25 reviews for:

Embers

Karen Ann Hopkins

3.53 AVERAGE

100pagesaday's review

3.0

Ember is a 17 year old who has suffered much during the past year. Her parents both died in a fiery car crash, a car crash that Ember was also in- but she came away from miraculously unscathed. With her parents gone, her parent's will sends her to live with Aunt Ila in the hills of Tennessee. Aunt Ila quickly fills Ember in on the reason why the fire didn't hurt her. Ember is a Watcher, a descendant of the Angels and Ember's power is clearly the fire element. Ember no w must balance training with Ila and all of her new powers and beginning classes at her new high school. At school Ember meets several human friends as well as someone who is different. Ember notices Ivan right away and soon learns that he lives near her in a secluded compound. When Ember meets Ivan's friend, Sawyer, she recognizes him immediately from her dreams. Ember struggles with what this means, especially when she finds out what Ivan and Sawyer really are and what their leaders on the compound are planning. Ember was told that the end of the world was coming. She just didn't think it would be so soon, or that she would be in the middle of it.

Embers is the first book in the Wings of War Series. This is a young adult paranormal romance much in the vein of Twilight. If you like books like that, then you will probably enjoy Embers. If you do not like books in this category, than Embers may not be for you. I happen to love this genre of books and dived in happily. It did take me awhile to get a feel for Ember and the story. I settled into the pace once Ember reached Tennessee and the point of view began alternating between Ember and Sawyer. I really enjoyed the idea of Watchers, Demons, Growlers and their origins. I'm hoping the next few books explain a little more about their history. I had a hard time getting to know Ember's character at first, but I did appreciate Ember more as she learned about her powers and made friends at her high school. Sawyer and Ember's relationship was fast and intense, however they don't get any farther than kissing in this book. I absolutely loved Ila's character with her knowledge, powers and understanding. Ivan was another favorite for me and I'm glad Ivan and Ember's relationship was not made into a love triangle. The ending of the book ramps up the excitement and suspense as the demons prepare for war. I can't wait to see where the rest of these books go!

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
deeofbkb's profile picture

deeofbkb's review

3.0
slow-paced
lthornsl's profile picture

lthornsl's review

3.0
adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
anotherdashofmegan's profile picture

anotherdashofmegan's review

4.0
adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
losetimereading's profile picture

losetimereading's review

4.0

As I’ve said before, I have been a fan of Karen Ann Hopkin’s writing since I read her first book, Temptations. Her previous books are contemporary – all centered around Amish communities so I was even more intrigued to read her newest book which is a paranormal romance!

I liked Ember, the main character, a lot in fact. She loved animals, which instantly warmed me to her character within the first chapter. She was also really loyal and protective of anyone that meant anything to her. You see this especially later on in the story, with the girls that she was friends with. I did find it hard to understand some of Ember’s reactions and feelings though. For one, I thought it was strange that she never contacted Piper (her best friend back at home) or her brother, Timmy. They were featured in the first of the book (until she moved with Ila) and it was obvious that Ember was very close to both of them. They were hardly mentioned once she moved away, and while I understand that she had quite a bit going on (a small understatement perhaps!) I thought it was odd that she didn’t even contact them. Another thing that I just couldn’t wrap my head around was how she put herself into danger so irrationally. I could get how it happened the first time, but then again? It puzzled me. That being said, as much as Ember confused me at times, I still really liked her character! Now Sawyer was someone who just confused me… and in fact I’m still not entirely sure of him. I like him for Ember, but I found it hard to get attached to him. I thought he was really posessive, which goes with him being a Demon, but it still irked me a bit. He too though was really loyal to those he cared about. Ivan and Ila were two of my absolute favorites. I thought Ivan was such a sweet kid, and it almost seemed like he had a bit of a crush on Ember and Ila was just AWESOME. Such a quite, seemingly sweet old lady but she was a bit of a bad ass underneath! And she loved animals and had a special connection with them so of course that again, made me instantly love her.

Embers is told in both Ember and Sawyer’s point of view. I really enjoyed this, especially when it got farther into the story. It really gave the story the wow factor during some of the intense action towards the end as well as it really gave both perspective’s of what was happening. It was really interesting to see the story through both a Demon and a Watcher’s eyes and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Embers is definitely an action packed story. There is constantly something happening and I never felt a lull in the storyline at any point. It also is an incredibly unique paranormal book, I can’t say I’ve read anything like it ever. I’ve read Angel and Demon books before but it really set itself a side with some interesting elements.

The ending shocked me. I was so sad, and my heart was hurting for Ember… but at the same time I wasn’t entirely shocked because the story kind of gives you this end of it all vibe from the get go. I loved the ending though and it has the perfect ramp up for the next book. I have no idea where it’s going to go from here but I will definitely be continuing the series. Another awesome book from Karen Ann Hopkins!
vickimarie2002's profile picture

vickimarie2002's review

5.0

Such a great book!

I want more!! This book kept me on edge the whole time wanting more. It is very well-written and deals with "creatures" I don't usually read about. It is a love story and so much more. I recommend this to young adults and adults as well.
sweetcreature89's profile picture

sweetcreature89's review

4.0

I'm gonna start off by saying that I love this cover. It's so super pretty and it fits so well with the story! It's not just some random cover. Like, it actually has something to do with the story line and makes sense.

Starting this book off, I thought the idea for it was simply awesome. It was something that I hadn't read before. I've read books similar to it but not quite the same. This one had some little twists to some overly done character types that you see in a lot of YA paranormal/supernatural right now. The whole angel and demon thing has been done so many times that it's pretty much right up there with vampires for me. But Karen Ann Hopkins gave them just the right amount of creativity and uniqueness to make them all her own. And I loved the book for that.

The characters were likeable and were really easy to read. There were a few cliches here and there, a few things that seemed a little similar to a certain popular YA book that was made into a movie and takes place in a town opposite of Spoons. But, in all honesty, this was easy for me to ignore because I think a lot of people write those similarities and don't even realize that they're doing it. It's just become that much a part of young adult literature now. And, honestly, even though it had some similarities, the rest of the book definitely outweighs those parts. Aside from what I just said, Embers is it's own book, it's own story. It is not a replica of any other story and it really is great.

It was neat to discover Embers powers with her and see, really, what she was capable of. It was exciting to figure out Sawyer's role in the book and how, exactly, he was going to be a part of her life. He could have so easily been the bad guy but it was interesting to see how he grew as a character.

Let me also say that I think that the setting of this book is absolutely amazing. Ember is from Ohio (where my husband is from) and Sawyer is from Kentucky (where I'm from) and the story itself takes place in the mountains of Tennessee, which is where I lived when I was younger. Though it wasn't one of the best times of my life, I will never, ever forget how beautiful it was there and I would honestly love to live there again.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed the book and I can't wait to continue the story with Gaia, the second in the series.

Favorite Character: Sawyer
Rating: 4 Stars.

ladymoneypenny's review

2.0

Such a pretty cover, but a disappointing read.

Unique premise

Embers does a great job of mixing teen romance with unique fantasy elements. At first I was a little overwhelmed by the plethora of characters to keep up with, but only the main characters really matter - Ember, Sawyer, Ila, and Ivan. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

catmittens's review

1.0

this was really bad.

good concept but the writing needs so much work. awkward, unrealistic, choppy.