Great 2nd book
I found I was entranced in this as I was the first one. I found it didn’t hold a heaviness of having to do x amount of things that had to be done yesterday before they can make a move to save the world the next day. Yes, there was the pressure of royalty, and the amount of herding the princes away from Ember any chance they could, but there was also balance in Embers emotions. She was devastated being rejected by Storm, like heart broken, lying on the floor feeling like her heart was being pulverized. She found Unity when she really needed it and made her first real girl friend there. Amy, who is now her bestie, a lesbian bestie, and the quips that girl said even made me laugh. Amys mom hired her for her store, and since Ember was taught language, history and runes from each of the dragon kingdoms from her parents (who “abandoned” her while on a visit to her aunts place in the Air kingdom, this was explained in the first book). She is sorting through magical items and comes across as special bracer (bracelet), the draw she felt was powerful but held back due to the Amy’s mom’s warning when she hired her. That night she couldn’t stop thinking about it and went to the store and is about to open the crate where the bracer is, when Amy’s mom appears. She explains his the Shadown Queens bracer and she was hoping it would choose her as its heir but instead it chose Ember. She allowed Ember to touch it, and as soon as she did it attached itself to her wrist and she couldn’t get it off. She meets the Princes from the Fire kingdom (Rafe) and the Stone Kingdom (Jiyanu). As soon as the guys transform, she gasps and it like sucks their attention to her in an instant and boom! Two new mates! Her inner dragon is going crazy! It puts off talks of peace as they go at it like crazy, claiming her, it settles their dragons and her own. Ember needed that more than anyone knew. She worries that they will need to hide her relationship with them in the public like Storm did to her before rejecting her publicly. And even though it’s known in the inner royal circle of admins and stuff, they won’t acknowledge it publicly yet. Ember understands but it still breaks her heart. If we didn’t get to read their point of views alongside hers, I would have been angry on her behalf, but they weren’t doing it to hurt her but to protect her. Now, if the guys could get along politically, that would be amazing, thankfully when it’s just the 3 of them, they get along pretty well. I have a feeling that the Air kingdom’s King, has a deal with the staff of the other dragon kingdoms, to keep stirring up crap and blaming the other kingdoms. Rafe was apparently caught red handed trying to kill Jiyanu when they were kids, but Rafe says he was framed, but Jiyanu let his dads accusations color his judgment and from then on, they were at each others throats anytime they were in public together. Ember seems to bring out their vulnerable side, letting them slowly work out their differences in private. I truly think the bombing at the community hall was planned by the guys admin people, the ones whispering in their ear. I mean it was obvious that they dragged them away from the room when they all came back from their few min break, then the bomb happened. No one seemed suspicious though. That drove me batty, obvious thing but no one saw it. I was curious if the head priestess would know Embers parents, I’m really glad that she is giving her a chance and not automatically assuming she’s bad due to being the chosen heir of the shadow queen. Ember needs ppl to believe in her, and she needs to feel like she has some control over her life even if it’s just a tiny bit.
I feel for Storm, again I would think very differently about him if I didn’t get to read his point of view. I had a feeling she was his true mate too but with her status being an outsider, and not able to shift, the judgment of her being broken was wide spread and he wasn’t strong enough to stand up for her. Letting her go by rejecting her saying she’s “nothing, no one important”. Those words haunt her even now. She still hasn’t told the guys about Storm and I feel that convo is going to be interesting. Storm needs to grow a back bone. His dad grows more powerful by apparently allying with shadow dragons by selling off his only daughter to them. Storm feels deeply ashamed but hasn’t really Done anything about it, that’s what pisses me off. Sure he isn’t the favoured heir, but he’s still an Heir. He hasn’t looked into her that we know of, I think when he comes back into the picture there needs to be some huge grovelling and she better not just forgive him. She’s been walked over her whole life after her parents abandoned her and he knew about the bullying, the physical abuse but never did anything so she deserves all the grovelling. I can’t wait to read more about her bracer and I feel like she will only emerge on a night with no moon. Possibly being a shadow dragon. Cant wait!