Review: The Beautiful Ashes

THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES
Broken Destiny #1
Jeaniene Frost
Paranormal New Adult
304 pages
Harlequin
Available August 26th
Source: BEA

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate.

Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse—her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who's bound by an ancient legacy to betray her.

Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn't mean he can change his fate…no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn't: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny, and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between…

MY THOUGHTS
The Beautiful Ashes is a story that highlights all the things Ms. Frost does oh-so well, the easy-to-devour fluidity of the writing style combining with a determined underdog of a heroine to ensure we do everything in our power to keep reality from infringing and robbing us of our reading time. Without a great deal of history or long descriptive passages, we still have a solid grasp of the world in which Ivy and Adrian live, easily finding our footing with the supernatural elements without the weight of innumerable unanswered questions slowing us down. There's certainly much to discover about the demon realms and those who rule them, but Ivy always seems to ask extraordinarily well-timed questions, demanding her answers right at the moment we most wish her to so we all find ourselves let into the loop together.

Ivy is a young woman who has lost more than we can even begin to fathom in the days preceding our introduction to her, but though her grief for her parents and her fear for her missing sister is obvious, it doesn't keep her at arms length as is often the case with characters in deep mourning. Thanks to her repeated exposure to things no one else could see growing up, the revelations Adrian brings with him regarding demons and other worlds go over exceedingly well, with Ivy accepting his information and explanations with little fanfare and no shortage of relief. Because we don't have to spend a number of chapters watching as denial slowly bleeds into belief, we're able to settle into Ivy's journey to rescue her sister much faster, and once she and Adrian set off we find ourselves unable and unwilling to be parted from them until we reach the final page.

As Ms. Frost has demonstrated so many times before, her ability to write dangerously sexy heroes is something special; a true treat for readers who are always on the lookout for another fictional boyfriend to add to their lists. Adrian is dark and tortured in ways we only fleetingly glimpse in this first installment, and his relationship with Ivy is one of palpable tension and want that builds and builds without spilling over. We're left with a deliciously unfulfilled craving, knowing Ms. Frost's decision to make us wait for certain things will only make the moment the two of them finally come together all the hotter. The push and pull aspect of their romance due to the well-known fact that Adrian is destined to betray Ivy does hover right on the edge of frustration a time or two, but ultimately Ivy shows again and again her ability to read our minds and know when we need her to finally force Adrian's hand, demanding he make a move or at least acknowledge the attraction between them.

The only minor flaws to this story are with regard to some of Ivy's choices toward the end, her sudden shift in faith where Adrian is concerned coming somewhat out of the blue and largely unprovoked given his prophesied betrayal has been common knowledge from nearly the beginning. She also seems to operate under the assumption that what she wants–her sister's life–is the most important item on the supernatural checklist, conveniently blocking out the repercussions of her actions in the final chapters in her haste to rescue Jasmine. Those are overall pretty minor quibbles however, and there's little doubt that we'll have the pleasure of watching Ivy grow and mature over the course of the series, sure to eventually earn herself a place right next to Cat on our shelf of favorites.

Rating: 4/5
 

Fine Jeaniene:

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This book was sent to me by the author free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.