Senior year was supposed to be great--that's what Ember's friend Maddie promised at the beginning of the year. Instead, Ember Trouvé spends the year drifting in and out of life like a ghost, haunted by her parents' recent, tragic death. At home, she pores over her secret obsession: pictures of missing kids-- from newspaper articles, from grocery store flyers-- that she's glued inside a spiral notebook. Like her, the people are lost. Like her, she discovers, they had been looking for a way to numb their pain when they disappeared. When Ember finds herself in Trinity Forest one day, a place locals stay away from at all costs, she befriends a group of teenagers who are out camping. Hanging out with them in the forest tainted with urban legends of witchcraft and strange disappearances, she has more fun than she can remember having. But something isn't right. The candy-covered wickedness she finds in Trinity proves to be a great escape, until she discovers she can never go home. Will Ember confront the truth behind her parents' death, or stay blissfully numb and lose herself to the forest forever?
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- Ember Burning: Trinity Forest Book 1
Ember Burning: Trinity Forest Book 1
Author(s)
Publisher Name
Sawatch Publishing
Age Range
13+
Release Date
May 06, 2017
ISBN13
9780998947303
ISBN10 or ASIN
Editor reviews
2 reviews
A very solid debut effort
Overall rating
4.3
Writing Style
N/A
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
The story:
Haunted by the tragic death of her parents, seventeen-year-old Ember Trouve has withdrawn from her life. She has shunned her best friend Maddie, dabbled in drugs, and kept company with shady boys. Her hobby – chronicling stories of missing kids in her notebook – has become an obsession. This obsession leads her to the mysterious Trinity Forest, where she discovers a place where time literally stands still. But the big question remains … can she leave?
What I loved:
Ms. Alsever’s writing style flows very well, and her characters are engaging. They come off as real people, warts and all, despite the rather unusual circumstances in which they all meet. Ember, in particular, is messed up, both mentally and emotionally, but you can’t help but root for her and hope that she finds a way through the dark patch she’s gotten herself into. The chemistry she has with Tre (eventually) is very noticeable, and it doesn’t feel the least bit contrived.
The book was also impeccably edited, and didn’t feel like a debut novel to me at all.
What I didn’t love:
There was a sense of menace present in the second half of the book, a vague hint of catastrophe that would affect Ember’s loved ones outside of Trinity Forest if she attempted to leave, but that menace was never really defined until the very end. Along the way, Ember delved into Egyptology and mysticism, and at time I came close to losing the story.
My Final Verdict:
Ember Burning is a well-written Young Adult story that flows well and has great, relatable characters. However, it’s one of those stories that you really need to concentrate on in order to fully understand what’s going on. There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending, but since Book Two in the series, Oshun Rising, is only days away from debuting, I didn’t mind it so much.
Haunted by the tragic death of her parents, seventeen-year-old Ember Trouve has withdrawn from her life. She has shunned her best friend Maddie, dabbled in drugs, and kept company with shady boys. Her hobby – chronicling stories of missing kids in her notebook – has become an obsession. This obsession leads her to the mysterious Trinity Forest, where she discovers a place where time literally stands still. But the big question remains … can she leave?
What I loved:
Ms. Alsever’s writing style flows very well, and her characters are engaging. They come off as real people, warts and all, despite the rather unusual circumstances in which they all meet. Ember, in particular, is messed up, both mentally and emotionally, but you can’t help but root for her and hope that she finds a way through the dark patch she’s gotten herself into. The chemistry she has with Tre (eventually) is very noticeable, and it doesn’t feel the least bit contrived.
The book was also impeccably edited, and didn’t feel like a debut novel to me at all.
What I didn’t love:
There was a sense of menace present in the second half of the book, a vague hint of catastrophe that would affect Ember’s loved ones outside of Trinity Forest if she attempted to leave, but that menace was never really defined until the very end. Along the way, Ember delved into Egyptology and mysticism, and at time I came close to losing the story.
My Final Verdict:
Ember Burning is a well-written Young Adult story that flows well and has great, relatable characters. However, it’s one of those stories that you really need to concentrate on in order to fully understand what’s going on. There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending, but since Book Two in the series, Oshun Rising, is only days away from debuting, I didn’t mind it so much.
User reviews
1 review
Overall rating
4.7
Writing Style
5.0(1)
Plot
5.0(1)
Characters
4.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A(0)
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Disturbing, mysterious, and darkly romantic
Overall rating
4.7
Writing Style
N/A
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
WOW. Just wow.
I'll be honest ... I dove into this book after skimming the synopsis. But I selected it because I loved the cover and the title. The premise was an amazing bonus.
The writing was lush and descriptive without being overhanded. So beautiful! I sank into each page effortlessly and lost myself to the horrifying experiences in Trinity Forest. The main character, Ember, is haunted by the death of her parents and continues to wither away inside until she feels unseen. And then one day she disappears, for reals.
Disturbing, mysterious, and darkly romantic, Trinity Forest and it's ties to the Anunnaki will keep you glued to the page. The characters are complex, sympathetic, and flawed without being unlikable.
Highly recommended!
I'll be honest ... I dove into this book after skimming the synopsis. But I selected it because I loved the cover and the title. The premise was an amazing bonus.
The writing was lush and descriptive without being overhanded. So beautiful! I sank into each page effortlessly and lost myself to the horrifying experiences in Trinity Forest. The main character, Ember, is haunted by the death of her parents and continues to wither away inside until she feels unseen. And then one day she disappears, for reals.
Disturbing, mysterious, and darkly romantic, Trinity Forest and it's ties to the Anunnaki will keep you glued to the page. The characters are complex, sympathetic, and flawed without being unlikable.
Highly recommended!
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