Ember by Carol Oates

Ember
Ember 1
Author: Carol Oates
Pages: 237 pgs
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Release Date: July 19th 2011
Review Source: Omnific Publishing

Carol Oates has done another amazing job with this first book in her new series. I absolutely loved her debut novel Shades of Atlantis and was thrilled with the chance to read  her next book.

In Ember we are introduced to Candra who, after a strange and intense encounter with a fearsome woman, wakes up in the hospital with a whole new reality. Everything she thought she'd known about herself and her father are completely turned upside down.

And if that's not enough, her affections and loyalties are being pulled in two different directions. With Sebastian, a Watcher angel, stalking her every move and Draven, Sebastian's enemy, insisting on Candra becoming his. But will Candra be able to betray her heart in order to prevent disaster? Or will it all be for nothing?

I was a part of the blog tour for this book and was so happy to be able to participate! Carol has such an amazing way of weaving a tale and leaving her readers longing for more, so when the opportunity to be able to read this new book of hers, I jumped at the chance.

Candra was such an interesting character. She was strong and feisty, loving and selfless. I loved that she was a complex character without being whiny or irritating. She was who she was and made no apologies for that. And the same went for Sebastian and Draven. Although, Sebastian was brooding, but that isn't always a bad thing.

The relationship between Candra and Sebastian was one that I really enjoyed. There wasn't any love at first sight here. Nope, for a good while Candra and Sebastian annoyed each other and fought most of the time, it took a while for them to fall in love. And the build up for more between them only added to the heartbreak of what was to come and made the story even better. I found my heart leaping into my throat quite a number of times.

One of the best things about this story is that it seems like you know exactly where it's headed, but in the end Carol throws you for a big loop. Everything appeared clearly laid out at one point, but there was so much more going on than we as readers new, and even more of the story left to tell.

I absolutely love Carol Oates' writing and can't wait for the sequel for not only this story, but for Shades of Atlantis (which I believe is going to be called Shades of Avalon). She is a wonderful story teller.

To keep up to date with new from the author you can check out her website http://www.caroloates.com or follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/CarolOates