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27 days and 02:49:23
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Burning the Ashes
Win a free kindle copy of this book!
27 days and 02:49:23
100 copies available
U.S. only
The sad truth was that I knew how to start a fire, but not how to handle it when it got out of control.
Bianca Williams finally has her memories back—and her powers under control. She thought she’d cornered the ruthless Dr. Fadel at last. But like smoke through her fingers, he slipped away again, leaving chaos in his wake.
Now, armed with mastery over her powers and with Theo Martin by her side, Bianca embarks on a desperate cross-country quest to reunite with an old friend who may hold the key to ending the villain once and for all. But victory won’t come easy.
Burning the Ashes follows the heroes of Playing with Fire as they scatter from coast to coast, each facing personal struggles, near-impossible missions, and the creeping fear that the enemy is always one step ahead.
In this pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse, one has to wonder if the Defenders of Victory are really the ones doing the chasing…
Bianca Williams finally has her memories back—and her powers under control. She thought she’d cornered the ruthless Dr. Fadel at last. But like smoke through her fingers, he slipped away again, leaving chaos in his wake.
Now, armed with mastery over her powers and with Theo Martin by her side, Bianca embarks on a desperate cross-country quest to reunite with an old friend who may hold the key to ending the villain once and for all. But victory won’t come easy.
Burning the Ashes follows the heroes of Playing with Fire as they scatter from coast to coast, each facing personal struggles, near-impossible missions, and the creeping fear that the enemy is always one step ahead.
In this pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse, one has to wonder if the Defenders of Victory are really the ones doing the chasing…
332 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2026
1 person is currently reading
435 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 3, 2026
I was so excited to be chosen as an ARC reader for this book!
This was an amazing continuation of the story that was laid out in the first book! The author does an amazing job at writing from so many character's perspectives, while still keeping the story clear. This book not only showed more of what the Heroes of Victory are up to, but also developed the character's further and introduced some really neat new characters that I'm excited to see more of in future books!
This was an amazing continuation of the story that was laid out in the first book! The author does an amazing job at writing from so many character's perspectives, while still keeping the story clear. This book not only showed more of what the Heroes of Victory are up to, but also developed the character's further and introduced some really neat new characters that I'm excited to see more of in future books!
April 11, 2026
𝘼 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜, 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙁𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙...𝙀𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙔𝘼 𝙉𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨
As the father of a 10-year-old daughter, I’m always on the lookout for stories with a strong, morally grounded female protagonist…one who feels real rather than constructed. Bianca Williams is exactly that. She’s resilient, she’s flawed, she’s figuring herself out, and she does it without the story revolving around a love interest. The romance is there, but it’s woven in naturally rather than dominating every page. That balance is harder to strike than it sounds, and Waechter nails it.
Playing with Fire is well outside my usual reading lane, but I’ve got enough YA under my belt — 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘌𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯, 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 — to know the difference between a good entry in this genre and a great one. And as someone who primarily reads fantasy and sci-fi, I also know good world-building and storytelling when I see it. This is a great one. The pacing is sharp, the world feels alive, and the found-family dynamic among the Victory City crew gives the story real emotional weight.
The superhero premise could easily have gone campy, but Waechter keeps it grounded. The twists are earned, the characters are likable without being perfect, and I found myself genuinely invested in where Bianca’s story is headed.
If you have a young reader in your life…especially a girl who deserves to see herself reflected in a protagonist who’s tough, good-hearted, and complex…put this in their hands.
🇭🇮🇬🇭🇱🇾 🇷🇪🇨🇴🇲🇲🇪🇳🇩🇪🇩
and I’ll be reading the next one.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As the father of a 10-year-old daughter, I’m always on the lookout for stories with a strong, morally grounded female protagonist…one who feels real rather than constructed. Bianca Williams is exactly that. She’s resilient, she’s flawed, she’s figuring herself out, and she does it without the story revolving around a love interest. The romance is there, but it’s woven in naturally rather than dominating every page. That balance is harder to strike than it sounds, and Waechter nails it.
Playing with Fire is well outside my usual reading lane, but I’ve got enough YA under my belt — 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘌𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯, 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 — to know the difference between a good entry in this genre and a great one. And as someone who primarily reads fantasy and sci-fi, I also know good world-building and storytelling when I see it. This is a great one. The pacing is sharp, the world feels alive, and the found-family dynamic among the Victory City crew gives the story real emotional weight.
The superhero premise could easily have gone campy, but Waechter keeps it grounded. The twists are earned, the characters are likable without being perfect, and I found myself genuinely invested in where Bianca’s story is headed.
If you have a young reader in your life…especially a girl who deserves to see herself reflected in a protagonist who’s tough, good-hearted, and complex…put this in their hands.
🇭🇮🇬🇭🇱🇾 🇷🇪🇨🇴🇲🇲🇪🇳🇩🇪🇩
and I’ll be reading the next one.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A YA contemporary fantasy with some sweet romance but full of adventure and found family. If you like X-Men, you will like these books. Finding others with special powers, training to help others, and fighting an enemy with stolen powers. This book has it all.
After being gifted the first book in the series, Playing with Fire, I was given the opportunity to read the ARC for the second, Burning the Ashes. Both are fast-paced with redemption and growth for all of the characters.
In Playing with Fire we meet Bianca who can’t remember who she is. She finds herself in a house with Sebastian, Penny, Jasmine, and Theodore who she learns all have powers. She begins to questions them about who she is since she can’t remember and learns that she has powers too.
Unfortunately, she learns that she has been helping someone who isn’t who she thought he was and so she is now helping her roommates in a fight against others with powers who are robbing banks, and more.
One day however, she runs into her old boss who she doesn’t recognize, but he recognizes her and jogs some of her memories.
Now, In Burning the Ashes, Bianca now has her memories back and we are on a road trip going in two different directions with Bianca and Theo headed towards Utah to find a friend and the rest of the gang headed to Louisiana in search of the doctor. This time they are trying to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.
They just can’t seem to get ahead of this guy and we are left wondering where the team will be off to next.
#arcread #yaadventure #yafantasy #yalove #yasuperheroes
**I received an advanced copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
After being gifted the first book in the series, Playing with Fire, I was given the opportunity to read the ARC for the second, Burning the Ashes. Both are fast-paced with redemption and growth for all of the characters.
In Playing with Fire we meet Bianca who can’t remember who she is. She finds herself in a house with Sebastian, Penny, Jasmine, and Theodore who she learns all have powers. She begins to questions them about who she is since she can’t remember and learns that she has powers too.
Unfortunately, she learns that she has been helping someone who isn’t who she thought he was and so she is now helping her roommates in a fight against others with powers who are robbing banks, and more.
One day however, she runs into her old boss who she doesn’t recognize, but he recognizes her and jogs some of her memories.
Now, In Burning the Ashes, Bianca now has her memories back and we are on a road trip going in two different directions with Bianca and Theo headed towards Utah to find a friend and the rest of the gang headed to Louisiana in search of the doctor. This time they are trying to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.
They just can’t seem to get ahead of this guy and we are left wondering where the team will be off to next.
#arcread #yaadventure #yafantasy #yalove #yasuperheroes
**I received an advanced copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Burning the Ashes, book 2, by Rachael Waechter wasn’t just fun…it was “super” fun 🦸♂️!
Our beloved characters are back and the team is growing-adding even more “super edition’s”! 💥
We get not one, not two, but SEVEN POV’s!
Not as action-packed as the first book, but we get to know the characters and the team on a much deeper level.
A friends-to-lovers story with road trips, suspense, and enough twists to keep you entertained the whole way ✨
🤭 Honestly, the team reminds me a bit of Scooby Doo-chaotic, lovable, and full of surprises!
📖I’m super excited for the third book to see how everything unfolds!
If you love character-driven young adult stories with cozy drama and heart, this one is definitely worth picking up. 💛📚
Our beloved characters are back and the team is growing-adding even more “super edition’s”! 💥
We get not one, not two, but SEVEN POV’s!
Not as action-packed as the first book, but we get to know the characters and the team on a much deeper level.
A friends-to-lovers story with road trips, suspense, and enough twists to keep you entertained the whole way ✨
🤭 Honestly, the team reminds me a bit of Scooby Doo-chaotic, lovable, and full of surprises!
📖I’m super excited for the third book to see how everything unfolds!
If you love character-driven young adult stories with cozy drama and heart, this one is definitely worth picking up. 💛📚
May 10, 2026
As soon as I read Playing with Fire I knew this was going to be an incredible series. I loved Playing with Fire, but Burning the Ashes was even better. Robert was a great addition to the team, and his personality was really well developed. All of the romance in this book was so cute and swoon worthy. I loved the slow burn, enemies to lovers, and yearning. The plot twists and surprises were very unpredictable, and the death at the end was heartbreaking. The character development was really well done, especially Penny’s. I also really liked how Eric was added to the team. Overall this book was so so good, and I am so excited for the next one to come out. I would recommend this book to just about everyone! Thank you Rachael Waechter for this arc opportunity!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Honestly super good! I read playing with fire awhile ago and I’m so glad that I got to reconect with all the characters and everything! I really enjoyed it so glad I got to experience this book this year!
Review of advance copy received from Author
It feels a bit wrong leaving a review for my own book, but I just want to say how much proud I am of this novel. When I finished "Playing with Fire," I had so much doubt in myself and my abilities. But after putting "Burning the Ashes" out into the world, I can honestly say, I feel more confident and skilled as a writer and as a persona in the book world. I hope this book can reach so many people and that maybe, just maybe, they will fall in love with it. I can't wait to show everyone book three--this series finale is going to be incredible!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews