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halynah's review against another edition
5.0
Surprisingly good, taking into account, that the blurb was not impressive. Interesting world-building, quite likeable characters and dynamic plot make the book easy to read, and the ending promises a good sequel, so - definitely recommended.
alisonhori's review against another edition
3.0
I am really not into the Judeo-Christian version of supernatural demon fiction so much....I'd rather learn the mythology of pretty much anything else but it was a fast and fun enough read. My least favorite of this author's books so far
redhairedashreads's review against another edition
DNF pg. 131 (45%)
For the first time ever, I am giving up on a Jeaniene Frost book. While I think the idea of the world is interesting, I am really struggling with the characters in this one. Ivy and Adrian are meh characters for me and they continue to do things that irritate me. Mainly, how often it is brought up that information is being withheld because they don’t want to stress out Ivy but then expect her to know wtf to do. Also, I got tired of hearing Ivy’s constantly thinking about how hot Adrian is, even as he was being an asshole to her.
Basically I think this would have been an interesting world if the characters hadn’t gotten in the way.
TW: kidnapping, violence; death of parents; grief; references to being institutionalized, slavery, cannibalism,
saphibella's review against another edition
2.0
This was kind of meh for me, 2.5 stars.
When this book originally came out I tried to read it but got bored pretty quickly. To be totally honest, the book cover also put me off.
I really love Jeaniene's other works, Cat and Bone's story is one of my favorite paranormal fantasy series, but this one did not really catch my interest in the same way. With the trilogy finally complete I decided to give it another try, but I chose to listen to the audiobook, since I therefore did not have to put in as much effort.
This time I actually got through it, but it is still not a book I like very much, and I definitely will not be continuing on with the other two books. It is not because it is not well written, it just did not catch my interest.
This might be in part due to the book's plot, but the audiobook also grated a bit on me at some points, because it became enormously apparent that the main character (Ivy) was running around panicked all the time due to the fact that the narrator gave a very vivid picture of this through her voice, which can be totally logical, but it got old really fast. I must say that Ive grew in competence and capability over the course of the book, it just came very late, when I had already grown quite tired of her antics.
In regards to the book's content, I must admit that I've read a Danish fantasy series that in my opinion utilized the Christian pantheon of God, the Devil, demons etc. in a much more clever and interestingly thought out way. When I began comparing these two The Beautiful Ashes just fell short in every way.
I must also admit, that while I enjoy fantasy series which are inspired by older mythology such as Greek or Norse mythology, I often am weary of those with more modern religious inspiration. Which might in part be due to the fact that I'm an atheist, and I always get a bit annoyed with religiously inspired storylines where the basis of reason is often thrown out the window due to mindless belief. This book was definitely not in that category, which was very nice, there was no mention of baseless belief in God, and it was all worked out in a very nice manner where the Christian faith was not beaten over your head, it could actually be based on any of the Abrahamic religions, as far as I can figure out.
When this book originally came out I tried to read it but got bored pretty quickly. To be totally honest, the book cover also put me off.
I really love Jeaniene's other works, Cat and Bone's story is one of my favorite paranormal fantasy series, but this one did not really catch my interest in the same way. With the trilogy finally complete I decided to give it another try, but I chose to listen to the audiobook, since I therefore did not have to put in as much effort.
This time I actually got through it, but it is still not a book I like very much, and I definitely will not be continuing on with the other two books. It is not because it is not well written, it just did not catch my interest.
This might be in part due to the book's plot, but the audiobook also grated a bit on me at some points, because it became enormously apparent that the main character (Ivy) was running around panicked all the time due to the fact that the narrator gave a very vivid picture of this through her voice, which can be totally logical, but it got old really fast. I must say that Ive grew in competence and capability over the course of the book, it just came very late, when I had already grown quite tired of her antics.
In regards to the book's content, I must admit that I've read a Danish fantasy series that in my opinion utilized the Christian pantheon of God, the Devil, demons etc. in a much more clever and interestingly thought out way. When I began comparing these two The Beautiful Ashes just fell short in every way.
I must also admit, that while I enjoy fantasy series which are inspired by older mythology such as Greek or Norse mythology, I often am weary of those with more modern religious inspiration. Which might in part be due to the fact that I'm an atheist, and I always get a bit annoyed with religiously inspired storylines where the basis of reason is often thrown out the window due to mindless belief. This book was definitely not in that category, which was very nice, there was no mention of baseless belief in God, and it was all worked out in a very nice manner where the Christian faith was not beaten over your head, it could actually be based on any of the Abrahamic religions, as far as I can figure out.
witchylevy's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get into this book. I'm just not that into angels and demons I suppose. Lots of hormonal drama. Some amusing parts like the image of a dinosaur making out with a human. Until the last part though it just wasn't interesting. Demons and angels are very manipulative. Honestly not sure if I'll continue the series or not.
michalice's review against another edition
2.0
I love Jeaniene's other books, so when I saw The Beautiful Ashes on netgalley I had to get it. I began reading with the eagerness I get for each of her books, but the eagerness was short lived. I am honestly struggling with this review. The Beautiful Ashes had the potential to me an amazing read, but unfortunately for me it wasn't.
Ivy hasn't had the best childhood, having no parents she was adopted, but never felt at home with this family, add into the equation her visions of overlapping worlds she isn't exactly Miss Normal. Having lost her sister, and her parents death when they go to find her, Ivy is determined to find her sister and bring her home for the funeral, but in the process finds herself in a whole other world of trouble.
I liked the idea behind the story, the whole demons, angels, and otherworldly creatures is something that I do enjoy. There were a few things that kept me interested, like why was Ivy having these visions, but I really only carried on reading to see if her sister was found, and to find out more about the mysterious, brooding Adrian.
As the story progressed and we were fed bits of information, ad get to see other worlds, I did find myself enjoying the book, but overall I wouldn't say I was engrossed in the story. The Beautiful Ashes had some good character and world building, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Ivy hasn't had the best childhood, having no parents she was adopted, but never felt at home with this family, add into the equation her visions of overlapping worlds she isn't exactly Miss Normal. Having lost her sister, and her parents death when they go to find her, Ivy is determined to find her sister and bring her home for the funeral, but in the process finds herself in a whole other world of trouble.
I liked the idea behind the story, the whole demons, angels, and otherworldly creatures is something that I do enjoy. There were a few things that kept me interested, like why was Ivy having these visions, but I really only carried on reading to see if her sister was found, and to find out more about the mysterious, brooding Adrian.
As the story progressed and we were fed bits of information, ad get to see other worlds, I did find myself enjoying the book, but overall I wouldn't say I was engrossed in the story. The Beautiful Ashes had some good character and world building, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
I teetered back and forth with this one on giving it 3 or 4 stars. Basically I decided on 4 based on the fact that I have high hopes with what Jeaniene Frost has started here.
I know that people are expecting a lot just based on the fact the Jeaniene Frost is the author of the beloved Night Huntress series (see: [b:Halfway to the Grave|1421990|Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, #1)|Jeaniene Frost|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373855613s/1421990.jpg|1412415]) and all it's spin-offs. I think that fact might hurt this story more than help it. I, too, found myself thinking I could anticipate things based on how the Night Huntress series went (i.e. "she left him at this one point so the same thing must happen in The Beautiful Ashes as well"). I know this is silly of me, but I couldn't help it. I will say I was pretty much wrong in guessing that Jeaniene Frost would follow the same pattern in one series that she did in another. Again silly of me to think this would happen, but I tell you I couldn't help it.
Once I got over these terrible preconceived notions, I really appreciated the story a lot more. Jeaniene Frost pretty much starts us out running and doesn't let up. We begin the story as Ivy is looking for her sister who's been missing for a few days. Ivy's world is quickly turned upside down as she learns the visions she's been seeing since she was a child (and subsequently told were just halluinations) are all real. She's then trust into a fight of, what else, good vs. evil and she finds out she may play a bigger part than anyone knows. But all Ivy is concerned with is getting her sister back.
Along the way she meets Adrian, handsome and with secrets of his own. Secrets that he's not yet willing to share with Ivy, of course. But he helps her on her quest and despite their obvious attraction to one another, he always tries to keep her at arms length (again because of secrets!). Eventually we find out what Adrian is keeping from Ivy, but really I'm tired of the whole "it's for your own good that you don't know everything".
Ivy handles things pretty well on her end. She tries really hard and absorbes as much info as she can. She is dedicated to finding her sister and nothing will stand in her way. A downside to Ivy is that she's clearly new to fighting evil yet she jumps right in with her thoughts I think without knowing the score. She faults the good guys for not fixing every problem right away just because they may have the power to do so. She doesn't know what the bigger picture is yet, but she comes across as knowing what should be done in certain situations. Although to be fair I do think this is something she will get over as the series continues.
Overall, I think that this is a promising start to a new series. I think that Jeaniene Frost does really well with developing the world. There's a lot of wonderful imagery. I think The Beautiful Ashes suffer from what a lot of first books suffer from. It has to develop the overall tone of the entire series which can make it feel a bit daunting and make the plot specific to this story seem a bit rushed. Since things have been established and we see our characters placed with an overarching goal I'm very interested to continue on with the series.
*Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I know that people are expecting a lot just based on the fact the Jeaniene Frost is the author of the beloved Night Huntress series (see: [b:Halfway to the Grave|1421990|Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, #1)|Jeaniene Frost|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373855613s/1421990.jpg|1412415]) and all it's spin-offs. I think that fact might hurt this story more than help it. I, too, found myself thinking I could anticipate things based on how the Night Huntress series went (i.e. "she left him at this one point so the same thing must happen in The Beautiful Ashes as well"). I know this is silly of me, but I couldn't help it. I will say I was pretty much wrong in guessing that Jeaniene Frost would follow the same pattern in one series that she did in another. Again silly of me to think this would happen, but I tell you I couldn't help it.
Once I got over these terrible preconceived notions, I really appreciated the story a lot more. Jeaniene Frost pretty much starts us out running and doesn't let up. We begin the story as Ivy is looking for her sister who's been missing for a few days. Ivy's world is quickly turned upside down as she learns the visions she's been seeing since she was a child (and subsequently told were just halluinations) are all real. She's then trust into a fight of, what else, good vs. evil and she finds out she may play a bigger part than anyone knows. But all Ivy is concerned with is getting her sister back.
Along the way she meets Adrian, handsome and with secrets of his own. Secrets that he's not yet willing to share with Ivy, of course. But he helps her on her quest and despite their obvious attraction to one another, he always tries to keep her at arms length (again because of secrets!). Eventually we find out what Adrian is keeping from Ivy, but really I'm tired of the whole "it's for your own good that you don't know everything".
Ivy handles things pretty well on her end. She tries really hard and absorbes as much info as she can. She is dedicated to finding her sister and nothing will stand in her way. A downside to Ivy is that she's clearly new to fighting evil yet she jumps right in with her thoughts I think without knowing the score. She faults the good guys for not fixing every problem right away just because they may have the power to do so. She doesn't know what the bigger picture is yet, but she comes across as knowing what should be done in certain situations. Although to be fair I do think this is something she will get over as the series continues.
Overall, I think that this is a promising start to a new series. I think that Jeaniene Frost does really well with developing the world. There's a lot of wonderful imagery. I think The Beautiful Ashes suffer from what a lot of first books suffer from. It has to develop the overall tone of the entire series which can make it feel a bit daunting and make the plot specific to this story seem a bit rushed. Since things have been established and we see our characters placed with an overarching goal I'm very interested to continue on with the series.
*Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
rikerandom's review against another edition
3.0
Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele
Ivy hat seit ihrer Kindheit Visionen, in denen sie die Welt sieht, wie sie eigentlich gar nicht ist: Grau, düster, kaputt und eiskalt, gleichzeitig zeigen ihre Visionen trotzdem immer Spiegelbilder der echten Welt. Auch jahrelange Behandlungen bei diversen Psychologen konnten daran nichts ändern und Ivy ist mittlerweile weitestgehend überzeugt, dass sie tatsächlich verrückt ist. Dann verschwindet ihre Adoptivschwester Jasmine, ihre Adoptiveltern sterben auf der Suche nach ihr bei einem Autounfall und als Ivy in der Stadt, in der ihre Schwester verschwand und ihre Eltern starben, auch noch angegriffen wird und der mysteriöse Adrian sie rettet, scheinen ihre Visionen gar nicht mehr so verrückt zu sein.
„Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ ist das erste Buch von Jeaniene Frost ist der erste Roman der Autorin, den ich gelesen habe und während ich ihn innerhalb von nichtmal zwei Tagen gelesen habe, gibt es doch einiges ,was mich wirklich gestört hat.
Allem voran Adrian und die Liebesgeschichte! Ich mein, was soll das?! Findet es die durchschnittliche Frau wirklich so unglaublich attraktiv, wenn ein sexy Fremder sie stalkt, entführt oder einfach generell wie Müll behandelt? Kann ein Mann (oder eine Frau oder was auch immer) wirklich so attraktiv sein, dass das Aussehen jegliche Art von noch so gruseligem Verhalten okay oder sogar völlig irrelevant macht? Ich kann es einfach nicht verstehen… Klar, so jemand, der richtig sexy ist, kann einem sicherlich schon mal den Kopf verdrehen, aber so sehr, dass man sich unsterblich in die Person verliebt, die sich einfach nur gruslig verhält? Und das ist dann natürlich auch noch die eine Liebe, die erste und die größte und die absolut aller einzigste! (Ich weiß, dass man einzig nicht steigern kann… Aber es passte gerade) Realistisch? Nun ja…
Meine strickte Abneigung gegenüber diesen Stalker-Kidnapper-Instant-Liebe-Dingern mal beiseite, ich bin zugegebenermaßen auch kein großer Fan christlich-religiöser Mythen und Märchen oder irgendwas, das darauf basiert. Nun spielt eben das aber eine große Rolle in diesem Roman, biblische Figuren und deren Nachkommen und die Gaben und Flüche dieser Familien. Allerdings muss ich zugeben, dass diese biblische Mythologie hier doch ganz gut eingebunden ist, besonders gefallen hat mir die Tatsache, dass die „gute“ Seite eben in den Augen des Einzelnen nicht immer gut ist, sondern es oft sogar mutwillig böse wirkt, weil es das „große Ganze“ im Blick hat. Gleichzeitig fand ich Ivys unerschütterlichen Glauben an manche Dinge, dann aber doch sehr naiv und bisweilen auch leicht nervtötend.
Trotzdem, ich habe „Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ in einem Rutsch durchgelesen und fand es dabei auch ziemlich unterhaltsam, der Schreibstil ist auf jeden Fall sehr angenehm gewesen, die Handlung flüssig und gut zu lesen, es gibt keine Lücken oder Ungereimtheiten, allerdings auch nicht allzu viel Spannung, da vieles, wie ich fand, doch eher ins Richtung „vorhersehbar“ tendierte, zumindest, wenn man etwas mit biblischen Geschichten auskennt und ich denke, da ist nach neun Jahren katholischer Schule doch wider Willen einiges hängengeblieben.
Insgesamt ist Jeaniene Frosts Serienauftakt „Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ ziemlich typische, 08/15 Lektüre, die aber nichtsdestotrotz ganz gute Unterhaltung bietet, ein kurzfristiges Lesevergnügen, das durchaus neugierig macht auf die folgenden Bände, auch wenn ich die Charaktere ziemlich… nun ja, sagen wir, ich fand sie nervig. Für Fans romantischer Urban Fantasy mit Engeln und Dämonen und einem biblischen Hintergrund aber sicherlich durchaus empfehlenswert ;)
Ivy hat seit ihrer Kindheit Visionen, in denen sie die Welt sieht, wie sie eigentlich gar nicht ist: Grau, düster, kaputt und eiskalt, gleichzeitig zeigen ihre Visionen trotzdem immer Spiegelbilder der echten Welt. Auch jahrelange Behandlungen bei diversen Psychologen konnten daran nichts ändern und Ivy ist mittlerweile weitestgehend überzeugt, dass sie tatsächlich verrückt ist. Dann verschwindet ihre Adoptivschwester Jasmine, ihre Adoptiveltern sterben auf der Suche nach ihr bei einem Autounfall und als Ivy in der Stadt, in der ihre Schwester verschwand und ihre Eltern starben, auch noch angegriffen wird und der mysteriöse Adrian sie rettet, scheinen ihre Visionen gar nicht mehr so verrückt zu sein.
„Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ ist das erste Buch von Jeaniene Frost ist der erste Roman der Autorin, den ich gelesen habe und während ich ihn innerhalb von nichtmal zwei Tagen gelesen habe, gibt es doch einiges ,was mich wirklich gestört hat.
Allem voran Adrian und die Liebesgeschichte! Ich mein, was soll das?! Findet es die durchschnittliche Frau wirklich so unglaublich attraktiv, wenn ein sexy Fremder sie stalkt, entführt oder einfach generell wie Müll behandelt? Kann ein Mann (oder eine Frau oder was auch immer) wirklich so attraktiv sein, dass das Aussehen jegliche Art von noch so gruseligem Verhalten okay oder sogar völlig irrelevant macht? Ich kann es einfach nicht verstehen… Klar, so jemand, der richtig sexy ist, kann einem sicherlich schon mal den Kopf verdrehen, aber so sehr, dass man sich unsterblich in die Person verliebt, die sich einfach nur gruslig verhält? Und das ist dann natürlich auch noch die eine Liebe, die erste und die größte und die absolut aller einzigste! (Ich weiß, dass man einzig nicht steigern kann… Aber es passte gerade) Realistisch? Nun ja…
Meine strickte Abneigung gegenüber diesen Stalker-Kidnapper-Instant-Liebe-Dingern mal beiseite, ich bin zugegebenermaßen auch kein großer Fan christlich-religiöser Mythen und Märchen oder irgendwas, das darauf basiert. Nun spielt eben das aber eine große Rolle in diesem Roman, biblische Figuren und deren Nachkommen und die Gaben und Flüche dieser Familien. Allerdings muss ich zugeben, dass diese biblische Mythologie hier doch ganz gut eingebunden ist, besonders gefallen hat mir die Tatsache, dass die „gute“ Seite eben in den Augen des Einzelnen nicht immer gut ist, sondern es oft sogar mutwillig böse wirkt, weil es das „große Ganze“ im Blick hat. Gleichzeitig fand ich Ivys unerschütterlichen Glauben an manche Dinge, dann aber doch sehr naiv und bisweilen auch leicht nervtötend.
Trotzdem, ich habe „Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ in einem Rutsch durchgelesen und fand es dabei auch ziemlich unterhaltsam, der Schreibstil ist auf jeden Fall sehr angenehm gewesen, die Handlung flüssig und gut zu lesen, es gibt keine Lücken oder Ungereimtheiten, allerdings auch nicht allzu viel Spannung, da vieles, wie ich fand, doch eher ins Richtung „vorhersehbar“ tendierte, zumindest, wenn man etwas mit biblischen Geschichten auskennt und ich denke, da ist nach neun Jahren katholischer Schule doch wider Willen einiges hängengeblieben.
Insgesamt ist Jeaniene Frosts Serienauftakt „Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ ziemlich typische, 08/15 Lektüre, die aber nichtsdestotrotz ganz gute Unterhaltung bietet, ein kurzfristiges Lesevergnügen, das durchaus neugierig macht auf die folgenden Bände, auch wenn ich die Charaktere ziemlich… nun ja, sagen wir, ich fand sie nervig. Für Fans romantischer Urban Fantasy mit Engeln und Dämonen und einem biblischen Hintergrund aber sicherlich durchaus empfehlenswert ;)
brokenchell's review against another edition
5.0
Ivy is the new Cat!!!!!!! This may be my favorite book yet!!! Jeaniene does it once more and now I'm addicted again. My heart was broken when Nighthuntress ended. But Ivy and Adrian more than make up for my loss. This time I think there may be more danger set upon the world but I have faith that not only will Ivy save the world but she will break the destiny of doom for Adrian. They may be a few betrayals along the way but I have faith that they will save the world and break their doomed destinies. One of my most favorite things that Jeaniene's books have is the heroine she is always this bad ass don't take shit kinda girl. She doesn't need a man to come in and save her she's got this!!! Another great book. Wish I didn't have to wait for book two sigh.