Ashes on the Waves by
Mary Lindsey
ARC received from Penguin
On Shelves Now
Reviewed by : Middle
Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:
Gut-wrenching and unique; a tale of blissful woe and beautiful agony
With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make awager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem, "Annabel Lee," Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.
I was sold on this book the moment I saw that it was a
modernization of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, Annabel Lee. I love Poe’s dark nature, and I definitely
saw whispers of his inner demons in Mary Lindsey’s rewrite. Lindsey’s world was dark and gritty, full of
open deceit and hatred. Lindsey created
a terrifying story set in our world, but not of our world; where ancient
beliefs and discrimination hold sway over the balance of life and death.
I love the new wave of gothic romances that are sweeping the
YA shelves this summer. This is by far
my favorite sub-genre of YA, and I will read any others in this area with open
arms. I love the poetic writing that
brings these ominous worlds to life; and there is a part of me that embraces
that fact that good does not always win over evil. It’s more truthful and in a way, makes the
books all the more poignant. I praise
Mary Lindsey for her willingness to delve into the deep recesses of human
nature, bringing to light that death is what makes life worth living.
My favorite part of this story was the setting—which seems
to be what I love the most in the gothic genre.
Ashes takes place on a secluded island that, although present day, lives
like it’s the 1800s. There is new
electricity or plumbing on most of the island, and the citizens have created a
Lord of the Flies type of existence.
Murder and deceit are not punished as civilized society would have it, instead,
lynchings and other atrocities are accepted.
The island was frustrating and eerie, but the perfect place for a tragic
love story.
I did have some sort of trouble with what seemed like
insta-love. I say “seemed like” because
Liam and Anna knew each other when they were kids, so it wasn’t like it was
love at first sight. But I did feel like
they fell so quickly, but I guess that keeps with the poem, so it was
appropriate.
Liam was unlike most of the guys in YA literature, which was
refreshing, although he didn’t blow me away.
He is soft-spoken, kind and gentle, and extremely shy. Again, this keeps with the 1800s feel of the
setting, though as the relationship between him and Anna is more like an
old-days courtship than a modern romance.
Their love was true and you could see that in the selfless acts they
committed, but I wish there was more passion along the way. It seemed too tame for me, and not tame in the
sexual sense. I mean, tame as in, very
few passionate embraces and kisses were actually described. It was more like her kiss blew me away and
that was it. I wanted to feel the
emotion in the act.
I liked Anna, although again, I felt like she needed more
emotion. She is broken like Liam, only
in a completely different way. They come
from two different worlds, but their desperation to be acknowledged brought
them together. I liked that Anna didn’t
back down from a fight, even when it was the entire town against her.
Overall, this was a great tragic romance with very few
flaws. Mary Lindsey created a story of star-crossed
lovers that will rival even the greatest of loves, and stand up to the darkest
of fates.
