EMBERS by Karen Ann Hopkins: Review and Giveaway

EMBERS

(The Wings of War #1) 

by Karen Ann Hopkins

Publication Date: October 21, 2014

Pages: 357

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Synopsis 

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them. And she may be the only hope mankind has as the rapture approaches and evils rises.

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she's immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt's boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember's exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she finds out that she's a Watcher, a descendant of angels. While Ember learns about her heritage, and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it is cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war, one that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She also might be one of the few champions who will make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.

Embers is a dark and gritty YA novel that’s the first book in the series, The Wings of War.

My Thoughts

If you regularly follow my blog, you'll know that I've reviewed all of Karen's published books and jump at the chance to share them with readers. When I discovered that she was starting a new young adult series, I knew immediately that I would read it. I love her stories and the obstacles she places between her main characters. Embers, The Wings of War, is a story about angels and the continuing struggle between good and evil. There is action, adventure, drama, moments of intense horror, and forbidden love.

Going in reading Embers and knowing it is a series, I expected a lot of back story and world building and it was there. I got just enough detail to keep it interesting, but not too much detail that it was overwhelming or distracted from the story. There were a lot of characters introduced and each played their own role in the story. There were situations in the story that reminded me of Twilight (I know there are other books to compare it to, but Twilight is what I initially thought of, and hey, I like Twilight so this is a good thing), especially the histories of the older characters and how their lives influenced what was happening in the current day. 

Embers is a very action driven story. We meet Ember and she is thrust into this new life living with her aunt, going to a new school (for the first time), and she learns that she has powers that she never knew she possessed. She seems to take it all in stride, until she meets the boy from her dream, Sawyer. There is an immediate curiosity which becomes attraction. I wouldn't call it insta-love, because whatever is there, it is a part of them, and it can't be fought.  

The moments between Ember and Sawyer were intense. Sometimes smoldering (read the story and you will understand the pun). I got to see glimpses of who they were, but I wanted to know more about them. I wanted more moments between them when they weren't overwhelmed by the dangerous drama of their lives. I hope that there are more of those "normal" interactions between them in the next book.

There are some unanswered questions (as with any first book of a series), but Embers doesn't end with a major cliffhanger. I know that there is more to the story and expected it to end with an introduction to a new element to the story. And I can say that it makes me wish I had the next book in the series IN MY HANDS RIGHT NOW!  I can't wait to find out what happens!!

Disclaimer:  I received this e-ARC from Kismet Book Touring in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

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