Destiny of Ashes (Supernaturals of Castle Academy #3) by Tessa Hale

                                                           

Print Length: 270 pages

Publisher: Tessa Hale (September 6, 2023)

From Goodreads.com: Attacked. Manipulated. Taken. But I never expected betrayal like this.

It will take everything I have to make it back to my mates. My wolf. My caster. My demon. My dragons. The other parts of my soul.

Our bond is deepening every day, and with it, our power is growing. A power we’ll need to fight what’s ahead.

Because someone has created an army of evil. And that army has its sights set on us…

  

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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

For a series that had so much potential, I was left very disappointed.  

First by the fact that Leighton still isn't standing up for herself in a way that makes sense (seriously wishing hemorrhoids and diarrhea on people)? There are glimpses here and there of the woman she could be, but I feel like we never really get there. I also grew tired of the guys using their claws (or fire) to remove her clothing, and the fact that it seemed like the author had to throw in a sex scene every time something important was happening. Although I suppose it makes sense, considering the guys were prone to getting butthurt and stalking off just for Leighton to follow them also got old, it was the fact that sex seemed to cure absolutely everything that ailed them was annoying and it cheapened not only their supposed romance, but the story as well. 

Then, there is the fact that we are now three stories in and the mean girls still couldn't come up with any fresh ideas. Chloe is still for some reason still stuck on the idea of mating with the guys, even though they couldn't have made it plainer that they are not interested in her. Once again she calls Leighton trash, and tells the guys how they will have to work hard to get her back, and be begging her to mate with them. I'm sorry, I know you need a mean girl, but can we please get one who isn't so delusional that she says the same five or six things over and over again? Not only that, but the inconsistencies drove me crazy. For instance, the group arrives on campus and Leighton (due to her bond with her mates) has now taken on some of their abilities, one of them being their enhanced hearing. This one drives Leighton crazy as she hears her classmates talking about her even though they are no where near her, yet a few seconds later she can't hear something Trace mutters even though he is standing right next to her? 

The final nail in this coffin for me, wasn't the fact that she was left unprotected and ended up kidnapped a third time, it was, and believe me I was trying very hard to avoid making the comparison, but someone creating an army of "unstable and insatiable killing machines" just to take down this one girl and her mates just screamed Twilight saga to me. 

For the record though, I was feeling generous, and I did give an entire star to this one just because unlike in the last series that I read from this author, this time the main female character manages to not pass out until the battle is over, so we actually get to see it unfold rather than be told about it later. But even then, the battle wasn't told in any real detail. 

Even though the last two series' have not been for me, I definitely think the author has potential and good ideas. So I might find myself reading more in the future.