Review: Ashfall

I received an ARC of Ashfall from authors Dalton and Emily Bequette, the second book in the Flameheart Chronicles. It is a direct sequel to Flameheart that would not work as a standalone due to the heavy exposition and backstory requiring readers to familiarize themselves with the first book. Since it is written in a similar style, people who enjoyed the first installment will likely enjoy this one as well. As an older reader, I had a bit of a rough time with it. The concepts introduced in Flameheart were fascinating and unique, yet as a sequel, aside from a few surprising revelations, Ashfall was a bit tedious for me.

In Flameheart, Aurelia learns that she has the ability to travel to fictional worlds and to bring characters from her imagination to life, particularly Prince Kayce, her imaginary lover. However, the book contains little exploration of the psychological effects of falling for a fictional character. Instead, it is assumed that the reader automatically wants them to be together, and loads of otherworldly obstacles are thrown in the way. As much as I enjoy the concept of portal fantasy, this book packed in so many battles and world-jumping that I had a hard time keeping up. The story never gives the reader a chance to breathe or to explore the emotional effects of the main couple's relationship, which should be wrought with emotional struggles due to both of them being from separate worlds.

There were a few parts near the middle of the book that I enjoyed, particularly the backstory of Aurelia's mother. The revelation of Cordelia's past explained why she didn't support Aurelia's obsession with other worlds in the first book, as well as the reason Aurelia is so powerful as a Flameheart. This was an excellent addition that foreshadowed the challenges that Aurelia might face in future books. I wish more time had been spent focusing on that. In fact, I may have enjoyed this book more if it had been a prequel about Aurelia's mother instead of spending so many chapters on endless battles throughout the worlds.

The Flameheart Chronicles introduces some unique concepts, yet Ashfall missed a lot of opportunities to explore them further. The idea that Aurelia can imagine other worlds and characters and bring them to life using a magic pen creates endless potential for creative storytelling. However, the books don't really show her using her abilities to bring new ideas into the world, except for Kayce, whose relationship with her feels a bit forced. Unlike Between the Lines, we don't see his feelings for her grow over time. They are there because she decided he would always be there for her when she created him as her imaginary friend as a child.

Overall, Ashfall is an action-packed sequel that continues the story introduced in Flameheart. Since so much of it depends upon understanding the concepts introduced in the first book, I strongly recommend reading Flameheart first. It works adequately as a continuation but can come off as tedious at times due to the nonstop fighting. I enjoyed the backstory of Aurelia's mother and the shocking, dramatic twist at the end. However, I would have preferred more time to explore Aurelia's abilities as a Flameheart and to her relationship with Kayce instead of non-stop battles with the Hunter and his lackeys.