A review by rainbowbean
Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley as well as Thomas & Mercer for this fantastic 5 Star read! NO spoilers ahead.

Kara Thomas can we be best friends?! I just loved this book! If you're a "crime junkie" this has a very "ripped from the headlines" feel. The past crime/ current investigation storytelling reminded me of the real life storytelling on the Counter Clock podcast.  This was fast paced from the start and I did not want to put it down.

+1⭐: Excellent relatable writing style. It wasn't forced and didn't try too hard to be flowery with language. Which is great because the main character was not a flowery person (for good reason).

Main Character (no spoilers):

Sam is clearly intelligent and she endured so much trauma she seems stuck in triggered mode and acts accordingly with good reason. She is intensely perceptive as an adult of others and it's clearly a trauma response, but it's also what's driving her to put the pieces together about what really happened to her family. Sam is every Millennial who has seen some shit. She is perfectly flawed and her questionable behavior matches her character's life.

+1⭐: Plot: 
If there were any plot holes I didn't notice because I was just enjoying the story and main character so much. Fast paced, quick read that I didn't want to end though I was desperate to know the answer.

+1⭐: The Perp & Ending. No spoilers here. It's too good to ruin. There were so many directions this could have gone. This was a masterpiece of a story.

Trope Talk:

The MC returning to a small hometown full of people with a complicated history trope was executed with perfection. I was there with Sam in Carney.  

+1⭐:  World Building:

The author's ability to sew so many nuances of literally everything in current political/social/pop culture into this story to make me feel and relate to the environment was beautifully done.

I so much appreciated the attention the mc (a nurse) brought to how the opioid crisis and chronic pain affect people. Specifically an explanation of a character's rheumatoid arthritis and the conversation between two characters about chronic pain was so well written. Anyone who has chronic pain or has in any way been impacted by what that can lead to will feel seen and understood.
A++ for accurate modern world building.

+1⭐: The Unexpected: 

I did not expect this book to be funny but certain lines had me crying from laughing so hard. I AM the target audience for this book for sure. I cackled when Sam was working a shift and the author describes "a Mary Kay scented hand" touching her. Something about this nurse who is into MLM products was just hilarious, there's at least one on every hospital floor so this just perfectly set the scene and is probably the most funny way I have ever heard a  character described. Another line about over-priced stitch fix clothes sent me. The adoration of cinnasticks.  🤣  Little quips about Millennial behavior were spot on. The political jabs and calling out the "Thin Blue Line" bullshit were 🤌 *chef's kiss*.

Miniscule Gripe: 

Every person with a scar/tattoo was described the same: "a crescent shaped scar/shape from XYZ". It was just repetitive enough to slightly irritate me by the 3rd+ time. 

Trigger Warnings:

Heavy on the topic of parental/sibling loss and death by fire. Also for OD'ing/drug use disorder and sexual assault. All are absolutely necessary topics for the story and handled with no judgment and great care and by the author.

Overall: I would recommend reading this and when it comes out I will be purchasing for my shelf and a re-read. I will be adding Kara's other titles to my "To Read" pile. 

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