Embers and Echoes

Author: Karsten Knight
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: YA Paranormal
Released: August 28, 2012
Series: Wildefire #2
Source: Bought

Ashline Wilde is about to discover that when you're the reincarnation of a Polynesian volcano goddess, "new beginnings" are just a myth. Leaving the fiery ruins of her sophomore year behind her, Ash travels to the sizzling beaches of Miami, hot on the trail of the little sister she's only seen in visions. But her happy family reunion isn't all palm trees and paradise. A cult of evil gods-on-earth, known as the Four Seasons, has kidnapped her sister to use in its terrifying new religion. Soon, the streets of Miami erupt in chaos and violence...and Ash gets caught right in the tropical crossfire. Ash isn't without help, however. Unexpected romance arrives in the form of Wes, an Aztec god of night with his own vendetta against the Four Seasons. As memories of Ash's previous life begin to flicker into her dreams, the boundaries between ally and enemy, life and death, and love and hate all bleed together. And when a mysterious trickster from her past reappears to derail her new quest, Ash must choose between the echoes of a once-forgotten yesterday and the embers of an uncertain future. Because when old flames return from the dead, even a volcano goddess can get burned.

Definitely fiery! With the amount of times Miami is burnt, frozen, overgrown, electrocuted, or blown up, it's amazing it still exists! 

Ash's search for her little sister leads her to more of what she experienced in the first book in regard to her trust of others, her quest to live a normal life, and her desire to patch things up with her sisters. As her visions show her more and more of her past lives, she doesn't know whom to trust - and who should trust her. The more she finds out, the more complicated things get. And when she learns exactly what the Cloak is doing, and what Colt is doing, the stakes are raised tremendously, both for her personally and for the world at large.

I love Ash's relationship with Wes. It's so sweet to watch, and amid the crazy crazy going on all around them, it's nice to see this. It's like their lifeline for a while. Until, of course, Ash finds out why they're being together is probably not such a good idea - and then in typical Ash fashion, fights for their relationship to survive despite the clear warning signs. Colt comes back and messes things up, but not for too long, thankfully - I really hate that guy by now.

I was totally invested in the characters throughout the book, and when some of the good ones died, it hit me strongly. It heightened the feeling of being completely alone that Ash has to deal with most of the time.

And the last couple of pages are really really great! Setting things up for book 3, but nail-bitingly tense all on its own. I'm really looking forward to the final book!

Wildefire

Author: Karsten Knight
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Books for Young Readers)
Released: July 26, 2011
Author's Blog: http://www.karstenknight.com/
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Yes
Source: Bought
Challenge: YA Debut Authors 2011, Fantasy Reading Challenge


Ashline is just a girl trying to fit in, the only Polynesian girl in an all-white neighborhood. But her older sister, Eve, won't let her fit in, and when Eve uses her strange powers to electrocute a girl in front of Ash, Ash moves across the country to a boarding school. That doesn't protect her from Eve, though, as her older sister keeps on appearing. And to top it off, Ash finds out that she is actually a Polynesian goddess, summoned to Blackwood with five other gods and goddesses - and that's when things start to get really interesting.

Whoa - the action, the non-stop, quick-fire dialogue, the lightning (excuse the pun) pace - this book is really amazing. It's an interesting twist on the reincarnated god theme, especially since the kids spend most of the book being uncomfortable with their new identities and not knowing what to make of themselves. The transition from them seeing themselves as regular teens to fully embracing their god-ness is so natural, so smooth and gradual.

What I think makes this book stand out so much is this: Because it's written by a man, we get a very different perspective than most YA Paranormal novels. I actually don't think I've ever read a paranormal novel before this that wasn't written by a woman. Don't get me wrong - women writers are fantabulous, and they get the voices of both the girl and the guy really well. Otherwise I wouldn't keep going back for more! But with Karsten, the whole tone of the book is slightly different. The guys' thoughts seem more clearly masculine, and the side effect is that the girls are more sarcastic and kick-ass as well. And I like it. There's still ruminations and introspection, but proportionally there's more action - and more unbridled anger.

There's also an element of mystery to the book, an added level of suspense as Ash - and the reader - tries to figure out who's who, who's what, and what's who. That'll make more sense when you read the book - and you should definitely read the book!