The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny #1) by Jeaniene Frost

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In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate. 

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…

The Beautiful Ashes has a very creepy, cinematic opening where Ivy is driving around in the rain, hitting up hotels in the area looking for her sister. She lands at a B&B and while it doesn’t launch into the Rocky Horror Picture Show, things do get weird immediately and before she knows it, Ivy is running for her life. It’s nice that the action practically pounces on you so that there’s no time to fully process what’s going on. Then Adrian enters the picture and it’s not immediately discernible if he’s the good guy or bad guy. He’s just hot and aloof and complicated. Do they come any other way?

Ivy learns that her sister has been taken prisoner by an unspeakable evil and that she can trust no one. The only way to save her is with Adrian’s help (wait, we still don’t know if he’s good or bad).  That’s not the only things she learns – she’s also destined to destroy this evil that is waiting to unleash itself on the world.

Ivy has a very hard time absorbing this and it almost feels like she’s in denial because she spends most of her time drooling over Adrian instead. That part is a bit strange because her sister is in peril after all and she’s constantly wondering about Adrian’s lips. Really? To be fair it has something to do with their entwined destinies. Still, whenever she was wondering about Adrian or swooning over him, I was guilt-ridden about her sister.

The story is more exciting when it moves away from the whole Ivy/Adrian drama and focuses on the task at hand – travelling through realms, seeking out a way to destroy that pesky evil threat that’s hell bent on destroying them and the world and possibly may be, overturning their own destinies.  There were a couple of creative scenes that had me laughing out loud involving Ivy in ingenious situations. They may have been embarrassing but they were a nice reprieve from their gruesome task.

The Beautiful Ashes as the first book in the series shows promise. It’s take on some of the greatest stories ever told lends it some allure. While some of Ivy's behaviour puzzled me in this one, I’m still interested to see how her story continues to develop and if she still believes, as she preaches to Adrian repeatedly, that everyone has a say in their own destiny.

~ Bel

Cinder And Ella by Melissa Lemon

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley.  The book releases November 8, 2011.

From Benneville Books (Cedar Fort, Inc.):

After their father’s disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn’t long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself—the most dangerous place in all the kingdom for both her and Cinder. Cinder and Ella is a Cinderella story like no other and one you'll never forget.

This book is a slow starter.  So much so that I put the book down for a week or so before going back to finish it.  This is definitely not your childhood version of Cinderella.  There are a few parallels drawn between the tales, but Cinder and Ella in this book bear very little resemblance to the Disney or Grimm version.  For one thing, this tale is much darker.  The Prince may be handsome, but he is not good.  In fact, he is quite evil (and not in a good evil Jace or Patch way either).  This Prince uses his dark magic to bring his subjects under his control, convincing them that there is no hope, no reason to go on and this darkness is spreading throughout the Kingdom.  Cinder and Ella are sisters who live a miserable life in which their father became influenced by the darkness, and one day, just wandered off.  Cinder and Ella then take over the household as their mother has a mental breakdown and their two sisters become spoiled brats.

One day, Cinder applies for a job in the King’s castle as a servant to help provide for the family.  With her new job, she will have to reside in the castle most of the week and will return home on her one day off.  She leaves the care of the family to Ella.  Unfortunately, Ella has little patience for the tantrums and antics of her family and she too, wanders off.  Ella finds a new place with a family far away, helping to take care of the family's children.  This family is warm, bright and loving.  Exactly as Ella wishes her family was.  Ella finds a sense of peace and happiness, until one day a Knight and two of the Prince’s aids come to return Ella to the Castle. 

The Knight worked in the Castle and each night during his rounds, he would hear Cinder crying and talking in her sleep from the hallway.  One day the Knight, Tanner, approaches Cinder to ask her about the sister she speaks of during her sleep.  Cinder confides in the knight that her sister has disappeared and she fears that Ella may be in danger.  Tanner, being a brave and honorable Knight, seeks permission from the Castle advisors to go on a quest to find Ella.  The advisors go to the Prince, who agrees for his own nefarious reasons and insists that Tanner take along two of his aids, the lecherous William and the stoic Flescher.  Tanner does not trust the Prince or his aids, but must take them on the quest.

During the journey to return Ella to the Castle, Tanner begins to care for Ella, and in true fashion, then becomes a clumsy fool.  Tanner soon discovers that the Prince may want to harm Ella and after an encounter with the drunken William, Tanner and Ella break from the aids and devise a plan to find out what the Prince wants without turning Ella over to him.  The rest of the book covers the attempts of the good Knight and the sisters to thwart the evil plans of the Prince and the darkness that spreads throughout the Kingdom.  I won’t get all spoilery, because truly, this book does not follow the fairytale path.  You get the main points though, love, danger, intrigue, magic and a very stubborn horse. 

As I said, it takes a while to get into the meat of this book.  I kept going because I had never read a book told in the manner of a fairytale; therefore was intrigued and curious to find out where Ms. Lemon was going with the plot.  Ms. Lemon kept me guessing until the end.  I give the author credit, she kept to the fairytale style of writing and storytelling.  She wove the different plot lines and points of view flawlessly.  I am giving the book 3 stars.  If you enjoy fairytales and want to see a different and darker version of Cinderella, I recommend you pick up Cinder And Ella in November.    

~ Shel