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katecassi's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was better than I expected, honestly. From the description, I kind of thought it would just be a sapphic Destiel fic with the serial numbers filed off. And you can definitely see the Supernatural influences, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dani and Emilie were their own independent, developed characters. I actually enjoyed their slow-burn romance. It’s a quick read, and I found myself really absorbed in the third act.
As always, the weakest part of this book to me is the contemporary comedy-dramaness of it. I do not like how modern dialogue is all quippy and Twitter-y. Speak with some poetry once in a while, you know?
Other than that, pleasant surprise. Definitely one of the better books I’ve won off Storygraph.
As always, the weakest part of this book to me is the contemporary comedy-dramaness of it. I do not like how modern dialogue is all quippy and Twitter-y. Speak with some poetry once in a while, you know?
Other than that, pleasant surprise. Definitely one of the better books I’ve won off Storygraph.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Forced institutionalization
breaklikeafish's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Death, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
A brief spark jumped between them, and Emilie felt it strike down to her core. Dani didn’t pull away, instead smirked with a tug of her lips and tightened her grip around Emilie’s hand. Maybe the hunter wanted somebody to reach out as much as Emilie needed to do it.
3.5 stars. I finished this yesterday, so it's a little difficult for me to corral all of my thoughts. I enjoyed this paranormal romance, and it had a lot of the hallmarks of something that I could really enjoy. But all of the potential that it had in the beginning just sort of flatlined near the end. It's not that things took a turn that I thought didn't make sense, or the plot let me down in any way. It's just that I wasn't as interested in the happenings. We're following two women, one who is a hunter of the supernatural, and another who is discovering the magical nature of her family and her own powers. They're both linked by an evil entity that has hurt them both and the people they love in the past, and now they're teaming up to hopefully try to take him down.
As always, I love a good slow burn. There's a lot of attraction between the two women, but because of their circumstances, they don't really act on it. The tension and chemistry was really well written though. I love pet names when they're apt and fun, and Dani referring to Emilie as "killer" was so cute. The rules and particulars of this paranormal world were easy enough to grasp, though it did feel like we kept getting introduced to new things, just when we felt like we had a good foundation. The ending revelations and the things that happened to Emilie were a bit much. I was intrigued enough to keep on reading, but I just wanted a bit more of... something else. As much as I love slow burn, I do wish that our main characters had spent a little more time together. But I guess that's what you have to expect when the romance takes place over a series of books. I prefer this format to them getting together super quickly. I just wish there had been more to hold my attention. I can't deny that I spaced out a lot in those last chapters.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Amy Landon, which I liked well enough. I didn't really love her voices for the men; a bit too forced. But it was a fun listen. I could definitely see myself continuing the series, because I really like our main characters, and I love the way it ended. Lots of great possibilities.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
death of loved ones, blood, gore, fire“You don’t have to do this alone. I’ve got your back, killer.”
azureravenwitch's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is just Supernatural, but with lesbians instead of brothers.
evegerbrandt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It’s sapphic supernatural and I love it. I usually hate books where a large part of the plot is that some characters are keeping major secrets from the main character, but I think the motivation for it in this book makes it easy to enjoy. The tension between Dani and Emilie made me want to scream and also squeal. I feel like the world was well constructed and the magic system was unique while being easy to understand.
pagesandfables's review
4.0
I was given a copy of this to review on Netgalley, many thanks to the publishers.
Cinders of Yesterday by Jen Karner is an urban fantasy novel based around two protagonists, Dani Black and Emilie Lockgrove. Dani is a monster hunter with a grudge against a 'necromancer' named Spectre, and Emilie is a young woman coming back to her hometown only to be thrown into memories of a life long forgotten. The points of view switch throughout the book between the two women, and we are taken on a winding journey of family, loss, monsters and even love.
The book itself was extremely enjoyable as there really wasn't much downtime when it came to the action and world building that Karner succeeds in giving us. The two protagonists in Dani and Emilie are both so enjoyable and likeable that you feel yourself wanting to know more, wanting to follow them both on their journeys. There is a natural pull between the two women, one that is extremely believable and one that you root for throughout the book. It doesn't feel contrived, false or forced in any way and that just lends itself to an enjoyable experience in getting to know both Dani and Emilie.
The world building and lore is very interesting, the differences between the hunters and the Talented and the other side characters were something that kept me reading, kept me wanting more. I would have liked a little more exposition on some of the lore, but overall it really worked to bring you into the story. Spectre is a formidable foe, one that has charm and finesse, yet there does feel to be a little something lacking in regards to his backstory despite that being discussed and examined in the book. He needs a little more punch to his reasonings, and yet at the same time it worked enough for the story and the book and didn't really hold the storyline to a detriment.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the characters and I would definitely recommend it to my other reader friends. I will definitely look out for the next books in the series as I want to follow Dani and Emilie to see where they end up and who they'll face off against next.
Cinders of Yesterday by Jen Karner is an urban fantasy novel based around two protagonists, Dani Black and Emilie Lockgrove. Dani is a monster hunter with a grudge against a 'necromancer' named Spectre, and Emilie is a young woman coming back to her hometown only to be thrown into memories of a life long forgotten. The points of view switch throughout the book between the two women, and we are taken on a winding journey of family, loss, monsters and even love.
The book itself was extremely enjoyable as there really wasn't much downtime when it came to the action and world building that Karner succeeds in giving us. The two protagonists in Dani and Emilie are both so enjoyable and likeable that you feel yourself wanting to know more, wanting to follow them both on their journeys. There is a natural pull between the two women, one that is extremely believable and one that you root for throughout the book. It doesn't feel contrived, false or forced in any way and that just lends itself to an enjoyable experience in getting to know both Dani and Emilie.
The world building and lore is very interesting, the differences between the hunters and the Talented and the other side characters were something that kept me reading, kept me wanting more. I would have liked a little more exposition on some of the lore, but overall it really worked to bring you into the story. Spectre is a formidable foe, one that has charm and finesse, yet there does feel to be a little something lacking in regards to his backstory despite that being discussed and examined in the book. He needs a little more punch to his reasonings, and yet at the same time it worked enough for the story and the book and didn't really hold the storyline to a detriment.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the characters and I would definitely recommend it to my other reader friends. I will definitely look out for the next books in the series as I want to follow Dani and Emilie to see where they end up and who they'll face off against next.
joreadsbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Read an ARC from the author
Content warning: trauma, parental death, house fires, fantasy violence, psychiatric hospital, immolation
A necromancer named Spectre killed Dani Black’s partner and the hunter is out for revenge. He also haunts Emilie Lockgrove, a medium with repressed memories and a whole bunch of family trauma to unpack. They come together in Dawson, Maryland, in search of a blade and a way to kill the necromancer once and for all.
Smooth as a knife’s edge and just as sharp, an exciting and sapphic new entry into the paranormal genre with plenty of scary monsters to go around.
The contemporary world-building of talented, casters, and sentinels stays so true to genre and tropes, while also holding its own ground. From start to finish, the factional tensions take center stage in ways that feel fresh and familiar. It’s a lot of fun, especially during the action set pieces and the eerie scenes which stand firmly within the horror genre in fantastically spooky and unnerving ways.
Dani has a quick mouth on her, but as the story goes on, a vulnerability shines through as she and Emilie get closer. Their dynamic is so spikey at first, but it makes sense. They both have deep damage to work through. What I loved is that though they both need each other to survive the deadly encounters with Spectre, healing comes from within. It’s beautifully done and swoon-worthy until the very end.
I had the incredible privilege of following this book through all phases of its development. I am immensely proud of Jen and the atmospheric, mystical world of magic and otherworldly that they have pulled off here. The world-building is crisp, and the chemistry between Dani and Emilie is the most electric its been.
I’m so excited for others to get to experience this book that is equal parts a sapphic fix-it fic of and a love letter to Supernatural.
Content warning: trauma, parental death, house fires, fantasy violence, psychiatric hospital, immolation
A necromancer named Spectre killed Dani Black’s partner and the hunter is out for revenge. He also haunts Emilie Lockgrove, a medium with repressed memories and a whole bunch of family trauma to unpack. They come together in Dawson, Maryland, in search of a blade and a way to kill the necromancer once and for all.
Smooth as a knife’s edge and just as sharp, an exciting and sapphic new entry into the paranormal genre with plenty of scary monsters to go around.
The contemporary world-building of talented, casters, and sentinels stays so true to genre and tropes, while also holding its own ground. From start to finish, the factional tensions take center stage in ways that feel fresh and familiar. It’s a lot of fun, especially during the action set pieces and the eerie scenes which stand firmly within the horror genre in fantastically spooky and unnerving ways.
Dani has a quick mouth on her, but as the story goes on, a vulnerability shines through as she and Emilie get closer. Their dynamic is so spikey at first, but it makes sense. They both have deep damage to work through. What I loved is that though they both need each other to survive the deadly encounters with Spectre, healing comes from within. It’s beautifully done and swoon-worthy until the very end.
I had the incredible privilege of following this book through all phases of its development. I am immensely proud of Jen and the atmospheric, mystical world of magic and otherworldly that they have pulled off here. The world-building is crisp, and the chemistry between Dani and Emilie is the most electric its been.
I’m so excited for others to get to experience this book that is equal parts a sapphic fix-it fic of and a love letter to Supernatural.
brennooth's review
5.0
Woah. I'm still a bit speechless with how all of this turned out. That was bloody fantastic. I was intrigued once I've met both Dani and Emilie and once they met it was very very hard to put that book down. It wouldn't let me go until I finished reading the very last page. There's action, fantastic world building and the characters? Brilliant. Once you meet the characters, you can't help falling in love with them. They're intriguing and anything but flat. Their abilities? Their history? Loved it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
teacupsandtornpages's review
5.0
Cinders of Yesterday is a richly developed, action-packed paranormal fantasy debut that everyone needs to read. If you love magic and monsters and badass knife wives, then you'll fall head-over-heels in love with this story. Dani and Emilie are such beautifully messy and relatable characters with so much more to show. I'm beyond excited to see how Jen is going to develop these girls in the sequel, and what sort of trouble they'll get into next.
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