Only Ashes Remain

I didnt think Rebecca Schaeffer could top Not Even Bones, I just couldnt fathom how you could beat perfect; and yet she did with Only Ashes Remain. The character arcs and the character development was nothing short of magical. Seeing into Kovit\’s past, going down Nita\’s moral demise, learning what truly makes a monster (and what makes someone human) I cannot wait for the next book. Favorite series I have read in a VERY long time.

I was really considering dropping the book series at first because some of the stuff in it made me uncomfortable, such as the characters having not-so-great morals. Im a Christian, so I try to be careful with what I consume. But I kept reading because that was the point: they make you uncomfortable. A big part of my, and many others, belief is that humans suck. And yet we try to look away and pretend that darkness isnt there when we see something immoral. We label people as monsters, but really, any person has the potential to do these things. Its about choices. A while ago, I saw an interesting post with a picture of Hitler holding a little girls hand walking along a path. It was cute. Yeah, when a picture of Hitler looks heartwarming, you start to question things. The post sparked a whole discussion about how even a monster like Hitler isnt really that- hes just human. And the idea of humans being able to do something like that is terrifying. We dont want to acknowledge that we could be just as bad, so we separate those people from ourselves so we feel better. This book really explores that and does it extremely well. I still cant agree with what the characters are doing, but thats not the point of the series. Its a great read that I would highly recommend.

and it picked up after the first book. It was better than the first: a lot more details about the characters, quite a bit of funnies, and the Doctor Who reference was the bomb! It was a very quick read (listen). I had a hard time walking away from the story, I had to know what was going to happen. While there were quite a bit of repetitive phrases, lines, and reminders that she wanted to dissect a body and go to school and be the best, the story was a lot more to-the-point even though there were the unnecessary ramblings. One of the new characters was interesting, but the MC, I cant decide if I should like her or hate her, but I would be very afraid of her if our paths crossed. It\’s a nice change for the MC, while being a good guy, they are also a very bad guy. Of course, there is violence, blood, gore, murder, etc, so I don\’t think it\’s appropriate for readers under 14. I would be giving this book 5 stars, but there was way too much repetitiveness, and it took some enjoyment from the story! 4 stars.

This book is just as good as the first book. It\’s emotional, it\’s heavy, and it\’s just plain gut wrenching. I was on the edge of my seat more times than I can count because the amount of detail and mind numbing development in what it takes to act out revenge… It\’s amazing. I read some reviews where it bothered people, the downward spiral of the characters, but honestly… It\’s realistic and raw. The author kept to her characters throughout. It was so impressive and so well-done. There were times I wanted to slap a character a time or two, but to me that\’s just another sign of a good writer and a good boom with content. The action is good, as always, and I will definitely be rereading this again. I look forward to the third book because although the downward spiral is realistic, it\’d be nice for a happy ending. Granted, when considering what the main character has been through, I\’m unsure if that\’s possible!

I loved the first book, and I adore the manga version I am reading on Web Toon… but I was sooo disappointed with this second book. Literally, the main character raises one eyebrow, then raises her other eyebrow, then in the next sentence… raises her eyebrow. Where were the editors for this book? The eyebrow raising was tedious and immersion breaking, but there were also dozens of typos that left me re-reading certain parts. The overall story was good, so I won\’t plot spoil it… but sadly, the second half feels rushed and the climax makes NO sense whatsoever. There\’s a few great cliffhangers, but I just couldn\’t stop shaking my head. You know the author isn\’t happy either when there\’s a multipage \”apology\” at the end about how difficult the book was to write under contract. I honestly blame the publishers for pushing the author, rather than pointing out the flaws and giving additional time to work on it, as it could have been fixed and easily transformed into one of my all-time favorites.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member