Heart of Ash

December 1, 2017
Ash's transformation into an immortal in Blood and Salt (2015) continues to lead her into both danger and romance.In the first installment Ash learned that her family is descended from cult members questing for (and occasionally obtaining) immortality. Ash was also briefly possessed by the spirit of an ancient immortal who was seeking revenge on the spirit of her former lover, Coronado. Unfortunately, Coronado's spirit took up permanent residence in Ash's love interest, Dane. During this chaotic time, Ash's twin brother, Rhys, disappeared. Now, a year later, Rhys' unique blood is being used to assassinate immortals. Ash's quest to locate Rhys lacks urgency due to her preoccupation with her relationship with Dane--even as murders unfold around her. Meanwhile, Dane claims he can resist Coronado's attempts to completely control his body, which will undoubtedly sound dubious to readers long before Ash grows suspicious. Overall, Ash's pattern of ignoring multiple warning signs about the perilousness of her own situation merely slows the pace of the inevitable reveals without adding much suspense. And the narrative also lags as characters rarely display the volatile combination of love and jealousy that supposedly has motivated them to commit atrocities against one another for centuries. Ash is depicted as white on the cover, and the book appears to adhere to the white default.The occasionally choppy narrative and underdeveloped relationships mark this for fans of Blood and Salt only. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-This follow-up to Blood and Salt takes the murderous scheming of immortals out of the cornfield and into the wealthy upper echelon of society. Dane is now hosting Coronado in his body and has been thrown in the limelight as a handsome, wealthy playboy. Ash tries her hardest to stay away despite their blood bond; but when she finds out her absent brother Rhys has been murdering immortals with his deadly blood, possibly against his will, she knows Dane might have some information. The two hatch a complicated plot to fool the surviving immortals and save Rhys. They still share an intense, almost maudlin attraction, but Ash (and readers) is never sure if it is Dane she's swooning over or if Coronado is pulling the strings. Like the first installment, the plot is difficult to follow, and without the intrigue of the bizarre cornfield cult as a backdrop, there is not as much payoff for parsing out the story line. The love story is dripping with Gothic fervor and angst, and the glamorous world Ash and Dane are swept into might hold appeal for readers who enjoy romance and are already familiar with the characters. VERDICT For hard-core fans of the first book; purchase where the previous volume is popular.-Beth McIntyre, Madison Public Library, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 Immortal and heartbroken, Ash Larkin is in New York City, barely living, missing her mother, and hoping for her brother's return. She escaped the evil spirit of Katia and the Quivira cult in Blood and Salt (2015), but it came at the cost of her mother's life and the soul of her first love, Dane. Now, Ash spends her days making gold and mourning. When she learns that Dane, now possessed by the dark spirit of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, may be up to villainous plots, and that her brother Rhys might be wholesale murdering important dignitaries, she decides to shake out of her malaise and go looking for trouble. Dane and Coronado's new world holds all kinds of secrets, and Ash has to decide where to go from here. Liggett's second series entry remains eerie around the edges. At its heart, it's still something of a romance, though a very likely doomed one. The ending is left open for a possible third, and hooked readers will be all-in.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Things didn't end well (in Blood and Salt) between Ash and her blood-bonded love, Dane. But when he returns with an ambitious plan that involves finding her missing twin brother, Ash agrees to help. In spite of some flat secondary characters, this atmospheric tale's exploration of alchemy, fate, and the Gothic mystery at its center should enthrall fans of tortured romances.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)