Title: Crystal Moth Conspiracy: Ash Born Book One

Author: Konn Lavery

Release date: June 20th, 2023

Thanks to Konn for sending me a digital copy of this one!

I’ve only read a few short stories and Konn’s novel ‘Rave,’ but even with that short page count of his work under my belt, I’ve already come to see and feel his writing voice, which shines brightly – even during the dirtiest of descriptions.

He’s created a world, called the Macrocosm, which I haven’t dove into yet, although I suspected this novel was related to that world before I started. Either way, with this donning the BOOK ONE label, I decided that whatever I’d need to know would be shared and away I went.

What I liked: The story follows Lola, a fugitive on the run, exposing others and getting herself into some trouble along the way. Now, she’s trying to avenge the death of her loved one’s (at the hands of the Crystal Moths) and deal with the growing reality of a new drug – Ash – becoming more and more predominant with users.

The story rockets along, twists and turns coming frequently, but no matter how crazy things get, Lavery remains in charge, writing with a steady and a sure hand, keeping the characters in check and the story steamrolling towards the violent, bitter end. It works that the characters feel so thoroughly fleshed out and honestly, there wasn’t even one I’d consider a throw away character, which in a book with this thick of a page count is an achievement on it’s own.

I’m not sure exactly how many into this series Konn has planned, but taken as a singular, the reader could invest in this one and be satisfied with how it ends (even with some very big questions still left to be answered).

I also want to add that the illustrations were a nice touch and really helped to heighten this strange world Lavery has created. A world that reminds me of the way Joseph Sale or Brian Fatah Steele conjure and create.

What I didn’t like: I think this book would’ve felt way more straight forward if it was the singular book I was reading and focusing on. As it was, I had eight books on the go, so I was diving into this one in snippets and short bites, before dedicating a few longer reading sessions. With a longer book like this, it definitely works better if you can dedicate the time to it, otherwise – much like I had to do a few times – you’ll be scratching your chin over who the hell certain characters were, until you remember!

Why you should buy this: Is this Urban Fantasy? Dark Fantasy with Horror? Hard to categorize (and not necessarily something that needs to be categorized) but if you’re looking for a really well done and engaging world, with a main character who should have her own TV show, look no further. Lola was such a solid lead and Lavery has really outdone himself with this one.

4.5/5