Reviews

Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer

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swampbooks's review

3.0

3.5 stars

Nita is so good at being cynical but so bad at being evil it’s a miracle she has gotten this far

What can I say about these books? The series got into my life after I discovered the WEBTOON and read in one of the comments that it was based off a book.

I love the characters so much and their growth throughout this second book. This series is what I’ve always wanted off this genre and many others. And the Nita-Kovit dynamic is everything I’ve always wanted to see in a book but hadn’t found until now. Needless to say, I really loved this sequel, that so perfectly complements the first book. I loved to see how the experiences of the Mercado affected Nita, and the way she saw the world. From a psychological standpoint, her character arc -if we can call it that- is simply amazing to read; and how Kovit was her moral compass through the whole thing. I can’t wait for the last book to come!
(Also not gonna lie, but the mention of a Venezuelan restaurant and arepas was also something that made me happy, people usually don’t include my country or its culture in the slightest, so I guess it made my little arepa con reina pepiada eating heart love this book and the author for including it even more lol)

missrmaxwell's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

bluewe's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

3.25

ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition

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4.0

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

Thank you so much HMH Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review ONLY ASHES REMAIN!

I really enjoyed Not Even Bones so I was super excited when HMH Teen approved me on NetGalley for Only Ashes Remain. After the end of Not Even Bones I was eager to see where Nita's story was going next. She destroyed the black market. She's "safe." But she is now in protective custody with Fabricio, the boy who sold her to the black market. Let the revenge begin.

Only Ashes Remain took a dark twist real early on in the book. The whole book was dark actually. The destroying black market and the things Nita had to do to save herself and Kovit toughened her. We see the darkness inside Nita come to the surface and how she battles and embraces it. Where in the first book she simply dissected the bodies her mother left for her, in Only Ashes Remain, Nita does her fair share of killing.

I think the moral dilemma between Kovit and Nita was interesting to watch. Kovit is a Zannie, which means he feeds off of pain and if he doesn't he will weaken or die. Kovit use to be part of a Mob Family and was forced to do terrible things, not all of which he enjoyed. But Kovit has one rule: He won't cause pain to people he knows. Though Kovit doesn't seem to have a moral compass because of what he is, he does. The struggle between Nita's and Kovit's relationship is how Nita can kill who ever she wants, whenever but it bothered her when Kovit would torture to feed. It's messy and I am probably not describing it well, but I really enjoyed how Shaeffer included it all.

Overall, I can't say too much about Only Ashes Remain with out spoiling it but I hope to see these characters again soon. There are a lot of unanswered questions and things that I am still eager to see resolved.