IHeartYAFiction

Short and Sweet:This was truly a compelling and beautiful love story. It took a bit to get into it (50-60 pages for me), but was absolutely worth it. I also loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. They set the tone throughout the book to eerie and tense. I really enjoyed this take on Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee." Ashes on the Waves is spooky, dark, heartfelt and wonderful.To Elaborate....Ashes on the Waves takes place on an island that is set apart in time in many ways. The people who live on the island of Dòchas are largely superstitious, old fashioned and small minded. They have a crowd/mob mentality and believe Liam, the main character, to be possessed by a demon. In fact, Liam himself is unsure of what exactly he is.It doesn't take long for the love story between Liam and Annabel to begin to develop, but this is not an insta-love situation. Liam has pined for Annabel since childhood and his love for her has helped him persevere on an island where he has always been hated and feared. So when Annabel easily returns his affections I found myself making sentimental 'awwwwww' faces at my book. ;) The relationship between them was literally a bright light in the gloomy, unfortunate setting of Dòchas. Cue the torturing of these ill-fated lovers.......All kinds of bizarre and unusual things take place on the island of Dòchas as a result of the islander's strong belief in the Otherworlders. The people of this island even celebrate antiquated ceremonies and celebrations in honor of the beings they believe in. This belief gives power to these creatures and one evening the Otherworlders decide to place a bet on whether or not Liam and Annabel are truly in love. (Otherworlders = big, freaking jerks). So begins a series of horrible tests. However, even in this midst of tragedy and misfortune Annabel and Liam find triumph. *sniff, sniff* SPOILER (sort of): Mary Lindsey has given Poe's version a slight twist though and the ending is bittersweet and hopeful. Ashes on the Waves is an enjoyable experience and such a great story! I'm so glad that I picked it up! *adds all the Mary Lindsey books to goodreads to-be-read list*(Originally published @ iheartyafiction.blogspot.com)