S. W. Raine

Steampunk/Urban Fantasy Author

Book Review: Cleansing Rain

BOOK REVIEW: CLEANSING RAIN BY HOLLY ASH

Zoe Antos, trying to get home for date night with her fiancé Cole Wilborn, ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and is kidnapped by Ian Sutton, who was trying to steal important files from her lab. She then learns that her kidnapper is trying to stop a powerful eco-terrorist group headed by none other than the Wilborn family. Who does she trust?

What I liked:
– The suspense. You know the twists and turns are coming; they just don’t happen when you expect them to. And when they do happen, they’re better than how you imagined them to be.
– The familiarity. Being from Michigan and having worked in a lab myself, I could easily visualize what people were doing, the setup of certain buildings, and where they were going, which allowed me to be pulled into the story even more.
– The relationship in between the characters. From the text messages in between Zoe and Cole, to how Ian and Iris act together, and how motherly Alana is, everything is very natural and relatable.

What I didn’t like:
– The fast-paced first two chapters. While Ash set the tone and introduced the characters just fine, I found everything happened so quickly; I didn’t have enough time to get warmed up to the characters before being dropped into the action and suspense. But then we got to get back into the warming up afterward, and I just didn’t want to stop reading.
– The lack of closure for certain characters, like Cole, Gordon, and Pearson. Thankfully, I found out she’s working on part two!

Overall:
– It was great, and I can’t wait for the sequel! I need more Blake in my life. lol

Let me know if you plan to read Cleansing Rain or not! It comes out on October 1st, 2021.

Raine

*I was given a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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