Ashes of Aldyr by Russell Archey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ashes of Aldyr is Book One in The Obscured Throne Trilogy. It is a brilliantly written collection of short horror fantasy stories that had me hooked from the first few pages. Each story is linked together because they all occur in the Land of Alda. Each has different characters that are attempting to deal with the destruction caused by The Rupture in his or her own way after it viciously tore apart their land. Once sacred and magical aldyr trees were destroyed and have become scarce and now Elves are dying because they rely on the sacred power of the aldyr branches. The characters are all struggling to survive in a world that is slowly dying all around them. Something sinister is coming and danger lurks around every corner as the characters try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world that has been destroyed by evil forces. The individual stories weave together beautifully, and the overall story had dark and sinister undertones. The scenes were vividly described and really suck you into the story as though you are there with the characters. The author has done an amazing job of blending horror, fantasy, and magic in a post-apocalyptic type of world where dwarves, elves, and humans fight for survival. I look forward to reading the second book in this series.

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