scrow1022's review against another edition
5.0
Well, I always love a good redemption story. Gorgeously written, as always. More fun than I expected. At first I thought that was because I recently read C. B. Lee's "Not Your Villian" and "Not Your Sidekick" and those kept coming to mind as I read this. But there was also something over the top about this that kept tickling me. And when I went to reread it, to figure out what that was, I saw it was written into every paragraph, this dry humor. I was trying to find a good quote but I just got sucked back in, chuckling to myself.
But behind that humor, the struggle. How do we stand in relation to our parents, especially when they've hurt us, and yet that's the only reality we know. Whew.
Yet another Xen Sanders I've bought as an e-book but need to get in print.
But behind that humor, the struggle. How do we stand in relation to our parents, especially when they've hurt us, and yet that's the only reality we know. Whew.
Yet another Xen Sanders I've bought as an e-book but need to get in print.
weecha22's review against another edition
5.0
I love this story. LOVE. Novellas are difficult because they are so short but I felt this one was perfect and I was never left feeling like I didn't get enough story. Tobias is such an interesting character--he's an anti-hero and an all around bad guy. He has trouble feeling emotions like normal people and his father, the biggest villain around, uses Tobias to do his bidding. Tobias, who has destroyed entire nations, just wants to be left alone. I loved his struggle to understand morals and what love is. His relationship with Sean is very well done and I enjoyed their debates about emotions and aberrants. I never felt like their relationship was rushed or insta-love. And even though the sex scenes aren't explicit, I still fanned myself a few times. Man, I wish my professors had been that hot in college. :P
And once the danger and the tension started building, I couldn't read fast enough. This story really hits on every emotion and by the end I just wanted to reread it so I could feel them all again. I want more!
And once the danger and the tension started building, I couldn't read fast enough. This story really hits on every emotion and by the end I just wanted to reread it so I could feel them all again. I want more!
junojuniper's review against another edition
4.0
This was intense! I really enjoyed it and I wish there was more to come.
cleo_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I almost DNF’d this. It’s well written but I’m not that into anti-heroes and I found it really unpleasant to be in this one’s head for the first several chapters - especially when he was killing people.
His redemption, when it finally came, was very satisfying.
His redemption, when it finally came, was very satisfying.
buuboobaby's review against another edition
4.0
I love super-hero stories, so when I saw that Entangled Publishing was releasing some super-hero novellas, I was excited to check them out. I loved the first one that I read, Playing with Fire by Tamara Morgan, so I dove into From the Ashes with a great deal of anticipation. I was sucked into the story on the first page, thought there were a few pacing issues in the middle, and enjoyed the ending, so this is another successful read.
Tobias is an aberrant. He can control electrical currents, and his father, a sociopath, has nurtured his talents and used him in a weapon in his war against humans. Tobias, as his alter-ego Spark, has done some terrible things. He has wiped out an entire city for his father’s ambitious dream of ruling the world, and now he longs for a quieter, less destructive life. A student at UC Berkley, he is researching the DNA sequence that manifests in aberrants. If the US government learns how to destroy the genome that makes super-humans like him, they will be able to control, and ultimately, wipe them out. When he is ordered by his father to assassinate a Senator, Tobias has serious soul searching to do. Does he have to be evil just because he is an aberrant?
I haven’t read a M/M romance in a while, so this was a nice switch up to my normal reading habits. Tobias makes the mistake of getting to know Sean, one of his professors, a little better than is wise. Struggling with his feelings of helpless against his father’s domineering control, Tobias is looking for a fling. He’ll have some fun with Sean, and then put the night behind him. Their relationship can’t go anywhere; Tobias is a monster, and Sean is a normal, quiet human. Tobias doesn’t think he is capable of love, and he certainly doesn’t believe that he is deserving of it, so he has never made lasting, meaningful attachments. His other relationships were at his whim, and he never felt emotionally invested in any of them.
I think I liked Tobias so much because he was so damaged. He didn’t think he was capable of feelings, but he had a cat that he obviously doted on. My belief is that if you can love an animal, there is no reason why you can’t take the plunge and love something as complicated as a human. Tobias’ problem was that his exposure to love and tenderness ended abruptly when he was a child, after his mother was killed. Suddenly under his father’s control, he was groomed to be his father’s right hand man in his desire to conquer and subdue the human race. While Tobias was able to put on a good front, he wasn’t actually as committed to his father’s goals as he pretended. He was more than content to be a graduate research student, but the threat of the aberrants becoming subjugated to normal humans propels him down a path he doesn’t want to take. His confusing relationship with Sean only manages to complicate matters, because he is afraid his father will kill Sean if he doesn’t tow the line.
The pacing felt a little off in the middle of the book, but otherwise this is a satisfying read, with an action-packed ending that hints at more adventures. I liked the characters, even Tobias, who considered himself irredeemable. The world-building seemed a bit light, but I’m hoping for more in the next installment of The Fires of Redemption series. If you enjoy super-heroes (or villains, as the case may be), and angst, this is a great, short read.
Grade: B/B-
Tobias is an aberrant. He can control electrical currents, and his father, a sociopath, has nurtured his talents and used him in a weapon in his war against humans. Tobias, as his alter-ego Spark, has done some terrible things. He has wiped out an entire city for his father’s ambitious dream of ruling the world, and now he longs for a quieter, less destructive life. A student at UC Berkley, he is researching the DNA sequence that manifests in aberrants. If the US government learns how to destroy the genome that makes super-humans like him, they will be able to control, and ultimately, wipe them out. When he is ordered by his father to assassinate a Senator, Tobias has serious soul searching to do. Does he have to be evil just because he is an aberrant?
I haven’t read a M/M romance in a while, so this was a nice switch up to my normal reading habits. Tobias makes the mistake of getting to know Sean, one of his professors, a little better than is wise. Struggling with his feelings of helpless against his father’s domineering control, Tobias is looking for a fling. He’ll have some fun with Sean, and then put the night behind him. Their relationship can’t go anywhere; Tobias is a monster, and Sean is a normal, quiet human. Tobias doesn’t think he is capable of love, and he certainly doesn’t believe that he is deserving of it, so he has never made lasting, meaningful attachments. His other relationships were at his whim, and he never felt emotionally invested in any of them.
I think I liked Tobias so much because he was so damaged. He didn’t think he was capable of feelings, but he had a cat that he obviously doted on. My belief is that if you can love an animal, there is no reason why you can’t take the plunge and love something as complicated as a human. Tobias’ problem was that his exposure to love and tenderness ended abruptly when he was a child, after his mother was killed. Suddenly under his father’s control, he was groomed to be his father’s right hand man in his desire to conquer and subdue the human race. While Tobias was able to put on a good front, he wasn’t actually as committed to his father’s goals as he pretended. He was more than content to be a graduate research student, but the threat of the aberrants becoming subjugated to normal humans propels him down a path he doesn’t want to take. His confusing relationship with Sean only manages to complicate matters, because he is afraid his father will kill Sean if he doesn’t tow the line.
The pacing felt a little off in the middle of the book, but otherwise this is a satisfying read, with an action-packed ending that hints at more adventures. I liked the characters, even Tobias, who considered himself irredeemable. The world-building seemed a bit light, but I’m hoping for more in the next installment of The Fires of Redemption series. If you enjoy super-heroes (or villains, as the case may be), and angst, this is a great, short read.
Grade: B/B-
kaa's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very intense and engrossing book. Tobias's conflict and tension are very convincingly written. I had some trepidation based on the blurb, but this isn't a book about gratuitous violence. Instead, while there are some pretty brutal fight scenes and references to significant past death and destruction, the story also engages deeply with questions of morality and humanity. I appreciated that it didn't shy away from remarking on real-world events.
lainy122's review against another edition
DNF
Loved the premise and the writing, but the main character's thoughts were a bit too dark to enjoy in a romance read.
Loved the premise and the writing, but the main character's thoughts were a bit too dark to enjoy in a romance read.
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
5.0
Where do I even begin with a book like this? When I first received the book for review, I was excited by the premise. I mean, who doesn’t like superhero/supervillain stories? And one told from the eyes of the villain? I thought I was in for a wonderful treat. Dark, sure, but a fun read. I was not expecting the book to be as deep as it is, nor for it to affect me long after the story ended.
Tobias, also known as Spark, is what is known as an aberrant; a superhuman-like individual with powers that normal humans do not have (think X-Men). His father is the villain who has destroyed entire countries, and Tobias helps him. As a college student, however, he is on a mission to find out what people know about aberrant physiology and destroy the research to prevent a cure from being created. Of course, as a sociopath he cannot possibly love anyone.
Until one night with his professor, Sean Archer.
While this might seem pretty cliché, I promise you it’s not. The romance in this story is not typical. Nothing in this story is typical. Tobias battles demons both of his own making and others, and he struggles to find some spark of humanity within himself.
He doesn’t know why he is drawn to his professor, though some readers may figure it out, but he is, and he struggles with the knowledge that he may have to kill him at some point in the future if his father demands it.
This book is equal parts internal and external struggle. I found the external conflicts to be exciting and engaging, completely worthy of a movie deal. The internal conflicts were deep and profound. Not only does Tobias struggle with the concept of his humanity, but he also struggles with being an aberrant, and being a person of color. There are some moments where Tobias reflects on the current political climate and events that have driven many people to lash out against the government, police, other groups… With a less skilled author, these moments would have seemed contrived. As if the author were preaching. However, Xen Sanders masterfully weaves politics and social science into the story to make it feel that much more real. The stakes are that much higher because this could be our world. This is our world.
While we may not have superhumans in our world (at least none that I am aware of), our history is embedded in this book. Our struggles and conflicts come to life on the pages of the novel, our social problems mirrored for us to see through a slightly different lens.
This book made me stop and think. Sure, it has some amazing battles, and the sex scenes are so hot I needed to step outside into the snow to cool off, but there is more to this book than just sex. Way, way more.
I have no doubt that this book—my first read in 2017—will make my top ten list for 2017. Very likely it would make my top five. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, and I highly recommend this book to everyone, regardless of whether or not you like superheroes or villains.
Reviewed by Jennifer for The Novel Approach Reviews
Tobias, also known as Spark, is what is known as an aberrant; a superhuman-like individual with powers that normal humans do not have (think X-Men). His father is the villain who has destroyed entire countries, and Tobias helps him. As a college student, however, he is on a mission to find out what people know about aberrant physiology and destroy the research to prevent a cure from being created. Of course, as a sociopath he cannot possibly love anyone.
Until one night with his professor, Sean Archer.
While this might seem pretty cliché, I promise you it’s not. The romance in this story is not typical. Nothing in this story is typical. Tobias battles demons both of his own making and others, and he struggles to find some spark of humanity within himself.
He doesn’t know why he is drawn to his professor, though some readers may figure it out, but he is, and he struggles with the knowledge that he may have to kill him at some point in the future if his father demands it.
This book is equal parts internal and external struggle. I found the external conflicts to be exciting and engaging, completely worthy of a movie deal. The internal conflicts were deep and profound. Not only does Tobias struggle with the concept of his humanity, but he also struggles with being an aberrant, and being a person of color. There are some moments where Tobias reflects on the current political climate and events that have driven many people to lash out against the government, police, other groups… With a less skilled author, these moments would have seemed contrived. As if the author were preaching. However, Xen Sanders masterfully weaves politics and social science into the story to make it feel that much more real. The stakes are that much higher because this could be our world. This is our world.
While we may not have superhumans in our world (at least none that I am aware of), our history is embedded in this book. Our struggles and conflicts come to life on the pages of the novel, our social problems mirrored for us to see through a slightly different lens.
This book made me stop and think. Sure, it has some amazing battles, and the sex scenes are so hot I needed to step outside into the snow to cool off, but there is more to this book than just sex. Way, way more.
I have no doubt that this book—my first read in 2017—will make my top ten list for 2017. Very likely it would make my top five. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, and I highly recommend this book to everyone, regardless of whether or not you like superheroes or villains.
Reviewed by Jennifer for The Novel Approach Reviews
terriaminute's review
4.0
This is an early work of the author's, "remastered," if you will.
The story hits me where I live: people with unusual, rare powers struggle against prejudice, and our protagonist is caught in a unique spot regarding good versus evil and his lack of choice in the matter. Having read Shatterproof just recently, Sanders' progress in writing skill is obvious, but From the Ashes is very good, and I'm glad to have read it.
Minor quibbles; one sex scene struck me as improbable, and there's a little repetition here and there within paragraphs. A stronger ending would've earned a fifth star from me.
The story hits me where I live: people with unusual, rare powers struggle against prejudice, and our protagonist is caught in a unique spot regarding good versus evil and his lack of choice in the matter. Having read Shatterproof just recently, Sanders' progress in writing skill is obvious, but From the Ashes is very good, and I'm glad to have read it.
Minor quibbles; one sex scene struck me as improbable, and there's a little repetition here and there within paragraphs. A stronger ending would've earned a fifth star from me.