Only Ashes Remain

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Author(s)

Rebecca Schaeffer

Publisher

HMH Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

14+

Release Date

September 03, 2019

ISBN

978-1328863553

fter escaping her kidnappers and destroying the black market where she was held captive, all Nita wants is to find a way to live her life without looking over her shoulder. But with a video of her ability to self-heal all over the dark web, Nita knows she’s still a prime target on the black market. There’s only one way to keep herself safe. Nita must make herself so feared that no one would ever dare come after her again. And the best way to start building her reputation? Take her revenge on Fabricio, the boy who sold Nita to her kidnappers. But killing Fabricio is harder than Nita thought it would be, even with Kovit by her side. Now caught in a game of kill or be killed, Nita will do whatever it takes to win.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Only Ashes Remain Review

June 10, 2021

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

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Characters

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I absolutely loved this sequel. The first one was such a good set up for this book. Nita is free from the Black Market but now with INHUP, who is not safe either. And who else is there but Fabricio? The buildup is great and all of the folllow up is set up perfectly. This book takes place in Toronto and it was a nice change. The pacing was so well done and I had to keep going and figure out what was happening next. What I loved most about this was Nita’s slip into becoming more of a dark character. This was hinted in the first book but so profound in the second. She wants to become feared and get revenge on Fabricio so her solution? Kill everyone.

Nita’s character absolutely developed. But typically when character development is talked about, it’s usually how they grow into a better person. Nita? Not so much. She is embracing her darker side and I love it. While there are still some things that does weigh on her conscious and makes her double think about some of her plans, overall she is not a nice person. And she embraces it. Between her and Kovit, they definitely know they are monsters in their own way and learn to work with it. This is just so unique and I am absolutely loving it. This character development is so good and I am honestly rooting so hard for Nita and Kovit, even if what they do isn’t morally right. I also absolutely loved their relationship! In the first book Nita talked about how she was socially awkward since she hadn’t had much experience in the real world or with people, and it didn’t come off that way. But in this book, it was way clearer and I enjoyed that more. It seemed more to fit her character and the description seemed more accurate.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer was a fantastic second book. I absolutely loved the change of scenery and the plot felt more cohesive. Nita wants to be free, feared and revenge. The pacing was a lot better in this book and I found myself flying through it. These characters are so unique and I love how they are embracing their darker sides. Nita and Kovit are back and I can’t wait to continue their story in the next book. I highly recommend this book if you like anti-heroes and a lot of gore! But it is really well done with such a unique storyline. Even if the first book didn’t do it for you, I found this one so much better.