The Carnival of Ash by Tom BeckerleggeUltimate Tour

April 29, 2022 / 4 Comments

by Gwendalyn’s Books

Hello Dear Readers

Today is my stop on book tour for

The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge

@The_WriteReads @Tbeckerlegge

#UltimateBlogTour

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Length: 528 Pages

Publishing: 15th March 2022

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1786185008/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58438204-the-carnival-of-ash

SYNOPSIS

An extravagant, lyrical fantasy about a city of poets and librarians. A city that never was.

Cadenza is the City of Words, a city run by poets, its skyline dominated by the steepled towers of its libraries, its heart beating to the stamp and thrum of the printing presses in the Printing Quarter.

Carlo Mazzoni, a young wordsmith arrives at the city gates intent on making his name as the bells ring out with the news of the death of the city’s poet-leader. Instead, he finds himself embroiled with the intrigues of a city in turmoil, the looming prospect of war with their rival Venice ever-present. A war that threatens not only to destroy Cadenza but remove it from history altogether…

REVIEW

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.

The Carnival of Ash is set in an a real historical country but the Italian town Cadenza, is Tom Beckerlegge own creative imagined city. Historical time frame is during the late 1400s, early 1500s. Cadenza is enthralling towns full off wordsmiths, poetry, playwrights and wonderful libraries.

This compelling, and a little deviant tale is told in twelve Cantos, with each chapter having a new narrator. They are a mixture of highborn and unfortunates, all trudging through their lives as the city itself falls victim to ensemble events that tip it into utter chaos.

Through Tom Beckerlegge seamless narration, the reader is taken by the hand as tones switch, along with the genres effortlessly. Embroiling political intrigue, along exceptional world building made for an immersive storyline.

The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge is a lush historical fiction with an alternate history.

Read, if you enjoy like I do:

Dark humor luscious classical renaissance prose, Literature, Italian gothic imagery, Political, Gritty, Sex

Please beware of the content and trigger warnings, of the dark sexual nature of this book. The book has a very dark and seedy sexual tone, that kinda is realistic to the timeframe of book.

REVIEW

Tom Beckerlegge grew up in the northwest of England in a house filled with books. Writing as Tom Becker, he won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize with his debut novel; The Carnival of Ash is his first adult book. He lives in Enfield with his wife and young son.