Woooo eeeeee, this was one addictive read. The premise was unique and the plot was pulled off seamlessly. The writing was solid… no, it was better than solid, it was like honey… deep and sweet and smooth… oh so smooooth!

This book is genre skirting. If I were to try and smack a genre label on this gem I'd be hard-pressed to get it right BUT my best description would be: if The Ghost Whisperer, a Time Lord from Doctor Who and Cold Case File had a mashup (with a tiny dash of Horror slipped in for good measure), then The Girl Who Talks To Ashes would be their amazingly kaleidoscopic book baby love child….. what a combination!! It also had a sweet, tame, nascent romance blossoming, one that felt realistic and full of possibility

Not only was it difficult to label, it was so unique it was difficult to forget. This was my first tango with Rachel Rener and her beautiful mind and I can say with certainty that it won't be our last… it was so satisfying that I have been replaying key parts of the book on loop in my head for days now and THAT is a ringing endorsement straight from my subconscious!

The world building was intricate yet easy to digest. For a book with such a unique premise, the plot was extremely detailed and lush AND then there were the characters. The characters were rich and evocative and their interrelationships were surprisingly realistic, especially considering the situations they found themselves in. Yes they were flawed and gray and ambivalent AND oh so humanly broken in such a relateable way. Our MC Lilah didn't have all the answers, in fact she had heaps and mounds of questions with very little to go on in terms of leads. But she was tenacious, and loveable and with that winning one two punch, anything's possible.

Overall:

This book swept me up and took me on this poignant journey of self discovery along with the characters… so much so that it felt like I was right there living their lives along with them and feeling their confusion, loss, grief and triumph at their hard won successes right alongside the cast. The Mystery embedded within the plot was teased out expertly… it was done ever so gradually and ultimately, The Girl Who Talks To Ashes had me hooked from page one. I welcomed the bleary eyed/sleep deprivation in the morning… it was that good. The pacing was a steady gallop, no dreaded lagging spots, and the execution was impressive.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been given the chance to review this ARC! This one is headed straight for my Favorites' pile toot sweet.

~ Enjoy

*** I was given an advanced review copy of this book from BookSirens for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily *** ( )

Things change around Lilah. Like actually change. An apple disintegrates. People age. Dogs transform into puppies. Or bones. These changes seem to be tied to her epileptic seizures which is why she has to take that daily little blue pill. In fact, the pill works so well that Lilah seems like any other normal teenager. Until the day she chooses not to take the pill. That day changes everything and Lilah begins to wonder what could happen if she let the seizures happen. But can she control them or will they control her?

I was one of the lucky ones who had the privilege of reading this book before it was published and I was blown away! I love books that defy genre. On one hand, it felt like a Nancy Drew mystery, timeless. But there was a very sweet romance. A father trying to deal with the loss of his wife and raising a baby with severe health challenges on his own. A girl grieving the mother she had never known, well actually two mothers, since she was adopted. Also some cold case murders. And the ability to travel through time. Sort of. You'll have to read it. You'll want to read it.

While I loved Rachel's Lightning Conjurer trilogy and Aspen's journey to rediscover her past in order to understand her future, I love this book in a different way. There is still some of that, as Lilah tries to figure out pieces from her past, but here there is no cosmic meaning to everything. Lilah wants to understand her past and her present because she's a teenager and that's what teenagers do. This book makes you feel like you are on a journey of self-discovery, and that the journey matters. There are always more questions than answers, but that's what makes you feel alive. And while you may shed a few tears as she finds answers along the way, you will also smile as you discover, with Lilah, that she was always loved, that her family is behind her, and that there are infinite possibilities ahead of her.

I read a pre-release book from the author and reviewed it because I wanted to. ( )