The Ashen Cleanse Author Jeff Spaur

Book Review

4.5 out of 5 stars!

Set to Release tomorrow (August 13, 2024)



First and foremost, this is a duology! This is the second and final book of the duology! Spoilers ahead if you haven't read "The Ashen Yard".


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"Once I inherit my freedom, I'll sever the connections to my old life. It's time to hit the reset button and breathe free for once." - Brock


Brock gets a taste of freedom and not having to look over his shoulder only for it to be ripped away from him again. The Order of the Cleanse sets off alarm bells and red flags for Brock. He couldn't just sit back on the sidelines after learning the truth. The Ashen Yard is proving to be a parasite Brock just can't shake, but this time he hopes to be the one changing the rules. 


Prisonborns and many others will die if Brock and an unlikely handful of allies doesn't shut things down. Can he hope to overturn things in time? Will Lacey still be by his side when the dust settles? Will he ever get to feel and understand real freedom that lasts?


"I'm always thinking, thinking about how to survive. Relaxing my thoughts isn't natural." - Brock


I felt that line above, especially dealing with needing to check in with myself to see if I'm in fight or flight mode. Turning off the survival habits is very hard, and I like how even with an HEA for this series Brock still understands he will have to struggle with that mindset. I loved the pacing of the story and how I was completely pulled into the action.


I've loved Brock since the first part of this duology! Just relating to him a lot right down to his artistic talent! Seeing him face the difficulties as he sought his freedom was fantastic. In the book he is eighteen and has a tunnel vision for things. But I mean living in an environment where you have no idea if this second will be your last really defines your entire being. Having someone else calling the shots over your life really doesn't help matters.


My heart went out to Brock when he started to enjoy the comforts of not being in the Ashen Yard. Only for some events to take place forcing him to make a decision to leave the "safety" of the Order. I appreciated watching Brock's character growth as he matured and ultimately got what he wanted in the end if not more. Finding out truths and secrets that were kept from him and seeing how he processed the revelations. Fighting for his freedom and to get all the information he could out of everyone.


This is a YA dystopian duology. There's language, violence, and some gore. Survival is the game and so some actions that were taken are not viewed as morally correct. Death is constantly looming over MCs along with wondering who can be trusted because of so many betrayals going down. I enjoyed the dual POVs with two of my favorite MCs.


There's romance within the series but it isn't the main focus of the books. We do get a heated moment between the lovers but nothing over YA rating. Past happenings are hinted at between an FMC and her ex. For me I felt like there wasn't a ton of depth between the love interests, just personal opinion. Some of the interactions fell a little flat.


The pacing of the book was pretty fast, I did feel like in some area's things were a little too rushed. Some dynamics between characters seemed like we didn't have all the information needed. Again, this is just my personal opinion.


I very much enjoyed the story and the concept of the Ashen Yard. Love survival books and the psychology behind needing to adapt to the environment or perish. Web of hidden truths, betrayals, and feeling like the MC and you are on a large chess board together. HEA and I respect the fact that some of the MCs got closure but not in the fairy-tale-skip-into-the-rainbow-way. I'm excited to see what's next for Jeff and his writing! Want to read more!


Do enjoy the duology and don't forget to give the author some stars!


Amazon.com: The Ashen Cleanse eBook : Spaur, Jeff, Padrón, Juan, Kiel, Michaela : Kindle Store


Jeff Spaur Author | author


Jeff Spaur (@spaurhawk) • Instagram photos and videos


Spaurhawk (@spaurhawk1034) | TikTok


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