Ravenhearth

A slow, quiet, and lovely story. Ash is a very sweet character, innocent and eager, and he charmed me from the very beginning. The story focuses on his inner life and his deepening feelings for Giles. The setting and plot aren't all that important, so there isn't much world-building or anything like that. Giles trains Ash in magic, but it was only vaguely described. I have no idea what Ash can actually do, or what Giles does.

I also don't know what the miasma is or why it arose, or if the miasma will plague this world eternally. None of that matters, though, because the love story is an especially nice one, and it was the focus of the book, along with Ash finding a place in life. I got the idea this was a post-apocalyptic Earth, but I don't know if that was intentional or not.

There's a conflict between Ash and two of the other inhabitants of the house. Giles' reaction to that incident was really great, I thought. However, I was sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop afterwards, but nothing else happened. I think there could've been something near the end to wrap up that plot point, aside from the twins looking in on Ash while he's convalescing. How do they feel about everything that happens?

Overall this was a pleasant read, and I look forward to reading more from this author.