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bear_reads_books's review
5.0
So I'm browsing NetGalley when I see a title and cover that catches my eye. Then I see the author's name. Kara Thomas...the Kara Thomas? And she's written an adult novel?! To say I was thrilled is an understatement. Plus it was a read now title so I didn't have to request and hope, I could get my greedy paws on it now.. I obviously hyped this up for myself, Kara Thomas is one of my favorite YA authors. And I can honestly say she writes for adults just as well.
Now that I've established that I'm a fan of the author and had high expectations, let me tell you how I felt about Out of the Ashes. I thought it was well written, perfectly paced. Sam was a good protagonist, stopping at nothing to find out who really killed her family when she was a kid.
I will say it feels like there were a lot of characters in her sad hometown that I had to keep reminding myself who they were. Characters either related to her or just connected to her family but related to each other. So my brain struggled just a bit with that. But it did not take me out of the story, I blame my shoddy memory.
There are twists and turns galore, everyone Sam talks to is shady and has something to hide. You never know where it's going and kept on the edge of your seat. I was silently begging Sam to leave and continue having nothing to do with all these people. While also dying to know the truth as well. The reveal is shocking and the ending is quite satisfying.
I've kept my review vague in the hopes you'll go into it spoiler free and enjoy the ride knowing as little as possible. Out of the Ashes met my expectations and is a solid five star mystery novel. I do hope Kara Thomas continues to write for adults (while still writing YA of course!)
Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.
Review can also be found at A Good Mystery
Now that I've established that I'm a fan of the author and had high expectations, let me tell you how I felt about Out of the Ashes. I thought it was well written, perfectly paced. Sam was a good protagonist, stopping at nothing to find out who really killed her family when she was a kid.
I will say it feels like there were a lot of characters in her sad hometown that I had to keep reminding myself who they were. Characters either related to her or just connected to her family but related to each other. So my brain struggled just a bit with that. But it did not take me out of the story, I blame my shoddy memory.
There are twists and turns galore, everyone Sam talks to is shady and has something to hide. You never know where it's going and kept on the edge of your seat. I was silently begging Sam to leave and continue having nothing to do with all these people. While also dying to know the truth as well. The reveal is shocking and the ending is quite satisfying.
I've kept my review vague in the hopes you'll go into it spoiler free and enjoy the ride knowing as little as possible. Out of the Ashes met my expectations and is a solid five star mystery novel. I do hope Kara Thomas continues to write for adults (while still writing YA of course!)
Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.
Review can also be found at A Good Mystery
andrealage's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mattgorski's review
Just didn't hit for me, and i had a lot other books to get to!
emily_hummel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
with_hernosestuckinabook's review
5.0
I started this the day it came out and took just over a day to read it. I love the way this author writes. She gives us all the details and keeps us on the edge of our seat the whole time. I was looking for Lynsey on every page. Every single man in that town seemed like a suspect but man that plot twist was FIERCE. I never saw that coming. What a great book!
rah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
hayleybeale's review
4.0
Kara Thomas has written some terrifically atmospheric YA thrillers set in white working class towns full of secrets and with this novel she successfully transitions to an adult mystery set in the same milieu.
When Samantha Newsom was 11, her parents, uncle, and baby sister were killed and then their house burned down. Now, more than two decades later, Sam has returned to Carney as another uncle had died of lung cancer. A state investigator has re-opened the unsolved case of her family’s murders and Sam gets drawn into doing some investigating of her own. As she digs deeper, her long-held assumption that it was a corrupt cop behind it all is challenged and she unearths the long-ignored disappearances of young women that may be linked.
The author masterfully draws Sam’s slippery reality as she returns to the dead-end small town peopled by those who grew up there and have stayed because there wasn’t an alternative and because that’s just what you do. These are grown-up versions of the author’s teen characters, particularly the young women, who have aimlessly gone with the prevailing winds, scraping by financially and emotionally, drifting into drugs, alcohol, or some other form of numbness.
The plot switches back and forth and as Sam peels back more layers, she lets light and air into the festering secrets that have lain hidden and she is able to get to the truth and return, changed, to her normal life.
Kara Thomas has long been one of my favorite YA authors and I’m pumped that she has accomplished the move to adult thrillers so triumphantly.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
When Samantha Newsom was 11, her parents, uncle, and baby sister were killed and then their house burned down. Now, more than two decades later, Sam has returned to Carney as another uncle had died of lung cancer. A state investigator has re-opened the unsolved case of her family’s murders and Sam gets drawn into doing some investigating of her own. As she digs deeper, her long-held assumption that it was a corrupt cop behind it all is challenged and she unearths the long-ignored disappearances of young women that may be linked.
The author masterfully draws Sam’s slippery reality as she returns to the dead-end small town peopled by those who grew up there and have stayed because there wasn’t an alternative and because that’s just what you do. These are grown-up versions of the author’s teen characters, particularly the young women, who have aimlessly gone with the prevailing winds, scraping by financially and emotionally, drifting into drugs, alcohol, or some other form of numbness.
The plot switches back and forth and as Sam peels back more layers, she lets light and air into the festering secrets that have lain hidden and she is able to get to the truth and return, changed, to her normal life.
Kara Thomas has long been one of my favorite YA authors and I’m pumped that she has accomplished the move to adult thrillers so triumphantly.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
naliyah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death