After the Ashes is a gripping coming-of-age novel about Azel Haywood and the small town that shaped him. Azel met his father only once-just before everything fell apart. After his father was sent to prison, Azel was left to help his struggling mother survive. In a town where opportunity is scarce and secrets run deep, Azel turns to stealing just to keep the lights on. But when long-buried truths resurface and the past begins to catch up with him, Azel's world shifts in ways he never expected. What starts as survival soon becomes a dangerous