Book Review: EMBERS & ECHOES by Karsten Knight

Embers & Echoes (Wildefire #2)

Author: Karsten Knight

Published: August 28th 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Summary | Add to TBR

Fan the flames: A teen goddess fires up her search for love and family in this sequel to Wildefire.

Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.

My Thoughts:

You can't run someplace new and not fill up the new space with the old stuff. The things you want to leave behind are the very things you can't. - Ash 

I'm indestructible, Ash. That doesn't mean I'm incapable of feeling. I still experience love, and I can still experience pain. - Colt 

When we reached the ending of Wildefire, the first book in the series, we learned that Colt isn't someone we thought he was. He isn't human. He isn't the same Colt. With this horrible realization, Ash ran away from him and decided to find her sisters--Rose, the youngest of the Wilde sisters who is known to be very dangerous and whom she never met, and Eve whom she learned isn't dead but in Nether, held captured by the Cloak. In the process of finding her sisters, she met Wes, the hot and gorgeous Aztec God of Night, and Aurora, the Roman Goddess of Dawn. 

Embers & Echoes started exactly where the first book ended, and with that huge cliffhanger ending in Wildefire, expect another thrill ride, lots of suspense, actions, mysteries and of course romance. 

This was the second time recently she'd saved a boy from being chained and tortured. 

"Let's hope I don't regret saving this one," she whispered to no one at all. 

The looks that you and Wes have been exchanging the last forty-eight hours are so hot that I'm surprised you don't need sunglasses to keep from getting pregnant. - Aurora 

What I loved about Karsten Knight's books is the humor and wit. This book doesn't lack of those. It balances the story especially when the book is full of suspense and heart-throbbing actions. There are old enemies, old foes, new friends--all these characters are amazing and very well-developed. You just can't help but love and care for them. So when a character died, well… of course it wasn't pretty, and it was absolutely not fun at all. I have to say that this book is even more heartbreaking for me than Wildefire 'cos once again I lost my favorite characters. The author isn't afraid to kill his characters--characters that I loved ever since Wildefire and I think it was a brave move. I just hope Karsten will continue to create beautiful Gods and Goddesses in the next books--characters that I will love as much as I love the others (may they rest in peace *wink). And please… oh dear Author, please, can you at least spare me some pain and heartache by not killing any more of my favorite characters?

Not as much as I loved Wildefire, but this one is really good. More suspenseful than the first. The mysteries and twists are even more intriguing. I am not fully satisfied with the ending because for me it's tragic. But overall, this book is amazing. The secrets and the revelations aren't what I expected either. There are more secrets from the past that are yet to unfold and I'm excited to see them revealed on the next book. Yes, sometimes I got frustrated because I didn't know who to trust anymore--the characters are unpredictable! So expect betrayal, revenge, and murders. I enjoyed it and I am eagerly anticipating the third. Full of actions, mysteries, suspense, wit and even drama, this book will put you at the edge of your seat. 

You make a decision whether you want to spend your life staring at the dark horizons…Or whether you want to spend it catching every sunrise that you can. - Wes

My Rating:

Book Review: WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight

Wildefire (Wildefire #1)
Author: Karsten Knight
Publication Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre/Category: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Mythology

Summary on Goodreads:

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

I am the fieriest depths of hell.

I am the surface of the sun.

I am the belly of a volcano.

I am the unstoppable force that

has formed new islands, and the

same unstoppable force that has

brought cities to their knees.

I am the volcano goddess who has

survived a thousand years.

I am Ashline Wilde, and I may

not survive another thousand

years, but I'll go down in flames

before I go up in smoke.

My Thoughts:

The first time I saw this book, I instantly fell in love with the beautiful cover. It was very enticing and the summary is as promising as well.

I always love a strong, butt-kicking heroine, and Ashline Wilde did not disappoint. From the beginning, I was entertained by her wit, confidence and occasional stubbornness. On top of that, she was never annoying. I enjoyed getting to know her and was so  excited to see the story unfolds.  The story is really good and I didn't want to put down the book until I can't keep my eyes open anymore.

If you think gods and goddesses lived on top of the mountain or high above the clouds, or maybe beneath the depth of the earth, then I'd say think again. What if they could be one of us? Going to the same school as yours, lurking on the forests outside your house or maybe living in the same neighborhood. They die like us, but they are being born over and over again. This idea made the story unique and interesting. It gave us a world where gods and goddesses from different mythology exists. It was fascinating.

Another amazing thing about the story is the characters. The author created well-developed heroes and heroines that made them all admirable. These characters kept me entertained especially with their good humor and wit. Most of their lines became my favorites and I find myself writing them down. Believe me, I ended up writing a lot and I even noted a couple of whole pages! The author did great in adding the humor flavor that it made me smile and giggle while reading them.

What more can I say? I enjoyed every part of the book, from the beginning up to the last page... especially the last page! Just as I thought that all the suspense evaporated, I was unexpectedly blown away by the ending. Who ever saw that coming? I bet no one anticipated a big surprise that made me even more excited to read the next book! As much as I was itching to tell you what that is, I know I shouldn't spoil your future reading. You just have to grab the book and see  it for yourself. It was fascinatingly good!

My Rating: