Monday, April 1, 2013

Review: From Ashes

FROM ASHES
Molly McAdams
Contemporary New Adult
416 pages
William Morrow/HarperCollins
Available April 16th
Recevied via Edelweiss for review

THE STORY (from Amazon)
Aside from her dad, who passed away when she was six, Cassidy Jameson has only ever trusted one man: her best friend, Tyler. So of course she follows him to Texas when he leaves for college. She just didn't expect to be so drawn to their new roommate, Gage, a gorgeous guy with a husky Southern drawl. The only problem? He's Tyler's cousin.

 Gage Carson was excited to share an apartment off campus with his cousin. He didn't mind that Tyler was bringing the mysterious friend he'd heard about since they were kids . . . until the most beautiful girl he's ever seen jumps out of his cousin's Jeep. There's something about Cassi that makes Gage want to give her everything. Too bad Tyler has warned him that she's strictly off-limits.

Despite everything keeping them apart, Cassi and Gage dance dangerously close to the touch they've both been craving. But when disaster sends her running into Tyler's arms, Cassi will have to decide whether to face the demons of herpast . . . or to burn her chance at a future with Gage.

MY THOUGHTS
From Ashes is a story that, based on the synopsis and cover art, we enter into assuming there will be a fair amount of romantic drama as well as a prominent love triangle. What we discover a few chapters in is just how correct our assumption is with regard to the former, and luckily for us, how incorrect with regard to the latter. What could have been an extraordinarily frustrating love triangle between Tyler, Cassidy and Gage turns out to be something entirely unlike what we initially expect (though still quite frustrating, just in a drastically different way), with Cassidy and Gage's feelings for one another solid and reciprocated, though unbeknownst to them, neither is fully aware of what the other is feeling. There's thankfully no waffling on Cassidy's part, and neither Cassidy nor Gage is deliberately obtuse when it comes to their miscommunications, instead they are manipulated and misled by someone they have no reason to assume would do something so hurtful. As a result, our irritation is derived from the circumstances rather than the characters themselves, and we continue on in the hopes that good things await the two of them once they sort through the layers of deception.

There are certainly some beautiful moments between Cassidy and Gage; quiet, stunningly intimate moments that do a nice job of smoothing the feathers of ours that have been ruffled along the way, but ultimately this story is so intensely and unnecessarily dramatic at times that not even those sweet and sexy scenes can hold off our ire. For the first half of the book it's easy to root for both Cassidy and Gage, their unwitting roles in Tyler's twisted game of possessiveness something that has us instantly in their corner, wishing we could step in and clear the air with just a few simple words so they could both finally start the relationship they've been desperately wanting. As the story continues however, Cassidy becomes increasingly difficult to like, our budding connection with her stalling out as she continues to hurt Gage with her cluelessness, and when yet another romantic player other than Tyler and Gage enters the picture, any lingering affinity we had for her is quickly extinguished.

Tyler is equally problematic, his history with Cassidy initially endearing him to us only to have him rather suddenly undergo a massive behavioral overhaul shortly after Gage first lays eyes on Cassidy. For someone who claims to want nothing more than what's best for her, Tyler does everything in his power to keep her happiness at bay in the misguided hope that she'll finally develop feelings that have never once been a part of their unique and seemingly unbreakable bond. When his actions escalate from small falsehoods and manipulation to downright cruelty, our patience with this book as a whole wears dangerously thin, and we flip the pages with a sort of dread as we wonder what massive drama will be hurled at us next.

The highlight of From Ashes is Gage himself, a young man with a butterfly-inducing southern drawl and an unwavering loyalty to Cassidy despite her tendency to push him away at every turn. He is patient, kind, and sinfully attractive, and while Cassidy loses a bit of our respect as she tries to sort herself out through major and minor dramas alike, the romantic scenes between them still cause our pulse to quicken and a flush to spread on our skin. Overall, From Ashes is full to bursting with tension and angst, so much so that we find ourselves drowning in it, desperately searching for some small facet of the story to keep us afloat, and while Gage is that lifesaver for the most part, he alone is unable to help us make peace with many of the decisions both Cassidy and Tyler make.

Rating: 2.5/5

44 comments:

  1. Yikes, this book definitely does not seem like one for me, even though there is no love triangle. Do you think that it is merely the characters' despicable actions that made you not like the book, or was it the author's portrayal of these despicable characters?

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    1. I actually really liked Cassidy for the first half of the book, and I loved Gage throughout, so the characters themselves were mostly enjoyable. Cassidy just made some choices I couldn't get behind, and it seemed like a lot of dramatic events were added just for the sake of drama and really didn't need to be there.

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  2. I've already read a lot of New Adult, and this one doesn't seem like it will stand out for me in any way. The way you mentioned the characters also make me think that I won't like them much, especially Cassidy. Since she becomes annoying by the end of the story, it totally turns me off. And okay, maybe I'm a little curious about Gage and his sinful attractiveness, but I could totally do without. I don't think I'll be picking this one up. Wonderful review though as always, Jenny!

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    1. I was disappointed in Cassidy to be honest. I really liked her in the beginning, but then when she runs from Gage and allows yet another guy make a play for her affection, I couldn't deal with it. She already had 2, and that situation was causing HUGE problems, so why add a third?

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  3. Cassidy sounds difficult to connect too, and I need to connect, I don't always have to like them but I need to understand what is driving them. Great review and while I delighted there is no triangle, I am not sure I want to deal with all the drama, tension and angst if ultimately i will not connect with Cassidy. Wonderful review Jen

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    1. This one was a challenge for me Kimba, there was just more emotional drama that I was prepared for I think:)

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  4. Now I'm curious about that not likely love-triangle (I have no idea how to call it). I haven't heard of this book before but I'm not sure that I'll be reading it anytime soon. But I'm glad that you enjoyed it :) Great review Jenny :)

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    1. I say it's not really a love triangle because Cassidy has absolutely no romantic feelings for Tyler. He's her best friend and nothing more, but he's "in love" (I use this term loosely given some of the things he does) with her, so it's a sort of but not really love triangle:)

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  5. It seems like an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardasians (unfortunately I saw one) or one of those Jersy Shore episodes my sister watches - drama, drama, drama. I'm not really sure why it's not alluring to people. All of the people who have read it among my GR friends have not been generous with their words. Is it weird that it makes me curious to actually read it and see how bad it is? I feel like I have a masochist bone in my body or something.. Anyway, Cassi seems like a brat, Tyler - hate those friends who isolate you from everyone and try to manipulate your mind. Gage - well he seems like a great guy. And sexy;-) Hmhh.. I'm not sure if I have an ecopy from last year, but I'll look into it and now I'm just curious to see what I'll think of it LOL.

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    1. Obviously there needs to be some emotional drama in a romance, so I'm fine with that for the most part, but like you said, this was so over the top it veered away from anything realistic and went into soap opera/reality show territory. Gage was awesome, I thought he deserved better than Cassidy, and it's a shame because I was really rooting for her in the first half.

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  6. Mmm...gonna take a pass on this one. I think I'd have the impulse to smack Tyler upside the head. Why would you not want the person you supposedly love to be happy? And it sounds like Gage needs his own story!

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    1. RIGHT?!!! And the thing he does that tipped me over the edge Mary? GRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I have never actually shaken my Kindle in frustration until this book. It just wasn't for me despite how much I loved Gage:)

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  7. I've been on a NA kick lately, so I'm sad to see this didn't work for you. It was one I definitely had my eye on, but it sounds like Tyler would infuriate me and Cassi would piss me off endlessly. Not even as someone as awesome as Gage sounds could counteract that.

    Sigh. This makes me sad, but there are plenty of other books I can read. Great review, Jenny!

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    1. Oh Hannah. I was warned of the drama going in to this one so I thought I was prepared. I was not. So much of it just felt unnecessary, and that's where I struggled. There was plenty of drama with Cassidy's past and the emotional conflict with Gage and Tyler, that there didn't need to be anything else. But oh there was. :(

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  8. Ugh, the phrase "unnecessarily dramatic" sticks out at me and I absolutely hate that. It's so frustrating when characters are clueless and don't think to take the time to explain their feelings adequately. No sensible person would be like that in real life. I know my patience would wear thin with these characters, as well. I guess maybe the story gets points for at least not going down the love triangle road, but otherwise this sounds like a seriously frustrating romance. Thanks for the well written and honest review though, Jenny!!

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    1. I was fine for a while Aylee because they weren't being stubborn or just refusing to acknowledge how the other felt - Tyler was doing a bang up job of preying on their weaknesses because he knew them both so well, so it worked for me. But then, THEN, some over the top things happen and it just went downhill from there.

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  9. Marvelous review Jenny...:) I read her first book (which I liked some parts of) and it was so dramatic that Im on the fence to read this one.

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    1. I was supposed to review Taking Chances as well Tina, but I got halfway and could go no further. I'm sure you know why if you've read it:)

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  10. Gage was the highlight of this one for me too, but other than that I had some similar thoughts to you on it. Shame as I really liked McAdam's debut. I thought she played it too safe with this one - and also that other love interest introduced at the end was just unnecessary.

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  11. Oooh. This is the book you were talking about, wasn't it? I think I'll have to pass. Drowning in drama and angst is no good for me.

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  12. I've been reading some mixed reviews about this book, but still decided to get a copy. But I'm kind of worried that From Ashes won't be for me either now, after your disappointing review. I think I will still give this a book a try, but not right yet! :(

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  13. I definitely think I'll be passing on this one, mostly because contemporary isn't always my thing and this one seems to be a little out there with mixed reviews. Thanks for such an honest review, though, Jenny! It's so rare to see you give a book less than 3.5 Stars, so that was surprising. I hope your next read is far more rewarding!(:

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  14. hmm not sure how I would feel about this one. It sounds like it is pretty heavy on the drama though which I tend to get sucked into without even realizing it. I love that one of the character's names is Gage (and that he is really the redeeming character in the end( that's my son's name. It's a great name. LOL.

    Fabulous review, Jenny. I hadn't heard of this one before but I am happy that I now have a solid idea of what lies within for if I ever come across it.

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  15. Hmm, I was actually very enthusiastic at the beginning of your review. I love it when I brace myself for the torture of a love triangle and then it turns out I needn't have feared. But I DREAD drama, I really do, it's mostly why I avoid contemporary in the first place. Drama and angst are so not my thing. I'm pretty sure neither is this book.
    Thank you for the lovely review, Jenny, AND for taking one for the team.

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  16. I don't think I'll be picking this one up... because I seriously hate the too much drama.. Thanks for your honest review!!
    - Farah @ MajiBookshelf

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  17. Well, at least you knew going in there was a love triangle. I hear you about angst and drama. I think that is why I just read a lot of contemporary I don't like getting all wound up in my reading and then if it doesn't have a good solid purpose well it is even worse and that sounds like that is the case with this one!

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  18. Aww, so sorry this wasn't up to your standards, Jenny, but I completely understand why. I don't think this is a book that I would bother even looking at because of the love triangle. I have yet to come across a love triangle that's well written, so I usually tend to stay away from them. The characters definitely don't sound like the kind that I like in my books.
    Great honest review, Jenny! Hope your next read is better! :)

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  19. Yea... I think I'll pass. I do think I'd want to throw that book in the second half. I'd be all... "what???" and I'm really not into that kind of drama. :P Unfortunate because it sounds like if it went in another direction it really could be a good book. Oh well...

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  20. This book reminds me of another one...a c ouple sitting on a bench

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  21. Dudette, I work at a high school and I'm surrounded by drama every day, all year round. I don't need it, especially when it's unnecessary, in a book! Yeah, I can honestly say this one is not for me.

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  22. It's irritating when a character becomes harder to like as a book goes on. I don't mind the opposite, but disliking a character more is quite rare.

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  23. While Gage sounds amazing, I think Cassidy and Tyler would irritate me. And I abhor unnecessary drama and cruelty. I think I'll probably skip this one to save myself the hangwringing and character cursing that most likely awaits me in this book. Thanks for your honest review, Jenny! :-)

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  24. Yeah, it sounds like I would get a bit irritated with this book. That kind of drama drives me nuts! I wasn't planning on reading this anyway, so I guess it's not an issue here. :)

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  25. Well, I'm skipping this book for sure. Sorry but "So of course she follows him to Texas when he leaves for college." is pretty much the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Plus, I haven't like any of the new adult books I've read so...yeah.

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  26. Tyler sounds like quite the case study! At least it's not your boring love triangle.

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  27. Ouch and yuck. Just a bit overboard on the drama is what I'm reading. And what I'm not reading is this book.

    Heather

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  28. I'm not a big fan of books filled with too much drama so I'll probably skip this one. But, I like how the author makes us wrong in thinking that this one has a love triangle. Gage sound like a great romantic interest. Awesome review, Jenny!

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  29. I can tell from the cover that I would not be reading the book. It encompasses exactly what I dislike about triangles (and yes I am visually judging). Someone is always the odd man out but still strung along.

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  30. I heard this one wasn't as good as her debut. I think I will pass on it....sounds wayyyy too dramatic for me. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny!

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  31. Even though it's not a love triangle in the conventional sense, I can't bring myself to feel much interest for this one. I strongly suspect I'd react the same way to Cassidy... plus angst and drama isn't always for me. Thanks for the helpful review, Jenny!

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  32. Jenny, I actually requested this book and then decided not to read it since my friend spoiled it for me telling why it would only get me angry if I read it. She was right, so I chuck it to the side.

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  33. I have debated on picking this book up, but yikes..by the sound of it, it would leave me just as frustrated.

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  34. I don't think I could pick this one up. I'm not a fan of endless angst and drama. I read for entertainment, not so I can be tortured and frustrated. I read reviews about this author's other book, Taking Chances and I just don't think her writing is for me. Excellent review Jenny. :)

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  35. I have this for review to, but haven't started it and I don't think I am going to like Cassidy, though I already like Gage from your review. Thanks so much for sharing and for the great informative review.

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