{Blog Tour} Book Review: Ashes & Ice - Rochelle Maya Callen

Title: Ashes & Ice (Ashes & Ice #1)

Author: Rochelle Maya Callen
Release Date: February 4th 2013

Genre: Young Adult
Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours

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She is desperate to remember.
He is aching to forget.
Together, they are not broken.
But together, one may not survive. 

Jade wakes up with no memory of her past and blood on her hands. 

Plagued by wicked thoughts, she searches for answers. Instead, she finds a boy who doesn't offer her answers, but hope. But sometimes, when nightmares turn into reality and death follows you everywhere, hope is not enough. 

LUST. LOVE. LOSS. Sometimes, all that is left are Ashes and Ice.

The only thing I knew before starting to read Ashes & Ice was that the girl had some kind of amnesia, so this one ended up being such a nice surprise for me.

Jade has a dark past that she can't remember. She often wakes up with blood in her hands, not knowing how it got there, and then soon she'd hear about a murder. She knows the answer lies in her memory, but it's always evading her. Connor, on the other hand, just recently lost his dad. He tries to move on and continue living as he'd always done, but the pain is always there inside him. 

I really liked both of the main characters. I thought they wouldn't mesh well because they're both so broken and messed up, but good heavens, were they perfect together! They became each other's anchor to survival, but I love how their relationship wasn't cheesy or anything, and how it started out as friendship.

Now, some people might think there was insta-love in here - no, there's none. Connor was insta-attracted to Jade, which is normal because everyone seems to find Jade very attractive. Also, Jade only begins to get interested in Connor when she sees his grief. It might have started as pity on her part, but it soon turned into real affection.

Aside from the romance, the other great thing about Ashes & Ice was the writing. It was very fluid and poetic, making the characters' feelings even more wrenching and compelling. I liked Jade's perspective more because Connor was a little bit too angst-y at first, but he soon grew on me, especially with his sarcasm.

Overall, this book was a true mystery. I had a lot of guesses as to what Jade's true nature was, and just as I was starting to feel sure that I'd guessed right, another clue would be thrown in and confuse me again... which I really enjoyed! I love guessing games, and I can't wait for the sequel!

MY FAVORITE PART was Jade face-planting Blondeboobs on the cafeteria table XD

RATING:

     

About the author:

Rochelle grew up dreaming up stories. When she entered high school, she tucked away her creative side and jumped head-first into academics, work, and service projects. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science and Communication when she was twenty years old. After years away from her writing, Rochelle picked up a pen and started fleshing out a character sketch that she outlined when she was twelve. That sketch was the start of the Ashes and Ice story. Rochelle lives in the DC metro area with her husband and daughter. By day she works as a behavioral therapist. By night, she is a dreamer and is busy tapping out new stories on her keyboard.

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