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A review by marie_thereadingotter
From The Ashes by C.J. Archer
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is one of the better books in the series. Charlie has always had agency, but in this one, she has grown so much in the short time she spent away from Linchfield. I like that she made some friends there. For most of the series, her only friends were Seth and Gus, she likely didn't notice how lonely it was not to have friends closer to her age who are also female. I hope that the friends she makes there will play some role in the story moving forward. It was also nice that she didn't instantly forgive Lincoln. She held her ground and explained to him what it meant to her being sent away, though it took overhearing a conversation with Seth for him to fully understand.
This felt a little like two books, the events at the start with her still at that school didn't match the events that happened when she returned to London. It didn't slow the pace down, but other than Alice arriving, nothing that happened in the school had much to do with anything else in the book. I thought there would be more of a connection, since it was a pretty large event at the start of the book and it seemed like there was something more nefarious going on, since the school was suggested by one of the Committee members.
I gotta say, I wasn't expecting the person behind everything to be the person it turned out being, but it was revealed it made sense. He was the only one there who wasn't adamant about sending Charlie away. It was almost like he wanted her right where he could get to her. This book also had a bit of a better balance between the romance aspect and the mystery. I liked that Lincoln was less stoic in this book, that Charlie put him on edge and forced him to actually confess how he felt about her.
I'm curious and looking forward to the rest of the series. There's a decent number left, and I wonder where things are headed if they solved the big mystery. Or was that only one part of it...
This felt a little like two books, the events at the start with her still at that school didn't match the events that happened when she returned to London. It didn't slow the pace down, but other than Alice arriving, nothing that happened in the school had much to do with anything else in the book. I thought there would be more of a connection, since it was a pretty large event at the start of the book and it seemed like there was something more nefarious going on, since the school was suggested by one of the Committee members.
I gotta say, I wasn't expecting the person behind everything to be the person it turned out being, but it was revealed it made sense. He was the only one there who wasn't adamant about sending Charlie away. It was almost like he wanted her right where he could get to her. This book also had a bit of a better balance between the romance aspect and the mystery. I liked that Lincoln was less stoic in this book, that Charlie put him on edge and forced him to actually confess how he felt about her.
I'm curious and looking forward to the rest of the series. There's a decent number left, and I wonder where things are headed if they solved the big mystery. Or was that only one part of it...