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The Division: Ember's Quest
One man stands between the elemental forces seeking to destroy the world of The Division, but he lays sick and dying. Only his daughter, Ember, who has never set foot outside their kingdom can save him, but who can she trust?
Pursued by monstrous elemental creatures, she sets out on a quest for his cure, only to discover it may not be what she believed it would be. She’ll be faced with many challenges as she uncovers new truths and journeys further into a world on the brink of collapse.
Mysterious new allies will join her, including a strange but familiar white cat, as the elemental forces trying to stop her close in.
Will what her father told her turn out to be true? Will the magic unlocked by her mother’s amulet keep her alive? Will she find the cure in time or only more secrets that have long been hidden?
Find out in The Division book one, Ember’s Quest.
Winner of the 2022 Global Book Awards "Coming of Age" category, Silver Tier!
Pursued by monstrous elemental creatures, she sets out on a quest for his cure, only to discover it may not be what she believed it would be. She’ll be faced with many challenges as she uncovers new truths and journeys further into a world on the brink of collapse.
Mysterious new allies will join her, including a strange but familiar white cat, as the elemental forces trying to stop her close in.
Will what her father told her turn out to be true? Will the magic unlocked by her mother’s amulet keep her alive? Will she find the cure in time or only more secrets that have long been hidden?
Find out in The Division book one, Ember’s Quest.
Winner of the 2022 Global Book Awards "Coming of Age" category, Silver Tier!
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2021
19 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2021
What a way to end the year! I am in love with The Division series now! The Division: Ember’s Quest is the first book in the young adult fantasy series by Kevin Penelerick. So far three is only one book but the second book will be coming out in episodes and later made into a book. I thought this was an interesting concept! I liked the layout with the book organized into 9 parts with each part having several short chapters in each. Penelerick also provides a map at the beginning which you will need with the travels of Ember and the lore within the story. He also provides character artwork that I really enjoyed. Speaking of the lore, it’s incredibly well done. There is a lot to remember but I loved it. It’s as the reader we don’t get all of the lore at once or blatantly given. Instead, most of it is disguised through moments of storytelling in the background that Ember hears or experiences, through fever dreams, etc. In the world, there are elemental beings who are determined to bring back war and take power over the three kingdoms. Before the current story, there was a great war that devastated the land and the people. It was finally ended by an individual called the “Earth Guardian” and who later mysteriously disappeared. In the rebuilding, three kingdoms were created to balance the world. The elementals were controlled and there was peace. We start out by hearing bits and pieces of this in the festival celebrated by the three kingdoms (originally only 2 attended the festival but we are told that the third kingdom has finally decided to reunite). However, the reunification is a falsehood and just a trojan horse for a much more dark and treasonous means. The third kingdom under the help of the elementals and promises of power has decided to betray everyone and kill the princess, 15-year-old Ember of Raneban, in the hopes of starting a war and bringing the elementals to power again. In a twist of fate, Ember is not killed but her father the king is poisoned beyond the means of any healer or wizard. The king is then forced in a fever dream state to send his only daughter and young teen who has never left the Kingdom’s grounds on a mysterious quest to save their very world. Add in some fantastical creatures, dark elemental villains, strong friendships, a magical night cat, all in an incredibly built world and you have just the skimmed bits of The Division. Truly, you have to read it to truly get it. I highly recommend this book for tweens, teens, adults, you name it. I truly cannot wait for the second book.
December 24, 2021
A good start to a potentially epic adventure series.
Ember, Princess of the Kingdom of Raneban is living a typical "princess" life until calamity strikes and she must set out on an adventure to save her father...and potentially her world.
I was excited to start this book when I received it as an eARC from NetGalley. Magic - female protagonist - a "strange, but familiar white cat" - all up my alley. The author has provide a familiar but interesting premise to this coming-of-age story where the protagonist needs to save their world / kingdom, but does not know who to trust or where to go.
I enjoyed the imagination and world-building of this universe. The 3-kingdoms, the warring elementals, and other characters in this novel lend themselves to a great world. I did find that the pacing moved quickly in this book that I found myself losing track of a few of the characters and needing to scroll back to see who or what was happening.
I also enjoyed the characters and was provided with a great ensemble of personalities that were adventuring together. I loved the fact that Ember is constantly walking around knitting projects as she journeys. I am always listening to audiobooks / knitting / crochet / etc as I do tasks. I don't remember ever having a character just do something so practically relatable in a fantasy novel.
On the downside, I did find the writing style of this novel a struggle to read. The pacing sometimes felt rushed and I would have to take myself out of the story to reread sections that I did not understand the first time. I also wanted the characters to have more emotional growth throughout the story, but as there is plans for a series I hope that this will happen as the story continues.
Conclusion
This book was solidly in the middle for me. The world building and plot were great, and there is a great starting cast of characters that have a lot of potential. The struggle to get fully immersed into the story and the writing style made it a little less enjoyable for me. I believe it is a good start to series that has the potential to grow.
Ember, Princess of the Kingdom of Raneban is living a typical "princess" life until calamity strikes and she must set out on an adventure to save her father...and potentially her world.
I was excited to start this book when I received it as an eARC from NetGalley. Magic - female protagonist - a "strange, but familiar white cat" - all up my alley. The author has provide a familiar but interesting premise to this coming-of-age story where the protagonist needs to save their world / kingdom, but does not know who to trust or where to go.
I enjoyed the imagination and world-building of this universe. The 3-kingdoms, the warring elementals, and other characters in this novel lend themselves to a great world. I did find that the pacing moved quickly in this book that I found myself losing track of a few of the characters and needing to scroll back to see who or what was happening.
I also enjoyed the characters and was provided with a great ensemble of personalities that were adventuring together. I loved the fact that Ember is constantly walking around knitting projects as she journeys. I am always listening to audiobooks / knitting / crochet / etc as I do tasks. I don't remember ever having a character just do something so practically relatable in a fantasy novel.
On the downside, I did find the writing style of this novel a struggle to read. The pacing sometimes felt rushed and I would have to take myself out of the story to reread sections that I did not understand the first time. I also wanted the characters to have more emotional growth throughout the story, but as there is plans for a series I hope that this will happen as the story continues.
Conclusion
This book was solidly in the middle for me. The world building and plot were great, and there is a great starting cast of characters that have a lot of potential. The struggle to get fully immersed into the story and the writing style made it a little less enjoyable for me. I believe it is a good start to series that has the potential to grow.
February 13, 2022
So first and foremost I got this book yesterday and I finished it in one go. If that doesn’t tell you how much I loved this story I don’t know what will.
The formatting for the e-copy is a tad off in that department, but besides that and a few grammatical errors it’s ok.
The chapters flow at a nice pace, but I felt some chapters could’ve been combined. In the beginning things were a tad fast paced. Not much was building up anticipation for that release at the climax.
I love the relationships between all the characters, but a lot of new characters were thrown out at you at the beginning as well, which is hard to keep up with especially if the names sound the same or start with the same letter.
The formatting for the e-copy is a tad off in that department, but besides that and a few grammatical errors it’s ok.
The chapters flow at a nice pace, but I felt some chapters could’ve been combined. In the beginning things were a tad fast paced. Not much was building up anticipation for that release at the climax.
I love the relationships between all the characters, but a lot of new characters were thrown out at you at the beginning as well, which is hard to keep up with especially if the names sound the same or start with the same letter.
January 8, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and the author for the e-book, and for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. I had forgotten how YA books just drag you into the story and make you not want to put the book down. I really liked the story, even though in the beginning you get a bit confused, you just have to keep on reading. The characters are lovely, would have liked a bit more of a backstory to some but not a big deal. The writing was good, for young readers it's perfect but, I would put the pronunciation guide before the first chapter or just at the end. It's easier that way. Fast-paced, great story, good writing, and a very nice plot, it's an easy 4 star read for me.
I'd totally recommend this book for kids or teens between 13-16 years old, a great way to get into reading.
Wow. I had forgotten how YA books just drag you into the story and make you not want to put the book down. I really liked the story, even though in the beginning you get a bit confused, you just have to keep on reading. The characters are lovely, would have liked a bit more of a backstory to some but not a big deal. The writing was good, for young readers it's perfect but, I would put the pronunciation guide before the first chapter or just at the end. It's easier that way. Fast-paced, great story, good writing, and a very nice plot, it's an easy 4 star read for me.
I'd totally recommend this book for kids or teens between 13-16 years old, a great way to get into reading.
March 12, 2023
A great book to read and enjoy.
You are taken on journey that will leave you wondering how are they going to make it. The author keeps you wanting more and keeps you reading, the book was worth reading.
You are taken on journey that will leave you wondering how are they going to make it. The author keeps you wanting more and keeps you reading, the book was worth reading.
June 7, 2022
The Division: Ember's Quest by Kevin M. Penelerick is the first book out of, so far, a duology. It seems a promising high fantasy young adult genre book.
The author provides a well-planned out map, which could be useful to follow the different points of the map that our main character, Ember, will have to travel throughout the story.
The plot began with the introduction of a conspiracy to break the harmony and peace in the world. In this particular world, there are elemental beings, for example the fire elemental, that are determined to bring out war again and take the power of the three kingdoms that were created after the Great War. They were created to give balance to the people and the world.
One of the kingdoms, King Markoon, sends an assassin to kill King Raneban's daughter, Ember. However, they failed the attempt to assassin her. And because of this, King Raneban becomes extremely ill, by poison, and is beyond the cure of any wizard. With this in mind, King Raneban begs her daughter to go beyond the borders of the kingdom, which Ember has never done. She must go on a quest to save the world, where she will step on some difficulties and obstacles along the way. As well as to stand up to some of the most vicious creatures and elementals and, strong friendships and bonds.
This saga seems promising, it gives many characteristics of a high-fantasy book. The different creatures that appear in this book are also interesting to read about, specially about the elementals. I would highly recommend it to everyone. It has a level for a teenager or for a young adult, so it really offers a diverse audience to try out this book, especially nerds like me that loves high-fantasy and maps.
The author provides a well-planned out map, which could be useful to follow the different points of the map that our main character, Ember, will have to travel throughout the story.
The plot began with the introduction of a conspiracy to break the harmony and peace in the world. In this particular world, there are elemental beings, for example the fire elemental, that are determined to bring out war again and take the power of the three kingdoms that were created after the Great War. They were created to give balance to the people and the world.
One of the kingdoms, King Markoon, sends an assassin to kill King Raneban's daughter, Ember. However, they failed the attempt to assassin her. And because of this, King Raneban becomes extremely ill, by poison, and is beyond the cure of any wizard. With this in mind, King Raneban begs her daughter to go beyond the borders of the kingdom, which Ember has never done. She must go on a quest to save the world, where she will step on some difficulties and obstacles along the way. As well as to stand up to some of the most vicious creatures and elementals and, strong friendships and bonds.
This saga seems promising, it gives many characteristics of a high-fantasy book. The different creatures that appear in this book are also interesting to read about, specially about the elementals. I would highly recommend it to everyone. It has a level for a teenager or for a young adult, so it really offers a diverse audience to try out this book, especially nerds like me that loves high-fantasy and maps.
January 6, 2022
Provided by Netgalley!
DNFD at around 60%
I think this book is aimed at the younger ya audience as this book generally didn’t have any themes that were inappropriate for children.
I thought the book had sooooo much potential but as the story went on i thought it was quite bland and boring. I felt like the book was kind of dragged on.
The characters could definitely use some more backstory and all the action in this book felt very childish?
I didn’t think the book was bad but i usually read upper ya books so this was just simply not enough for me.
I think this book would be perfect for 9-12 year old if they want a simple and fairly quick read but definitely not as good for upper ya audience.
DNFD at around 60%
I think this book is aimed at the younger ya audience as this book generally didn’t have any themes that were inappropriate for children.
I thought the book had sooooo much potential but as the story went on i thought it was quite bland and boring. I felt like the book was kind of dragged on.
The characters could definitely use some more backstory and all the action in this book felt very childish?
I didn’t think the book was bad but i usually read upper ya books so this was just simply not enough for me.
I think this book would be perfect for 9-12 year old if they want a simple and fairly quick read but definitely not as good for upper ya audience.
June 7, 2022
The start of a new adventure. At the beginning of this book, Division Embers Quest written by Kevin Penelerick, we read about an upcoming festival. At this festival a special guest will be in attendance. Because of a variety of circumstances, the King had not been to a festival in a few decades. At first this could be a good idea. However, Tyson, wonders if this is a good idea because of a conversation he witnesses. From the start, I was intrigued. What does this conversation entail? Is the king in trouble, or will he be the cause of trouble? What will happen? A book I am on board with reading. I hope others are too!!
January 4, 2022
This is a very entertaining read aimed at readers aged between 9 and 18 years old. I believe the content of the book is more for teens than kids, as well as the length but I agree with other readers that the story is super entertaining and that it is difficult to put down.
I would add that any reader who likes adventures and science fiction elements, no matter what age, would enjoy this story. I would recommend it especially to young adults because I believe they would enjoy it the most. The narrative is very good and characters have great personalities and are well developed.
I would add that any reader who likes adventures and science fiction elements, no matter what age, would enjoy this story. I would recommend it especially to young adults because I believe they would enjoy it the most. The narrative is very good and characters have great personalities and are well developed.
July 25, 2025
Un libro en donde la trama no avanza sino que retrocede.
Ember es el tipico personaje estereotipado de " soy la heroina" pero cada dos segundos estoy llorando. DIOS que personaje mas molesto. Tampoco se ve crecimiento ni nada por el estilo.
El mundo tendria muchisimo mas sentido si tan solo lo explicaran.
Hay saltos en el tiempo que no tienen sentido, cuentan una historia desde la perspectiva de un personaje x que no tiene nada que ver y *marea*
Ember es el tipico personaje estereotipado de " soy la heroina" pero cada dos segundos estoy llorando. DIOS que personaje mas molesto. Tampoco se ve crecimiento ni nada por el estilo.
El mundo tendria muchisimo mas sentido si tan solo lo explicaran.
Hay saltos en el tiempo que no tienen sentido, cuentan una historia desde la perspectiva de un personaje x que no tiene nada que ver y *marea*
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews