| Genre | Gay / Paranormal / Fantasy / Alternate Reality / Shifters / Magic / Royalty/Nobility / Erotic Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller / Action/Adventure |
| Reviewed by | Christy Duke on 23-August-2014 |
What is the value of a law long considered obsolete? How does one decision affect the course of the entire history?
Most people never get the chance to find out, but Phoenix and Rachen do. Much to their dismay, they find themselves in a reality torn apart. The draechen emperor, Shtamakarein Tersain, rules the world with an iron fist, but he doesn’t realize his mate is the man he considers his worst foe, Sari. His brother Hareematek hunts the nearly extinct werewolves, not knowing that his other half is among them. The entire world—paranormal and human—is at war.
Phoenix now faces the hardest decision of all—having to choose between the life of his mate and that of countless others. And when his powers disappear, the situation grows even more hopeless.
Will love be enough to fix the broken bonds? Can the world be reborn from the ashes, or will it collapse into ruins of a mutated history?
NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest imprint, the Siren Epic Romance collection. This is the final book in the Chronicles of the Shifter Directive series. The series shares an overall story arc with many crossover characters playing major roles in each book. These books are not stand-alone and should be read in their numbered order.
"What if the Directive hadn't been created? Would the world have been better, freer? Would cooperation between the paranormal species have spawned naturally? Or had the Directive been an alternative for something even worse?"
Oh wow...I can hardly believe I'm at the final book. And I have to admit that I read the blurb before I read the book. Sometimes that's good, and sometimes it isn't. This time it was good. For you see, I'm not a big fan of the whole alternate reality when it's messing up a world I already love. Don't get me wrong, I love an entire book/series based on fantasy and alternate reality, but in 'From the Ashes', Scarlet Hyacinth took my world and jumbled it all up, so the people who were supposed to be together weren't, and I was holding my breath through the reading, waiting until everything got straightened out again.
If you've done what I strongly recommended, then you've read this series in order. So you know that at the end of the previous book, the Ancient Horror tried to steal and use all of Phoenix's powers, which are considerable. Rachen managed to trap the Ancient Horror inside himself and then Rachen died. I know, right? It was agony. Phoenix in his grief did something using earth's energy, and all of a sudden Rachen was alive next to him, the draechen guards were confusing Rachen with his twin, Karein, and then Karein showed up with Caelyn? What? No. No. No. No. I won't stand for it, I said. So, you can imagine my trepidation when I opened up this book.
In this crazy, mixed-up world, the Great Sacrifice never happened, the Directive doesn't exist, Karein is emperor, Caelyn is his consort, Hareem is general for the draechen troops, werewolves apparently no longer exist, Karein has been at war with the sprites, and Sari, his mother and father, are Karein's greatest enemies and on the run. Plus, a whole lot more. Now do you understand my upset? Every page I turned I was waiting for it to be put back to rights, for Phoenix to figure out what he did and fix it. I'm telling you, it was a nail biter. Yikes. Especially since these new incarnations of my favorite characters could sense something missing, something just out of reach...oh, it was frustrating. If you're thinking I'm going to tell you...think again.
I have been consistently impressed with the author's writing throughout this series and this final book is no exception. In fact, I'm stunned by the intricacies of the story and how she brought all the pieces together in one seamless, flowing manner. The author could've taken the predictable and easy route, but she didn't. She definitely didn't. Instead what I got was this finale with bits and pieces of each reality woven together into a tapestry that, literally, knocked me off of my feet. I cried through more than one moment and it was heartbreaking, but it was also cleansing, much like Phoenix's fire. As a devoted reader of paranormal stories, particularly shifters and magical creatures, I can honestly say that this is one of the best series I've ever read. Read it. You won't regret it.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Siren Publishing for the purpose of a review.
| Format | ebook |
| Length | Novel, 94016 words |
| Heat Level | |
| Publication Date | 28-September-2013 |
| Price | $5.99 ebook |
| Buy Link | http://www.bookstrand.com/from-the-ashes |
