Sam I Am
A gavel and a name plate with the engraving Death Penalty
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.
The overall plot premise is compelling, but the telling at the beginning and end is rushed and dispassionate. The middle portion of Ashes, Ashes shows the most depth in writing, plus passion and growth regarding the protagonist, in which Lucy learns things that challenge everything she’s ever learned. She grows from her experience at the settlement.
The middle of the book also contains some interesting characters: Sammy, a smallpox victim and one of the rare survivors; and Grammalie Rose, who is reminiscent of a wise elder of Native American culture who leads the group and makes sure that the necessary work is done to sustain them all and that empathy and kindness within the settlement prevails. But the writer cheats us by leaving us with too many loose ends at the end of the book—regardless of the fact that a sequel may be planned.