What do you think?
Rate this book
Embers
It doesn't take much for a quest of vengeance to turn into a war. That's what Avalin discovers when a twisted and deadly Shadow Lynx vows to destroy everything she loves, and gathers an army to help fulfill that promise. But when the Lynx targets Avalin's family, she realizes that she has allies of her own. Friends that are willing to give up everything to see that she and her family survive. In an attempt to end this senseless bloodlust before things get out of hand, Avalin will have to uncover secrets about herself, and others, that she never wanted to know. If she truly desires to Join with her partner Albert and finally give him the bond he needs to survive, she'll have to delve deep into his mind where his fears and nightmares thrive... and risk the possibility of undoing him from the inside out. Revenge is like an invading flower. It infects you, and then it spreads. Pollinated by anger and careless action in the name of vengeance. But you can't blame it. Even worse, you understand it. All this flower wants to do is thrive.
590 pages, ebook
First published February 9, 2013
18 people want to read
About the author
A.L. Collins
18 books98 followersI'm a character enthusiest and lover of storytelling. I've spent most of my life listening to the tales that people tell and studying what makes a book or characters alive and interesting. Writing is my love and the details the flavor. I hope that people enjoy what I can create.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2013
So, I admit, I didn't come into this book with the most open mind. I mean, the PUBLISHED YA I've read lately has... well...
It's blown. Dick. It's blown major dick. I'm sorry, but they did.
Marked by the Casts, City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (FUCK YOU JACE WAYLAND-MORGANSTERN-PRICK) and Hush, Hush by I forget who. Not important. What is important is that all I knew is A.) Most YA has sucked in my experience. B.) I can't imagine how much worse it can get. And C.) My friend gave me a book that was written by a... wait... drum roll...
dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada NINETEEN YEAR OLD BOY.
..................skeptic.
Seriously. I was cringing as she handed it to me. And I'm thinking, "You're giving me a book 'self-published' by some kid who doesn't know what he's doing, hasn't been picked up by a traditional publisher, and who is writing from a female's POV."
And she said, "Well, you hated the traditionally published ones I gave you. How bad can this be?"
So, I gave her the benefit. I tried the book out.
Well, three days later. It sat on my desk as I finished, to my dismay, City of Ashes. And it was calling me. And tempting me. And the cover isn't bad, vague enough to interest, so I bit the hook.
And you know what? I fucking loved it.
At first, I was like, "Naw. Naw girl, this can't be right." Turns out, there was a first book, and I don't read out of order, and Crissi had it on her. So I read it. And you know what? Besides some of the grammar issues, it pulled me in. The main character, Avalin, was whining and so depressed in the beginning like so many girls are. But you know what she did? As danger lurked around every corner, she GOT THE FUCK OVER IT. That's what you're supposed to do, girls. You can pine, and mope, and whine, and bitch, so long as sometime during the book, YOU GET OVER IT. And Avalin did. Okay, AL Collins. Attention is on you now.
Avalin's friends were cool, the plot was new, intriguing, and Albert never stalked her, threatened to kill her, pushed her away to "save her from himself" or any of that bullshit. In fact, he fought to stay close to her even though she initially fought against him. The only problem was that the first book was too short, until I remembered the second book is SIX HUNDRED FREAKING PAGES.
*locks door and rocks back and forth on the bed with Embers snuggled within my grasp*
So, now on to the actual book. There are some grammar things here and there. I was told editing a book is pretty expensive, and Crissi said to keep an open mind. But the editing wasn't actually that bad. I've seen worse in some published novels. It's obvious this kid is serious about what he's doing. It's not like he woke up one morning and, over a bowl of corn flakes, said, "I'm gonna be an author today". Which, for someone so young, is a rarity. Wow.
So plot wise, I was hooked. This creepy bitch in the beginning is all like, "I'M A LITTLE VERSION OF YOU AND I'M GOING TO BE CRYPTIC AND UNSETTLING AND CHASE YOU THROUGH THE WOODS" and Avalin's all like, "BITCH NAW, I AIN'T HAVIN THAT." Turns out it's a dream and she wakes up and Albert, some smoking hot, sensitive, dark-haired, gray-eyed... oh god, hold on.
*goes and takes a cold shower*
There. So, anyway, Albert's FUCKING HOT. He takes her in her arms as he passes his serenity in order to calm her emotions. (AHEM THAT IS HOW YOU DO IT PATCH, EDWARD AND ASSHOLE JACE) Then he proceeds to cook (COOK. OKAY, I CAN TOTALLY GET ON BOARD WITH THIS) while he and Avalin discuss their partnership.
This whole concept of Twined, a form of supernatural being requiring humans to Join with, is something pretty damn new and I've never read about something like this. It turns out that the stronger bond between a Twined and their human results in stronger powers, which I think is pretty cool. I think the author has indeed tantalized us with a newer concept and can take the world building even further in the next book. If there's a next book. Is there a next book? Now I gotta internet stalk some blogs... is there a blog? *Grumble*
Anyway, the story picks up. Josh, Avalin's hilariously grumpy, loner, play-videogames-all-day little brother is kidnapped, which made me want to punch his kidnapper Terrance in the teeth. Lyle, Avalin's best friend, saves Avalin and Prajna and teams up with them to rescue Avalin's brother. Instead, they kidnap Terrance and he goads them into rescuing his daughter from a prison in exchange for Avalin's bro. Long story short, they do, go on to form a Family called the Vanguards with Gray, and then take on stupid slut-face Jessica and proceed to kick her ass in a climactic, cleverly-written battle. Seriously, the whole barrier around the town thing was awesome, especially the way Avalin used the barrier to their advantage in the end. GOD I LOVE A GIRL WITH BRAINS. I'm not a lesbian, but Avalin could turn me.
*another cold shower*
Anyway, this brings me to the famous character portion of my review.
Ahem.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
You... will never... hear that again... until next time...
Seriously, the characters were the best part of the book. In fact, while the plot was good, it was only the delicious icing on the ice cream cake that was the characters. In fact, I have listed all my favorites in order.
1.) Avalin: I just love this girl. I do. She's so sarcastic, headstrong, and she knows when she's wrong. She has no mary sue syndrome. She makes mistakes. She owns up to them. She is trying to do what's best for those around her by fighting at their side. I cannot tell you how much I love her. I think the best quote from her by far was when she was telling off her douchebag ex boyfriend...
"You're the one in need of repairs, Alan, mostly in the character department. And I'll take you apart before I put you back together again. I'm not a maintenance woman, I don't have time for it."
BRAVO GIRL. KICK DOUCHES TO THE CURB!
2.) Lyle: I know, I know. How could Lyle be placed above Albert? To be honest, Albert is fourth. FOURTH. WAAAAT??? But he is.
I love Lyle. He is a lanky, adorable, I'm-always-there-for-you kind of guy who has a very well-defined sense of morality. He also eats tacos in a very strange manner, starting from the top. (That would but me too) But what I love the most is his emotional vulnerability. When he shoots those Twined, when he loses his brother (OHMIGOD DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED) he shows the emotion. He's shattered by the time the second book is done, and I'm so nervous about what's going to happen to him. It's like the nice guy who's lost in this dark place, and at the end of Embers, he's driving off alone. I don't like it.
LYLE, DON'T DRIVE OFF! MARRY ME FIRST. THEN YOU CAN GO. <3
3.) Roth. Surprised? I don't think anyone expected that! There's something about a well-spoken, thuggish orphan with hell-fire powers running from his beautifully tragic past that just lights my candle, if you know what I mean.
*another cold shower*
Seriously, Roth keeps his cool quite well. He's so cryptically sexy and is "built like a brick shithouse". I like how none of the characters throw their sad pasts at you, expecting pity. Avalin finds them out after Jessica sends her into a Rem Promise, which is like Rem sleep only it's a nightmare prison forged from despair. Roth's is apparently that he couldn't save his starving sister from dying, and after, he accidentally burns down a house while trying to survive as an orphan. It's some pretty heavy stuff, and you'd never guess it by looking at Roth's calm exterior. RIP MARIE & TINA!!!
Now, it may just be me, but does anyone else think that Lyle and Roth would make a good couple? I mean, Lyle is a bit of an ass to Roth at the end, and AL is indeed a teenage boy, so I doubt the author would write in a gay couple, but still... it would be awesome. Maybe I'll have to do it myself... FANFIC TIME!
The rest of the characters go a little something like this...
4.Albert
5.Prajna
6.Jaspit
7.Cisaro
8.Gray
9.Porter
10.Twiggy
11.Vikki
12.Mayuki
13.Claire/Sasi TIED!
14.Terrance
Those were my top fourteen!
Anyway, this book, this author, and this whole indie concept totally blew me out of the water. I never thought that an indie, male, 19 year old could write a better book than a traditionally published, female 40 year old with ten years of experience, who co-wrote a book with her middle-aged daughter. I'M LOOKING AT YOU, CAST DUO! I guess when you've got it, you've got it. Fortunately, I've got this book, and whatever else this man comes out with later on.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to re-read this book and ship the hell out of RothXLyle. RYLE FOR THE WIN!!!! Congrats, Mr. Collins. You have thoroughly peaked my interest.
PEACE!
It's blown. Dick. It's blown major dick. I'm sorry, but they did.
Marked by the Casts, City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (FUCK YOU JACE WAYLAND-MORGANSTERN-PRICK) and Hush, Hush by I forget who. Not important. What is important is that all I knew is A.) Most YA has sucked in my experience. B.) I can't imagine how much worse it can get. And C.) My friend gave me a book that was written by a... wait... drum roll...
dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada NINETEEN YEAR OLD BOY.
..................skeptic.
Seriously. I was cringing as she handed it to me. And I'm thinking, "You're giving me a book 'self-published' by some kid who doesn't know what he's doing, hasn't been picked up by a traditional publisher, and who is writing from a female's POV."
And she said, "Well, you hated the traditionally published ones I gave you. How bad can this be?"
So, I gave her the benefit. I tried the book out.
Well, three days later. It sat on my desk as I finished, to my dismay, City of Ashes. And it was calling me. And tempting me. And the cover isn't bad, vague enough to interest, so I bit the hook.
And you know what? I fucking loved it.
At first, I was like, "Naw. Naw girl, this can't be right." Turns out, there was a first book, and I don't read out of order, and Crissi had it on her. So I read it. And you know what? Besides some of the grammar issues, it pulled me in. The main character, Avalin, was whining and so depressed in the beginning like so many girls are. But you know what she did? As danger lurked around every corner, she GOT THE FUCK OVER IT. That's what you're supposed to do, girls. You can pine, and mope, and whine, and bitch, so long as sometime during the book, YOU GET OVER IT. And Avalin did. Okay, AL Collins. Attention is on you now.
Avalin's friends were cool, the plot was new, intriguing, and Albert never stalked her, threatened to kill her, pushed her away to "save her from himself" or any of that bullshit. In fact, he fought to stay close to her even though she initially fought against him. The only problem was that the first book was too short, until I remembered the second book is SIX HUNDRED FREAKING PAGES.
*locks door and rocks back and forth on the bed with Embers snuggled within my grasp*
So, now on to the actual book. There are some grammar things here and there. I was told editing a book is pretty expensive, and Crissi said to keep an open mind. But the editing wasn't actually that bad. I've seen worse in some published novels. It's obvious this kid is serious about what he's doing. It's not like he woke up one morning and, over a bowl of corn flakes, said, "I'm gonna be an author today". Which, for someone so young, is a rarity. Wow.
So plot wise, I was hooked. This creepy bitch in the beginning is all like, "I'M A LITTLE VERSION OF YOU AND I'M GOING TO BE CRYPTIC AND UNSETTLING AND CHASE YOU THROUGH THE WOODS" and Avalin's all like, "BITCH NAW, I AIN'T HAVIN THAT." Turns out it's a dream and she wakes up and Albert, some smoking hot, sensitive, dark-haired, gray-eyed... oh god, hold on.
*goes and takes a cold shower*
There. So, anyway, Albert's FUCKING HOT. He takes her in her arms as he passes his serenity in order to calm her emotions. (AHEM THAT IS HOW YOU DO IT PATCH, EDWARD AND ASSHOLE JACE) Then he proceeds to cook (COOK. OKAY, I CAN TOTALLY GET ON BOARD WITH THIS) while he and Avalin discuss their partnership.
This whole concept of Twined, a form of supernatural being requiring humans to Join with, is something pretty damn new and I've never read about something like this. It turns out that the stronger bond between a Twined and their human results in stronger powers, which I think is pretty cool. I think the author has indeed tantalized us with a newer concept and can take the world building even further in the next book. If there's a next book. Is there a next book? Now I gotta internet stalk some blogs... is there a blog? *Grumble*
Anyway, the story picks up. Josh, Avalin's hilariously grumpy, loner, play-videogames-all-day little brother is kidnapped, which made me want to punch his kidnapper Terrance in the teeth. Lyle, Avalin's best friend, saves Avalin and Prajna and teams up with them to rescue Avalin's brother. Instead, they kidnap Terrance and he goads them into rescuing his daughter from a prison in exchange for Avalin's bro. Long story short, they do, go on to form a Family called the Vanguards with Gray, and then take on stupid slut-face Jessica and proceed to kick her ass in a climactic, cleverly-written battle. Seriously, the whole barrier around the town thing was awesome, especially the way Avalin used the barrier to their advantage in the end. GOD I LOVE A GIRL WITH BRAINS. I'm not a lesbian, but Avalin could turn me.
*another cold shower*
Anyway, this brings me to the famous character portion of my review.
Ahem.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
You... will never... hear that again... until next time...
Seriously, the characters were the best part of the book. In fact, while the plot was good, it was only the delicious icing on the ice cream cake that was the characters. In fact, I have listed all my favorites in order.
1.) Avalin: I just love this girl. I do. She's so sarcastic, headstrong, and she knows when she's wrong. She has no mary sue syndrome. She makes mistakes. She owns up to them. She is trying to do what's best for those around her by fighting at their side. I cannot tell you how much I love her. I think the best quote from her by far was when she was telling off her douchebag ex boyfriend...
"You're the one in need of repairs, Alan, mostly in the character department. And I'll take you apart before I put you back together again. I'm not a maintenance woman, I don't have time for it."
BRAVO GIRL. KICK DOUCHES TO THE CURB!
2.) Lyle: I know, I know. How could Lyle be placed above Albert? To be honest, Albert is fourth. FOURTH. WAAAAT??? But he is.
I love Lyle. He is a lanky, adorable, I'm-always-there-for-you kind of guy who has a very well-defined sense of morality. He also eats tacos in a very strange manner, starting from the top. (That would but me too) But what I love the most is his emotional vulnerability. When he shoots those Twined, when he loses his brother (OHMIGOD DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED) he shows the emotion. He's shattered by the time the second book is done, and I'm so nervous about what's going to happen to him. It's like the nice guy who's lost in this dark place, and at the end of Embers, he's driving off alone. I don't like it.
LYLE, DON'T DRIVE OFF! MARRY ME FIRST. THEN YOU CAN GO. <3
3.) Roth. Surprised? I don't think anyone expected that! There's something about a well-spoken, thuggish orphan with hell-fire powers running from his beautifully tragic past that just lights my candle, if you know what I mean.
*another cold shower*
Seriously, Roth keeps his cool quite well. He's so cryptically sexy and is "built like a brick shithouse". I like how none of the characters throw their sad pasts at you, expecting pity. Avalin finds them out after Jessica sends her into a Rem Promise, which is like Rem sleep only it's a nightmare prison forged from despair. Roth's is apparently that he couldn't save his starving sister from dying, and after, he accidentally burns down a house while trying to survive as an orphan. It's some pretty heavy stuff, and you'd never guess it by looking at Roth's calm exterior. RIP MARIE & TINA!!!
Now, it may just be me, but does anyone else think that Lyle and Roth would make a good couple? I mean, Lyle is a bit of an ass to Roth at the end, and AL is indeed a teenage boy, so I doubt the author would write in a gay couple, but still... it would be awesome. Maybe I'll have to do it myself... FANFIC TIME!
The rest of the characters go a little something like this...
4.Albert
5.Prajna
6.Jaspit
7.Cisaro
8.Gray
9.Porter
10.Twiggy
11.Vikki
12.Mayuki
13.Claire/Sasi TIED!
14.Terrance
Those were my top fourteen!
Anyway, this book, this author, and this whole indie concept totally blew me out of the water. I never thought that an indie, male, 19 year old could write a better book than a traditionally published, female 40 year old with ten years of experience, who co-wrote a book with her middle-aged daughter. I'M LOOKING AT YOU, CAST DUO! I guess when you've got it, you've got it. Fortunately, I've got this book, and whatever else this man comes out with later on.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to re-read this book and ship the hell out of RothXLyle. RYLE FOR THE WIN!!!! Congrats, Mr. Collins. You have thoroughly peaked my interest.
PEACE!
March 1, 2013
This book was amazing!! A.L. Collins is a very gifted writer and storyteller. I can't even put into words how great this second book Embers was. It had everything a person could want from a book. Action, suspense, drama, jokes. It was even better than the first book! I can't wait for book three though I do hopes it comes out soon!
August 17, 2014
Three and a half again. :D
I love, love, love this story. (And as such, I'm That Guy who's totally okay with overlooking the occasional grammatical and spelling error.) But I find the issue I had with the first book (lack of background) kind of got slammed in my face this time around. There was sooooo much in such a little space! I almost feel like this could have been split into two books and developed a little further because I felt like a lot of the world-building was just scratching the surface.
Of course, the ending left the series open to further development, so there is that. (OH I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE A.L. KEEP ME WANTING MORE. It worked. Can't wait for future releases and get to see even more development and character growth.)
P.S. Prajna is a total badass.
I love, love, love this story. (And as such, I'm That Guy who's totally okay with overlooking the occasional grammatical and spelling error.) But I find the issue I had with the first book (lack of background) kind of got slammed in my face this time around. There was sooooo much in such a little space! I almost feel like this could have been split into two books and developed a little further because I felt like a lot of the world-building was just scratching the surface.
Of course, the ending left the series open to further development, so there is that. (OH I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE A.L. KEEP ME WANTING MORE. It worked. Can't wait for future releases and get to see even more development and character growth.)
P.S. Prajna is a total badass.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews