Published: September 16, 2014 by: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 387
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
*highlight white text to reveal major spoilers*
Be prepared for the most rambly review ever, because I really need to rant. That being said, this review is also covered in spoilers, so if you have not read this book, do not highlight the white areas,or don't even read this review at all. Here we go:
Ashes to Ashes was the thrilling, (and somewhat shocking) conclusion to the Burn for Burn trilogy. Here, Mary is back in full force, ready to get revenge on not only Reeve, but also the girls she once trusted. Meanwhile, Kat and Lillia are still trying to come to terms with their futures, and why everything seems to be going wrong ever since Mary disappeared.
I was quite impressed with this book. Halfway through the series, there is a genre change when more paranormal aspects appear. I thought that this added quite a lot of interest to the book, however some things I felt were left unresolved. I didn't find the characters strong either.
Like I said, I loved the rising action, and the eerieness that was added. I was kept intrigued throughout the entire book, and nothing left me uninterested. I loved how this book contained two genres that worked perfectly with each other, without being cheesy. There were twists and turns that kept me wanting to find out what happens next.
This book however, was kind of a let down in comparison to the other two. I felt as if a lot of the characters annoyed me ,and most of them were impulsive, naive and conceited. Lillia should know better to not go after her deceased friend's ex-boyfriend! Even if they weren't on good terms, it's simple ethics. I found her to be a bit whiny, so oblivious to everything happening, and manipulated by Reeve.
I also didn't like Mary as much. I found her to be kind of harsh in a sense. She went out of her way to make Kat and Lillia's lives miserable, which I don't think was fair. I thought for sure she would kill them in the end. Even though in the end she turned out to be good, I didn't like her actions leading up to it.
Now to that ending, that dreaded ending. The whole series leads up to this dramatic conclusion that: doesn't happen. The book ends in the blink of an eye, and then we get a three page epilogue telling us about all of the character's lives after graduation. It was kind of a waste of time, because I want to know more about what happened to Mary, not that Reeve and Lillia live happily ever after.
All this being said, I enjoyed reading about the paranormal aspects, and I thought that Kat and Alex provided some great comic relief. They were by far my favourites from this book. I just found that this ending lacked a lot, and I wished Lillia and Mary were portrayed differently.
Have you read Ashes to Ashes? What did you think?
Emily @ Paperback Princess
