From Flame and Ash

Elements of Five, Book 2

By: Carrie Ann Ryan

Narrated by: Bailey Carr

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

NYT best-selling author Carrie Ann Ryan continues Lyric’s epic journey in this spellbinding sequel to From Breath and Ruin.

Lyric lost her past, her friends, and even her connections to both worlds when she found out about the Maison realm and her calling. But now she must put that aside and travel back to the Maison realm to continue her training as the Spirit Priestess. Only her journey isn’t to Rhodes and those she fought alongside before. This time, Easton and the other Obscurité warriors will stand by her side as she tries to unlock her final three elements. 

However, just as she starts to learn more about what she’s been prophesied to do, a Seer’s wish and the calling of the Lumière kingdom calls her forth, thrusting Lyric into another journey where she must trust those on both sides of the age-old war to survive…and keep those she loves safe.

©2019 Carrie Ann Ryan (P)2019 Carrie Ann Ryan

not a story, just repetition of the same phrases

I cannot express how much this book grated my nerves. Very little ACTUALLY happened in the book. The first half of the book is explaining what happened in the previous book. The rest is her just repeating "I had died", "he was gone", or "but I can't think about that right now (after repeating the same thing about whatever the subject was for 5 minutes)"
And she never sucked it up and pushed through. She doesn't think she's enough and she's not. Her friends carry her through the book. I've grown to hate the character....
I will not purchase the third book for fear if wasting my money to hear the book simply go over the first 2.

Mad

This book got on my last nerve. She kept repeating so much about who she was , what happened to her and who she just couldn’t be. I was steaming by chapter 3 or maybe 4. Anyway, I would have jumped to the end but I knew I would miss something.

Repeats

I’m on chapter 23 and all I hear is the same thing over and over again. It seems that Lyric doesn’t know how to do anything. She is so weak and so fragile that it’s hard to believe she is to save anyone or anything. All she does is wine and ask a million questions and yet she still is confused. You would think that the others - knowing that Lyric doesn’t know their world- would explain instead of her asking all the time. It’s like an endless loop and I’m kind of regretting paying for this audiobook. I don’t know if the narrator makes it worse or if the way the book is written just makes it seem that Lyric is the type to give up and has no bravery or self control. She also lacks any confidence and motivation. The two guys are also so confusing, do they like her or not? And what’s up with Whren? She seems to be a little annoying as well. I’m going to try and finish but this book just put me to sleep... so boring and all Lyric does is think and blame herself. I had to stop listening and go to something else because as a woman I just felt that Lyric was just weak and too dumb to figure out anything. She seems to have shown that when she left in book one.

Never write such a long review before

Action around every corner

The author puts so much imagination and action into this story of Lyric discovering more elements and learning about and how to control her powers. There will be several friends that will help her on her journey. There will be a lot of heart-wrenching moments during their quest. At times the listener will question how they will even survive. The narrator does an excellent job of portraying the emotions of these characters. She gives different voices to the multitude of characters. This is a continuing series so this book does end in a cliffhanger.

Wonderful paranormal YA story! Great worldbuilding

Lyric’s journey continues and it is full of danger and mystery because nothing is ever as it seems in the strange realm of the Wielders. I loved seeing Lyric make new friends in the Obscurité kingdom and reconnecting with those on the Lumière side. All the secondary characters are wonderfully written and engaging in their own right. Except for the ones that have gone over to the dark side, so to speak, corrupted by their hunger for power.
Neither Lyric nor the reader’s emotions are spared in this second book in the series. Things always get worse before they get better, never more so than when you’re faced with a prophecy on the scale of the one about the Spirit Priestess and Lyric gets that lesson impressed on her in the worst way. For every question she gets resolved, more new ones pop up. As soon as one enemy is defeated, an even more dangerous one comes out of the woodwork.
I very much enjoyed this story and am more than a little curious to see how everything will turn out in the end. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Lyric’s love interest, please let her have (that particular) someone by her side.

Narration: Bailey Carr's performance of this story was again amazing! I love how nuanced she is in narrating all the emotions and tension the characters feel, and how good she is at creating distinct voices for all the characters, and there are many. She has a knack for bringing the characters to life in a way that feels very natural and convincing, no over-acting at all. That did a lot to draw me even more into the wonderful world Carrie Ann Ryan created.

Who to Trust?

This book picks up Lyric's story one year after we left her at the end of From Breath and Ruin. Lyric has spent the last year in the human realm along with Braelynn formerly her best friend, once human but now a polydactyl cat and Lyric's familiar. As well as reading and learning the history of the Mason realm from the book Rosamond gave her she's continued her training with Alura trying to better use the elements she does have. She's missed the friends she made, Easton, Rhodes and Rosamond, she's corresponded with Rosamond but has had no contact with Rhodes or Easton. But her destiny lies in the Mason realm and the time has come to go back.

Her return to the Mason Realm takes her first the Obscurité Kingdom where Easton is now King. She spends time with Wyn, Teagan, and Arwin, Easton's personal guard training and learning to improve her wielding. When Lyric is summoned to the Lumiere Kingdom her new friends along with Easton decide to go with her. But along the way, it becomes obvious that things are not how they seem, and that not everyone wants the Spirit Priestess there. Lyric and her companions have to fight for their lives and the lives of everyone in the Mason realm, will they succeed?

While some questions from From Breath and Ruin are answered, many more questions are posed. There is so much more I could say but that would involve spoilers and I won't do that. What I will say is that both the writing and the narration of this book are excellent, I was hooked from beginning to end and am now eager to listen to From Spirt and Binding the next book in this wonderfully addictive series.

I was given this audiobook as a gift and am voluntarily writing my review.

Great Book! I love this world!

This book is so good! I loved every bit and have been chomping at the bit for the next one since I finished this book.

I love Lyric, she has so much more strength than she gives herself credit for (we can all relate there). I really enjoy watching her navigate this world and her heart.

I will say to start this book I didn't know if I was Team Easton or Team Rhodes but by the end I thing I've found a new crush and his name is Easton!!! <3

This is one of my favorite YA series. I recommend it to anyone even if you normally don't read YA or fantasy this story is amazing and entertaining. It won't let you down.

Bailey Carr does an amazing job narrating. <3

Fascinating

I really enjoyed this book. You will want to start with book one as they all connect to continue the story. I however didn't realize that, but was still able to follow along for the most part. This being said it does end in a cliffhanger. They go on quite the journey and overcome many obstacles as Lyirc unlocks her abilities and learns how to use them. It is narrated wonderfully.

Getting so intense!!

Lyric is back, and once again, she’s on an incredible journey toward her destiny. After spending a year in the human realm, studying and recovering from the losses and all that happened in the Maison realm, it’s time for her to go back. To learn more and unlock more of what’s inside her. Once there, she starts out in the Obscurité Court, Easton’s home, making new friends who are helping her train. When she gets “summoned” by water, Lyric and her new crew set out on another journey. There are more trials and tribulations, more emotional moments. And some heart-wrenching moments too. And so much more to come. I look forward to more of Lyric and her journey. And to listening to Bailey Carr bring her journey to life

Great story!!

This second installment of this series was an addicting read. I was hooked on the story as we have some questions answered while leaving us with more in exchange. However, if one does not like cliffhangers, then wait until all of the series is available. Overall. this was a great book that I recommend to others.

Fantastic YA and narration

Book 2 in Elements of Five series by Carrie Ann Ryan
This book is devastating a lot happens in last book and this does continue from previous but there is a slight break.
Lyric comes back to human realm to take a break but she struggles to come to terms with what happen previously. Lyric returns to Maison Realm to begin her training to become the Spirit Priestess.
I will admit that I listen to the first and third book in wrong order but still understood everything and things definitely make sense now once I listen to all books.
Absolutely fantastic YA book but also have a fantastic narrators Bailey Carr.

Wow

This is intense and so very enjoyable. The characters have been written so that it feels like I know them. The .ending has me on pins and needles waiting for the next one in the series though. Absolutely fantastic can’t wait for more