Kingdom of Embers

Kingdom of Embers 

by Tricia Copeland

Alana just wants her senior year to be as normal as possible. Well, as normal as it can be for a half-witch/half-vampire. One of the forbidden creatures. She's also a Child of Light, although she has no idea what that means. All she knows is that she wants to be able to attend parties and date boys.

Which boy turns out to be a problem. There's her study buddy who wants to be more than a friend. There's the other half-witch/half-vampire whom she meets on a blind date. And then there's her imaginary friend who turns out to be a real human being.

I am going to start this review by saying I really enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I found the the prose light and very appropriate for a young adult audience and I could really relate to the main character.

By the end of chapter one, we learn that Alana's mother is on some sort of secret quest and Alana wants to know what that is. She also wants more questions about her absent father. And, oh yeah, by the way, there is a rogue vampire on the loose. Although the first chapter contains a lot of backstory, it is integrated well and does not feel like an info dump. That being said, while I was interested in the story, I didn't feel a strong hook. I had a difficult time determining what Alana's goal would be.

As the book continued, I felt the author did a decent job with her world-building, although I was slightly confused at times. The author has a creative and imaginative take on the creation of these creatures, although it did conflict with my Judeo-Christian beliefs. The narrative seemed to flow very naturally and all the subplots worked well within the overall storyline. I really felt Alana grow and learn more about herself.

On the technical side of things, I thought the cover image was a little dark to read on my screen, although I really love the font. Bonus points for your creative images for chapter titles and scene breaks within the story.

Overall, I would rate this story 4.5 pens and place it on my top shelf.