Nice Companion to City of Ember
584898
Interesting and easy, light reading. goes well with the City of Ember series.
4461772
I loved Jag and Ember in this one, and enjoyed seeing both new and familiar faces in this second act of the Angels Walking series. While I wasn't as invested in the main 'couple' of this one as I was in Tyler and Sami's story, I did enjoy seeing Marcus and Mary Katherine helping the community and spending time with friends and God. Can't wait to read the next one to see what challenges they will overcome!
575345
I really liked the books along with the developments of the main character but the chapter in between with other characters that are living in the same world can create some dissonance. It's a good read if you like light novels, RPGs, Isekai, video games and the like. It's a nice continuation of the first volume. Hope you enjoy it.
3110336
my daughter is reading this series and she really likes it.  Nice series and good second book after City of Ember.
3500419
While this is a prequel to The Green Ember, it is easily read as a standalone. A quick read, it will inspire all ages to envision a land of excitement and adventure, and to engage in a tale of truth disguised as fantasy.
3631549
Melissa Caruso's "The Tethered Mage" (Book 1 of new series, Swords and Fire) was more enjoyable than I had expected. I kind of expected the usual YA fantasy of cute girl with special powers meets up with cute boy and they have to save the world. This story is somewhat in that vein but there are worthwhile twists that keep it all interesting.

Amalia Cornaro is aristocracy in the Raverran Empire. Her mother is powerful politically so Lady Amalia is expected to be politically astute (or learn to be) because that is her heritage. From the first chapter's opening salvo, she saves a town from being incinerated. This event changes her current course as the person who nearly incinerated the town has magical power which means she is meant to conscripted in the Raverran army and given Amalia's actions have linked to the girl so she too is tied to the army.

Oh and there is a cute guy. And this all happens in the first chapter.

I liked Amalia and cute guy Marcello, but the one with the bite is Zaira, the thief with the mage-mark who has tried to avoid being conscripted into the army by hiding her power. That's the thing with this story. Perhaps the three do need to help save Raverra but with its nasty politics and nastier leaders, you wonder if it is worth it.

That's probably what I liked best. Even if it was telegraphed early on who the baddies are, it isn't like Amalia and Marcello work for good people either. Zaira is a reminder that it is a crap hand that she's been dealt all because of Raverra's laws. So there is that constant push-pull while reading that made it all the more interesting to me.

I'm a little disappointed that the next book seems to be from Amalia's first person narration again. I was kind of hoping that we'd get Zaira's narration but there is probably a good reason for it and as such, I still look forward to the next book.
1123329
A charming M/M urban fantasy.

I found Aaron and Rhys' relationship believable and very sweet.  A lot of care and research clearly went into the author's portrayal of Aaron's war injuries, (cool!  so cutting edge) prosthetic arm, and PTSD.  The real world and fantasy elements of the story were well-balanced and fit together nicely.  The details about the Pittsburgh area occasionally made me chuckle with their sort of locals' familiarity.

The other characters were varied and interesting (I quite enjoyed both of their mothers and their relationships with them in particular).  With his various nerdy interests, Aaron struck me as someone I would probably like to be friends with.

(I would definitely read another story connected to this one!)
4826443
Okay, so I actually like a recent TSR publication, and why not? It is a well written tome filled with skads of detail of a place that has until recently been the purview of the RPGA. Greenwood does an excellent job in  detailing the city-and most importantly, the families of note complete with  histories! Wow! Best of all, it isn't overly replete with characters who  made pacts with every god and major demon lord to get where they are. Aside  from Greenwood's obsession with mages and the fact that there are just too  darn many of them to be found anywhere in the Realms, Raven's Bluff is an  ideal book to base a series of adventures, but I wouldn't run a campaign in  it. It could have done with a better thieves guild, but other than that,  this is well written book, and it's layout and maps are extremely well  done. Well worth the money.
3650239
Kate is pretty badass. I like her sassiness and her inability to deal with authority. I like that she is more interested in making sure her clothing will help her survive a fight than whether or not it is sexy. She isn't oblivious to the fact that she is pretty, but she has more pressing things to worry about. Plus I want her awesome magic sword.

I was a tiny bit confused at first about the magic/tech but I felt like the world building was actually really good. There weren't a lot of info dumps, just tidbits woven into the story.

This special edition has some FAQs and character profiles at the end of the book that offered some extra information, and I thought that was a nice touch.

On to book 2! :)
1284150
Ember is a typical sixteen year old girl growing up in the Community Garden and is about to be assigned her career, most likely as a Defender.  A chance meeting with a new young man the night before Career Day causes a chain reaction when all young people except Ember are assigned the Defender Career.  Ember is then forced to attack a Defender to save her best friend.  Now suspected to be a rebel, Ember is sent to the city, Frankfort, and sentenced to death in a mock trial.  Frankfort, however, is full of intrigue and secrets.  Before her sentence can be carried out, Ember's life is once again spiralling out of her control at the whims of others.  Will her mother's shocking secret be the death or salvation of Ember's life?

I originally read this as a Beta reader and had been thinking about since when the author asked me to read an Advanced Reader copy and post an honest review.  I jumped at the chance!

This is a young adult dystopian novel. Ember is a sixteen year old girl and in typical ways is both exhilarating and infuriating at times.  :)  Sometimes I wanted to shout at her but only because I cared about her.

The world building is great and the characters are multidimensional.  The novel is told in first person only (which I love for these types of stories) so we really only know Ember well. The supporting characters are well developed and have secrets of their own.

The novel ends with the immediate problem solved.  However, this is just the first book in the series and I really want to read the next one.  There is still much to be known about secondary characters and Ember has some big decisions to make.  :)

So, I really recommend that you read this novel right now!  It is definitely worth your time and money.
3789172
I'm back to reading this series after a long time away (reading epic rather than urban fantasy for a change of pace).  The first thing I would suggest is to read the bonus novella at the end prior to reading the main novel.  Because some key hints are dropped in the novella about an event that occurs in the book (fairly early on), and some background storyline issues are resolved.  (There's something regarding Odin in Hunted that didn't make a lot of sense to me until after I read the novella.)

If you like the previous books in this series, and the characters, you will probably like this one as well.  It is a little different in some regards in that there are pretty much no breaks for the characters.  They are on the run, nonstop, until nearly the very end.  It's exciting, for sure, but it leaves you wanting to take a deep breath.  It was maybe a little too packet with action, as it didn't have any of the fun world-building and character development of past novels (no anti-British old neighbor lady, no running a bookshop/tea shop in Arizona, etc.).  Then again, by the sixth novel in a series, with recurring characters, it can be difficult to shed new light on their natures.

If you are not familiar with this series, it is fun (perhaps not quite the same as the Dresden Files, but if you liked Harry Dresden and company, there is a good chance you will also like this series), but I'd suggest starting back at the first book.  Because new characters are added in nearly every book, and subsequent books (like this one) refer back to past events from the other books of the series.

As with other volumes in the series, there is a goal to this volume (reach safety in England, despite pursuit and many obstacles), but also overall development of the series arc.  I think a nice balance is struck, with each aspect feeding off the other.

I feel like this book does a better job of making us afraid for the characters than some of the past books in the series.  Really bad things happen to them and they do not dominate every conflict.  Things happen where we're not sure they can recover.

Once again, there are a lot of jokes about popular culture.  I'm not sure that I caught all of them.  In fact, I probably didn't.  But it's fun to spot the references.  In general, language was about what you'd expect -- modern (appropriate due to the setting) with some profanity and sexual references and a lot of one-liners and other jokes.

The primary POV character is again Atticus, the druid from the series title.  We do get a few POV chapters from Granuaile's point of view (she is now a full druid after what happens in a previous book), as well.  Their voices are distinctly different, which is nice.  There were no cues as to whose chapter was which in the chapter headings, but it turned out that I didn't need them -- I could figure out after the first paragraph, who was doing the talking (or thinking, as the case may be).

There was some discussion of how one's idealism is lost after centuries of life.  I think this was an interesting theme to explore, and something that lent seriousness and believability to the story.  It's nice to have a theme like this, without being beaten over the head by it.  I think the author does a good job here.

I feel like I haven't been too specific at this point.  it's hard to do so without spoiling everything, which I've been trying to avoid doing.  But if you're happy with the first few books, you will probably like this one as well.

Overall, a solid volume in the series.  I'm glad the next one is already available.
3691380
With Ghost Light, Stevens doesn't really offer anything new, but she does develop the themes and characters of the first book. We get to see more of her world, and more of the magical creatures that inhabit it, which is probably my favorite aspect of the series. There's a real depth to the mythology here, with faeries, vampires, and mermaids falling into their own roles in society. It's not just a bunch of monsters dropped into the 'real' world, but a subtly different world where race extends beyond just skin color.

Ivy is better developed here as well, coming across as a significant participant in the world around her, rather than just an outsider. I felt her struggles to understand and come to grips with her powers were better defined her, giving her a much-needed strength that seemed to be somewhat lacking in the first volume. The characters around her come to life a bit more this time around as well, particularly Jinx, who breaks out of the generic 'someone to confide in' role. Torn is a fantastic new character, and once it became clear he wasn't being introduced solely to fill the hunky bad boy role, I really took to him.

The storyline this time around is a bit more of your standard urban fantasy tale, but it still has enough touches of originality to keep it fresh and intriguing. Stevens' vampires are subtly different from what we've become used to, and she does a great job of handing the touchy subject of putting children as risk, which is something of a relief for me, since stories of the fae almost demand a child-stealing element. There's a much better balance of emotions here as well, creating more of a connection with the reader, and moving beyond mere intellectual interest.
2829144
This is the third in the series, and it was nice to be able to read the second and this one back to back. With the cliffhanger ending in book 2, I was so ready to jump right in to the third book. Ember is back from the Otherworld with her mother and a few others, and the one person she she comes across is Eli. Now its been 3 years for Eli, but only seems like a couple of weeks for Ember, so there from the start there is this tension between Ember and Eli. There is a war on the horizon, and the search for the sword, Embers world is going to get even more stressful and so begins the more of the journey for her.

Ember is a freakin awesome main character. She is smart, caring and kickass too. I like that she is isn't wimpy and whiny and especially that she is funny and snarky. Eli is still kinda of a mystery to me, and unraveling a little more of this protective, smexy guy was fun to say the least. The chemistry between him and Ember was steamy There were a few other characters that I just have to mention. Kennedy was great, and I loved Cal.

The plot is fast and unpredictable, and full of secrets being kept, love triangles, jealousy and so many things still to be learned. And with so many after Ember, there isn't any time for dwelling. There are questions that Ember wants answers to, The tension between Ember and Eli and then there is this whole thing between her and Torin. His presence doesnt help with the already tenseness between Ember and Eli, but I liked Torin, and maybe I wasn't really supposed to, but what would this be without any romance drama. There were some shocking revelations for Ember, and some unexpected twists too. Betrayals played a big part, and I just wanted to rip a few of them a new one, how could they do this to Ember? And that ending has me wanting the fourth book, like now. This installment by far if my favorite so far!

Dwellers of Darkness has such a solid story, and characters that were so amazing and I cant get enough of it all. Blood Beyond Darkness can not be out fast enough.
3159496
I'm a big fan of Stirling's Emberverse series. This is the second book in what has developed into quite a series. It moves the story along, but doesn't really bring about any conclusion. I would say its the weakest of the first three books, but is still a whole lot of fun. It only really makes sense if you read Dies the Fire first, and finish with A Meeting at Corvallis.
2248697
The City of Ember was built by the Builder 241 years ago.  It is a place that is completely dark all the time unless the lights are on.  The store house of supplies left by the Builders all those years ago are running out. So are the lightbulbs.  Even the electricity is no longer stable.  Soon all the people of Ember will be plunged into forever darkness unless two young people, Lina and Doon, can find a way out.

Theology: We're in the dark

It's not clear what the author's theology is, but the characters in her book are at least debating the existence of an Invisible Being.

Maturity: G

This book is suitable for the whole family.  No profanity, sex, or other adult themes.  Just a good story.

Social Issues:

With supplies and electricity running out, we see the worst of society: greed, hopelessness, corruption, hoarding.  The good thing is that it is only some truly reprehensible characters that are doing these things.  Most of the people of Ember have been there long enough to make the best of what they have.  The citizens are forced to recycle and reuse almost everything because of their situation.  There are nice environmental parallels here.

I enjoyed the book.  I figured out what was going on in the story early, but I think it would keep a younger reader guessing.  There are three more books in the series.  It will be interesting to see if we can learn more about the author's theology by reading them.
3382307
This was a fun Iron Seas novella.  I enjoyed visiting this wonderful world again.  This could be read as a stand alone to introduce readers to the Iron Seas world.

I enjoyed Elizabeth and Caius as characters, they had good chemistry and were fun to read about.

This book dealt more with the zombie aspects of the Iron Sea world, although there was also a lot of airship travel as well.  The second half has some action and all of it is well written with lots of witty banter.

Although this book doesnt deal with the core set of Iron Seas characters (at least I don't think it does, I don't remember Elizabeth from the main series).  It does mention characters from the main series, for example the airship that Lady Corsair runs.

Things are tied up pretty quickly and I felt like the ending was a bit rushed.  However, I do understand that this is a novella and so it has to be short.

Overall this was a fun little addition to the Iron Seas series.  I enjoyed the characters and absolutely adore this world.  I would recommend to those who want to take a quick look at the Iron Seas world or to long time fans of the series.  This is a wonderful steampunk romance that has very solid world-building.
525832
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Hemlock Veils is a beautiful urban retelling of the classic story Beauty and the Beast. Set in the Oregon wilderness, it's easy to imagine the small town and its secrets hidden deep within the Mt. Hood National Forest.

Elizabeth is running from a painful past and guilt she can't let go. When her car breaks down within a couple miles of Hemlock Veils, she sees the small town as her chance for a new life. The entire town is haunted by a monster that roams the forest at night. Elizabeth sees more than a monster, she sees a kindred spirit hurting as much inside as she is. Henry runs the town of Hemlock Veils. No, he's not the mayor, but the residents defer to him in everything. It's actually quite creepy. He and Elizabeth develop an uneasy friendship over time.

This novel is beautifully written with flowing prose and easy dialogue. I did think it moved a tad slow, especially in the middle. There were a few times when I skimmed through to get to the next scene (mainly skipping some of the longer descriptions). Ms. Davenport did a great job developing the relationship between Elizabeth and the beast.

I really liked Elizabeth- she was strong, sweet, and intelligent. She managed to be hopeful even after the tragedies she has endured. Henry was an enigma. He was intent on scaring Elizabeth away in his ill-attempt at protecting her. When will men learn? Overall I really enjoyed Hemlock Veils. I liked the ending, and the epilogue was intriguing. If you're a Beauty and the Beast fan, then this retelling is a must-read.