Review Of When Ashes Fall

I didn't think I would cry but much to my own surprise, tear drops trickled down my cheeks when I closed this book on my Kindle. All the feels that this book evoked was just too much...kudos to the author for making me feel so strongly!! Her writing is so powerful! So sharp and focus like a pointed arrow thrown right at a person's heart! There is no escape from it. One should just let go and embrace the agony that comes with this book! In pain lies beauty and love and this book stands as the best example for that. Coming to the actual review - I am not going to be disclosing the actual study because it's better to go along the journey the author takes us, blindfolded and completely at her mercy. That's the best way to actually 'live' this book. The writing style the author has adopted fits perfectly for this book. The lines are short, sharp and to the point, that make pain that comes with them all the more profound! And even way she has chosen to narrate the story - alternate chapters of past, present and multiple POV is befitting for the settings chosen. And also there is uniqueness in Alex's (female protagonist) who works first as a paramedic and then as a dispatcher. Same holds for Declan who owns a private airline and is a pilot himself. It's refreshing to read about their progression! Though the storytelling that the author has employed is rather unique, the first few chapters clue us in on what has happened. This is a real Love story and not a thriller where one is scratching their heads trying to figure out what the hell is happening but the approach chosen by the author has a lot of resemblance to a psychological thriller. The way the chapters transition (done very beautifully at times - feels like a motion picture), the foreboding atmosphere of mystery and suspense around the big 'secret' of the past, makes it seem more like a thriller. In fact, when I read the first few chapters, I was wondering if this is something sort of a romantic suspense?! But the more I read, the more affirmed I was about my opinion on how the situation actually us. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out but I don't think author was going for building suspense or writing a thriller. It was all building towards a heart-breaking, gut-wrenching climax that we will all see coming and even try to prep for it, but it will break us nonetheless and this pain was something I actually cherished and felt deep!!! Ahhh----it was sooo beautifully written and the way everything fell into place towards the end was perfection! I loved all the characters a lot - especially Rose - Alex's friend. Her loyalty and love for Alex is what defines the friendship. Declan and Smith both were heart-throb boyfriend material and I could see what they saw in Alex to fall soo deeply in love with her. And the time and place the significance of the title of the book is revelaed is one of the most painful moments in the book!! I gave up trying to hold back my sob then. In so many ways, I can totally see this book as a motion picture! It's so beautiful and touching!! I couldn't get enough!! I will go with 4.5 stars for this tragic yet hopeful tale.