Growing up in Wales, one of my teachers used to tell us stories, old Welsh folk tales. I just devoured these and this tale reminds me of them in that lyrical, not quite of this world folk tale way- but even darker.... Anna Smith Spark being the Queen of Grimdark.

Kanda is a mother of three girls living with husband, Dellet, on their small farmland. She enjoys milking her cows, her family and living in peaceful times.

What we don't know is that she was one of The Six, legendary soldiers that could defeat whole armies, and that she was the best of all, even slaying dragons.

The tale alternates chapters on what is and what did happen, currently she's trying to keep her family safe from the unexpected danger of her returning past life. People are slain, land is blighted and Kanda needs her sword.

The chapters alternate between first and third person which will help audio listeners distinguish the time lines. The language so lyrical that you'd be forgiven for thinking you were reading an original folk tale. It almost feels like a stream of consciousness at times. It brings Kanda to life.

Thanks to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for an e-arc, all opinions are my own.

I received this as an eARC from Netgalley.

I really struggled with this book. The concept sounds fantastic. I have been getting into grimdark lately, having discovered it later than I should have. This grimdark with Celtic elements should have been right up my alley; but, ultimately it wasn't and I was pretty bored and keen for it to end.

I realised it was going to be a slog when at 30% in we are still going back and forth between the main character and her children on the run from an unspeakable evil. Even after spending that first third of the book doing nothing but building the characters (the plot certainly wasn't progressing) I found I didn't care about any of them and ultimately didn't care what happened.

Overall I think the concept is great but it wasn't for me. If you want something that focuses on what older parents with a young family on the run is like then this might be for you. If your idea of a good grimdark is more like first law then this is not going to scratch your itch.

Anna Smith Spark is perhaps the most uncompromising author I've read. And A SWORD OF BRONZE AND ASHES is only the second of her books I've read. Her willingness to not just show readers the darkest horrors humanity can muster, but at times to literally wallow in them, makes her works difficult to read, tragic while holding out a tiny sliver of hope against certain disaster, and convincing us somehow that this bit of hope will triumph.

SWORD draws on Celtic myth, but those unfamiliar with those early stories may only recognize it from names like Geiamnyn and Ikandera Thygethyn, the antagonist and protagonist of the story. As it opens, Kanda is living a quiet pastoral life with her husband Dellet and daughters Morna, Calian, and Sal. Kanda's discovery of a body in the river adjoining their little farm signals change, and her reaction suggests to the reader that nothing will ever be the same again, no peaceful valley, no simple farm life. Marshalling her family for a journey to a mountain she swore she would never again visit, where a weapon lies hidden that is the only means she knows to protect her family from the life and monstrous companions she abandoned long ago, Kanda runs headlong into the very confrontation she had fled. Once she'd thought herself invincible. The only question now is whether her devotion to her children and husband will rekindle her need to be that woman again or hinder it.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Flame Tree Press for this advance review copy. A SWORD OF BRONZE AND ASHES is set for release September 12, so readers needn't wait long to see for themselves why Anna Smith Spark is called The Queen of Grimdark!

I really liked a lot of the concept involved in this book, but sadly had a hard time getting into it at all. The story is so descriptive that my mind kept trying to wander and it was really hard to stay focused. At another time or in a different mindset this book may be good but currently it didn’t hook me in any way.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

Anna Smith Spark is, in certain circles, a legend. The "Queen of Grimdark" brought us the dark, metal, unspeakably violent and yet beautifully written Empires of Dust series. It was raw and human and bloody and wonderful, and I think I spoke about each book in the series in increasingly glowing terms.
And now, a new novel, A Sword of Bronze and Ashes. Something different, a folk horror fairytale. Still with the same poetry, the same multi-layered prose coursing the wine-dark sea of liquid prose. Still with the same sense of humanity, both at our best and, oh my, at our worst. But also with a focus somewhere different. This is a book about family, about one woman and her journey into the future to deal with the consequences of the past, and her daughters, and how they have to grapple with a legacy which could define them if they let it. And it's wrapped up in a story, a journey that reads like a dream spiked with flashes of nightmare, our cast moving between spaces, between the grounded world around them, the soaring towers of years past, and the bare copper knives of the not-quite yet, all at once. The prose is liquid, tumbling rocky thoughts over in your mind, the story prying them loose, to see what lies beneath. And that's without getting into what it does to the cast.

Kanda is, for want of a better word, our protagonist. A woman who, three children later, quietly whiles away her time on a farm, looking after animals, baling hay, and generally living a quiet life. What Kanda did before she looked after animals and children is another matter. Unfortunately for her, or at least for her quiet life, her past is about to catch up to her in a big way. Because the world Kanda inhabits is as much myth and story as it is known to us. While she pulls in corn and feeds livestock, she speaks with the dead who line the doorways of buildings, keeping them safe from harm. And wards against things roaming in the night, skipping between realities like we would use a revolving door.

Because the darkest dreams of humanity are out here, and very real, in this world where myth and story are another context entwined within reality. Kanda's world is a saga, a song, because it can't be anything else. Kanda is brutally prosaic, a woman who is sometimes drunk, also sometimes hungover, often tired, with an intimate understanding of violence. But in the past, she has been a dream of something more, something which soared, even while the dream in which it lived began to collapse under its own weight. As to what and who else Kanda is, that you'll have to see for yourself. But she is solid in her roles, all of them. A fierce and weighty presence whose sheer determination makes the page and the story and the words wrap around her. The dream she was and the person she is may not be the same, but Kanda is utterly real, to us, as well as to everyone on the page. It's fantastic incidentally, to see her portrayal in the now of the book, a tired woman with three children and a husband, forced back into metaphorical harness by her desire to protect them and keep them safe; and they're there with her and she with them, and the family dynamic has all the bickering and affection and poison and joy of, well, a family. It's something we often sacrifice for tales of battle-maidens in shiny armour, and seeing this, a family story, makes my heart sing a little.

Because this is a family story. Kanda's daughters are varying degrees of young; and it's wonderful that they're all so different. In the way they talk, in the way they react, in what they believe. But in their strengths, in the mistakes they make and the ways they try to fix them, in the passions they feel and the responsibilities they feel they can bear, they're able to find a way to bind themselves together.

And the story. Well, you know I don't spoil those. But it's a very concrete as well as a metaphorical journey. Diving into the past to see how Kanda got where she is now, to build a context for why things are happening. And walking with her through the now, inch by inch as she pulls her family toward, if not safety, a conclusion, a sense of catharsis. It's a story that comes with tension so thick you can less cut it with a knife than actively chew on it - as well as your nails - waiting ot see how thing splay out. And it has the sumptuous, glittering romance of a chivalric folktale, and the mud and blood and disaster of one too. This is a story that pulls no punches, and in fact probably has a stiletto secreted in one hand and a broadsword nonchalantly twirling from the other. It's a story you'll be up at 4AM trying to finish.

So is it good? Hell yes. Should you read it? Hell yes. This is another winner for Anna Smith Spark, and a story you owe it to yourself to read as soon as possible.

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes is a compelling blend of classic (almost Arthurian) fantasy with horror and near post-apocalypse. Its themes of family, age, and purpose all rise clearly to the top while maintaining the tension of the story. At its best, Smith Spark's distinctive poetic style is highly evocative, although I admit at a lot of points I simply found it obstructive to the reading process - this was slow-going, even if I always remained invested. While a thoughtful book, I'm not sure it has many hidden depths, as it wears its philosophy on its sleeves, but it is always nice to see literary grimdark.

This was a very interesting read. The strapline "a lyrical, poetic folk horror fantasy" certainly sums up the number of different things this book is attempting to be all at once (and it is pulled off).

The book has a literary feel to it, with the narration sort of like a stream of consciousness while also not being that. It's switching tenses and person a lot, without any italics (etc) to separate the thoughts from the narration. While this does help it feel very immersive and following Kanda intimately, it did take me a while to get into it.

This is a story about the pressures of motherhood and what happens when illusions of not having a life before marriage and children shatter. Kanda has a pretty big, mythic past, but the consequences of it coming out feel like a metaphor for women wanting lives beyond children and the home, particularly how her husband gets uneasy once she is more than his wife (though he is a very, very nice man by and large and lots of his mistrust comes from the fact she has held these pretty big truths from him.)

I really liked that this book explored the protectiveness of motherhood and also a desire to fight injustices. It is two types of fights in one person, when often female characters only get one. Plus I appreciated the exploration of desire, still there but changing in what can trigger it, as one ages, and the realities of what life (and childbirth) does to the body.

This is clearly a book written by a parent as it captures the voices of the children and the parents so well. The bickering of the kids, the way they resent their parents for things outside their control, the exasperation at the constant questions. It really makes it feel that much more real.

I love the concept of a main character who is not very young (40+), not tall and skinny (hormones and three kids have an impact on a woman's body), and who doesn't have smooth and silky skin (hooray for smiley wrinkles!). She appears to be just a woman, just a wife, just a mother, almost no one. But that´s just a surface. This mature woman is a hero and one of the best warriors the world has ever seen. And her greatest task is yet to come.
Sounds great, and honestly, I can´t think of a better idea for a book. However, I just couldn't get into this story. Somehow I didn't enjoy the writing style and I found myself wandering elsewhere in my thoughts. I think I´ll give it another chance another time.

It’s a beautifully written lyrical book. The atmosphere is like a nightmare with boils walking on a foggy night.

As far as the characters, plot and world building I didn’t really enjoy that aspect. The characters were frustrating, the plot was interesting but I felt it jerked along like a drunk wearing one shoe backwards and the other a too tight tap shoe.

I was initially drawn to this book for the beautiful cover art and the mention of Celtic myth (I'm always a sucker for a good mythology retelling!) and it had some really lovely artistic features. I'll admit, I had some mixed feelings reading it - the extent of lyricism and the abstract, while beautiful, did make it difficult to follow in places. It's definitely one of those books where you have to accept it is less a novel, and more like a poem in a novel's clothing!

However, Kanda's character has some really interesting nuance, and I was intrigued by the mythological basis for the whole story. Even though some sections read a little slow, the story definitely picks up the more you read it, and it has almost a medieval quality that many fairytale readers will enjoy.

Books with similar vibes - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt, There Will be Lies by Nick Lake

4/5 Stars

TL;DR - A dark, gruesome fever dream that’s equal parts folktale and ghost story. A fearless, visceral depiction of motherhood and womanhood, an exploration of of grief, shame, and regret - and conversely, of hope, love, and perseverance. Masterfully told through haunting prose that feels at its core like a time-worn folk story, this book is an intricately-woven tapestry that will stay with me for a long time to come.

Big thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger warning for death of a child.***

‘A Sword of Bronze and Ashes’ by Anna Smith Spark is a grimdark, folk horror high fantasy book that follows a woman named Kanda, wife and mother of three, who only wants to live a peaceful, simple life. However, a body washes up on the banks of the river by her home, and she knows that her shadowed past has finally caught up with her. Told in two timelines, one of Kanda’s current troubles, and the other about her life before she settled down and started a family, we watch as she struggles to keep her family together, fight the evil that plagues them, and see through her eyes as her daughters take their fates into their own hands as their mother did before them.

Another book that I have so few notes on because I was just so caught up in the story. I’ve never read a grimdark fantasy before, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but I found that I definitely enjoyed it.

First and foremost, I need to talk about the prose. Oh my GOODNESS is it so hauntingly beautiful! The blurb calls it ‘lyrical’ and I couldn’t agree more. The descriptions are vivid in so much detail that the world feels alive, from the setting to the characters to the abject horror of the darker elements. And then there’s Kanda’s internal world, which is perhaps even more lush and visceral - she has such a unique way of viewing the world, and all of it explored through luscious, heartbreaking prose. I can’t possibly convey the highs and lows, the light and dark, all the different shades of the writing - it’s something you have to experience for yourself to understand.

Kanda is an amazingly complex and nuanced character. She’s strong and brave and fearless, but she’s also impulsive and quick to anger and deeply scarred from her past. And yet, she does everything for her children, fights and kills and moves heaven and earth to do what needs to be done. Sure, in terms of her fantasy powers, she’s a bit overpowered, but it’s never a convenient fix-all - she always struggles with many things outside of her control, even when she can use her skills to overcome challenges. Most importantly, I am 110% here for a middle-aged mother saving the world so her children can be safe, thank you very much.

On that note, this book beautifully and thoughtfully presents a realistic picture of motherhood and womanhood. Kanda is unapologetically herself, embracing her stretch marks and sagging breasts and middle-aged body, and she STILL kicks ass and takes names and refuses to think of herself as lesser just because she’s getting older and has had three kids. This is the future feminists want! It also explores the complex dynamics between mother and child, between daughters and their mothers, and between married couples. Nothing is sugar-coated, all of it is raw and emotional and completely true to the messy reality of being human. I also think it does a great job of handling grief and how it changes us, and how different people process it in different ways.

The world itself is fascinating. I’m usually one for hard magic systems and heavily fleshed-out worldbuilding, but the magical, folktale storytelling allowed me to ease up on that and really sink into the world. Not a whole lot is super clear about any of the fantasy elements, but because this reads so authentically like a folktale passed down orally for hundreds of years, I’m okay with the finer details being left fuzzy for the sake of atmosphere. It’s supposed to be inspired by Celtic mythology, and while I’m not super well-versed, I definitely could see similarities to the Irish fairytale books my grandmother read to me as a child. The world itself is convincingly Celtic, and some of the naming is, as well, but where I think the true comparison comes in is the sheer strange and outlandish magic and mysticism I’ve come to associate with Celtic folklore. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but all of the weird things going on in this book just feel plausibly like an old story your nan would tell you on a rainy afternoon, and you’d just nod along and think to yourself yeah, that makes sense. It’s a very specific vibe that I really enjoyed.

I would definitely consider this a character-driven story, almost verging into “no plot, just vibes” territory, but there is a discernible plot in there. The book overall is much more about Kanda and her past experiences and current internal struggles, but there’s also the journey she and her family are forced to undertake, as well as confrontations and battles and all manner of things not going the way anyone planned. The inclusion of the second timeline, Kanda’s past, does slow down the pace, but it also presents a lot of background and more worldbuilding, as well as a few mysteries you only see the fruits of towards the end of the book. It’s atmospheric to the max, though, rest-assured.

Overall, this is a really solid book. I gave it a lower rating only because I just don’t think I’m a grimdark girlie. It’s purely a personal thing for me, not a fault of the book itself. I enjoy my fair share of dark and/or tragic stories, but this one cumulatively was a bit much for me. Brief research told me that ASOIAF/Game of Thrones is considered grimdark, and I’m not a huge fan of that series for the same reasons - it’s just too dark for me personally. But, if that’s your jam, I think you’ll like this.

And, me being nit-picky, there’s also a lot of repetitive language throughout. Partially, I can see that some of it was a stylistic choice/writing device because most of it pertains to Kanda’s past and traumatic events therein, so I can excuse those instances. However, there’s a few things that are just repeated on the regular, such as the sun/sunrise being described as “the wound of the sun”, every other plant mentioned when describing the setting is “gorse”, and one of the spooky creatures always lets out a “gobbling neigh”. Not super big overall, but they’re repeated enough that it started to bug me.

Final Thoughts:

I was definitely impressed by the author’s writing chops, and I loved Kanda as a main character and the depictions of her struggles. There’s a lot to like about this book, for sure. However, the story and some of its themes were just too heavy for me, enough so that I won’t be buying a physical copy for myself.

I'm not going to be able to get to this before the release date so I purchased a copy for myself. Thank you for the ARC, I appreciate it

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes is a Celtic-inspired grimdark fantasy that has many of the hallmarks of the subgenre: realism, death, fights, and swords. Anna Smith Spark is certainly very aware of her genre and knows how to weave characters that fit within the world she creates. I believe the praise calling her a master of her craft is well-earned.

I liked the worldbuilding and the different dynamics between our main character, Kanda, and her three daughters. Each relationship was reflected in how Kanda talked about each daughter in her inner monologue and in the dialogue. Smith Spark switches between first and third POV in a way that is very clear and concise.

I was quite intrigued by the ideas presented in with the Lord and Lady and Roven but didn't find them quite fleshed out enough. I also found myself struggling with the repetition of the prose, personally finding it distracting and taking away from the characters and story that were done quite well as well as slowing down the pacing of what was, mostly, a tightly-paced story. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the repetition to enjoy this story to the same degree many others seem to.

Like her previous book, A Woman Of The Sword, Anna Smith Spark's new novel is the story of a warrior turned farmer and mother who must return to her old ways when the violent world she left behind proves reluctant to extend her the same courtesy. And there's definite overlap here in the readiness to address the sheer shitness of motherhood, the ability of children always to injure themselves or produce one or another vile substance at precisely the worst moment. True, the father here lasts longer - though it's debatable how much that helps when he's frequently just a larger child. But the real differences run much deeper, for where the earlier book's Lidae had been a soldier in others' wars, as grubby and gruesome as most wars are, Kanda here was a hero of myth. Heroes, of course, not being something we've seen too often in Anna's writing, but this is her first full-length work outside the world of her none-more-grimdark Empires Of Dust series, and it runs by different rules. Here too there are mages with killing fire, dragons, worse creatures besides - but now there are also wonders, healing, binding and wards. True, the magical protection can sometimes prove terribly fragile, or else come at too high a cost - but it's something. And similarly, while Kanda's past has its darkness, it has glory too - valiant deeds, noble rescues and heroic bonds that really were those things, not just the way psychopaths and fools spin rapine and trauma bonds. Yes, that past is gone - all fellowships are sundered eventually, and every round table broken. But nevertheless, in the present there remains more light and hope: there are ripe orchards and contented streams, and even humans seem on the whole slightly less awful. A new world needs a new register, of course, and Anna has found one which has less of that terrible incantatory power she's hitherto used, drawing instead on the lighter touch and deeper strangeness of Celtic myth, a spiralling falcon or a mountain stream more than the bloody hacking of one poor doomed bastard through another. It's not like she didn't write beautifully before, or like there isn't still blood and death and darkness here, but it's still heartening to see a sliver of dawn creeping in.

(Netgalley ARC)

This was my first novel by Anna Smith Spark, who has been coined the Queen of Grimdark. From my relatively small exposure to Grimdark, I've loved what I've read. So how does Anna Smith Spark stack up?

The prose of this book was absolutely spectacular. Spark's writing feels like it's been carved into stone in some bygone legend. It's mythical. It's elegant. It's brutal. Everything she does with the prose fits flawlessly into the setting of this novel.

The characters include Kanda, her husband (Dellet), and their three daughters (Calian, Morna, & Sal), amongst other ancillary characters. I think her best character work sprouts from Kanda and her relationship with her family. It's gripping, frustrating, and authentic. Outside of this, I didn't care much for Dellet. He seemed to be more of an emotional support character for their daughters, but I thought his reaction to the events of the story to be melodramatic. He isn't wrong in his feelings, but perhaps the frustration stems from his lack of action on the narrative threads that plagued him.

The narrative itself definitely feels like a mythological chronicle, which is perfect for the goal of this novel. I'm not particularly in love with this style of story telling, but it executes the mythical feel well enough.

I find myself mixed on the world building. On one hand, it's well thought out, unique, and always had me clamoring for more details about the history of this world. On the other hand, I didn't really see the massive Celtic influence that the book was marketed to be. Also, the world building for the current timeline I found to be lacking. Almost all of it was done in Kanda's flashbacks, which was phenomenal, but I wanted more in the present.

All in all, I think Anna Smith Spark is a spectacular writer and I would love to pick up another one of her novels. I may take a dip into her catalog in the future. As for this specific novel? It had some fantastic aspects, but others weren't in my wheelhouse.

I want to thank Netgalley again for this ARC. It's always a pleasure

"A Sword of Bronze and Ashes" by Anna Smith Spark offers an evocative journey into a meticulously crafted world. Smith Spark's prose is lyrical and often mesmerizing, with intricate character developments that are both authentic and compelling. The pacing, though deliberate, ensures a deep immersion into the storyline. The nuanced world-building and subtle undertones of the narrative invite contemplation long after the book is put down. While the novel might not appeal to every fantasy enthusiast, those who appreciate a richer, more poetic approach to the genre will find this read both refreshing and rewarding.

The world that Spark builds is vivid, poetic, and very original. The beginning of the story really pulls you in with its lyrical writing of a peaceful day on a farm, but that peace does not last long as things get very grim, as expected.

If you are not a fan of a story with a lot of characters then this is not the book for you. You are introduced to about five different characters very quickly and I did have a little trouble staying interested in the story after that. The world-building was fantastic but I felt like it took away from the depth of the story. I just wanted a little more backstory and character development to make me feel for these characters.

Overall, this book is so beautifully written and Spark's lyrical writing shows her talents and love for her writing. I would read another book from this author..

Thank you to Flame Tree Press for access to this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review!

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark
Release Date: 12 September 2023

The blurb promises the following: “A Sword of Bronze and Ashes combines the fierce beauty of Celtic myth with grimdark battle violence. It's a lyrical, folk horror high fantasy.” Does the story deliver on that description? Yes. I think this is a type of fantasy book that appeals to a specific taste. I did not particularly care for the style of storytelling and the way that text keeps you removed from characters.

The book opens with Kanda, a mother and farmer’s wife, frolicking in nature with the animals à la Snow White. Then she finds a dead body floating down the river, and her gentle life is upended. In order to save the lives of her daughters and husband, she must drop the pretense of being a normal woman and once again wield the sword. For the sake of her family and for the sake of the world?

Lyrical writing. Not flowery but flowy and atmospheric. I think it’s accessible as far as vocabulary.

Ethereal, dreamy quality to the storytelling. The language creates some distance between the narrative and the reader. We get impressions of Kanda, but this storytelling style does not track play-by-play emotions and thoughts of characters. Although this is not "classic fantasy" storytelling reminiscent of the 80s and 90s, its handling of characters seems closer to that style than the one preferred by modern fantasies.

<i>The prose style paired with the folktale subgenre might be a bit jarring to some readers, as the storytelling leaves some intentionally blank space. The narrative rapidly advances without limited explanation or detail. (No info dumps here.) I don’t think the story is hard to understand; this style just might annoy certain readers.</i>

Folk horror. Certainly some grotesque imagery from nearly the beginning. Anna Smith Spark is a master at abruptly shifts the tone. This contributes to creating dread in the reader.

High fantasy. Kanda is basically an immortal warrior and wields magic. There is no “system” to the magic, as it’s tied to the Celtic mythology and godlike origins of Kanda.

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes is a very well-crafted book that I would not recommend to everyone. I do not think it would have blanket appeal for fans of the grimdark fantasy subgenre or for fans of the lyrical folktale/fairytale retellings. Just not for me.

Oh where do I start? It's one-line description of a Celtic-inflected lyrical adventure by grimdark fantasy queen is about the most accurate summation of the essence of this book. How have I not heard of Anna Smith Spark until now?

The story follows Kanda, a loving wife and mother who seems to enjoy a lovely idyllic life until a touch of horror breaks us out of the reverie and Kanda has to gather her family and run. We quickly discover via scenes from the past that Kanda is a former warrior, one of the esteemed Six Swords of Roven, quickly forming ties between a past that must be catching up to Kanda for reasons yet unknown.

This is an epic high fantasy with some truly real and thought-provoking themes on girlhood, womanhood, family and power. All delivered through lyrical prose that honestly turned my head around multiple times but it was absolutely worth it. Additionally, the lyrical, poetic prose does mean that the overall worldbuilding felt wishy washy which isn't my favourite, considering all the extra time I put in to comprehend the style of prose that I'm not used to, but that is *the* dark fairy tale style and I really respect it.

I am immediately buying my own physical copy of this special book with its gorgeous cover the moment it is out! I'd love to annotate it as I go through the prose again, and get more out of it.

Thank you NetGalley, Flame Tree Press and the author for this advance review copy, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNF

I have been eagerly wanting to try out Anna Smith Spark and I am so sad her writing just didn't click with me. It was very descriptive and meandering. I understand that this is a bit different than what she's written previously so I'll definitely still take a look at her other works. I read about 20% and just won't be continuing on.