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A review by rburrows299
Empire of Ash by L.R.W. Lee
4.0
Received ARC for honest review. Rated 3.5-4 stars.
If you like secrets, hot mysterious men, snarky independent heroines, and mythology, then Empire of Ash should make your reading list. L.R.W. Lee spins a clever archeology/mythology romance that will leave fans of Laura Thalassa, C.N. Crawford, and Lindsey Hall intrigued and waiting for more. Right off the bat, Lee introduces our leading lady Pellucid Rose, or Pell as we should call her, and sets the ball rolling with her charm, wit, and intelligence. After finding the archeological discovery of the century, Pell encounters the sexy, mysterious man she deems Crazy Guy. With his announcement that she has unleashed a sphinx (that's right A SPHINX) on the world and that they must put a stop to it before people end up hurt or dead, their adventure takes off.
Initially, I wasn't sure if I was taken in with the story. I liked the chemistry between Pell and the mysterious Crazy Guy and the details that Lee described never crossed the line of too much, always staying at just enough. I thought, eh it was probably a 2.5-3 stars book. But then I realized that I had finished the book in one sitting and stayed up wayyy late to do so, something a 2.5-3 star book could never make me do because I absolutely adore sleep and have to get up wayy too early. What got me wasn't necessarily the new take on mythology that Lee spun or even the witty banter of Pell and Crazy Guy (although I seriously love witty banter and it can make or break a book for me), it was the way Lee spun secrets and mystery into the story. Every page left you wondering and yearning for more. More about Crazy Guy, more about secret magic, more about Pell herself, and the list goes on. Sometimes it can be hard to capture the attention of a reader, so authors withhold information. However, many can go too far and not give you enough information to keep your attention captured. Lee walks this line with finesse and what I thought was going to be an okay book turned into an actually really enjoyable read. I have Kindle Unlimited, so access to literally tons of books that are unique in their own way, but how Lee spins secrecy so well into her story is something unique that I have not really come across before, and I read a lot. I have some guesses as to what secrets Lee will reveal as the series progresses, but the wonderful part of her writing in this story is that I don't know for sure if my guesses will play out. There is still a whole lot of mystery wrapped up in this story that I cannot wait to uncover.
My advice: give this book a chance. You might initially be thinking, eh it's okay but I don't know if it should take my time when I have 20+ other books to read (amen, been there and still there), BUT if you keep going just a little bit past when you think that, you will find yourself devouring the rest of Pell and Crazy Guy's story. At least that is what happened for me. I rate it 3.5-4 stars because of that initial lull, but the end result certainly makes it worth that 4 stars. So seriously, just read it so you can either prove me wrong or joining me in yearning for the secrets Lee will eventually reveal.
If you like secrets, hot mysterious men, snarky independent heroines, and mythology, then Empire of Ash should make your reading list. L.R.W. Lee spins a clever archeology/mythology romance that will leave fans of Laura Thalassa, C.N. Crawford, and Lindsey Hall intrigued and waiting for more. Right off the bat, Lee introduces our leading lady Pellucid Rose, or Pell as we should call her, and sets the ball rolling with her charm, wit, and intelligence. After finding the archeological discovery of the century, Pell encounters the sexy, mysterious man she deems Crazy Guy. With his announcement that she has unleashed a sphinx (that's right A SPHINX) on the world and that they must put a stop to it before people end up hurt or dead, their adventure takes off.
Initially, I wasn't sure if I was taken in with the story. I liked the chemistry between Pell and the mysterious Crazy Guy and the details that Lee described never crossed the line of too much, always staying at just enough. I thought, eh it was probably a 2.5-3 stars book. But then I realized that I had finished the book in one sitting and stayed up wayyy late to do so, something a 2.5-3 star book could never make me do because I absolutely adore sleep and have to get up wayy too early. What got me wasn't necessarily the new take on mythology that Lee spun or even the witty banter of Pell and Crazy Guy (although I seriously love witty banter and it can make or break a book for me), it was the way Lee spun secrets and mystery into the story. Every page left you wondering and yearning for more. More about Crazy Guy, more about secret magic, more about Pell herself, and the list goes on. Sometimes it can be hard to capture the attention of a reader, so authors withhold information. However, many can go too far and not give you enough information to keep your attention captured. Lee walks this line with finesse and what I thought was going to be an okay book turned into an actually really enjoyable read. I have Kindle Unlimited, so access to literally tons of books that are unique in their own way, but how Lee spins secrecy so well into her story is something unique that I have not really come across before, and I read a lot. I have some guesses as to what secrets Lee will reveal as the series progresses, but the wonderful part of her writing in this story is that I don't know for sure if my guesses will play out. There is still a whole lot of mystery wrapped up in this story that I cannot wait to uncover.
My advice: give this book a chance. You might initially be thinking, eh it's okay but I don't know if it should take my time when I have 20+ other books to read (amen, been there and still there), BUT if you keep going just a little bit past when you think that, you will find yourself devouring the rest of Pell and Crazy Guy's story. At least that is what happened for me. I rate it 3.5-4 stars because of that initial lull, but the end result certainly makes it worth that 4 stars. So seriously, just read it so you can either prove me wrong or joining me in yearning for the secrets Lee will eventually reveal.