Ashley Skolrud

Trials and Tyranny

Johannes Lindholm is determined to make this his year.

He’s the Captain of the Fiendive team, he’s (mostly) acing all his classes, and Aileia Bourreau has actually looked in his direction more than once. It’s the start of a perfect school year. Until his father and the rest of Celeonia’s ruling council are kidnapped, and those leading the insurrection put the entirety of Wildfell Hall on a magical lockdown.

Johannes is determined to rescue his father, but putting together a team like that isn’t easy. There are people inside the school who are working with the enemy, and one wrong move can lead to trusting the wrong person…

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 If you’re looking for a cocky teenage SOB that thinks he’s all that, but really isn’t, this is the book for you! With his father as the Head of the Wizarding Council and him as the heir, people should look up to him, right? Plus, he’s the captain of the school’s beloved Fiendive team! What? You’ve never heard of Fiendive? Don’t worry, the book’s got you covered.
When his father and the rest of the council are kidnapped, it’s his job to assemble the other heirs and save the council. Right? Except the school’s in lockdown, and no one wants to follow him.
This book was a fun read, watching Johannes make a fool of himself most of the time, and then finally see the beginnings of what might just be a leader after all! ~Marharyta

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This is a ridiculously fun, light-hearted, entertaining, and painfully relatable tale made for those of us who love Harry Potter but can’t stand the absolute waste of oxygen that is the person who penned the series.
The characters are adorable, the school setting and academia vibes are pretty fun, and the plot is pretty intriguing. Ashley does a wonderful job at creating a fun, new world for us to explore. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!! ~Camila

Flowers and Fire

Isolde Adebayo is confident that joining her friends’ plan to save the world was a mistake.

She hadn’t fully been convinced of the plan when they broke out of the school, and nobody had warned her about how much hiking they would have to do. However, after convincing the rest of the group to make a pit stop in her hometown of Moonsbreach, she discovers her parents aren’t the saints she had always believed them to be.

As Isolde starts to dig into the Council’s secrets, more and more terrifying truths rise to the surface. And with those truths comes a question: is it possible the Obsidian Accord could be right?

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Ashley Skolrud doesn’t just repeat the masterclass in entertainment, witty comebacks, and teenage hormones – she somehow manages to outdo it with the second book in the Wizards of Wildfell Hall series.

I won’t spoil book events here, but the character arc we see in Isolde’s book manages to hit even harder than Johannes’ own in book 1, Trials and Tyranny. It’s such a nicely done arc with major character defining moments and realizations, and plenty of growth. These teens aren’t just royally screwed at the moment – they’re absolutely lost in everything that’s going on hidden in plain sight.

This is such a fun series. I find myself giggling, laughing my ass off, audibly gasping or murmuring “awww” at certain points. Ashley’s voice truly shines ever brighter in this book, and I absolutely *cannot wait* for the third one. ~Camila

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Ashley hit it out of the park, again, with Flowers and Fire! The kids are out of school and their adventure is really getting going. They learn QUICKLY that their parents set them up for failure. And if you aren’t SEETHING at their actions by the end of this, you are a villain.
Poor Isolde. She clearly doesn’t have full control of the things her magic can do. But she does what she has to in order to survive and keep her cousin and friends safe.
She isn’t just the pretty, popular girl. She is learning what she is capable of, and this is just the beginning.
These meddling kids aren’t as easy to kill as the Empress wants them to be.
I cannot wait for book three! ~ Jessica

Light and Life

Percy Adebayo has always known his aunt was evil.

He had figured it out years ago, and her letters about an experiment in the village of Crossroads put him on edge. But knowing the danger wasn’t enough, as he and his friends find themselves infected with the very thing they were trying to investigate: an incurable plague that eats their magic.

It’s a race against the clock as Percy is forced to experiment with his magic, knowing that doing so will kill him. But if he doesn’t crack it, it’s not just Percy who won’t make it – it’s all of Celeonia.

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It took about three pages for me to want to wrap Percy up in a warm, weighted blanket, hand him a cup of hot cocoa, and tell him that he’s an amazing part of the team.

There is more character development in this 60 page novella than some books have in hundreds of pages. I loved watching Percy grow in a matter of a few chapters. He is still learning about himself, but in Light and Life, he learns how capable he really is. That’s despite having internalized his horrible parents telling him he’s a disappointment and dumping him with his aunt and uncle. Percy is a good friend. He’s honest. He’s braver than he thinks. And his crush is adorable. I also love the autism rep he brings to the series. I think a lot of kids will relate to him.

More than halfway through this series and that ending… it’s getting really real. ~Jessica

Watchers and Whisps

Aileia Bourreau has spent her life keeping secrets.

In opening The Black Door, she’s revealed to her friends the secret world that exists beneath their feet. Despite the risk and her reluctance to let the group know everything her family has been hiding for generations, there’s one thing that makes it worth it: the Spirit Archives. After surviving the surprise dragon attack, Aileia knows they need help from the spirits of past heroes to do it again.

But those spirits are mysteriously missing, and nobody seems to know why. Aileia makes it her mission to track them down, only to find her darkest secret might be the key to finding them.

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All I can say is POOR AILEIA! It is one thing for all these kids to realize their parents are evil, but I didn’t see that secret coming.

And poor Arielle. Honestly, learning about her makes so much of Aileia’s attitude and personality make sense. She is scared of putting someone else through the same thing as her sister. Though it’s very clear how much love Aileia has for her.

This book adds a new layer of grief to what the MCs are already feeling, learning about the Council’s actions.
By the end, you just want to wrap Aileia in a tight hug. ~Jessica

Dragons and Determination

Stormie Hiramatsu has never controlled her own mind.

Plagued with changed memories and constant mind control, Stormie has never known what actually was true. Forced to betray her friends, earning their trust back means doing the one thing she never thought possible: betraying her mother. Breaking free is harder than expected, but as the coronation of the Dragon Queen comes closer, Stormie fears she won’t be able to act in time.

Celeonia is falling back into darkness, and Stormie knows she is the only one who can stop it. All it will take is learning who she is, something Stormie has never actually known.

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Okay… so this story was a gut punch from the opening sentence!
Stormie is the last one who deserves any of this. Ugh, my sweet girl!

I am not going to spoil anything, but Stormie is breaking generation after generation of abuse. She is so strong and brave.

This is by far the heaviest book in the series, and it’s a fantastic end. ~Jessica