Book Review: Ashes To Ashes ( Burn For Burn #3) by Jenny Han

“I remember what it felt like to fall in love for the first time. You think you’ll never love like that again. But you do.”

--Jenny Han, Burn For Burn Series

Consider Mary, Kat, and Lillia to be invincible? Reconsider your position. The explosive finale to the Burn for Burn trilogy from Jenny Han, author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and Siobhan Vivian, author of The List, both New York Times bestselling books.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

New Year’s Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come.

After Rennie’s death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn’t left with Reeve… If Kat had only stayed with Rennie… Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.

Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?

My reaction to this novel... 

To be honest, I expected to like Ashes to Ashes in the same manner that I did Burn for Burn and Fire with Fire, but I didn’t. In a good perspective, I can state that a number of elements in this book work beautifully. For example, the tale begins with a really serious tone, which is fine, and despite the fact that it took me a little longer to get into it, I thoroughly like it since it made that horrible section of the storyline a lot more realistic. Things quickly warm up after that, and they continue to do so until the end of the novel. The second part is fairly spectacular, with crazy things continuing and the young girls struggling to finish their senior year.

With Mary, the paranormal element becomes arguably the most essential factor in this tale, and guess what… It was fantastic! It may be the first time I’ve appreciated something like this, but I attribute it to the book’s incredibly modern vibe. I imagined it was original in terms of paranormal notions, and I needed to stay up all night simply to see how things would eventually work out. I was completely wrong in my predictions about what the paranormal aspect would be, and as a result, since it finished on such an abrupt note, I believe a component of the last segment was lost or an epilogue was chopped in the editing system. I’m a little disappointed after finishing the book because it didn’t completely satisfy me. The ending left me perplexed. There came that final twist, the sting that just hurts. I felt like something important was about to happen, something I was rooting for, but I became sidetracked and disappointed.

Anyway, I’m not trying to confuse anyone; the conclusion ruined this book for me. I didn’t think the completeness was necessary. It did not come out positively. It has no bearing on the plot; it just happens. What happened a short time afterwards was very awful. I’m torn because I thoroughly loved the first two volumes. This confirms my belief that few strange books require an epilogue.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐(3/5)

Where to buy this book...