Ashes of Raging Water by Michael J. Allen is a contemporary fantasy that takes place in the Atlanta metro area. The members of a local shield are tasked with keeping mortals safe from the Sidhe courts. Qualya, a water phoenix new to the shield, is duty-bound to protect, but she struggles with her human attachments. She finds herself at odds with her Sheildheart Vitae. When Quayla mishandles a job in an animal shelter, she incurs the wrath of her superiors. And Quayla feels like she may be the only one on her team who can get to the bottom of the Wyldfae attacks. Will she be able to curb her independent streak and work with her brothers before she runs out of lives?
Ashes of Raging Water is a great beginning to a modern fantasy series. The cover art is brilliant, completely original and totally germane to to story. Inside the book I enjoyed how Atlanta as we now know it is overlaid with a magical world that people in general are unaware of. The book starts slow but builds to a comfortable pace as the plot unfolds. Some characters are well defined, like Vitae with his years of suppressed grief over the loss of a loved one. The coroner is especially comical with his penchant for D&D and all things mythological. I’m looking forward to the illumination of lesser characters being fleshed out in the upcoming installments. With easily understandable terms such as archangel, faerie, automata, and transmorgify, the novel is easily approachable to even novice fantasy readers. Michael J. Allen has written a delightful adventure for any fantasy lover! All urban fantasy readers will want to add Ashes of Raging Water to their collection.
