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ashwas1228's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I enjoyed this sequel, but it felt different from the first book, and I don't really know if that is a good or bad thing yet. Loved the pacing. The characters were great.
I enjoyed this sequel, but it felt different from the first book, and I don't really know if that is a good or bad thing yet. Loved the pacing. The characters were great.
alexandergrantwriter's review against another edition
5.0
~ Amazing Sequel! ~
I don’t even know where to start with this one! It was so incredible! J. Elle did an amazing job with this and I loved it so much!!
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Rue grew so much over the course of this book and I loved following along with her emotional journey! All the characters were super well developed and I loved all the new ones introduced!
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The plot was good and kept me reading, it gave me huge mockingjay vibes when Rue and co. were constantly sneaking about the Central District!
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Overall, you could tell J. Elle really poured her heart and soul into this and put in the time and effort to make this a satisfying conclusion to the series! This series is so needed and so important to a lot of people and it really showed in the writing and in the nuance of emotion!! J. Elle knocked it out of the park and I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next! Do yourself a favor and go pick this duology up!!
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CWs - fantasy violence, frequent strong language
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I don’t even know where to start with this one! It was so incredible! J. Elle did an amazing job with this and I loved it so much!!
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Rue grew so much over the course of this book and I loved following along with her emotional journey! All the characters were super well developed and I loved all the new ones introduced!
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The plot was good and kept me reading, it gave me huge mockingjay vibes when Rue and co. were constantly sneaking about the Central District!
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Overall, you could tell J. Elle really poured her heart and soul into this and put in the time and effort to make this a satisfying conclusion to the series! This series is so needed and so important to a lot of people and it really showed in the writing and in the nuance of emotion!! J. Elle knocked it out of the park and I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next! Do yourself a favor and go pick this duology up!!
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CWs - fantasy violence, frequent strong language
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lyssadsmith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved the conclusion and the message behind this book, but I got a little tired of... Other than that, I really enjoyed the book, and I still love J. Elle's writing! the constant fear of betrayal... and then actual betrayal happening over and over again. Once or twice is shocking, everything after that feels a little tired.
myatrietley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meabird's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
There are a lot of interesting ideas with this series that were pretty cool. I liked watching the main character learn and grow and eventually start to realize that this was what qualified her for her role. One of the main side characters started off similar to personalities that I don't enjoy in books but Elle gave him so much depth and warmth, he ended up being my favorite character.
That being said I got frustrated and confused with some of the world building and plot. There were some plot contradictions (like a particular rule was stated and a few pages later completely contradicted and nothing said about it). I was frustrated with a lesson learned in the first book seemingly forgotten in this one. There were also some convenient choices made by characters but no explanation as to their motivation.
I still really feel the author did a great job on the characters, constructed an interesting world and story. I will definitely pick up their next books and am excited to see her grow as a writer.
That being said I got frustrated and confused with some of the world building and plot. There were some plot contradictions (like a particular rule was stated and a few pages later completely contradicted and nothing said about it). I was frustrated with a lesson learned in the first book seemingly forgotten in this one. There were also some convenient choices made by characters but no explanation as to their motivation.
I still really feel the author did a great job on the characters, constructed an interesting world and story. I will definitely pick up their next books and am excited to see her grow as a writer.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
bkwrm1317's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In this wrap of the duology, Ashes of Gold takes place near exclusively in Ghizon.
While there were some really great elements to this duology’s close, I felt often distracted and frustrated by the over emphasis on Rue’s being hard on herself and being self-critical while she found her inner strength and trust in herself.
This certainly won’t bother all readers, but hence my giving this book a 3 star rating. Elle’s ties to Houston and the Third Ward are part of what put me onto this series, so their not being present much (East Row crew) in this close to the duology was a bit of a disappointment, even if some folks were more present in this novel (Julius, etc).
Finally, as a reader I felt dissatisfied by the resolution of Jhamal’s dishonesty and complications in the plot, given so much of the novel was dedicated to Rue and Jhamal’s being stuck in a prison cell and Jhamal’s nursing Rue back to health.
While there were some really great elements to this duology’s close, I felt often distracted and frustrated by the over emphasis on Rue’s being hard on herself and being self-critical while she found her inner strength and trust in herself.
This certainly won’t bother all readers, but hence my giving this book a 3 star rating. Elle’s ties to Houston and the Third Ward are part of what put me onto this series, so their not being present much (East Row crew) in this close to the duology was a bit of a disappointment, even if some folks were more present in this novel (Julius, etc).
Finally, as a reader I felt dissatisfied by the resolution of Jhamal’s dishonesty and complications in the plot, given so much of the novel was dedicated to Rue and Jhamal’s being stuck in a prison cell and Jhamal’s nursing Rue back to health.
sunflowerfoxglove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
msmariejude's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25