Red-Haired Ash Reads

Title:  The Matriarch 

Author: Annabelle McInnes

Series: Women of the Dust #1

Genre: Science Fiction

Format: ARC eBook

Pages: 314

Dates Read: September 27, 2020

Yolanda, Matriarch of the Horde, is frantically trying to save her people. They are oppressed and slowly dying from dehydration and starvation. When the enemy king is beheaded by his son, he offers her a truce that will bring water to her people. But first they have to uncover the truth of the war. 

Wow! This book was so captivating and perfect that I couldn’t put it down. I loved this complex post-apocalypse world. It totally had Mad Max vibes but was better because of the dangerous women of the Horde. 

Yolanda was a woman burdened with the survival of her race and the harsh teachings of her mother. Her mother was a warmonger but she is completely different. Yes, she is deadly but she dreams of a world that isn’t filled with death and suffering. I really loved Yolanda. She was a dangerous woman who struggled with being both a leader and a woman. Sasha, the Hammer, teaches her that she is both and needs to make time for all facets of herself. 

“Love was limitless. It was vast and faceted. It could sustain a single tiny baby as well as save humanity.”

Sasha, also known as the Hammer, was a warrior who had been forged in the pain caused by his father. Instead of letting the trauma he suffered and watched turn him into his father he instead turned to compassion and justice. He is determined to save his people from his father’s tyranny and greed. Sasha was the perfect hero. He was deadly, smart, and compassionate. All perfect traits for a king. But the thing I loved most about him was that he doesn’t try to push Yolanda out of her role as the Matriarch. He just continues to support her and works with her to better the futures for both of their people. 

“You are a woman I cannot live without. A woman who breathes fire yet still cried salt tears. A woman who took my heart the moment she jumped over the bank of the Red River. You are my joy, my soul. My queen.” 

This book was just the perfect blend of action, betrayal, and romance. I loved everything about this book and have already preordered the ebook, which is currently only $0.99. I can’t wait for the next book to see how the war plays out. Also I need more Yolanda and Sasha. They were just perfect. 

Trigger Warning: war, graphic death and torture, starvation, child abuse and death

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

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