Ashes to Ashes (Burn for Burn #3, by Jenny Han)

Goodreads Synopsis 

New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come.

After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.

Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?

Review

I give ★★★✩✩

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a burn for a burn, a life for a life. That's how this all started, and that's how it's going to end."

For starters, let me point out that Kat in the cover above really looks like someone incapable of putting together two pieces of clothing, why would someone wear a black bra under a white laced top?!

Back to the real topic, the heart-wrenching, heartbreaking, evil, evil book called Ashes to Ashes. The book with the worst possible ending I've had to come across EVER. Where do I even start? 

Well, from the beginning of course. 

The second book ends with us finding out that Mary is in fact dead. And she's a seriously pissed off ghost. Not only does she want to make Reeve's life horrible but she wants to literally actually end him. This is just beyond my expectations. 

Let me point out that I stayed completely quiet about the whole failed plan to make Alex miserable in the first book because he was in fact innocent, so their first plan to make Reeve pay for everything hurt way too many people. That should've immediately screamed MARY YOU'RE EVIL right from the start even though it was Kat's idea to put this whole thing together. Whom was also half responsible for this, and yet she gave absolutely no shit about it (may have never even mentioned how awful she felt about even coming up with the idea.) To be quite frank, and a bit of a cold-hearted person, Shepherd was more or less of a karma for Kat coming up with this plan to hurt Reeve, Rennie and Alex. BUT what was more infuriating was the fact that Kat was just another character in the third book. There have been no credits given to her. She saved Lilia and herself and risked her dog's life because of stupid, stupid Mary. Also, what happened to her aunt? She had a pretty important role in the first book and second one and then all of the sudden she disappears and Mary becomes the most awful, annoying and deadly ghost. Kat was introduced as this amazing, i-dont-give-a-flying-crap girl and then the third book just killed her off. I was rooting so badly for her and Alex to get together, because, I mean, opposites attract and he is described as sweet, romantic boy with artistic dreams and she's just a hopeless human. Just perfect together. 

To be honest, unlike many many other readers, Lilia was a character I liked. The fact that she was centred somewhat in the center of this  drama was what made me like her BUT HER CHOICE TO PICK ALEX AND BREAK UP WITH REEVE IN THE END COMPLETELY WIPED ANY GOOD EMOTION I FELT TOWARDS HER. The whole point of the second book was to get us to love the two of them together, Lilia and Reeve. They had to break so many kind of codes to be together. The excitement was slowly built and I was so excited their relationship would develop more in the third book but then SHIT HAPPENED. And authors are so evil sometimes. It took forever for them to get together. There were so many obstacles like Rennie's clingy long arms (at least that's how I imagined her and her friendship to Lilia.) and Lilia's loyalty towards Mary and Reeve's bro-code with Alex. But they had finally made it together and there was no going back and Rennie died because of it. Rennie died because of Lilia's relationship with Reeve and they still did NOT end up together. How is she so heartless? She said she loved him, they actually FELL IN LOVE AND SHE DID NOTHING ABOUT IT AND IT'S PISSING ME OFF. I wanted them together despite their differences in social status and studies. OPPOSITES ATTRACT DAMMIT! 

"I've fallen for the one person I shouldn't have. For the boy who broke Mary's heart. For Rennie's one true love. For Alex's best friend. It has to end here. Now."

NO IT DOESN'T!

The truth is that even though Lilia was in fact my favourite, after Reeve, she had suffered the least out of all of them. They all had one major loss, what was Lilia's? A piece of jewelry from Reeve? I got seriously mad whenever Lilia wouldn't put the energy to keep her relationship alive with Reeve. She was worried about what people thought about her more than actually being with him and enjoying the time they had together. For a main character Lilia lacked the strength and will to keep a relationship so complicated. In fact I'm convinced she didn't deserve Reeve. Maybe it was all pity for what happened to his leg. 

I may have also disliked Reeve at some major points for instance when he was with Rennie. Why did he just not freaking say no to her if he wasn't attracted to her? Why couldn't he just let her go and stop leading her on. I'd feel zero guilt if I ran into someone I actually liked and let go of the clingy person attached to me that I find UN-attractive. Reeve was just too much of a wuss to deal with his guilt and his problems and how the hell did he talk to Mary on Halloween and didn't totally freak out? If he did, why was it not mentioned? How come he hears Mary and doesn't deal with his shit by talking to someone? And isn't it a bit suspicious to just have your ghostly past pop up out of nowhere after so long? He loved Lilia? He should've told her. Reeve goes through So.SO.MUCH. I should've dedicated some ten minutes crying for all the pain he's had to endure. That poor bastard.  The thing is, Reeve was such a bad-ass character, so tough and strong and the quarter-something-American and he was popular and cool and everything and he couldn't HANDLE ANYTHING LIKE A MAN.


And if she loved him she should've told him what was going on, or at least found a way to tell him without having Mary find out like an anonymous letter or some shit. BUT SHE DIDN'T EVEN TRY. She just cut him off and I wanted to burn the book right that second. Pretty sure the Goddamn author has done absolute no research on the meaning of love or the actions or anything. That was a cheap sacrifice. She should've found a way. AND IN THE EPILOGUE THEY'R JUST DONE. They've ruined the whole story for me with that. The rush was awful.
Let me get back to Mary. The character build up had absolute NO KIND OF CONNECTION TO THE THIRD BOOK. We meet sweet, innocent Mary in the first book and then the second we barely get anything on her and then suddenly she's the most evil person you'll ever come across. Because why, you ask? Because she killed herslef. HERSELF. Her fault she died. You want to end your suffering? You freaking grow up! Her reasoning for killing herself was pretty weak for such an insufferable, evil human-ghost. Her personality is so much stronger as a comparison to her old self. She's in fact weak throughout the whole first book. I get that she expected some kind of attention after coming back to Jar Island's highschool but that should've given her a hint when everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, except of the two girls, ignored her. And the fact that the only reason she even came up in the this book to just rant about her revenge plans and how she was so evil she wanted to burn everyone, I just  COULD NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE. I should've been wise and skipped every chapter involving Mary. AND GUESS WHAT FOLKS. She realizes everything was a mistake and wanted to make up for it for the smallest little act. LIKE THAT WOULD FIX LILIA AND REEVE. WELL DONE MARY YOU FAILED.  There was so much chemistry and love and beautiful things and it took an author 3 pages to flush it in my neighbor's toilet. I'm so devastated about it, you have no idea.
Alex is another example of poor character development. Normally after being turned down or rejected, people MOVE ON. Not Alex, he's a special kind of boy. He won't take no for an answer, i'm actually surprised Lilia doesn't feel harassed by his love towards her. He lacks every little aspect that makes up a good, strong personality. All he does is get mad and upset at Lilia turning him down AND HE GETS THE TROPHY IN THE END, YAY FOR HIM! To be honest Lilia's all to blame because she makes him believe there's a chance and he doesn't give up knowing he's got a 1% shot at being with her. Luckily the author is on his side. Me? Not so much. But what does it matter, i'm against this whole series. It's quite a shame because the hype was real on the first book. 

This book had so much more potential and it all went down the drain and i'm so so so so so sooooo disappointed you have no idea. They just threw in a death in Kat's family, they threw Lilia and Alex together after she's rejected him for THREE FUCKING BOOKS and they just made KAT have absolute no university and just forgot what happened to Reeve because I was honestly too disappointed with that epilogue that a wave of a long-term shock hit me and I still cannot get over it.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,14, 15, 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29 days later and I can NOT get over it.

Big Disappointment. 
Cheers.
Love.