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A review by starryeyedreamer
Bridge of Ash by Jacquelyn Benson
5.0
The third book in Jacquelyn Benson's Charismatics series did not disappoint. It begins in December 1914. Lily, the central character, is only a week away from her wedding to Strangford, the man she loves. After the tumultuous events of the previous book, 'The Shadow of Water', Strangford is debarred from joining the butchery that has begun to take place on the battlefields of Europe due to his injuries. Moreover, she has a better grip on her mysterious gift than ever before. She should be in her happy place… but both the past and the future are shadowing it. Lily still misses her mentor, Robert Ash, and the war in Europe engenders a sense of frustrated powerlessness. She and her fellow charismatics all feel that somehow, with their unique abilities, they should be able to help.
When an opportunity arises, however, it does so in a way that none of them expect. When a serious crime occurs , Strangford is the chief suspect, and Lily believes that her gift may be partially responsible for the way events fell out. She must battle guilt, an annoyingly intelligent police officer, and the first Charismatic she has ever met who is not on the side of the angels, to clear Strangford's name and rescue her country from the possibly devastating consequences of treachery. On the upside, she finds a new ally in one of her half-brothers.
The surrounding historical background is not drawn in as much detail in this book as the first two in the series, possibly because very few people need the disastrous early days of the Great War explained to them, and possibly because there is not much room for it in and around the fast-paced action. However, Lily's internal life, and the tightrope she continues to walk socially due to her position as the illegitimate daughter of an actress and an aristocrat are as sensitively portrayed as ever. I was already in love with Benson's charismatic central characters, but fell further during the course of this book. I found the central whodunnit and the adventures of Lily and Strangford as they attempt to solve it so compelling that I could hardly put the book down. Highly recommended.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
When an opportunity arises, however, it does so in a way that none of them expect. When a serious crime occurs , Strangford is the chief suspect, and Lily believes that her gift may be partially responsible for the way events fell out. She must battle guilt, an annoyingly intelligent police officer, and the first Charismatic she has ever met who is not on the side of the angels, to clear Strangford's name and rescue her country from the possibly devastating consequences of treachery. On the upside, she finds a new ally in one of her half-brothers.
The surrounding historical background is not drawn in as much detail in this book as the first two in the series, possibly because very few people need the disastrous early days of the Great War explained to them, and possibly because there is not much room for it in and around the fast-paced action. However, Lily's internal life, and the tightrope she continues to walk socially due to her position as the illegitimate daughter of an actress and an aristocrat are as sensitively portrayed as ever. I was already in love with Benson's charismatic central characters, but fell further during the course of this book. I found the central whodunnit and the adventures of Lily and Strangford as they attempt to solve it so compelling that I could hardly put the book down. Highly recommended.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.