Book review of “The Ember Gods” by Andrea Pearson

The Ember Gods is the second of the Kilenya series that started with The Key of Kilenya. To see my review of that book, click here.

In the first book, we are introduced to Jacob Clark, a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy with dreams of being a star basketball player. His life takes on a whole new dimension when he becomes involved in the peoples of another world. I’d say more on how that all happens, but that would ruin the surprises and fun found in the first book.

The Ember Gods picks up where The Key of Kilenya leaves off. There are many elements of Jacob’s newly discovered powers and his true relationship with the people in the other world that are explored in the second book of the series.

While I enjoyed the first book of the series, I found the writing in the second book to be sharper and more polished. Pearson has a fantastic imagination and as she continues to write, I feel her skill with the written word has improved.

A fun addition to the second book is the role that Jacob’s older brother, Matt, plays. While Jacob continues to discover things about himself and the other world, it is Matt’s reactions and observations that helps the reader relate to the odd things that happen to them.

One of the fine lines that Pearson walks in these books is that both Jacob and Matt still are living their lives on Earth, but they have the ability to travel to the other world as needed. I found this to be an interesting dynamic. On one hand, you have Jacob who is dealing with the pressures of homework, making the basketball team, and flirty girls. It is easy to relate to these situations. While on the other world, it has a high element of fantasy to it. The people are odd. The world is strange. Magic, in one form or another, is prevalent everywhere.

As I stated in my first review, it helps to read these books through Jacob’s fourteen-year-old eyes. At that age, we aren’t as jaded and skeptical as when we are older. There is wonder to be found in the adventures Jacob encounters—don’t let your adult mind persuade you otherwise.

I’m not sure how many books Pearson has planned for the series, but she most certainly has left the door wide open for more.

The Ember Gods is a fun and exciting read that evokes wonder and awe in the teenager in all of us.

Who would enjoy this book? It’s a clean read with no bad language or sex. There is some minor violence and some scary situations, so I’d recommend middle school young adults and up.

For more information on the series, click here.

To purchase the book, click here for Smashwords. Click here for Amazon.

Author Andrea Pearson

For more on Andrea Pearson, click here.

(I've met her in "real life" and she's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.)

***Disclaimer: This review is an accurate reflection of my feelings about the book and in no way was influenced by other factors.***