Disclaimer: This book is a participant in the Indie Ink Awards 2023 and I read it as a judge. My personal rating does not reflect its score for the contest.

A true king in Indas. Someone from Melqan’s line, who would chase the Lora away and return Indas to glory. When such a man returned, the Inda horselords would once again ride the sands, and there would be nymphs again in the pool in the courthouse on the hill.
A true king in Indas. Maybe he would even bring back the old gods, from before the Troubles and Melqan’s conversion. The streets would be filled with stories then, for the old gods had all the very best tales: stories of murder and jealousy, love and transformation.

The mere length might be daunting (“Title of your sex tape!“), but I promise you the reward is worth it. The prologue perfectly sets the atmosphere, instantly absorbing me into this hopeless world. Wait till you see the content warnings list that’s almost as long as my review.

It all starts with forbidden love and family drama, oh yeah, and the human sacrifices. Then bigger machinations reveal themselves, with different kingdoms and characters interconnected with Qemassen’s fate. You can feel the dedication put into the world-building, with all the histories and cultures, and the wonderfully diverse cast. Be prepared to make good use of the glossary.

This chonker of a novel is a bit over-descriptive for my taste, but the characters are so perfectly fleshed out (most of them suck) that I can overlook the former.

The author doesn’t shy away from killing characters, but some seem to have plot armor, unexpectedly surviving almost certain death. I suspect Westenra still has plans for them, but I felt a bit cheated with one case in particular.

The Wings of Ashtaroth is brutal in all the right ways, and an immersive experience of beautiful prose and awful people.