Reviews

Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas

ember1999's review

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this novel. I liked that I didn't have a clue about who the actual killer of Samantha Newsom's family was until the 75 pages of the novel. However, the story itself was often confusing at times; it didn't flow smoothly and often took me a minute to figure out what was actually happening.

I liked the storyline, but the writing could have been better.

cmarie82's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nievesa's review

4.0

Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Pub Date: May 1st

I read this book through Amazon’s first reads program with @firstreadsbookclub. I love that every month we get to choose a soon to be published book to read that I probably would not have read otherwise!

This one was so good! I couldn’t put it down, and it sucked me in right from the beginning. At right around 300 pages it flew by. I read it in a couple days just during my nightly reading time.

Sam is the only survivor from a murder and fire that killed her parents, uncle and sister. When a new investigator shows up who is looking into the murder, it leads Sam to unravel details and secrets surrounding her family and the crime.

Sam was a complicated person who makes several morally questionable decisions throughout the story. I never could quite decide how I felt about her. Does having good intention excuse bad choices?

The novel included a whole cast of characters who I took notes on to keep them straight. Any time I thought I was figuring out what happened, a new surprise or secret would be revealed.

I recommend this book if you want a quick, interesting, mystery/thriller that will suck you into its small town of secrets!

I wish that there was an epilogue like a year later so I could know where everyone ended up and how the relationships turned out once the truth was revealed.

nbucaro15's review against another edition

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I had a great time with this book! I have read one of Kara Thomas' YA books, so I was super excited to see her coming out with an adult book. I trusted her and know I enjoy her writing so I went into this book almost completely blind and had just read the initial blurb. Murder, family secrets, lies. I'm sold! If you are worried this will feel YA because of her previous books, don't worry! However, that doesn't mean that there's a lot of on page violence or sex. It simply means the characters are older and feel older. They have less teenage angst! I think Kara Thomas did a great job of integrating many different plot threads together. The first half of the book is slower as everything gets set up, but it didn't feel too drawn out. The second half just goes as you learn more and more secrets! Overall it was a fun book and I will definitely keep reading her books!

creativeteacherreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a fantastic thriller that had great true crime vibes! I could not put this one down and it kept me guessing until the very end! I kept thinking I had everything figured out and then there would be another unexpected twist that would throw me completely off! 

bethany6788's review against another edition

4.0

This book was a page turner for sure! It centers around Samantha, whose family was killed in a murder/arson at their family home. She suspects a police officer who had problems with her uncle as the person who did it, and she is approached by a state officer who is looking into the case. The book follows from there with twists and turns to a really interesting (and not in a bad way) ending.

I knew right off the bat that the police officer was not responsible because he was made a suspect way too early. But watching Samantha discover secrets from her past with all of the demons she tried to escape was enthralling. Once I got a couple of chapters in I found it hard to put down. The ending was satisfying! Definitely pick this one up if you like a quick, page turning read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

luckycharmedlovesbooks's review against another edition

3.0

Out of the Ashes was a slight miss for me. I did enjoy the story and completed reading it so I could find out what happened the night that Samantha Newsom’s family was murdered in a house fire. I found myself having to go back to review who a character was and how they were involved with the story as there were quite a few to keep track of. It felt as though there could have been more character development and the story could have a spinoff related to other missing persons from the same town. Overall the story was interesting but I wasn’t as hooked as I have been with other Kara Thomas stories. This is an emotional story that I would recommend to those who are looking for a longer mystery with a few twists with a lot of miscommunications, secrets and “how did that just happen?” moments.
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

hollyk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Mother has returned and has mothered once again. I love Kara Thomas's books. I've read every one. This one is by far the darkest and most painful. None of the characters are good people, and the plot, while slow is so full of twists and turns that the lack of action isn't missed. The ending is open, which I do kind of hate, hence the four stars

archermoony's review against another edition

4.0

Kara Thomas makes her mark in the adult thriller genre.
I enjoyed a few of her YA thrillers, so I was super excited to see what she could do with an adult book.
This was so, so wild. It really stood out against other thrillers i’ve read that follow the same sort of theme. It’s typical for thrillers to be about something relating to an unsolved case, and small town but Kara Thomas outdid it.
I love reading about an unhinged main character in these books, and Sam was definitely that. She wasn’t afraid of anything, and was going to find the truth no matter what it took.
The side characters were good. Truthfully, there were a lot. I did forget who was who a time or two, but I felt like the author did a good job reminding the audience of who it was - if they hadn’t been mentioned in a while.
The ending was So sad. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, or wanting - honestly. It makes sense though. Especially when we see who Sam is as a character, and everything she had went through.
I would have loved to see an epilogue set 6 months to even a year later.
I definitely didn’t know where there this book was going in terms of plot twist. I thought it was figured out a time or two, but it just kept having twist after twist.
If you enjoy more small town secrecy, everyone is a bad person, drama esque thrillers - this is one you need to add to your tbr.
thank you netgalley for the arc!

debi_g's review against another edition

Portions of the story remind me of Sharp Objects.
The narrator/main character gets in her own way a lot, but her trauma responses ring true.