Alexander Fernandez

In 1689, fifteen year old Sybil Radella Cotterill is trying to escape the witch-hunters in Plymouth, England. After her mother is killed, Sybil boards a ship to the New World, with her friend and fellow-witch, Constance Chandler. The young women settle in Salem Village, Massachusetts, but fear and hatred of witches has followed the colonists to the New World. As the women try to keep their witchcraft secret, they witness innocent young women killed during the Salem witch trials. When Constance is accused of carrying out the devil’s work through witchcraft, she is sent to her death without a trial. Sybil reveals her true identity, and she is hanged alongside her friend. Sybil uses her powers to evade death, but the towns church leader, Minister Kendrick, casts a spell to make her sleep for three hundred years.

In California, three hundred years later, vampires, witches and the undead are accepted in society, and live and work in mutual respect with humans. Vampire, Marcelo, discovers an ancient necklace in his car, which leads him to the Salem Witch Museum. At the museum, Marcelo discovers an old casket with Sybil sleeping inside. Sybil wakes from her three hundred year slumber and Marcelo takes care of her in a world that is now beyond recognition. As Sybil’s powers return, she sets out to find and seek revenge on Kendricks descendants. But Kendrick isn’t far behind, and has a sinister plan to harness Sybil’s powers and take over the world with his dark magic.

Above the Ashes is a fantasy fiction novel by Alexander Fernandez, and the first book in the Blood and Hexes Trilogy. The book follows the journey of a witch named Sybil who wakes from a three hundred year slumber and seeks revenge on the man who killed her friend. Fernandez takes the reader on a journey from the sixteenth century to the present day, and from England to Massachusetts, and all the way to Peru. With witches, vampires, demons and dark magic, this is a gripping dark fantasy fiction novel, with a unique and modern twist.

With a blend of dark fantasy fiction, adventure, and a touch of romance, this novel is an excellent choice for readers looking for a fresh take on the traditional witch trope.  

Star rating: 5 Stars 

Summary: A spellbinding and gripping read, with a fierce protagonist and the beginnings of a tumultuous love affair.