The Beautiful Ashes

Losing her parents and having her sister go missing, the heroine is having the worst month of her life. So when she's kidnapped by a strange beautiful man who works for the angels, she just chalks it up to yet another thing she has to deal with. Her calm, witty and rational response to being tied up in the back of his car surprises her kidnapper and she even remarks on the absurdity of him hitting on her after having her tied up like a rodeo cow. But when he finds out what she is, a powerful and instant look of horror flashes on his beautiful face. The heroine herself is quite astonished to learn that she is the last descendant of thee David, you know, the one with the sling shot? And because of her ancestry, she has the power to find show more that ultimate weapon, the only weapon that can slay a demon. She always knew she was different, what with being able to see the demonic parallel world wherever she went but this new development is much unwelcome, especially as it's now made her a target for every demon in existence. So, in order to save her sister, she and the hero take to the road. They travel from realm to realm seeking out the weapon she can use to save her sister, as well as kill the demon the hero desires to murder above all else. Mysterious and secretive are the hero's two middle names and he gives the heroine information in small bits, always holding back until there's no other way. He is the last descendant of Judas, you know the Judas that betrayed Jesus? His ancestry and his childhood growing up as a prince of the demonic world, has made him convinced he'll only ending destroying everything he loves. As such, though he craves the heroine with everything in his soul, he pushes her away. And he does a good job of it. They don't do more than kiss in the entire book and when the heroine begins to doubt her trust in him, she knocks him out and braves the realm where her sister is being captive alone. But in the process, the hero sacrifices himself for her and as such, the heroine is horrified with herself for doubting him as well as disgusted with the idea that she in fact is the betrayer. This was an amazing book and I knew it was going to be. This author is freaking great. Every book I've read so far has captured me and held me captive from start to finish. The characters are so well drawn out and have a beautiful mixture of light and dark. There were times that I laughed, times that I grieved and all the while I loved the hero and heroine both as individuals and the passion they portrayed together. I loved the heroine because she was so freaking smart and quick on the draw with every reply she had to every situation. And she was capable of learning this new world she finds herself in. And she's willing to love and trust a man whom everyone else disregards. I loved the hero because he was funny in that dry humor sort of way and so beautifully tortured. Convinced he is the bad guy, that he'll never amount to anything other than hurting those around him, he tries to atone for his deals and do everything he can to prevent his 'fate'. I loved the fact that between Angels and Demons, there was no 'good' side. The hero knows that they are just pawns in a larger game and they are expendable. This is evident in the flippant disregard the guardian angel has towards their pain and their needs. 100 % golden star goes to this first in a new series. show less

Ivy is 20, incredibly stressed and heart-broken as she searches desperately for her missing 18 year old sister. Their parents have just died in a car crash in Bennington, Vermont. Tragically, the accident occurred when they were searching for their younger daughter Jasmine in the community from which her last text message had come.

Stopping in the rain at a charming bed and breakfast, Ivy hopes the desk clerk will recognize a photo of Jasmine, but suddenly Ivy is hit with a vision, a much seedier and dreary version of the charming inn, and is shocked to see Jasmine there too. When the vision disappears, Ivy is startled to realize that the desk clerk has assaulted her. Somehow Ivy is able to escape, but a return to her motel just show more increases the confusion and mayhem.

A handsome stranger is waiting for her in her room; minutes later a police officer knocks on her door. The two men seem to know each other and regard one another as enemies. There is a lot that Ivy isn't being told but the next thing she knows she is a kidnap victim travelling in the rear seat of the handsome stranger's car. Amazingly, he talks like he wants to date her, even as he takes her to a mysterious meeting with someone who just might have the answers to Jasmine's whereabouts.

This is a paranormal romance with tons of action, including battles between angels and demons. Ivy quickly learns more about herself. The recurring visions she has had are actually real, and she has some latent powers that she must learn how to use to have a chance at freeing Jasmine from the demon world. She is torn by the enormous attraction she and Adrian have for one another, and the growing realization that they may not be on the same side in this supernatural struggle.

The first in a series of Broken Destiny Novels, this is a satisfying and fast-moving read that will have you anticipating the next in the series. The Beautiful Ashes is scheduled for publication in September, 2014, so be looking for it now. show less

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost
Broken Destiny book 1. Paranormal NA romance.
Ivy is determined to rescue her sister. Even if that means going into the demon world.

In this demon world there is no sun. A dark premise, with humans as slaves. Or worse, as meat. Ivy and Adrian work well together as they try to find her sister and flirt a bit when they can. But it’s a dangerous world and not as simple to understand. I admired Ivy’s protective instincts to try to help anyone she could from harm.
I can’t wait as to find out what happens next.

This is a great first book to a new series. It had the right mixture of action, an other worldly world, tons of demons, a sexy hero and love interest, and a strong female heroine. I like that the romance did not happen all the time. In fact, there was not a bunch of sexual tension between Ivy and Adrian. Don't get me wrong as I don't mean that they were not right for each other or that I was not feeling them as a couple but that it was not always there in my face. Which when they did hook up for the first time, it was that much better. It felt more real and believable. I like that Ivy just rolled with the punches. She doe not over react to anything, even her first encounter with a demon hound or finding out that she looked like a cross show more dressing drag queen grandpa. To find out more you will have to pick up a copy of this book yourself. I can't wait to read book two and see what happens next. The Beautiful Ashes is a lovely, paranormic read with kick-ass characters! show less

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

Reading this book was a foregone conclusion for me because, well, it’s Jeaniene Frost, and that pretty much says it all in my opinion. I even skimmed the blurb which I NEVER do because New Adult isn’t really my genre, and I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was getting in to. Unfortunately the synopsis is rather vague, and I didn’t realize that this story was actually about Heaven & Hell until I had reached the point of no return. Angels are by far my least favourite supe, so THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES’ saving grace was the fact that it revolved mostly around demons, and again… it’s Jeaniene Frost. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s a NA version of SUPERNATURAL—the protagonists are driving show more around in a black car (’68 Challenger) with an arsenal of weapons in the trunk searching for a special Colt slingshot. Now, I’m not claiming that Adrian is hotter than Dean Winchester because that would be a bold faced lie, but the world, characters, and writing were excellent, as always because, yup—Jeaniene Frost.

The very foundation of the BROKEN DESTINY universe is in itself somewhat of a spoiler, and although I’m sure that there will be plenty of reviewers who’ll spill the beans, I won’t be one of them. So, please excuse my vagueness, but I loved how the author selected a specific religious story, and built her mythology around it. One of my main problems with ‘angel books’ is the whole Heaven vs. Hell plot line; it doesn’t matter if it’s vampires, werewolves, or witches because in the end it always comes down to good fighting evil. And, don’t get me wrong, that is ultimately what THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES is about, but the story is also more personal because Frost has upped the stakes. Meet Adrian, a reformed Demon prince who’s destined to screw up (anti-hero fan girls, REJOICE!!).

Ivy was an interesting character who I can see growing on me over time; she’s young and naive, but if you can see past her rookie mistakes you’ll notice that she’s also tenacious, and tough as nails. Ten days ago this girl was living a typical twenty year olds life, then her sister goes missing, her parents are killed, and no, she’s not crazy. Demon realms exist. All things considering, I think she did pretty darned good! This book isn’t entirely angel-free, but Zach didn’t really make an impression on me either way. At least he wasn’t preachy (my #1 ‘angel book’ pet peeve). I liked Costa well-enough however, I’m not overly confident of his chances at survival, so I tried not to get too attached. Demetrius was convincing as this series’ big bad, and I look forward to him and Ivy eventually butting heads.

The ending was predictable and rushed; betrayal and Ivy having to hunt down the other Demon killing weapons were foregone conclusions. THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES was sometimes gory, rarely sweet, and 100% Jeaniene Frost! show less

Dark – suspenseful – mysterious this story captured my attention from beginning to end. Imagine thinking your entire life that you are crazy, only to discover, once your world was thrown into chaos, that your worst nightmare is now your ultimate reality.

I enjoyed the characters of Ivy and Adrian, both are well conceived and executed very well. The support characters were also pretty fantastic. I can see the possibility of spin off books using some of them. The world building and vivid descriptions of both the creatures and the locations was almost poetic. I want more!

All in all, a nice start to a series that I believe with each book will become more in depth and engrossing. It for sure has me anxious to read her other series. I am show more giving this one 4.5 stars!
*ARC received in exchange for honest review. show less

Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele

Ivy hat seit ihrer Kindheit Visionen, in denen sie die Welt sieht, wie sie eigentlich gar nicht ist: Grau, düster, kaputt und eiskalt, gleichzeitig zeigen ihre Visionen trotzdem immer Spiegelbilder der echten Welt. Auch jahrelange Behandlungen bei diversen Psychologen konnten daran nichts ändern und Ivy ist mittlerweile weitestgehend überzeugt, dass sie tatsächlich verrückt ist. Dann verschwindet ihre Adoptivschwester Jasmine, ihre Adoptiveltern sterben auf der Suche nach ihr bei einem Autounfall und als Ivy in der Stadt, in der ihre Schwester verschwand und ihre Eltern starben, auch noch angegriffen wird und der mysteriöse Adrian sie rettet, scheinen show more ihre Visionen gar nicht mehr so verrückt zu sein.

„Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ ist das erste Buch von Jeaniene Frost ist der erste Roman der Autorin, den ich gelesen habe und während ich ihn innerhalb von nichtmal zwei Tagen gelesen habe, gibt es doch einiges ,was mich wirklich gestört hat.

Allem voran Adrian und die Liebesgeschichte! Ich mein, was soll das?! Findet es die durchschnittliche Frau wirklich so unglaublich attraktiv, wenn ein sexy Fremder sie stalkt, entführt oder einfach generell wie Müll behandelt? Kann ein Mann (oder eine Frau oder was auch immer) wirklich so attraktiv sein, dass das Aussehen jegliche Art von noch so gruseligem Verhalten okay oder sogar völlig irrelevant macht? Ich kann es einfach nicht verstehen… Klar, so jemand, der richtig sexy ist, kann einem sicherlich schon mal den Kopf verdrehen, aber so sehr, dass man sich unsterblich in die Person verliebt, die sich einfach nur gruslig verhält? Und das ist dann natürlich auch noch die eine Liebe, die erste und die größte und die absolut aller einzigste! (Ich weiß, dass man einzig nicht steigern kann… Aber es passte gerade) Realistisch? Nun ja…

Meine strickte Abneigung gegenüber diesen Stalker-Kidnapper-Instant-Liebe-Dingern mal beiseite, ich bin zugegebenermaßen auch kein großer Fan christlich-religiöser Mythen und Märchen oder irgendwas, das darauf basiert. Nun spielt eben das aber eine große Rolle in diesem Roman, biblische Figuren und deren Nachkommen und die Gaben und Flüche dieser Familien. Allerdings muss ich zugeben, dass diese biblische Mythologie hier doch ganz gut eingebunden ist, besonders gefallen hat mir die Tatsache, dass die „gute“ Seite eben in den Augen des Einzelnen nicht immer gut ist, sondern es oft sogar mutwillig böse wirkt, weil es das „große Ganze“ im Blick hat. Gleichzeitig fand ich Ivys unerschütterlichen Glauben an manche Dinge, dann aber doch sehr naiv und bisweilen auch leicht nervtötend.

Trotzdem, ich habe „Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ in einem Rutsch durchgelesen und fand es dabei auch ziemlich unterhaltsam, der Schreibstil ist auf jeden Fall sehr angenehm gewesen, die Handlung flüssig und gut zu lesen, es gibt keine Lücken oder Ungereimtheiten, allerdings auch nicht allzu viel Spannung, da vieles, wie ich fand, doch eher ins Richtung „vorhersehbar“ tendierte, zumindest, wenn man etwas mit biblischen Geschichten auskennt und ich denke, da ist nach neun Jahren katholischer Schule doch wider Willen einiges hängengeblieben.

Insgesamt ist Jeaniene Frosts Serienauftakt „Broken Destiny: Dämonenasche“ ziemlich typische, 08/15 Lektüre, die aber nichtsdestotrotz ganz gute Unterhaltung bietet, ein kurzfristiges Lesevergnügen, das durchaus neugierig macht auf die folgenden Bände, auch wenn ich die Charaktere ziemlich… nun ja, sagen wir, ich fand sie nervig. Für Fans romantischer Urban Fantasy mit Engeln und Dämonen und einem biblischen Hintergrund aber sicherlich durchaus empfehlenswert ;) show less