3.0
In an Orchard Grown from Ash
ByPublisher Description
Siblings torn apart by betrayal grapple with their broken bonds—and fight to regain their power—in this stunning conclusion to a mythic epic fantasy duology from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls.
The Argyros siblings have lost everything. With their father dead and their family home captured, they’re no longer the rulers of their fractured kingdom—and no longer bound to each other.
In the frozen north, Rhea struggles to wield her newly inherited command over death and to find her place in an increasingly distrustful rebel group. Chrysanthi travels to a distant, war-torn land in search of her elusive brother Nitsos, certain that he is there on a dangerous mission to restore the family to its former glory, this time with himself at its head. And Lexos, now stripped of all his power and a political prisoner of the Domina family, is left to rot in a hauntingly desolate palace with nothing but thoughts of revenge.
Alone and farther apart than they’ve ever been, the siblings must reckon with the pain of their past and find a new path forward—or risk their own destruction.
In an Orchard Grown from Ash is the dramatic finale of a darkly beautiful, atmospheric saga that explores the cost of power and the weight of legacy.
The Argyros siblings have lost everything. With their father dead and their family home captured, they’re no longer the rulers of their fractured kingdom—and no longer bound to each other.
In the frozen north, Rhea struggles to wield her newly inherited command over death and to find her place in an increasingly distrustful rebel group. Chrysanthi travels to a distant, war-torn land in search of her elusive brother Nitsos, certain that he is there on a dangerous mission to restore the family to its former glory, this time with himself at its head. And Lexos, now stripped of all his power and a political prisoner of the Domina family, is left to rot in a hauntingly desolate palace with nothing but thoughts of revenge.
Alone and farther apart than they’ve ever been, the siblings must reckon with the pain of their past and find a new path forward—or risk their own destruction.
In an Orchard Grown from Ash is the dramatic finale of a darkly beautiful, atmospheric saga that explores the cost of power and the weight of legacy.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesIn an Orchard Grown from Ash Reviews
3.0
“Ok I have a few thoughts. Let’s do a pros and cons list.
Pros:
- the world: I enjoyed the descriptions of the various places of the plot and I thought the concept of power was really unique.
- realistic and unique ending: I think the sad ending was very fitting. Not every story is a happy one and I honestly did not see how both Rhea and Lexos could have had a happy ending. Even though it is devastating, it only made sense for the story. And writing a sad ending actually takes a lot of nerve, so I applaud Rory Powers for staying true to her story and not squeezing the characters into a happy ending.
- themes of family betrayal and breaking the cycle: Especially the moments between the two sisters got to me. The heartbreak and betrayal felt so real between the siblings. They desperately wanted to do what’s best for their siblings, but always stepped over the line and decided what they thought was best for everyone involved. Even though it’s frustrating, it felt really realistic, that they couldn’t just talk about it and resolve their conflict that way. I am happy that Chrysanthi was able to break the cycle in the end. I wish her and Andrija a lifetime of happiness beyond all the hurt and betrayal of her past. Even though the book did not have a happy ending, her ending left me with a sense of hope.
- the cost of power: I really enjoyed the concept, of power actually really costing the user something. Even though I didn’t quite understand how it worked, I really thought using Rhea as an example was very fitting.
Cons:
- no map: If the story switches perspectives and locations as often as this one does, you need a map! It would have felt so much easier to really understand the politics and conflicts, if there had been a map for reference.
- underutilized characters: there were so (!) many interesting character ideas in this duology, that I would have loved to see explored! What is the relationship between Falka and Ettore? How is Stavra faring in the Nivorotsk? But to be honest, the most disappointing character by far was Nitsos. I really expected him to not be dead and have a bigger plan, but no, he just straight up died without any significance. I really wanted to learn more about his control over Rhea. How does it work? What was his doing and what did she do for herself? I was really looking forward to the climax of their conflict, but he just gets squashed by falling rocks. There would have been so much potential! Also Michali was irrelevant the entire time. His only reason for being there, was to act as a catalyst for Rhea‘s decay.
- no real explanations on power: I was really frustrated that we didn’t really get an explanation on the power system and how the saints pulled the power from the earth. I thought we would definitely get a glimpse into the past as soon as Ettore was revealed to be the last living saint. I also would have really liked to fully understand why Rhea‘s power turned the way it was. Of course it was hinted that it was due to her raising Michali from the dead and refusing to speak the death poem, but I would have loved a more detailed explanation, as well as a history of the world and it’s power.
- loose ends: the story ends quite abruptly. The big conflict is still going, two nations are in active war against each other and we still don’t really know what Ettore wants to achieve. It makes sense to me to end the story with Chrysanthi giving her powers back to the earth and I think there is real strength in that ending, but I still feel a bit unsatisfied. There are still so many open questions. The story of the Argyros family has ended and I do understand why Rory Powers decided to end her story there, but on the other hand, she does leave us hanging. We will never know how the conflict plays out, what Ettore wanted in the end and what happens to all that power. It still feels like a bomb waiting to explode. I was expecting the duology to end with all the power back in the earth and an end to the Stratagoizi reign. Like I see the sense and thought behind it, but it still feels unsatisfying.
Neutral:
- stupid characters: Lexos and Rhea are supposed to be over 100 years old, yet they still make decisions like 21 year olds. I mean, not every character in a book needs to be on top of their game, and in this case, I think it did make for an interesting premise. But it kinda irks me that they are 100 years old and still so stupid. They know so little about the workings of their world and how to secure their lives. I wasn’t really rooting for Rhea or Lexos as I didn’t feel a win would be deserving for their characters. I mean in the end they stayed true to that and didn’t get what they wanted, which maybe makes this a very realistic story. Still feeling very divided about that 🤷🏼♀️
All in all I think Rory Powers crafted a very detailed examination of sibling dynamics and breaking the cycle, but I’m not sure it had to have happened in this fantasy setting with so many loose ends.”
“Ok…wow. First off, I wish I could give people reading the first book the heads up not to, bc what did I just spend 500 pages reading. The ONLY redeeming thing in this book is the younger sister and the romance between her and her protector. That is it.
EVERYTHING else is legit crazy and wtf the whole time. The characters aren’t even the same people in my opinion which would be fine, but then there is no development and they basically just wander around the continent the whole book looking for one another. Meanwhile, there is some actual stuff going on with other characters that is clearly where the story is, but we don’t find out what happens to those people and the MANY plans they elude to (Luca D, etc.).
Both the brothers end up dead and the more we learn about the mother the more questions you’re left with. Why did Luca leave her alive? Why did he not seem bothered that she survived? What did they even do in the library to get their powers?
In sorry, but please don’t read this 500 page book. It’s terrible and will make you mad.”
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