EmberhawkBy Jamie Foley
YA Fantasy, Christian
Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 356 Pages
March 10th 2020 by Fayette Press
Summary
The elementals have decided they're gods, and humans are nothing but fuel for their fire.
A starving trapper.
Merciless drought withers Kira's ranch, leaving her family hungry—and desperate enough to cross the border into the forbidden forest to trap wild game.
But the forest is infested with tree-scorpions and giant cats that wield elemental invisibility, and they're hungry, too. When Kira mistakes one elemental creature for another, she ends up with the last thing she wants in her trap: an enemy soldier.
An invisible spy.
Ryon can't afford to be a prisoner of war. If the Malaano Empire extracts his secrets, the rumors of war will be confirmed—and the tribes stand little chance against the Empire unless they can put aside generations of bad blood for the sake of a Tribal Alliance.
When Ryon's escape leaves Kira injured and her livelihood in flames, Ryon must choose between aiding her… or returning to his chieftess with vital information. But can he survive the trek when an elemental pursues him for his rejected heritage?
A sacrificial princess.
Imperial Princess Vylia is given a powerful ancient stone as her wavesinger trials approach. But is the stone's whispering voice from the water goddess, or a masquerading elemental the creator god imprisoned millennia ago?
When Vylia's diplomatic mission to the tribal lands erupts in fiery revenge, she, Kira, and Ryon must work together to survive—or become pawns in the battle of the gods.
My Review
EMBERHAWK is a fantasy set in a colorful and dangerous world where not everyone is as they seem and where one girl gets unknowingly caught in the middle of an oncoming war. Recommended to YA fantasy fans.
These characters were each unique. There were two main storylines: Kira and Ryon, and then Vylia, with three points-of-view. Kira is fairly impetuous. She doesn't always think before she acts and it gets her into trouble. She also doesn't necessarily trust anyone and makes her own conclusions and then acts on that information even if she's wrong. I did want her to start to get a little more wisdom as the story goes on and to be a bit more trusting of Ryon earlier since everything is new to her, but not to Ryon, but she doesn't. Ryon was my favorite character from this story. He's a bit of a flirt and is overflowing with charm. He's also skilled, smart and brave, but has a soft heart. I did think that he acts younger than he should have in some places and not as skilled or mature for his background and position. I just wanted a bit more from him. Vylia was a bit more one-dimensional. I know she has a bigger role to play and I'm curious to see what happens in the next book.
The storybook world was really interesting. I liked the different creatures, various peoples and lands that form this world. I did feel like some of the verbiage wasn't quite right for the story, particularly some of the slang, and there were some places that didn't transition well where more editing was needed. I thought the belief system was intriguing with the elementals and the creator. I'm curious to see how that all plays out as I know they're not done. I also felt this wasn't religious enough to be a strong Christian read—at least not more so than many mainstream fantasy novels, so I think any fantasy reader could enjoy this story, Christian and non-Christian alike.
In the end, was it what I wished for? Overall, this was an enjoyable fantasy. The world and characters kept me turning the pages and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
Content: Some violence and innuendo, but would consider this clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through JustRead Publicity Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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