Did not know this was book 3 in a series. Will have to read the previous books first before I can read this one. That way it will make sense. I can give it an ho est review.

This was a good book, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first two books first. I really enjoyed the world and characters, and I will be picking up the first two. I didn't love this book, but I did enjoy it and would recommend it to people.

In Truth & Ashes was a bit different from the previous books in the Otherselves series. It really focuses on one world - the True World. The True World sits at the "center" of the Mirror Worlds and somewhat exerts control over them, playing matchmaker to ensure the True World selves have matching selves on the Mirror Worlds. It was all a bit creepy and really relegated that elemental worlds to nothing much more than a source of resources and prestige.

Belinda is the center of our story and matching self for the characters in the Mirror Worlds. And at first, I hated her. I never really truly liked her, but she did earn my respect. The final book in this series tries to draw all the cords together into one place, but that means I really missed seeing more of the Mirror Worlds that I had really loved. Fire is the only one that really manages to take center stage other than the True World.

Things do come to some rather startling and unexpected conclusions. There is far more heart-pounding excitement in the final book than the others, and the way the day is saved was amazing. A few times we went over the top, but if you're going to go there, an explosive ending is the way to do it.

*I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book*

Loved it! Great addition to this phenomenal YA fantasy series. :)

In Truth & Ashes is the final installment in the Otherselves series and we finally get to learn more about the True World! Belinda is part of a First Family which is what we would consider royalty. The tradition is for members of First Families to be bonded to other members of a different First Family to continue them all having otherselves in every world. She is going to be bonded to a guy that her family chose but the ceremony goes horribly wrong and it is found that Belinda is bound to someone else already. This could only have happened when she was kidnapped as a child so she seeks revenge with the help of her friend Damian.
I really enjoyed this story and I’m sad that this is the final story in this series. In my opinion this was the best book of the series. I would recommend this series to any fantasy lovers.

This novel, set in the same world as the other two books, was a perfect third book in the series! So many of our favorite characters were back, and it was an explosive ending that I'm so glad I stuck around for!

For me there were just so much going on, it was hard for me to understand it all and that really just meant that I couldn't enjoy it.

Wow - what a finale to this intriguing series! This is one where I really believe it is necessary to have read the earlier books in the series before starting this on - but they make a great story, so it is well worth doing so IMHO! Readers of earlier stories will know that in this fantasy series there are other worlds besides the “True World”, they are the worlds of Fire, Water and Air. For some significant people, they have their equivalent person living on each world - they are their otherselves (hence the series title!). Much of this story is set on the True World, and focusses on Belinda who has otherselves on all the worlds and who were the heroines in earlier stories and who also have their parts to play in this story, too.

Belinda had been kidnapped as a child by a mysterious, notorious person known as Malachi. She has no memory of what happened to her during the days she was missing. Now she’s going to take part in the Binding Ceremony, an important event for her, her otherselves and the person to whom she is being bound as it will promise that she will marry him and that their otherselves will also be similarly bound together. When disaster strikes, Belinda needs to discover just what happened during those forgotten days, working with her friend Demian to do so. Can they find out what happened? Can they protect the Worlds and prevent their destruction? Can they - and their otherselves - find their soulmates and true love?

This is an action packed fantasy, with danger and perils around every corner as the otherselves strive to save all the Worlds and those of their other selves. It is a story of alternate worlds where teen heroes fight those willing to risk all to promote themselves and gain power. Love permeates throughout the stories and this book is an excellent conclusion to the trilogy. it fills in so many blanks from the other stories and adds to the readers’ understanding of the backstory and resolving things but only after some adventures and surprises along the way. This is a great series for anyone who enjoys fantasy, regardless of their age!

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC of this novel. This is my honest review.

Loved it! Great story, from the moment I started reading about the Otherselves living in separate worlds I was captured in a story so vivid and engrossing it felt real. Once I entered into this story I was taken through one event after another it was as if I lived in four very real yet separate worlds. I found the story to be very different from anything I have read in awhile. Along with the mystery and well timed believable romance it sets a pace that you do not want to let go, you want to see what is going to happen next to all of the characters in the story. You are kept engaged as each character is very well developed and you are rooting for them throughout the story.

Eh...This was one series that I don't think was for me. It was jumbled, confusing, and seemed rushed.

The third and final book in the Otherselves series, we finally get to visit the True World. When we meet Belinda Loring, she is about to take part in a binding ceremony that will secure her family's place in the First Families. However, before the ritual can be completed something goes horribly wrong - Belinda is bound to someone else. Facing the scorn of her family and society, Belinda goes on a search to find out what exactly happened to her when she was kidnapped many years ago - and just what does the evil Malachi hold over her.

Oh, and during all of this Fire world is collapsing and all of Belinda's "otherselves" are trying to save Leah (Fire self).

See what I mean about jumbled? I honestly don't even know how to describe it so that it makes sense without the summary being a book. Sigh.. let's just try to talk about this one.

I rounded this one up to three stars because it finally did what I wanted the other two books to do - focus on one world. My main issue with this series was the way the information was presented. Combining two completely different world buildings into each book made them lack structure and depth. I didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them and their worlds. In In Truth and Ashes, we got to know Belinda and her history without it being merged with someone else's.

It was a very interesting and unique concept, but I found it lacking and at the end just didn't care. I just wanted it to end. And the instalove/soul mate thing was beaten to death so much throughout the whole series. (*cough* Leah *cough*)

Side note: Leah was a horrible character. Extremely selfish without giving thought to who she hurt or any consequences to her actions.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review In Truth and Ashes by Nicole Luiken, the third and last book in the Otherselves trilogy. This last book of the series focuses mainly on the true world and the characters that live there. Since Qetarah was taken care of, her mentor Malachi is the villain trying to get rid of the four worlds. Belinda fell into my heart because of her tyrant of a grandmother and her friend Demian is interestingly mysterious! Nicole Luiken brings all of the information from the last two books and its four worlds seamlessly into In Truth and Ashes to make a complicated world with dynamic and complex characters into a wonderful fantasy adventure series - 4 stars!

In Truth and Ashes is full of unexpected twists, complex relationships, and an epic fantasy world. With memorable characters, romance, and multiple worlds to keep you ensnared, it’s a magical and exhilarating read.

PROS:

I love Leah and Gideon’s story arc. From the beginning, I was completed consumed by their ill-fated romance. It’s complex, dangerous, full of fire and respect and learning each other. And the adrenaline. It’s fantastic. When I saw Leah pop up in this book, I prayed she’s have a huge roll and she does. Her love story gets even more emotional and chaotic. My heart broke for her. You can feel every ounce of her sadness and desperation, her pain…it’s brutal and beautiful and OMG I needed them to be okay because if they weren’t there was no such thing as happy endings. That scene at the end, the last one with Leah, be still my little black heart because heavy, dreamy sigh. Whoever said they didn’t like long-winded, straight from the heart confessions, is full of it.

Belinda is not at all what I expected. From the previous books I assumed she was this snobby, cold, robot of a girl, but that is so not the case. Her back story is epic and mysterious and terrifying. She struggles with fierce loyalty to her family and trusting her heart. She’s brave, takes huge risks, and will do anything to save the world. She’s a full on heroine who is far from perfect, takes a few hits, and makes terrible assumptions, but she definitely redeems herself.

Demian and Belinda. It’s sweet, playful, and who doesn’t love a sexy artist who is dynamite with his hands? His past is dark, complicated, and full of secrets that make him both endearing and magnetic. And those kisses❤

The ending was shocking. I never saw it coming. I never expected it to end the way it did and it’s insanely creative the way it’s done.

CONS:

If you hoping to see Holly, Audrey, and Dorotea, there parts are so fleeting and minimal that you almost forget they were there at all. I missed Audrey’s daredevil attitude and her saucy wit. I yearned for Dorotea’s heart and determination. I felt nostalgic and at a loss at some points without them. On the plus side, that means they were totally wonderful characters in the previous books and left a great impression, plus we finally got to see Belinda. On the minus side, it felt like the story was incomplete without them. As a final book (or what reads like one at least) I expected a more solid goodbye and it felt rushed to the conclusion.

The fight seemed to go on forever because there were so many non-fights that dragged and were resolved in a too-simple fashion. Yes, people have elemental powers, but the struggle…until the last bit of the book (for Belinda and Demian) was a little soft.