Book Review: Ashes on the Waves

Media Type: Print Book
Title: Ashes on the Waves
Author: Mary Lindsey
Publisher: Philomel/Penguin
Pages: Hardcover; 373
Release Date: June 27, 2013
Source: Library
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Content Screening: Mild Violence

HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who enjoy dark books, with romance. Also, Edgar Allen Poe references!

Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N

Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.

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.

Ashes on the Waves was a deliciously quick read. I was immediately drawn in by the way that Mary Lindsey manages to create such a chilling atmosphere. This story has it all. Tragic romance, Celtic lore, and the perfect amount of hope to even it all out. I loved this read from beginning to end!

Liam was born and raised on the remote island of Dochas. An accident at his birth, that resulted in the death of his mother, has surrounded him with suspicion and hatred. The villagers call him a demon, and he believes it. Liam stole my heart from the first moment I met him. He’s sweet and more than a bit broken. His whole persona is just something that I gravitated to. I admit it, I have a crush on Liam MacGregor.

Then I met Annabel Leighton, and my love of this book soared even higher. The daughter of a wealthy family, Anna visited the island as a child. She grew up with Liam, and left him wistful for her company. I liked Anna’s character a lot. She’s impulsive, speaks her mind, and yet has a very kind heart. Paired with Liam, they are an odd, but gorgeous couple. I wasn’t entirely convinced that they fell madly in love so quickly, but the Celtic lore here definitely helps push that idea. That, and the fact that these star crossed lovers have everyone against them. It’s hard not to root for them.

Which brings me to what I loved most, the mix of Celtic lore and Edgar Allen Poe references that make this book so gothic! This makes the book so dark, so atmospheric, that the love between these two is really the only light. I loved that Ashes on the Waves moved so quickly, and kept me guessing at every turn. It was compelling, and I couldn’t get enough.

If you enjoy tales of star-crossed lovers, broken pasts, and tenuous futures, this is a book for you. Pick up a copy of Ashes on the Waves and prepare to fall in love.