To be posted 9/14/19.

Ugh. ONLY ASHES REMAIN is so gray and so morally confusing and I love it. I don't think you really see this a whole lot in YA and it's rather refreshing to read. Usually it's a character making one bad decision and then ruminating on it for the rest of the book. But Nita's moral compass is a bit broken so she makes decision after decision based in part on rational thinking (in irrational situations) and in part on her EQ being rather low thanks to her mom keeping her segregated from humanity.

The big thing for me was the relationship between Nita and Kovit. Oh how extraordinarily gray and slimy that is. By gray I mean part of me was rooting for them to get together. The rest of me was having a boxing match about all the things wrong with the situation and all the things that matched with the situation, and all the things that made sense despite all these other bad things over here. Nita and Kovit do make a good couple. Except Kovit tortures people for fun in order to eat, otherwise he'll die. He doesn't actually have to torture people to eat, but he chooses to. He says its his own choice, but is it really based on the way he was raised? Meanwhile Nita's killing dozens of people without blinking an eye and has no problem going on a vengeful murder spree and the only reason she really holds herself back is because she needs to work out whether all of this will actually be better for her or not. By "this" I mean all this murdering. So they're two not great people made, in large part, from the nurturing they received as children. Does it make it okay? Does it make them a match for each other? I don't know. Yes? No? Maybe.

I just love how that situation alone made my brain whir and in a good way. But I also found myself trying to justify what I was thinking in this situation because I had such opposite thoughts for a couple like Juliette and Warner from the Shatter Me series. But ONLY ASHES REMAIN kind of addresses that, because we get to see a little bit of Kovit's former life with Henry. Henry who's very human and genuinely enjoys torturing people using Kovit as the implement of torture. Nita mentioned how much more disturbing that is, a human with no real reason to do what he's doing yet still does it and enjoys it. That's Warner. He won't die if he stops doing it and he does it just because he likes it. That's just a serial killer.

And with Nita, while Kovit is basically her first friend ever, and she's formed some pretty tight bonds with him, she still has her head on her shoulders despite a low EQ and she's constantly questioning her attachment to Kovit. She recognizes that she's basically ignoring his awful parts in order to just see his good parts (which Kovit hates) and she acknowledges that he terrifies her. But he hasn't tried to actually kill her. And Nita is not Juliette. So maybe I'm just trying to rationalize why Nita/Kovit is a better, more acceptable match than Juliette/Warner. I'm okay with it.

ONLY ASHES REMAIN made me THINK. A lot. It definitely has a racial subtext to it and not just because Nita's skin is brown. The concept of the Dangerous Unnaturals List, once that's really fleshed out, is eye-opening and horrifying all at the same time. The kelpie who helps them (whose name escapes me at the moment) really opens Nita's eyes (and mine) to what's really going on in their little world and the things pitched to protect people are really there to only serve a few (and to have those few profit from it). How apropos.

Such a great book. Such a great series. Politically poignant with some morally gray characters that really make you think without even trying. Unfortunately now I have to wait at least a year to get the next book. Damn it.

5

This series is such fun! Delightfully messed up, wildly entertaining fun. I was super excited to get back into the world of Market of Monsters (such a clever series name, by the by) after loving Not Even Bones , and this one definitely didn't disappoint!

What I Loved:

• How does the author make me adore such an antihero? By all accounts, we should positively loathe this character who preforms autopsies for funsies, who kills ruthlessly when need be. But I can't help but feel for Nita, even cheer for her, in some of the strangest possible ways. "I really hope Nita can find someone to dissect soon, girl needs some self-care and a scalpel, stat!" and "wow I really need Nita to fall in love with this other serial killer". I mean, it's weird stuff, and yet here we are.

• I said it before but it bears repeating: Holy gray morality. Actually, I don't even know if that's fair. Maybe there is no morality whatsoever. Nita is going to do literally anything to survive. Is that right? How many people is too many to kill to save yourself? I don't know, that's kind of the whole question. There are some very interesting distinctions that come up in the book, which I will be purposely vague about. Because I think these thought-provoking ideas are best answered on your own as you read the story. It's half the fun!

• It's full of excitement and high stakes! Okay there is not a dull moment in this one. I kept kind of hoping for Nina (and Kovit, I love Kovit more than I should probably) to get more down time, but alas. They were always either being hunted, or preemptively trying to eliminate threats. Nita had no idea who she could trust, if anyone, which makes sense because I don't think anyone in this world has a gold medal in loyalty. And half the fun is trying to figure out who we, the reader, thinks she can trust.

•New (and existing) side characters brought a ton to the story. I ship Nita and Kovit, hard. Kovit won me over in the previous book, and he continues to do so here. There are new characters full of moral ambiguity as well, some of whom I really enjoyed. And there's the elusive Fabricio, who I cannot figure out at all. Which is obviously highly entertaining! Is he the villain Nita thinks he is? Is he just trying to save himself too? Somewhere in the middle? I'm sure we'll get those answers!

What I Didn't:

The only thing I didn't love is that it does kind of feel like a middle book. And look, I don't mean that in a bad way even, obviously we need there to be some setup for the end, and the author does that incredibly well here. But I'd have liked perhaps a few resolutions? Regardless, it has made me quite eager for the next installment!

Bottom Line: Monsters, indeed! But whether the monsters are human, "other", or all of the above is the real question. Tons of action and fabulous characters, I will be anxiously waiting to find out how the story will end!

Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer was such a great sequel to her debut novel, Not Even Bones. It continued to be gory and gritty, you know the typical aspects to any story involving black markets and body parts. It had a great story, new supporting characters that showcased even more of the unnatural population, and a small dash of romance that was both unrushed and unconventionally sweet. This series is so different from all others in YA fiction and that makes it special. I guarantee you have not read anything quite like this. This book deserves a 10/10.

But before I go any further I must warn you that this is not a story for the squeamish and whatever you do, do not trust a unicorn. They are not the fluffy, rainbow loving creatures we’ve come to love. This book showcased so many unnaturals that barely scratched the surface in the black market and all the lore associated with them was an excellent touch to this expanding world. Nita stumbles into a kelpie, a murderous horse creature that drowns their victims, a ghoul who feasts on flesh and discovers more about zannies and vampires who were introduced to us in the first book. The world became so much more dangerous with every single page.

What I love most about these books is Schaeffer’s choice to craft characters who are unafraid to take charge of their rather shitty lives and make something out of it. They are not perfect and they are not saints, but they have substance. They do not apologise for standing up for themselves and they certainly do not care for manners. You will not find cookie cutter characters here with cliché traits and fake personalities. Each one is crafted with care and work seamlessly with this dark world.

At the end of Not Even Bones, Nita was in INHUP’s custody and here we follow her and Fabricio to Toronto, Canada. She’s no longer a captive and yet she’s still running from those wanting to literally eat her. I was worried that the absence of the black market and that direct link to Nita would change things going into this sequel but it didn’t change anything. This book was just as good as the first and I devoured it, every violent morsel.

“Be rational, Nita. You can’t murder him with all these surveillance cameras around. Nita hated when her brain made sense.”

I fell in love with Schaeffer’s brilliant incorporation of Nita’s thoughts in Not EBven ones and I’m so glad she carried it on in this one as well. She’s isolated and a girl who hates people, so it only makes sense that she would have thoughts on what’s happening but have no one to voice it to. These were sporadic and perfectly placed to push the plot and provide a seamless display of Nita’s dark sarcastic personality. It was a great way to give this disturbingly cruel world some much needed comedic relief.

Let’s talk about romance. Not Even Bones pretty much had none to speak of, but here we see Nita and Kovit bond at last. Her unlikely ally turns out to be her only confidant and naturally she calls him to meet up moments after ‘meeting’ Fabricio in INHUP. I loved this newfound love between them. Despite being very different, they seem to switch roles where Nita is the one to be feared and he helps her see that monsters aren’t so easily defined by who and what they are. He actually brings her back from her killing frenzy and I started to see how hard he tries to keep his morals, even if they are grey. They had so many great, hilarious moments together and this is one that I will never forget.

“Nita found a wallet and cell phone, which she pocketed, and another gun, which she shoved in Kovit’s waistband. He gave her a look like, Why are you shoving guns down my pants? And she just shrugged like, Well, where else do I put it?”

They were so in sync that they could communicate purely on looks. Their joking around felt very natural and she never let herself forget what he did to Mirella. She didn’t forgive him but by the end of this, I think she understood more of what it’s like to be an ‘unnatural’ and how that changes one’s perception of you. Nita is an imperfect, morally questionable character and yet she grows so much and the people around here have a huge impact on that.

We learned so much more about Kovit in this book and that was one of the best parts. He explains how his ability really works and this shed a different light on him. He was no longer this evil and malicious sadist who literally gets off on others pain. He was an unnatural just like Nita. He proved how complicated they are. I really liked how he would never make excuses for what he’s done and he would never apologise for doing it either. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone and I can respect that. He reminded me a lot of Warner from Tahereh Mafi’s, Shatter Me series because he’s made to look like a bad guy but that’s not entirely true. Yes, he’s much darker than Warner and its very different worlds for them but their core character and morals seem to match up nicely. They are unlikely love interests with irresistibly, dark backstories.

Schaeffer knows how to play on your emotions and there are a lot of zingers here. Emotions are raw and when exposed they will definitely leave you feeling for every one of these murderous unnaturals.

Secondary characters become crowd favourites all the time and I must say the amount of times that Adair, a kelpie and acquaintance to Kovit joked about his murdering basement makes him a strong contender. He’s as hilarious as he is wise. He’s clever and interesting and honestly? Kind of threatening. He trades in knowledge and I can’t wait to see his role in the final book because he knows a lot about everyone.

Another surprising character was Diana, Adair’s friend and resident ghoul. She is probably the only unnatural who is willing to put herself in danger to stand up for what’s right. She is the moral compass to Adair, Nita, and Kovit and she is vital in saving their humanity. She was a great addition to the story and I can’t wait to see more of them all in the final book.

But Adair and his basement jokes weren’t the only source for humour. At one point, Kovit steps up to torture someone for information and when he threatens them with a cheese grater and they immediately respond so this became a running joke throughout the rest of the book. But now I’m curious, what the hell was he going to do with that cheese grater? Something disgusting for sure but I’m telling you, that mystery mixing with my curiosity makes this a compellingly, disturbing read.

“How was she supposed to inspire terror if she freaked out every time Kovit picked up a cheese grater?”

Do you see what I mean? It was a traumatising event for all those involved. Long lasting effects only makes me want to know more, which is definitely dark and unhealthy on my part, but that’s what these books do.

It’s deliciously dark and violent and that separates it from so many others. Schaeffer tore my heart out with the ending, no spoilers I promise! She is setting up one very dangerous conclusion and I need it right now.

[To be published September 4th on The Nerd Daily]

After the close of book one I wasn’t sure where this would take us...
Having escaped the Black Market and decided to try and rely on Kovit’s help, Nita is determined to try and avenge what happened to her.
Not quite sure who to trust, Nita ends up having to make some tough decisions. She wants her life back, but with certain people desperate to treat her as a victim, she needs to do something drastic to rectify the situation.
This book has Nita hiding out in Canada, trying to establish who she can trust and to what extent. There’s hints of murky business regarding her father and the Zebra who killed him. Her mother reappears, but the substantial part of the story focuses on both Nita and Kovit trying to reconcile their personal interests with their belief they could be friends.
I wasn’t wholly surprised by the revelation about Fabricio. However, there was definitely unexpected tension brought into the story towards the end. I liked the fact that Nita could be challenged in this story and I am very very keen to learn how this will all slot into place in part three.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this prior to publication in exchange for my thoughts.

Oh my, this was such a fantastic read!! It's dark and bloody and doesn't really pull any punches at all . . . and that's the BEST thing about it. I cannot believe I would find such a well-crafted plot about monsters along with some of the best portrayals of the struggles real people face. This truly feels like a masterpiece series, and this sequel was not a disappointment. No slumps here! I also loved all the character interactions along with the gradual development of feelings between Nita and Kovit, which also opened up great dialogues into morals and psychological patterns. So overall, I am still reeling from the power of this book and I cannot wait for the finale of this ridiculously amazing series.

A perfect continuation of Not Even Bones. What does it take to become a monster? What happens when you become the monster you thought you were fighting? Nita has escaped Death Market, but her face is out there and she is being hunted. She not only has to find a way to escape being caught again, she has to find out who is hunting her and why. What has her mother done that has brought her family into peril? Can she stop it?

“Saving you was the one good thing I did in my life, and I’ve paid for that kindness in blood and screams. I learned my lesson well. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

You know how sometimes when you read the sequel to a book it’s just not as good as the first? This is the opposite of that. I was blown away by how much I loved this book. I throughly enjoyed all of the machinations and cunning characters and backstabbing in this book, even more than in the first book. And I didn’t think that was possible.

Surprisingly, I remembered most of the important info from Not Even Bones. What I didn’t remember Schaeffer was able to put into Only Ashes Remain in a smooth way with no info dumps. I also really appreciate the creature explanations she adds into the story. It’s a nice bit of world building and it puts a distinction between the legends of our world and Nita’s. Like the unicorns (Or maybe I’m just reading about the wrong legends 😂).

Nita is such a complex and interesting character. We continue to see the parts of her that want to be good- like when she’s relieved about Fabricio- parts that don’t want to become the monster she believes her mom is. That being said, you can see where more and more parts of her mother are starting to come through as she becomes more determined to survive in her world. For example: “ “I will deal with the bodies.” Her voice was firm. “You will go and find Henry’s computer and get rid of all trace of those incriminating videos he was emailing you.”” This makes me like her much more as a character than if she had been a straight up villain.

I really liked Nita’s character growth regarding Kovit. It was lovely to see Nita start to accept Kovit as he is. I’m desperately hoping they’re gonna be the dark power couple I’ve been looking for in books.

I honestly don’t know how I’m going to wait for the last book.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Omg love love love. Nita and Kovit feeling around their respective needs and desires but also how they feel about each other and the others desires is just SO MUCH LOVE. It’s so very dark and just so brilliant. And Nita’s continuing desire for vengeance and not thinking things through is so good as everyone keeps challenging her and she is trying so hard not to learn lol. I don’t know why but I love her so much.

And I love that we get more insight on what the different “monsters” are like and that they don’t all fit the stereotypes. It’s so brilliantly done.

Just read this series. Now.

My review will go live on my blog on 1st Sept

The second installment of the Market of Monsters trilogy is finally here, and it was so worth the wait. This is another fast-paced, blood-drenched installment that lives up to the promise of the first book in all categories. The characters continue their development in new and interesting directions, the action remains consistent and fairly constant, and the larger themes of monstrousness deepen in unexpected ways.

I loved Nita and her cold, analytical mind before, and another book spending time with her makes me love her even more. She's just as calculating as ever, and now she has to turn her keen mind to survival once again. Even though she destroyed the Mercado de la Muerte (aka the Market of Death or the Market of Monsters) that was keeping her and other unnaturals captive to sell off to black market bidders, she’s only in marginally less danger. Her picture has circulated online, making her a highly desirable target for anyone who wants to make a lot of money.

She desperately needs allies, and it isn’t long before she calls on her former ally from the market, Kovit. Unlike Nita, Kovit might not be a target for every get-rich-quick schemer with a gun and no conscience, but he’s still on the run from his own demons, his former employers known only as the Family. He was their pet torturer, and they want him back. Kovit doesn’t really want to go back, but he also isn’t sure what else to do. After all, he’s a zannie, an unnatural who subsists on human pain.

Kovit and Nita know how to survive and hide their abilities, but they don’t want to just survive. They want to have normal lives. Nita thinks that with a high enough body count, people will eventually be afraid enough to leave them alone, but Kovit isn’t so sure. Do people who worked for criminals ever really get free of that world? And do people with high body counts ever deserve to be happy?

Schaeffer has some really insightful things to say about what, exactly, makes a monster of the moral variety, and how that does or does not intersect with being (or not being) an unnatural. Now that Nita and Kovit are outside the Market of Monsters, they have a chance to interact with people who aren’t complicit in kidnapping, murder, and cannibalism (you know, little stuff like that), and their moral choices get a lot more complicated. What about hurting innocent bystanders, or people they actually know? What happens when they’re forced to reckon with each other, one a torturer and the other now a vigilante? They each have lines they won’t cross, but those lines don’t run parallel. At some point, they’re bound to cross and get them entangled.

She’s also clearly thought long and hard about how so-called monsters can cope psychologically. It’s not the simple hand-wringing and boo-hooing about “oh what a monster am I” that’s all too common in YA. It’s about finding ways to be okay or even proud of your survival even when the life you have doesn’t resemble the life you want. Nita and Kovit have genuinely done terrible things, some in the name of self-defense, but others with less clear-cut justifications. At what point is justification just an excuse? At what point does a person have to take responsibility?

But if we’re talking responsibility, who else bears responsibility for making people do bad things? Bad parents, corrupt governments, and public condemnation all play a part. It’s the classic nature vs. nurture debate, but amped up with a body count. None of this has a simple answer, and brava to Schaeffer for making sure that while Nita and Kovit come to their own individual conclusions, there isn’t any overall conclusion being forced on the reader. Life is dangerous and messy. Friends are hard to find and sometimes hard to keep. If there’s a moral to that, it isn’t good or evil, it’s just “keep trying.”

As much as this is about the black market and international law enforcement and racism and species-ism, it’s really just about the relationship between Nita and Kovit.

No, don’t roll your eyes. It’s not about a romantic relationship, although there are moments of quiet and intense chemistry between the two. Mostly, it’s just about friendship, and how two very damaged and confused people can still manage to have a healthy relationship based on trust and mutual support.

It might have been nice if Schaeffer acknowledged some of the humor of having people negotiating their boundaries in a very healthy way while waiting outside a torture chamber and after a murder spree. It’s not that the narrative ever descended into absurdity—actually, it was all quite sweet—but sometimes narratives just need a little humor to break up all the seriousness and tension.

That was part of why Adair worked so well. For someone who ate his victims after leaving them to rot and bloat in standing water, he was surprisingly lighthearted and humorous. He also worked well as an authority figure who could provide not just information but wisdom, in the form of reality checks and big picture considerations. His speech about always asking “who benefits?” was particularly striking.

He inspires Nita to start thinking of information as power, rather than as a means to other ends. For someone whose fondest dream is to one day attend college and do medical research, Nita is quick to lose sight of the big questions, and sometimes fails to think through every aspect of her plans. I thought this was quite realistic for someone with as many distracting challenges as Nita had—her dad was just murdered, the dark web knew her identity and abilities, and the INHUP was getting suspicious of her backstory—but still a little frustrating. But though she wasn’t terribly effective, Nita was always trying to act rather than react, and I can forgive a lot of mistakes when a character never gives up.

The ending had a few too many unanswered questions, but since the emotional arcs wrapped up so nicely I can’t be too upset. I also can’t be mad at Schaeffer for doing what literally every other YA trilogy seems to do, which is to have a mostly self-contained first book (in case the rest of the series doesn’t get picked up), and then treat the middle book like The Two Towers and end on a cliffhanger. (See also: The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, The Nevernight trilogy, The Deed of Paksenarrion, etc. etc.) It does make me exceptionally eager for the third installment (and maybe more after that?). How can Scaheffer top herself? I can't even imagine, and I can't wait to find out.

This book was way darker then I thought it was going to be. And I have to say that I adored it page after page. The characters shinned though-out the story and I could not put it down. There is no book two syndrome in this one!! So if you are worried that this one will leave a bad taste in your mouth it won't! This is a must read and I wished it was longer.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. Not enough action, not enough character growth.

I'm all for a villain or anti-hero who will stop at almost nothing to get what they want, but even Dexter (a comparison often made about Nita) had a code and though you may not have agreed with his methods, you could see why he did what he did. So, I expected more from Nita. She's not the hero and normally I love that, but many of her actions in this book felt unnecessary and unwarranted- not to mention her inability to learn from her mistakes.

Okay, whoa! I can remember that terrible cliffhanger at the end of book one. It was all kinds of wrong and made the waiting for book two so cruel.

This is even more intense and messier than the first. Disturbing? Yep. And I still love it!

The strength in this book is the location...which was one of book one's weaknesses. The black market got to be too boring and tedious. I knew why it was set there, but now that she's free, the story opens up and is far more engaging! This is essentially a thrilling cat and mouse chase/game.

With plenty of representation and diversity, this series is perfect for those bored of typical YA offerings. I cannot wait for book three!

A first purchase for all YA/HS collections (along with the first title if necessary). Shaeffer is an incomparable talent and has delivered something truly unique with this delightfully macabre series.

I was super ecstatic to get a review copy of Only Ashes Remain.
I devoured Not Even Bones in just a couple of sittings and was left hanging at the end. It was such a darkly compelling novel that I immediately went in search of the sequel. Only Ashes Remain did not disappoint.
Only Ashes Remain is just as compelling and stark as it's predecessor. Beyond the story, these books are amazing because there's no such thing as all good or all bad. Every character has layers and makes bad choices and good choices and is flawed in some way- including Nina and Korvit and their nemesis Fabricio. Each character justifies their choices in their own way showing that there is more than one view and sometimes those choices are terrible. And are not easy or comfortable or remotely nice.
I loved that Nina is not a NICE person. She's imperfect and justifies her actions to fit her perspective and tries to fit the world around her, but tries not to cross that line in the sand (thanks Korvit) to become a full monster.

A dark sequel filled with layers of story from the first novel. It's twisted and the plot will having you turning page after page. A very intriguing following up to Not Even Bones.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for E-arc copy of this novel

Thank you to NetGalley for my eBook ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author for bringing us Kovit, he is too precious for this and any world.

In this sequel to Not Even Bones, we catch back up with Nita, now in INHUP custody after the fire destroyed the black market hub. She is there with the boy who sold her to the black market in the first place; a young man named Fabricio. She first met Fabricio in a cage that her unnatural hunting, black market merchant mother stored him in. Plotting revenge on Fabricio, Nita looks for a way to take his life without revealing her intentions to the INHUP agents.

She is transferred to Toronto, Canada and begins to try to establish a reputation for herself as one not to be triffled with. At the end if Not Even Bones, the video of her power of self healing is still on the darkweb, making her a target of assassination attempts by other black market dealers. She reunites with the Zannie we know and love, Kovit. Together they try to build a safer life for themselves away from the darkweb while still trying to extract some vengence on those who have wronged them in the past.

Introducing a delightful now monster cast, Only Ashes Remain continue building a rich and diverse world that is dark and violent while perpetuating characters you already know and love. It brings deep questions to the forefronts of our minds, masterfully woven into a story that moves at a perfect pace. Are unnaturals always monsters? Or are the monsters lurking just beneath our own skin?

I really enjoyed Not Even Bones so I was super excited when HMH Teen approved me on NetGalley for Only Ashes Remain. After the end of Not Even Bones I was eager to see where Nita's story was going next. She destroyed the black market. She's "safe." But she is now in protective custody with Fabricio, the boy who sold her to the black market. Let the revenge begin.

Only Ashes Remain took a dark twist real early on in the book. The whole book was dark actually. The destroying black market and the things Nita had to do to save herself and Kovit toughened her. We see the darkness inside Nita come to the surface and how she battles and embraces it. Where in the first book she simply dissected the bodies her mother left for her, in Only Ashes Remain, Nita does her fair share of killing.

I think the moral dilemma between Kovit and Nita was interesting to watch. Kovit is a Zannie, which means he feeds off of pain and if he doesn't he will weaken or die. Kovit use to be part of a Mob Family and was forced to do terrible things, not all of which he enjoyed. But Kovit has one rule: He won't cause pain to people he knows. Though Kovit doesn't seem to have a moral compass because of what he is, he does. The struggle between Nita's and Kovit's relationship is how Nita can kill who ever she wants, whenever but it bothered her when Kovit would torture to feed. It's messy and I am probably not describing it well, but I really enjoyed how Shaeffer included it all.

Overall, I can't say too much about Only Ashes Remain with out spoiling it but I hope to see these characters again soon. There are a lot of unanswered questions and things that I am still eager to see resolved.

I absolutely loved this book. I admit when reading the synopsis, I didn’t see the part about it being a sequel. So, I read this one without having read Not Even Bones, the first book. There were references to things that happened in the first book and there were enough of them that I didn’t feel lost. I thought this book was so unique and like nothing I’ve read before. I will say if you’re squeamish, you may not be a fan. There is quite a bit of violence and gore. I loved the relationship between Nita and Kovit and how it developed through the book. I love how the main characters in the book are morally grey at best. I think that is so fun to read. I’ve always been a fan of villains and morally grey characters. The book kept me very interested the whole time with Nita and Kovit working together to handle the people from the black market who were after her. I didn’t feel like there were any lulls or slow parts in the book. I would highly recommend this book and I give it 4 stars.

This book was received as an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group - HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

What if Suzanne Collins and Victoria Schwab and combined books and they had a book baby? That baby would be Only Ashes Remain. Every page was an new discovery and immediate change to the plot that nobody will see coming. Escaping kidnappers and constantly having to fight for survival is always tough and Nita will do whatever it takes to make it go away, even when it comes to sacrificing the people that she loves and everything she has been taught or knows. Nita's plan was not to escape but become the most dangerous woman and that approach was so out of left field that it made the book more enjoyable to borderline addicting. Fans of Hunger Games and Darkest Minds will definitely love this book.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

3 stars.

I'm definitely in the minority (at least, thus far), when I say that I didn't like this one as much as the first. The "romance" seemed pretty cringy and forced to me and nothing really happened throughout the entire book, to the point that a series didn't feel warranted.

I may read the third if this is going to only have three books, but I don't feel like getting invested in a longer series. blah.