Book Review: From Ash and Darkness
- Dan
- 35 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Ifrit comes roaring back into Bax's life in From Ash and Darkness, J.L. Sullivan's second installment in his series exploring the dark side of wishes.
Book Review: From Ash and Darkness
High schooler Bax and his friends are back in action in the second installment of Sullivan's djinn-verse books. The action picks up only a few weeks after the climax of From Brick and Darkness. Despite that, From Ash and Darkness can be read as a standalone, as Sullivan does a nice job filling the reader in on the pertinent details from the first book without bogging down the narrative.
This story is 100% YA fare, and will appeal the most to adolescents in middle school through high school. In the first book, nasty Ifrit more or less targeted Bax, although the demon did hurt a cop. Now, with the transgressive desires of a new master to interpret as the demon pleases, Ifrit is out to mess with Bax and his family, namely his mother and estranged father.
Themes of family and friendship run deep through this story, which I think will resonate with many adolescent readers. There's also a nice mystery and a twist or two near the end. And of course, there is the underlying message of being careful what you wish for…that's a lesson readers of any age should remember. All in all, a fine story told with heart.
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