J. Elle first burst onto the writing scene with the New York Times bestselling young adult fantasy novel, Wings of Ebony. Elle is back with book two of her series, Ashes of Gold, which tackles racism, privilege and love.
Ashes of Gold is book two of a duology. To better grasp Ashes of Gold, should people read Wings of Ebony first?
I think so. I mean you could read Ashes of Gold first, but you might be a little confused.
What is the story behind the title?
I wrote this book in the middle of 2020, and I was emotionally empty, exhausted physically and mentally, but I knew I was writing the second iteration of the story Wings of Ebony. If you haven’t read Wings of Ebony, it is the story about this powerful Black girl, from an inner-city community. She learned about her magic that her ancestors left her and she really grapples with who she is and stepping into [the] person she is going to be. Ashes of Gold is the final iteration in this two-book duology series [that] is ultimately about worthiness. There’s a big emphasis on love in my series, the love of community, the love of family, the love of your siblings. Worthiness is rooted in understanding where you come from and so Ashes of Gold reminds me of ancestors.
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