ASHES TO ASHES (Burn for Burn #3)
by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
★★★★
New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come.Ashes to Ashes is a whole lot heavier than it's predecessors. For starts, there's a lot of blood and violence- mostly coming from Mary's hand. The book has this really creepy vibe to it especially during the chapters told in Mary's point of view. Almost like looking at everything from a psychopath's point of view. However, Mary is not a psychopath. She's a girl who's out for cold revenge, but she is also just a girl. A lost and confused girl who got hurt way too many times, in effect clouding her judgement. Throw in Kat and Lillia who are still both struggling to cope with the regret and guilt clouding their entire beings and you're in for one hell of an emotional ride.
After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.
Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?
I really liked that about Ashes to Ashes. Like its characters, the story is incredibly vulnerable and real- almost like it had it's own heartbeat. Reading it was like having an omnipotent force whispering to me to turn page after page and neglect the rest of my life entirely. I was hooked. The suspense was addictive and it will loop you in a daze and won't let go until you reach the end of the line. Unfortunately though, I thought the journey there was a whole lot more exciting than the ending.
I also think that Kat didn't get to shine. The storyline mainly rotated around Lillia, Reeve, and Mary and left Kat hanging around as a character who only showed up when her role was needed- and she wasn't needed that often. I would have liked a little more balance in the role hierarchy, I guess. Regardless, Ashes to Ashes is an explosive read with an addictive plot and strength in it's main characters who are bursting with life. I just think that the ending left a little more to be desired.
