Tuesday, August 19, 2014

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:


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.

30 comments:

  1. I love that you described Ivy as still being accessible because, like you said, so many novels that have a heavy grieving process throughout leave us feeling isolated from our heroines. Instead, she sounds strong and human, which I find really intriguing. I've yet to read anything by Ms. Frost, but holy hell, Jenny. One day I will. Great review!

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    1. Yes. I was worried her grief would be a whole separate character that we'd have to deal with, but she was great at compartmentalizing and doing what needed to be done:)

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  2. Since i never fell for her previous series I wonder....wondering...stll wondering

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  3. Oh I think it's the first good review I see about this one. I was so impatient but as everyone was really mixed, I gave up. Now I don't know. Maybe one day.

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    1. I've seen that most of the reviews have been largely negative, but aside from some issues at the end, I really enjoyed this one!

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  4. I already feel really bad for Ivy. She sounds like she has a lot going on in her life. I also love the sounds of the romance. I love it when there's an attraction, but the author waits to take it further. Like you said, it only makes everything hotter.
    I've been curious about this book, especially because it's written by Jeanine Frost, and I'm happy to see you liked it, Jenny. I think I will too.
    Lovely review!

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    1. She definitely has a lot going on Nick, and I liked that she and Adrian don't get together in this book. It just adds to the already thick tension between them. I was confused by some of Ivy's thoughts/actions at the end, but overall I just had fun reading this.

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  5. I got about halfway into this book and it just lost me. This was my first book by Frost, so I was kind of going in blind but knew she had a big fan following. I just ... I don't know. Something wasn't working for me.

    Since you loved it I might try going back and finishing, though. Great review, Jenny!

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    1. I definitely prefer the Night Huntress books Hannah, but I was telling Danny yesterday that I think part of that is due to the fact that when I started that series I had the first 4 books in my hand. I didn't have to wait, so I got to see Cat grow and mature quickly, whereas with Ivy I only have this first book to go on. I liked her well enough, but there's room for growth for sure and I have no doubt that will happen in upcoming books.

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  6. Hmm. I'm curious about this one. Always interesting to see favorite authors branch off into something slightly different.

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    1. YES! I'm a Jeaniene Frost fangirl, she never fails to entertain:)

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  7. What a great review. Thank you so much. I am going to put this one on my list right now!

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    1. I hope you like it Pam! It wasn't something that blew me away, but I think Jeaniene tells a good story and I really enjoyed this first installment:)

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  8. I absolutely agree that her books are extremely readable, but I must confess that the whole star-crossed lovers thing was just a bit too much for me. You came close to being frustrated at times, and I was practically overwhelmed by it, which ruined my overall enjoyment. However, I hope things will change in the next book. I'll have to read it to find out.

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    1. There were definitely moments when the frustration crept up on me, but then Ivy would stand her ground with Adrian and demand answers and I'd be fine again. I hope the next book works better for you Maja!

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  9. Yay, I'm glad you enjoyed The Beautiful Ashes - I'm so excited for this new series. I know heroines often go through a trial and imperfect stage in the beginning, so that's not a big issue. And of course the romance has me curious ;)

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  10. I've been hearing so many amazing things about Beautiful Ashes and I'm quite excited for it myself. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the awesome review :)

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  11. So glad you liked this so much Jenny! I am looking forward to reading book two!

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  12. I didn't have this book on my radar before this, but after reading your review I'm pretty curious about it! I'm glad to hear Ivy doesn't spend too long in the book fighting with denial and refusing to act.
    Great review Jenny!

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  13. I have heard so much about Frost's books but sadly I haven't had a chance to read any. I really like the sound of Ivy even though that change at the end doesn't seem that good. But well this story seems worth reading. Great review, Jenny :)

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  14. Yeah, this author does have a talent to write sexy heros!! I love her Night Huntress series. Bones...sigh. I'm glad it was a good first in a series. I just think the cover is kinda...I don't know...I don't like it. :/ Anyway, great review, Jenny!! :)

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  15. I liked this one but I didn't love it. God, I'm a moody reader lately. Still, I did like the dark and tortured hero...

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  16. I love these forms of push-pull romances but I'm not a fan of this angel/devil concept. I'm tired of it but I suppose if any author can make it entertaining once more Frost is certainly up to the task. I'll have to give this a try for sure. Fantastic review, Jenny! So glad you enjoyed this. :)

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  17. I plan on picking this up in a couple of weeks and I'm so happy to hear you really enjoyed it! I can't wait to me Adrian! I had a friend compare the feel of this book to The Fever Series, which makes me even more excited to pick it up. Wonderful review, Jenny! :)

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  18. Beautiful review Jenny, and the romance has me curious. I love that you are able to grasp the world from the beginning and the writing sounds almost poetic.

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  19. I was so worried when I read a few reviews and now finally I'm back in being excited!!! Often, with Urban Fantasy authors I feel like the first book is definitely not the best one and rather sets the stage for the next books. Maybe it will be similar here.

    But you definitely had me at "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."

    Need to meet him right now:))

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  20. I'm glad you liked this one, Jenny, but I think I'm going to wait until the next book (at least) before starting this series. I'm really not a big fan of heroines who are determined to do things without any regard to the consequences. HUGE peeve of mine (yes, there are many, LOL). But I do love Frost, so I'm not writing-off the series. I'm just hoping for some character growth in the next installment to look forward to ;)

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  21. Gorgeous review Jenny ^^ I am thrilled that you enjoyed this one so much. I own a few Jeaniene Frost books but I have yet to read anything by her...fully. I actually read the first few chapters of this one ^^ in line at BEA this year. I didn't want to jinx myself too early on but I was really loving everything already at that point! I'm glad the characters seem to remain true to what I was seeing and I'm especially glad that the romance is of the veeerrry slow burn variety ;-) You've gotten me even more excited for this one now! Thanks :D

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  22. Really happy you enjoyed this one! I can't wait to read it.

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