well-educated, loyal, passionately pious, and a skilled writer and translator, Margaret inspired a generation and proved to Tudor England and beyond just how accomplished a woman could be. Her life provides a window into the turbulent times of the English Reformation and life at the court of King Henry VIII. In this biography, Margaret is presented in her own right and given the attention and acknowledgement she so richly deserves.     ...

Let the Murderer Say Amen (Psychics and Soul Mystery #2) by Carolyn Marie Wilkins

Let the Murderer Say Amen (Psychics and Soul Food Mystery #2) Author: Carolyn Marie Wilkins  Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Paranormal Publisher: Kensington Books Book Release Date: July 28, 2026 Pages: 269 Source: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: As prosperity and great cultural changes sweep across 1920s America during the Jazz Age, Nola Ann Jackson learns more about developing her natural psychic talents from her aunt—talents that prove crucial when she investigates murder in her Black community.       The people of Agate, Illinois, have welcomed Bishop Pius Amun Ra with open arms, flocking to become congregants of his Temple of Righteous Revelation. He has won over the hearts not only of the Black churchgoers, but of the city’s white political and wealthy elite. Bishop Ra is more than a preacher of the good word, he is a faith healer, blessed with the gift on the banks of the...