Heart of Ash

Gr 9 Up—This follow-up to Blood and Salt takes the murderous scheming of immortals out of the cornfield and into the wealthy upper echelon of society. Dane is now hosting Coronado in his body and has been thrown in the limelight as a handsome, wealthy playboy. Ash tries her hardest to stay away despite their blood bond; but when she finds out her absent brother Rhys has been murdering immortals with his deadly blood, possibly against his will, she knows Dane might have some information. The two hatch a complicated plot to fool the surviving immortals and save Rhys. They still share an intense, almost maudlin attraction, but Ash (and readers) is never sure if it is Dane she's swooning over or if Coronado is pulling the strings. Like the first installment, the plot is difficult to follow, and without the intrigue of the bizarre cornfield cult as a backdrop, there is not as much payoff for parsing out the story line. The love story is dripping with Gothic fervor and angst, and the glamorous world Ash and Dane are swept into might hold appeal for readers who enjoy romance and are already familiar with the characters.