Review: Risen from Ash by Samantha Vargas

September 11, 2026

Synopsis:

“What do you want, Little Flame?”

It was a question Kienna never dared to ask.

Raised behind the impenetrable Orb of River Storm, Kienna is destined to serve and protect her city as the Starborn from the evil festering beyond the barrier after the War of Liberation. She, and four other Guardians, are gifted magic by the great and powerful King Vaerin.

Then Kienna discovers the king’s secret and throws his gift back in his face.

When River Storm’s lies shatter, Kienna makes the impossible choice to help a rebel army tear down the Orb and run. She never expected the other Guardians to follow. Now, hunted and broken, they discover a world far different than the one they were taught to fear. A world that forces them to question everything, including themselves.

As loyalties fracture, and kingdoms prepare for war, Kienna must decide who she truly the obedient weapon the king forged…or the flame that will burn his empire to ash.

One Flame to defy fate, if she has the strength to let it burn.

Review:

This book had all the elements I was hoping for, and I couldn’t have asked for more.

We have elemental magic, which is something I always love seeing in books. We have a group of people who are forced together to do a job they never signed up for under false promises. And then we have a king who is looking out for himself, feels like a control freak, and will do everything he can to keep things that way.

When Kienna feels the need to find out what is really going on and leaves everything behind, she learns that there is a lot more to her world than what she was told growing up and that she needs to find her place in it.

The world-building is complex and nuanced, but never to a degree where I felt lost or unable to follow along. Bits and pieces were added to the story along the way, and I learned more and more about how everything is connected to the characters. Was I very eager to learn a lot sooner? Absolutely, but holding some things back contributed to me being glued to the pages and feeling Kienna’s frustration even more. Those in the know didn’t trust her initially and formed their opinions without allowing her to make up her own mind. Can you fault her for not accepting everything blindly?

The group of friends and guardians was an interesting one. Every character had a chance to shine, and their different upbringings explained the dynamic between them very well. They also had to adapt quickly when learning that what they had been told for years was not the full truth.

This book required my full attention. It gave the story time to unfold slowly, but even in those quieter moments, so many things were happening that it was easy to miss details if I got sidetracked.

There was a lot of information to take in, but it never became boring. By the end, I was so engaged in what was happening that I was glad I didn’t have to wait to find out how the story continues.

🌙 Recension: Risen from Ash (Guardians of Alistile #1) by Samantha Vargas
📚 Genre: Fantasy
📅 Release Date: December 15, 2025
📱 Read as: Kindle
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
💸 Bought
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 433
⭐️ 5/5