Air and Ash

TIDES, Book 1

By: Alex Lidell

Narrated by: Kaitlin Bellamy

Master and Commander meets Sarah J Maas in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess's quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms.

After a lifetime of training, 17-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission - and fails.

Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battle worthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile's blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

Air and Ash is the thrilling first installment of the TIDES series. Recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and David Weber.

©2017 Alex Lidell (P)2017 Alex Lidell

Fantastic!!

Loved this story! Very immersive, I could easily picture what was going on and was drawn into the story. I loved the characters. Fantastic narrator she really brought the story to life with various accents and emotions. Great YA listen that I highly recommend. Can’t wait to hear the next book! I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

A Fun and Exciting Listen

If you haven’t heard of this book yet, I have no idea why – it’s amazing, it’s fun, and it features a kick ass heroine (and seafaring adventures, guys) that you will instantly fall in love with the book, the characters, and if you listen to the audiobook, you’ll also fall in love with the narrator because she does such a fantastic time bringing the story to life.

The whole plot of this book is so much fun – I’m always on the lookout for something new, and fantasy is my absolute favorite, so I was super stoked to check this book out, and I was definitely not disappointed. There are both magic and curses tangled within a complicated sea adventure that you really can’t put down.

The characters, especially the main character, Nile. She was fierce, she was determined to protect her people the best way she could, and she was so full of courage that I couldn’t help but find myself drawn into her. The way she is written and how the narrator voiced her was incredibly well done. She did such a great job on the other characters in the book too – some of them really made me smile, too. I would love to listen to other audiobooks by this narrator.

This is one of those books that really takes you out of the real world and along for an adventure. While I never really listened to that many audiobooks until recently, this is one that I really loved and was able to get into with no problem. I usually find my mind wandering and drifting when I listen to audiobooks, so when I find one that really captures my attention, it makes me so happy!

I also loved how detailed this story was – the author put a lot of time and creativity into this book, and it made it such a good read (or listen, in this case!).

The world building is amazing – there is so much detail and it paints such a beautiful picture of everything – the ocean, the ships – everything.

Definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of fantasy. This is probably one of the most interesting ones that I’ve picked up!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Alex Lidell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Air and Ash

Would you choose a free life with magic or an imprisoned life in a loveless royal marriage? For Nile Greysik, princess and lieutenant of the Ashing Navy flagship, the sea calls to her. Being one with the seaman is such a better life than to be cooped up in a castle with royalty commanding her every move. Where is her freedom? Where is her passion? After a mission aboard the navy flagship fails very badly, Niles wakes up two weeks later in the safety of her own bed…not aboard a ship.That isn’t even the worst part…she discovers that she has failed her captain, his death and many others who died weigh heavily on her. But, then her twin brother drops the biggest bombshell of all. She is to be in an arranged marriage…per her mother’s wishes as a way to keep her away from the sea. What could be any worse than giving up your freedom for the rest of your life? Lidell spins an invigorating story, filled with adventure and magic.

Niles and her twin brother were close, but then he was “diagnosed” with a magical ailment. The magic is not so much the burden…but what comes as a side effect of being able to possess such power is mind crippling. She is surprised that he even still has the capacity to keep himself alive. Through rigorous testing and countless evaluations, it was finally determined that she did not possess the magical gene…which tends to run in families. Being that the sea calls to her, she knows that she just can’t be tied down forever. After her brother has a near death experience, she meets a man who seems nice enough but later finds that nothing is ever as it seems. To run away from everything on the nearest ship seems to be the only escape from the life that she is sure to dread. What adventure or challenges will be in store for her next, being that she will have to hide her identity? As if that wasn’t enough…strange headaches and magical sensations begin spiraling through her blood, threatening to end her life if she doesn’t let it out.

Lidell has a terrific story-line with exceptional character development. All of her characters are entertaining, fierce, and determined. The pace is fantastic; fast-paced and the narrator was highly entertaining. Bellamy’s accent is absolutely beautiful and perfect for this story. She changes pitch and vocalization for every character and adds sounds for special effect. Bellmay’s representation of each character seemed to be spot-on! This review is complimenting the audiobook. If you are a reader of science fiction and young adult fantasy, you may want to pick this one up.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions, but this in no way affects our honest opinion of the book or the review that has been written. We provide a five-star rating for Air and Ash by Alex Lidell, narrated by Kaitlin Bellamy.

Can't wait for more!

I found the Tides series when I was originally looking to see if Audible has versions of Kaitlin Bellamy's Mapweaver Chronicles. Although they don't seem to have those yet, I found out that Kaitlin Bellamy did the narration on this series, so I gave them a listen and loved them immediately! My only issue now is that I raced through them and now I have to wait for the next book to come out!

The Tides characters are believable in both their talents and flaws. The magic system is well-formed with a unique take on the classic idea that "all magic comes with a price," and the characters' magic causes issues just as often as it solves them. I also love the spectrum of opinions among Lidell's characters on everything from magic to gender roles.

Bellamy's narration is a delight as always, propelling the story forward with an energy that doesn't sacrifice nuance. Her use of accents helps bring the characters and world to life, making it feel for the reader that they are truly on these ships meeting people from so many different lands and cultures.

I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Simply Outstanding

This book was one of my favorites this year. From a completely unknown author (at least to me) came a story that I thought would be interesting, but ended up being fantastic.

The book centers around a young, female main character who is a princess and the youngest royal child of a seafaring nation. Locked in a decades-long war with a stronger foe, she has spent the last several years on the flagship of her nation's navy.
When she learns that her family intends to marry her off to a neighboring ally (meaning she will never see the ocean again), she fakes her identity and joins the allied naval alliance as an enlisted seaman. While serving amongst a crew of rejects beneath the notice of her previous assignment, she begins to discover and experiment with her ability for wind magic. However, her new superior knows more than he should about her background and potential abilities, and she is growing far too close to him...

One thing I liked about the magical aspect of the book specifically was that magic is limited. There is no free lunch, and the main character is not invincible with power. In the world of the book, all magic comes with a price. For example, the main character can control the wind but is plagued by fainting spells and dizziness. Another example, as it is explained, is that those who control water have blood that won't clot. This made for an interesting twist on magical powers, both good and bad. It anchors the concept of magic much more than some other books where you don't quite know how far magic goes or what it can do.

I thought the narrator also did an amazing job. I got lost in her narration of such a great story. Looking forward to hearing her in the future books in this series.

I like both fantasy books and sailing adventures, so this book seemed to almost be written for me. However, I think that any fans of fantasy and YA novels will like this book.

I requested and received a free copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.

Incredible start for newcomers!

I was all set to play a Critical Role and give this audiobook a lower rating due to the fact that this is the first audiobook for both the author and narrator, but was denied the opportunity by how well they both did. Alex Lidell did a great job. She told an incredible story that made me care about most of the characters and not just to main characters. She did an awesome job of making a runaway princess trope into a story about someone who clawed and scraped her way TO THE BOTTOM so she could fight her way back up. I didn't expect to be as moved by Nile's development. I think I'm going to have to get the prequel novella so I can learn more about her time on her first ship.

Alex Lidell also did a great job with the magic system she employed. So many times authors use it as a crutch and make the whole story about the magic. Alex used the magic the way a chef uses salt, in just the right proportion and at the proper time. She also did something that a lot of young authors forget. She made magic have a consequence. In fact, the consequences were arguably more important the story than the magic was. Incredibly well done!

As for Kaitlin Bellamy's performance, all I can say is WOW!!!! The story was very good, but she truly brought it to life. She had a cast of characters to deal with and somehow she was able to give each one a unique and (most importantly) consistent voice. There are narrators with much more experience that have a hard time with that feat. I can't wait to listen to the next audiobook she narrates. If Matt Mercer were to listen to her performance, I'm sure he'd ask Kaitlin, "How do you want to do this?" because she killed it!

If I had to give the book any criticism, I would say it felt like it was 3/4s of a story. The hook at the end of the book was unexpected and absolutely vital to the story, but it felt like the next part of the series should have been part of this one. But then again, I'm going to buy the next audiobook as soon as it comes out, so maybe Alex Lidell knows exactly what she's doing and I just need to not be critical. :-)

Can’t wait for more from Alex Lidell!

I received this audiobook free at my request and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the second audiobook by Lidell that I’ve listened to, and two things about her writing have become very clear to me. The first, that she is an artist, able to paint beautiful visuals with her words. The second, that she knows how to leave the reader longing for more.

Air and Ash is an exhilarating swashbuckling fantasy adventure. In the character of Nile Ash, Lidell has given readers a strong, no nonsense heroine to root for. The setting of ships adrift on the high seas makes for a captivating backdrop to our introduction to Nile.

I also must add that Kaitlin Bellamy’s narration was outstanding. Her tone and inflections breathe life to Liddell’s characters.

This is definitely a series and author to keep an eye on! I’m looking forward to more Tides!

Ships! Magic! Action!

It's all there. This audiobook was perfectly narrated, especially with all the different accents from all the different characters. Air and Ash Tides book 1 is for people who had hopes for Game of Thrones Arya Starks spinoff that was shot down last month.

Nile , a princess has set out on a mission and miserably failed and now has lost her power and ship. She must now work as an ordinary midshipman and hide her identity.

Along the way she meets a man who she obviously has feelings for but is a very slow moving romance. There are small bits in the book about elemental magic , and that's not a bad thing.

I can't wait to read book 2 to continue this journey! I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

pretty prose and nice narrator

This was my 1st swashbuckling read that was female led and ya at the same time. the narrator was beautiful and was good at different accents, particularly british ones.

I liked that the main character was a twin since I'm one, and I always feel I have to mention that if I spot a twin in a book :)

This book had mostly good, great story, beautiful writing and interesting backstory and side characters. I think what made it lack perfection for me was a lot of the ableist language.

There were elemental callers, or gifteds, folk who called elements to them but at a great cost. In the way the language was handled with discussing them(especially since she became one herself) it was like the worst thing in the world to be, and I couldn't imagine being a person with a disability and reading that and feeling once again a story marginalizes people with disabilities.

I couldn't tell if there were people of color but some people had non-European accents that seemed a little questionable but since I was listening at 1.25 speed, I don't always catch descriptions as they come in passing.

It would've been a straight 5 to me instead of a 4.5 rounded to 4 because it was good and I'm definitely going to read on, I just wish the language dealing with disabilities would've been more conscious.

I got this audiobook via Audiobook Boom

It kept me on the edge of my seat

I loved this story from the beginning to end, it practically sucked me into its Universe. It was very well written, with interesting and well developed characters. The plot was excellent, and the pace was fast with many twists and turns.

At the beginning there were some moments which got me slightly confused due to many new characters and unknown universe, but the feeling quickly disappeared and all the puzzle pieces fell into place. The author explained the set up of the world fully, without going into unnecessary details.

The universe was fascinating, a bit of a fairy tale, magic, and harsh reality of the life of seamen. I loved Nile and I was holding me breath while following her struggles, decisions, suffering and triumphs. The graphic descriptions of punishments and cruelty on board of 'Aurora' made me want to cry. All the different characters, villains, good guys and those in between were given complicated personalities, none of them seemed like a cartoon cut out. Through the events of the story everyone had a chance to prove their worth or depth of his depravity. I found their fight to preserve their dignity, loyalty and honor fascinating.

I highly recommend this fast paced action book with a healthy dose of romance. Just a little warning, after I had finished this book, I had to start Book 2 immediately, though it was very late at night. So exercise caution.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Alex Lidell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.