Memories of Ash (The Sunbolt Chronicles #2) by Intisar Khanani

Fantasy lovers, this one's for you! Love magic, look no further! And you definitely need to check out the awesome giveaway found below.

Happy Book Birthday Intisar!

Let's celebrate everyone!!

EXCERPT

I start forward, my eyes on the bundle ahead of us. I cannot quite make out what it is. Something sticks out from the bulk of it, reaching across the floor like an errant branch, dried twigs.

Filled with foreboding, I draw closer, straining to make out the thing in the light of the glowstone. The mage slows beside me. My throat closes up. I stare, frozen mid-step, at the shape stretched out before me: a body that is nothing more than papery skin curled over the brittle bones within. A mummified corpse, preserved by the endless heat, untouched by nature, its clothing long since dissolved away. Its bones protrude obscenely: each rib tracing a line around its chest, the pelvic and hip bones encased so tightly in skin that the gaps, the natural spaces formed by the bone, seem translucent, as if the light were shining through thin parchment.

My stomach tightens into a ball. I swallow hard, forcing down the bile in my throat. The skull bears no expression, dull teeth showing through leathery lips, the eyes long since shriveled away. But that hand, outstretched... A plea. Or a single, hopeless attempt to escape death.

Beside me, the mage breathes a curse.

Don’t worry, Sprite, bad decisions always make for good stories…

I could hear my dad’s gruff voice, lightened with humor, in my ear as he told me those words every single time I got caught doing something I wasn’t supposed to do when I was growing up. I was always doing something I shouldn’t then and now, so I heard those words a lot from him. Unfortunately, as an adult, my bad decisions resulted in consequences far worse than a scraped knee or a broken wrist from falling out of the tree in the backyard he warned me repeatedly wasn’t sturdy enough to limb. And sadly, my dad reassuring me in his firm and gentle way, while calling me his little Sprite as he kissed my boo-boos, wasn’t going to help my current situation at all.

This boo-boo was big-time.

This boo-boo was life-changing.

This boo-boo was anything but a good story waiting to be told.

This boo-boo very well could be the end of me, the end of the rope where my patient parents had dangled precariously for years, and it very well could be the end of any kind of future I may have had. A future I was well on my way to letting a lifetime of bad decisions and even worse choices screw up. At barely twenty-two, bad decisions had sort of become my stock in trade and were as familiar to me as my own face. I was almost legendary, at this point, for putting all my trust in the absolutely wrong kind of people. If there was a wrong path to take, I was going to skip gleefully down that road and not look back until I ended up exactly in the kind of situation I found myself in at the moment. It wasn’t like this was even a new dead end; it was the same one I ran into over and over again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get myself turned around, and the longer I was at this dead end, the darker and more wicked it became.

I knew better. I really did, even if there was a boatload of evidence contradicting that fact.

I wasn’t stupid, naïve, immature, or senseless. I might appear that way to anyone on the outside looking in, but I had my reasons for being a consummate failure and lifelong loser. All of those reasons had nothing to do with me not knowing better and everything to do with me knowing exactly what I deserved.

For a long time now I had been spiraling out of control, whirling, falling deep and deeper into a pit of really awful actions and consequences, each seemingly worse and more painful than the last. I also hadn’t made any kind of effort to try and pull myself out of it, so logically I knew the only place I was going to end up was right here, right at the lowest part of rock bottom. I never imagined the landing would be so jarring.

Omg, I still can’t believe I had the chance to read this book before its released! Because, you know —or if you don’t I tell you now… I was looking forward so bad for Avett’s story. And of course, I’ve been fan of Jay’s books for… not too long time but for a long.

First —as always, this is the second book in the Saints of Denver series, can it be read as a standalone? I think yes, it can, but if I were you with no debut I would read any of the others books in this series, as well as in the Marked Men series because they’re intertwined, before read this one, or… just read Charged and then go back to the others —in any case it would be an incredible experience.

"Don't worry, Sprite, bad decisions make for good stories."

So, Avett is introduced to us in the Marked Men series, and there we could see her personality, or at least a part of it, because this book is where we really see how she really is, and how she feels or why she does what she does —you know, the real Avett. Also, in the timeline, this book comes after Asa’s —sixth in the MM series. This starts with Avett being in trouble due to all what happened at Rome’s bar, so yep, she’s in serious serious problems now, like jail-time kind. And here’s when Quaid Jackson enters —someone we met in Built, first book. Both of them are completely, like completely different, I’m not kidding at all, I’d say he’s perfect, but if you have read any of Jay’s book, you know they’re not perfect men, but at least they’re something.

Quaid seems or thinks to know what he wants, and when he meets Avett… maybe he’s not sure anymore. Ok, he knows Avett is trouble personify, but that doesn’t seem to make a different, and imperfectly perfect couples are the best! Along the story we can see how just giving someone a chance and time you can know them and not just the stereotype like Quaid being the impeccable lawyer we can see at the beginning. The attraction, the chemistry and the connection are so hot, they can burn the book together —alas, not literary.

Jay’s writing was incredible, she’s a badass when it comes to make—and take— two characters who deserves a moment to show and tell their stories —or story. Overall, we have Avett who’s a girl that has —not a problem but who makes bad decisions, but at the same time someone takes responsibility of her actions. And Quaid who likes to be in control of —almost— everything, including his feelings. I really enjoyed how all happened, how things took and made sense between them, and of course, the nonstop reading that’s worthy. I highly reccomend it.



   

Hunter walked into his bedroom and bounced on the bed, waking Sydney.
She grunted at him. “It’s Saturday. And we played a gig last night. I should get to sleep in.”
“You did sleep in. It’s almost noon.”
She rolled over. “I hate morning people.”
Hunter laughed. Then he leaned over and kissed his way up her spine. “I have to go to Comic Con. I promised Adam I’d help out today.”
“So go.”
“Don’t you want to come, too? Free and Sam will be here soon. We’re all driving together.”
She rolled over and opened one eye to look at him. “Comic Con?”
“Adam and Reese are selling their book. It’ll be fun.”
She sat up and opened both eyes. “What the hell are you wearing?”
He stood and straightened his jacket. He picked up the hat he’d left on the dresser and posed. “I’m Indiana Jones.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s Comic Con. Dressing up is half the fun.”
“I thought dressing up was Free’s thing.” She reached for the coffee he’d set on the nightstand for her.
“It is. Except for today. I think I look good.”
“Yeah, except you’re wearing a leather jacket. In August.”
“The convention center will be air-conditioned.”
The doorbell rang. Hunter pointed at her. “You coming?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He ran to let Free and Sam in. Free was wearing his god-awful Riddler costume. Of all the things Free owned, this was the one Hunter hated. “Really? You had to wear that?”
Sam stepped from behind Free. “What would go better with Batgirl?”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “You’re such nerds.”
“We’re nerds? You’re dressed up, too,” she said.
“First, I borrowed this costume from your boyfriend and his nerd closet. Second, Indiana Jones is cool.”
Free pointed at him. “He’s a college professor and an archaeologist. I think by definition, that’s nerdy.”
“Whatever.” Hunter turned and yelled toward the bedroom, “Are you ready, Syd?”
Sydney came around the corner a minute later, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “What the hell?” She waved her pointer finger at them. “I am not dressing like that.”
Hunter shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
He drove to the convention center since his minivan was more comfortable for them all to fit. This weekend was a nice break and end to summer. School was starting for teachers in a week and he couldn’t wait. Free had started working for his dad as expected right after graduation. Adam was the only one still in the same place.
Hunter really hoped the convention would give Adam the kick start he needed for his career. One of Adam’s biggest problems was that he was too cautious. He overthought everything. Hunter had really thought that adding Reese to his life would make Adam a little more easygoing.
Once they got into the convention center, Free said, “Adam and Reese are in Artist Alley. I’ll come by in a while. We have a couple of panels we want to get in on.”
With a nod to Hunter and Sydney, he grabbed Samantha’s hand and pulled her through the crowd. When he was gone, Sydney said, “He really gets into this, doesn’t he?”
Hunter nodded. “It’s easy for him to pretend to be someone else.”
“I haven’t seen him in costumes much lately.”
Hunter pointed them in the direction of Adam and Reese. “That’s because Cary doesn’t need the distraction at the health club anymore. And Free has Samantha, so he doesn’t need to impress anyone else.”
When they walked down an aisle of Artist Alley, Hunter saw Adam and Reese sitting behind a table. He sighed. Holding Sydney’s hand, he said, “They really need our help.”
“What?”
“Nobody’s paying attention to them.”
Syd smiled. “Maybe they should’ve worn a costume.”
Hunter stopped in front of the table. “How do you expect to sell anything sitting there like that? Where are your book things?”
“Dude, we tried talking to people. You have any idea how exhausting it is to try to grab someone’s attention?”
“Yeah, yeah. Gimme some books.”
Adam came around the table with an armful of the sample booklets they’d printed and stapled. “I’ll come with you. Sydney will stay with Reese, right?”
Syd rolled her eyes but nodded. She and Reese weren’t exactly friends, but they got along. As he and Adam stepped away from the table, Hunter heard Syd telling Reese about Free and Sam and the costumes. The girls’ laughter followed them down the aisle.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“I told you I would be.”
“I know you’re busy getting ready for the school year. It’s cool that you made time for this. And convinced Sydney to come.” Adam blew out a breath.
Hunter took a moment to smile at a couple of women dressed as aliens and offer them a booklet. They each took one.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Adam continued. “Reese and I split up yesterday to sit in on some workshops and I did pitch sessions.”
“Any luck?”
“Yeah, but that’s part of the problem. I think Reese and I went into this with different expectations. Or at least we have different ones now.”
“How do you mean?” Hunter paused again beside a group of women. “Excuse me. My artist friend here and his girlfriend wrote a really kick-ass comic. Here’s a sample.”
At first they looked startled that Hunter had interrupted them, but then they relaxed and each took a book. When he resumed walking beside Adam, he said, “And that, son, is how it’s done.”

“You’re just in time,” she said in a voice that sounded brittle and cheerful. “Food’s nice and hot. I’m starving!”

She gave him a smile that seemed a little too wide, then speared a piece of meat loaf with enough force to kill it if it weren’t already dead. Schwartz hesitated a moment, not sure what was going on here, but pretty sure he’d done something wrong.

Had she really told him she loved him? Surely it was part of the act. Were they still playing the love-struck incestuous cousins, or was something else happening here?

“You were gone a long time,” she said. “Did you have trouble finding something?”

He frowned, not wanting to admit he’d been pacing around the damn store avoiding the inevitable moment he’d have to go back and face her and accept the fact that he’d probably never touch her again. “Not everything,” he said, poking the meat loaf with his fork but not taking a bite. “I got the milk.”

“No cond—coffee filters?” “They were all out of cond—coffee filters.” “All out?” She frowned. “I swear I saw a box when we were there the other day. They were right up by the register.” He shifted on the bench, not wanting to admit he’d stared at the same damn box and thought about having her again. Maybe just one more time before she walked out of his life forever. Instead, he’d forced himself to walk away. “The box was damaged. Can’t risk having holes in coffee filters.” Across the table, Gordy wiped his chin with a napkin. “You like the kind with the pointy tip, or the big wide ones?”

Schwartz blinked. “Uh— ”

Laverne beamed. “Oooh, I like the new ones they’re making now with the flavor-enhancing micro-perforations.” Schwartz dared a glance at Janelle and saw that her face had gone from pink to bright red. She opened her mouth to say something, but Laverne cut her off.

“You know, I just love the ones with the extra-large base. The box says it makes for a deeper, bolder experience.” Janelle choked on her drink, and Schwartz turned to see her sputtering into a glass that looked suspiciously full of moonshine. “How much of that have you had?” he asked. “Not enough,” she said, setting the glass down and looking at him.