Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny, #1)

by Jeaniene Frost

Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse--her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who's bound by an ancient legacy to betray her. Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn't mean he can change his fate, no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn't: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other--and nothing but ashes in between.

• ISBN10: 1306906725
• ISBN13: 9781306906722
• Publish Date: 1 January 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 3 June 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Harlequin
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

3.5 stars for story
3.5 stars for narration
3.5 stars overall

Title: The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny #1)
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Unabridged
Length: 8 hours 21 minutes
Publication: 8/26/14
Genre: New Adult/UF
Heat Level: Warm

When I heard that Frost was writing a new series, I was all over reading it. Then I heard that Tavia Gilbert was narrating, so I knew I would be listening to this. While I enjoyed this book, it was no Cat & Bones story.

Ivy has been seeing things her entire life. She always thought they were hallucinations. She finds out that they are real and her life is turned upside down. She is the last of a bloodline that allows her to see these demons. She runs into Adrian who offers to help her find her sister.

Adrian is also the last of a bloodline, but his bloodline gives him a fate that is not a good thing. He has been fighting his fated future for a while and it only seems harder when he meets Ivy. He knows that he is going to betray Ivy and has tried to convince her to stay away from him.

There is an impossible romance between Ivy and Adrian. While we have the fast-paced action of trying to find Ivy's missing sister, there is a lot of world-building as we learn along with Ivy about this world of demons, angels and humans with exceptional bloodlines. Ivy makes new friends along the way. There are also some losses, as well.

Narration
I love Gilbert's narration of the Night Huntress series and the other books from the Cat & Bones world. She really fits those characters really well. However, I just didn't get into her portrayal of these characters as much. I don't think she got Ivy's naivete. I did like some of the characters voices. I think that I could get use to the narration as I get more into the story. It wasn't bad, just not as good as the Night Huntress books.

[stressedrach]

Wow The Beautiful Ashes was a fantastic book to read, from page one I was hooked and it didn't take me long to finish it because I couldn't put it down.

Ivy is a strong character, she has what she thinks are hallucinations that is until goes searching for her missing sister and gets drawn into a vision and almost gets killed and a strange handsome man, Adrian, comes and saves her from these strange people. Things are not as they seem and there are other realms that demons live in and because of Ivy's lineage the demons want her dead.

This is a gripping book that is full of paranormal, fantasy, adventure and a romance that you think may never happen because of what is told of a destiny.

I am not going to say anything else, it is a must read and I loved it!

I have not read anything from Jeaniene Frost before this book but now I want to read all her books and I am really looking forward to the next book in the Broken Destiny series.

[Cocktails and Books]

3.5 Cocktails

I've been waiting to read this book for a long time. As a matter of fact, when I discovered the goodie room at the Romantic Times convention had advanced reader copies of this book, I was a tiny bit crushed to discover that others beat me to a copy. But here I am a few months later, happy to have this little gem and for Jeaniene Frost to introduce us to a whole new paranormal world...including hot Adrian (who to me was a younger mixed version of Vlad and Ian...go figure).

This was such a great premise. The author puts her own spin on the angels and demons world and it's a world that has a lot going on. Our heroine, Ivy, discovers the hallucinations she's since she was a child are real, that her family isn't who she thought they were, and her sister's been kidnapped by demons. She's paired up with Adrian to navigate the demon realm to find a slingshot, which can be used to rescue her sister. As with any book by Ms. Frost, there are so many twists and turns thoughout the story, you find yourself wondering just who can Ivy trust. And while quite a bit is not what is seems, the relationship that builds between Ivy and Adrian is one that is very reminiscent of certain vampire and vampire huntress and fraught with all sorts of obstacles.

Ivy and Adrian have a lot going against them as they start their search for the slingshot. They are the remaining decedents of biblical lines: One will save the world, the other is doomed to betrayal the other. Adrian tries is hardest to be the world's biggest douchebag and Ivy's just trying to survive. But somewhere along the way, while escaping peril, the two start to like each other and have a hard time fighting their attraction. And as Ivy learns more about who Adrian is and why he can navigate her through the demon realm, she discovers she has a lot of faith in Adrian. That faith will get tested as we move into book 2, but I have no doubt Adrian is going to be right there next to Ivy until the very end.