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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
~ 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!!
•
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!
•
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!
•
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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adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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
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
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
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Now that East Row is safe from the General’s drug ring, Rue has to return to Ghizon to save her other family. When she wakes up in a cell with Jhamal and the memory of a lost battle, her self-confidence is shaken. After an indeterminate time trapped underground, Jhamal, Rue, and Brie are rescued and taken to join the other survivors, and Rue is horrified to discover that their numbers have been halved. What’s worse, Central Ghizon is tearing itself apart, those loyal to the Chancelor setting fire to the homes and buildings of the various neighborhoods. Determined to fix her mistakes, Rue sets out to raise the ancestors to have them restore her people’s magic, but when a seer predicts that someone will betray her--already has betrayed her--Rue begins to doubt more than just herself. She doubts everyone around her.
Book one was better in my opinion. For one thing, the Ghizoni had minor magic that they could use, but it was very weak. In book two, however, Rue is the only one able to use magic without being bound to an onyx. She is the ancestor’s glowing exception. I have no idea how the other Ghizoni lost their magic, even small as it was, leaving Rue to be the ONLY one to be able to use magic. Then her being in the cell felt very handwaved. She recovers her memories, but I don’t think it was ever explained how she was captured. Jhamal’s whole arc was very predictable, but I did like how people reminded Rue to be patient with Brie, who was actively trying to improve. I don’t like the friendship between Rue and Brie, because Brie literally sacrifices everything (home, family, magic) for Rue, but Rue still accuses Brie of being the traitor, and calls her selfish and a know-it-all to her face. Yet Brie lets it all slide off her back and keeps trying to be better. Still, the ending was solid. The final battle and resolutions were all good--though I didn’t like how hung up Rue was on the REAL traitor, romanticizing him and keeping Julian at arm’s length. It didn’t feel right, like she kept treating everyone who hurt her better than those who remained loyal to her. It was the only disappointment in the ending.