Review: Ember of Night by Molly E. Lee

Ember of Night (Ember of Night, Book #1)

by Molly E. Lee

Release Date: May 4th 2021

2021 Entangled: Teen

Kindle Edition (& Audiobook); 400 Pages

ISBN: 978-1649370310

ASIN: B08K77NMTP

ASIN: B092RPVH25 (Audiobook)

Genre: Fiction / YA / Fantasy

Source: Review copy from publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

I am a weed.

Unloved by my abusive, alcoholic dad. Unwanted by my classmates. Unnoticed by everyone else.

But I’d suffer anything to give my kid sister a better life—the minute I turn eighteen, I’m getting us the hell out of here. And some hot stranger telling me I am the key to stopping a war between Heaven and Hell isn’t going to change that.

Let the world crumble and burn, for all I care.

Draven is relentless, though. And very much a liar. Every time his sexy lips are moving, I can see it—in the dip of his head, the grit of his jaw—even if my heart begs me to ignore the signs.

So what does he want?

I need to figure it out fast, because now everyone is gunning for me. And damn if I don’t want to show them what happens when you let weeds thrive in the cracks of the pavement…

We can grow powerful enough to shatter the whole foundation.

 

My Thoughts

Ember of Night was way better than I expected, and I couldn't put it down.  It got even better when I switched over to the Audiobook as I was super busy, but needed something to listen to while I was working.  It's amazing how fast six hours can fly when you are listening to a narrator who can bring what I thought was a so-so story ALIVE.  So, I stopped reading the book and switched completely to the Audiobook and I was hooked.  

 

First of all, I really enjoyed Harley as a main character; she was sarcastic, tough as nails, but caring and sympathetic at the same time, and loyal, almost to a fault.  Harley's little sister Ray was actually my favourite character; she was so mature for her age having survived the brutallly abusive situation she had to witness day-in, day-out, and I enjoyed how she managed to put things in perspective for the older ones around her.  I am really looking forward to learning more about her, especially considering the secrets that were revealed throughout the book.  

 

The story line was predictable, but I did enjoy it nonetheless.  You've got the bad boy with a big heart, the best friend who suddenly wants a relationship, and the never ending secrets of those around Harley t that are revealed bit by bit, but are not actually surprising.  The identity of the 'big bad number two' was not that hard to figure out and it amazes me how many people were shocked when they discovered who it was. The amount of tropes in this book was huge, so it really shouldn't have come as a surprise. 

 

That being said, I thought the relationship between Harley and Draven was interesting, and I enjoyed the tension and the excitement as they challenged each other and discovered truths about each other that changed how they viewed the world, each other, and those around them.  Did I roll my eyes a few times?  Of course.  I thought if I heard 'honey badger' one more time, I would die laughing.  But there were a lot of dark moments in this book as well, and some of these could be triggering for some people as there was child abuse, violence, and even thoughts of suicide.

 

Verdict

Ember of Night was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the Audiobook so much.  The dialogue between the characters was interesting, and the author took the time to develop her main characters, flaws and all, to make them more empathetic to the reader, something I appreciated.  And while some aspects of the book were predictable and repetitive, the overall story line was interesting, and I have to say, the ending was definitely shocking, and not what I was expecting.  Kudos!!  I am really looking forward to the next book in this series and recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something that is action-packed and engaging.