slightly__gothic's review
DNFed at 60%. This book started horribly. The pacing was awful and clearly the author just did not know how to start this story. But it was an interesting idea and I thought maybe it would redeem itself, but this book is just a huge mess. There’s multiple POVs and the FMC’s is first person while everyone else’s randomly third person? It really takes you out of the story and by 60% I realized it was going no where and the FMC was just too whiny. Also 60% of this book took place over the course of 24 hours. Literally nothing interesting happens.
jasmyn9's review
5.0
I fell in love with the shifter lore in Ashes to Earth. Pulling from many different cultures, Sarah Ashwood was able to show the mythical creatures from around the world in one place. Many of the main shifter characters seem to be based on Greek myths, so fans of Greek mythology may really enjoy this fresh take on the classic mythological characters.
Ellie, the human, is wonderful. She’s very well-balanced and when the fluff hits the fan, she freaks out – as any good human girl would do when a minotaur shows up in front of them. But she also reacts quickly. She isn’t a damsel in distress by any means, but she does realize her own limitation when it comes to standing up against these shifters. It was quite refreshing to have such a down-to-earth character be the heroine of an urban fantasy story.
I’m still trying to figure out Carter. he’s hard and stubborn, but I saw glimpses of something much more, but I’m not sure what that “more” is yet. He has a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor, which I loved, but not everyone in the story did. I feel like he may have been a little flat with a lot of her deeper self being described from his past instead of showing up in his actions in the present.
Carter’s job throughout the book is the protect Ellie from the other team’s shifters. And both sides get pretty creative in their attacks and defenses, which just freaks Ellie out even more. The reason for the war between the two sides comes out slowly, and we discover more about it as Ellie finds herself slipping further and further into the shifter world.
I will definitely want to pick up the second book in the Stones of Fire series. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but even without that, I know there’s more to tell and I really want to find out who is going to win in the end.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Ellie, the human, is wonderful. She’s very well-balanced and when the fluff hits the fan, she freaks out – as any good human girl would do when a minotaur shows up in front of them. But she also reacts quickly. She isn’t a damsel in distress by any means, but she does realize her own limitation when it comes to standing up against these shifters. It was quite refreshing to have such a down-to-earth character be the heroine of an urban fantasy story.
I’m still trying to figure out Carter. he’s hard and stubborn, but I saw glimpses of something much more, but I’m not sure what that “more” is yet. He has a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor, which I loved, but not everyone in the story did. I feel like he may have been a little flat with a lot of her deeper self being described from his past instead of showing up in his actions in the present.
Carter’s job throughout the book is the protect Ellie from the other team’s shifters. And both sides get pretty creative in their attacks and defenses, which just freaks Ellie out even more. The reason for the war between the two sides comes out slowly, and we discover more about it as Ellie finds herself slipping further and further into the shifter world.
I will definitely want to pick up the second book in the Stones of Fire series. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but even without that, I know there’s more to tell and I really want to find out who is going to win in the end.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
nogenreleftbehind's review
5.0
I fell in love with the shifter lore in Ashes to Earth. Pulling from many different cultures, Sarah Ashwood was able to show the mythical creatures from around the world in one place. Many of the main shifter characters seem to be based on Greek myths, so fans of Greek mythology may really enjoy this fresh take on the classic mythological characters.
Ellie, the human, is wonderful. She’s very well-balanced and when the fluff hits the fan, she freaks out – as any good human girl would do when a minotaur shows up in front of them. But she also reacts quickly. She isn’t a damsel in distress by any means, but she does realize her own limitation when it comes to standing up against these shifters. It was quite refreshing to have such a down-to-earth character be the heroine of an urban fantasy story.
I’m still trying to figure out Carter. he’s hard and stubborn, but I saw glimpses of something much more, but I’m not sure what that “more” is yet. He has a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor, which I loved, but not everyone in the story did. I feel like he may have been a little flat with a lot of her deeper self being described from his past instead of showing up in his actions in the present.
Carter’s job throughout the book is the protect Ellie from the other team’s shifters. And both sides get pretty creative in their attacks and defenses, which just freaks Ellie out even more. The reason for the war between the two sides comes out slowly, and we discover more about it as Ellie finds herself slipping further and further into the shifter world.
I will definitely want to pick up the second book in the Stones of Fire series. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but even without that, I know there’s more to tell and I really want to find out who is going to win in the end.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Ellie, the human, is wonderful. She’s very well-balanced and when the fluff hits the fan, she freaks out – as any good human girl would do when a minotaur shows up in front of them. But she also reacts quickly. She isn’t a damsel in distress by any means, but she does realize her own limitation when it comes to standing up against these shifters. It was quite refreshing to have such a down-to-earth character be the heroine of an urban fantasy story.
I’m still trying to figure out Carter. he’s hard and stubborn, but I saw glimpses of something much more, but I’m not sure what that “more” is yet. He has a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor, which I loved, but not everyone in the story did. I feel like he may have been a little flat with a lot of her deeper self being described from his past instead of showing up in his actions in the present.
Carter’s job throughout the book is the protect Ellie from the other team’s shifters. And both sides get pretty creative in their attacks and defenses, which just freaks Ellie out even more. The reason for the war between the two sides comes out slowly, and we discover more about it as Ellie finds herself slipping further and further into the shifter world.
I will definitely want to pick up the second book in the Stones of Fire series. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but even without that, I know there’s more to tell and I really want to find out who is going to win in the end.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
chaoskay's review
5.0
I loved the storyline and the characters were great . My only issue was Ellie was to whiny I know she was put in a difficult situation but whining about it and getting at Carter wasn’t going to solve anything. I was glad she mellowed out near the end. I haven’t listened to Mellissa Kay Bensons narration before and I enjoyed listening to her.
mamadragonbooks's review
4.0
3.5 stars .. I should have read the blurb. I was thinking it was dystopian. Oops. Didn’t disappoint though. Engaging. Ellie was naive, religious, and a sweetheart. Carter was either a jerk or sweet. Different take on shifters. Little bit of Greek mythology. Slow burn romance.
mysterious_bookshack's review
5.0
I want to thank Booksirens and the author for giving me the privilege to read this novel in exchange for a completely honest review!
Acutal Rating ~ 4.5 / 5 stars
WHY? That's how I'm going to start off my review. Why did you have to end the book on such a cliffhanger?!? I'm not saying that the cliffhanger was bad, I am saying that I don't think I'm going to survive the wait until the next book is released!
Want to hear the honest truth? I binge read this novel in less than 2 hours! I'm not lying, it's just I couldn't put this book down. The way that the author incorporated different myths from all around the world and turn it into such a magical ride is just fantastic.
Ellie and Carter's characters in this book were amazing. Ellie is this sweet down to earth character who has literally risked her life twice and will continue to do it if it meant that she would be saving a life. She goes through so many events - disturbing and scary - that it makes sense why she doesn't bounce right back up. I mean, if it was me in her place, I'd probably be crying in a corner (lol). Carter, being Ellie's protector and a shapeshifter himself, does everything in this power to protect Ellie from other shapeshifters while dealing with the fact that he is seriously attracted to her. It was really interesting to see how much Carter had picked up on Ellie's mood, beliefs, and wishes in a couple of days, and omg, their banter was so fun to read. In book 2, I'm hoping for more of that if that cliffhanger doesn't kill me first!
Overall, an amazing book, and I do encourage others to pick this up! I can't wait for book 2!!!
Acutal Rating ~ 4.5 / 5 stars
WHY? That's how I'm going to start off my review. Why did you have to end the book on such a cliffhanger?!? I'm not saying that the cliffhanger was bad, I am saying that I don't think I'm going to survive the wait until the next book is released!
Want to hear the honest truth? I binge read this novel in less than 2 hours! I'm not lying, it's just I couldn't put this book down. The way that the author incorporated different myths from all around the world and turn it into such a magical ride is just fantastic.
Ellie and Carter's characters in this book were amazing. Ellie is this sweet down to earth character who has literally risked her life twice and will continue to do it if it meant that she would be saving a life. She goes through so many events - disturbing and scary - that it makes sense why she doesn't bounce right back up. I mean, if it was me in her place, I'd probably be crying in a corner (lol). Carter, being Ellie's protector and a shapeshifter himself, does everything in this power to protect Ellie from other shapeshifters while dealing with the fact that he is seriously attracted to her. It was really interesting to see how much Carter had picked up on Ellie's mood, beliefs, and wishes in a couple of days, and omg, their banter was so fun to read. In book 2, I'm hoping for more of that if that cliffhanger doesn't kill me first!
Overall, an amazing book, and I do encourage others to pick this up! I can't wait for book 2!!!
wanderfca69's review
4.0
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the title, but... once you start reading the book you will enjoy it. I did. The reason I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I really didn't relate/like Ellie. She was too wishy washy, freaked out for too long, had repetitive dialogs with herself, and didn't handle the situation well. Other than that it was a great book. One thing I will mention is her spine actually came out in one situation where she saved Carter's life, but then she went back to being spineless. Carter was a great character and I really wanted to give him a hug. Hopefully, in the next book, Ellie will have gotten herself together and decided what she wants to do. I do look forward to reading it. This is a 5 star book if you like main characters that have no idea which way she wants to go in a situation other than not where she is right now. I would recommend it.
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