Scan barcode
A review by pagesandfables
Cinders of Yesterday by Jen Karner
4.0
I was given a copy of this to review on Netgalley, many thanks to the publishers.
Cinders of Yesterday by Jen Karner is an urban fantasy novel based around two protagonists, Dani Black and Emilie Lockgrove. Dani is a monster hunter with a grudge against a 'necromancer' named Spectre, and Emilie is a young woman coming back to her hometown only to be thrown into memories of a life long forgotten. The points of view switch throughout the book between the two women, and we are taken on a winding journey of family, loss, monsters and even love.
The book itself was extremely enjoyable as there really wasn't much downtime when it came to the action and world building that Karner succeeds in giving us. The two protagonists in Dani and Emilie are both so enjoyable and likeable that you feel yourself wanting to know more, wanting to follow them both on their journeys. There is a natural pull between the two women, one that is extremely believable and one that you root for throughout the book. It doesn't feel contrived, false or forced in any way and that just lends itself to an enjoyable experience in getting to know both Dani and Emilie.
The world building and lore is very interesting, the differences between the hunters and the Talented and the other side characters were something that kept me reading, kept me wanting more. I would have liked a little more exposition on some of the lore, but overall it really worked to bring you into the story. Spectre is a formidable foe, one that has charm and finesse, yet there does feel to be a little something lacking in regards to his backstory despite that being discussed and examined in the book. He needs a little more punch to his reasonings, and yet at the same time it worked enough for the story and the book and didn't really hold the storyline to a detriment.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the characters and I would definitely recommend it to my other reader friends. I will definitely look out for the next books in the series as I want to follow Dani and Emilie to see where they end up and who they'll face off against next.
Cinders of Yesterday by Jen Karner is an urban fantasy novel based around two protagonists, Dani Black and Emilie Lockgrove. Dani is a monster hunter with a grudge against a 'necromancer' named Spectre, and Emilie is a young woman coming back to her hometown only to be thrown into memories of a life long forgotten. The points of view switch throughout the book between the two women, and we are taken on a winding journey of family, loss, monsters and even love.
The book itself was extremely enjoyable as there really wasn't much downtime when it came to the action and world building that Karner succeeds in giving us. The two protagonists in Dani and Emilie are both so enjoyable and likeable that you feel yourself wanting to know more, wanting to follow them both on their journeys. There is a natural pull between the two women, one that is extremely believable and one that you root for throughout the book. It doesn't feel contrived, false or forced in any way and that just lends itself to an enjoyable experience in getting to know both Dani and Emilie.
The world building and lore is very interesting, the differences between the hunters and the Talented and the other side characters were something that kept me reading, kept me wanting more. I would have liked a little more exposition on some of the lore, but overall it really worked to bring you into the story. Spectre is a formidable foe, one that has charm and finesse, yet there does feel to be a little something lacking in regards to his backstory despite that being discussed and examined in the book. He needs a little more punch to his reasonings, and yet at the same time it worked enough for the story and the book and didn't really hold the storyline to a detriment.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the characters and I would definitely recommend it to my other reader friends. I will definitely look out for the next books in the series as I want to follow Dani and Emilie to see where they end up and who they'll face off against next.