Photo credits: Geralt, OpenClipart-Vectors
Edited by Vaishali
Title: ‘Fire in the Darkness'
Author: Stacey Marie Brown Series: (Darkness #2) Genre: Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal romance Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing Year of Publication: 2014 Format: Paperback ISBN: 9781547110742
NOTE: There may be spoilers in this book if the first book in the Darkness series (Darkness of Light) hasn't been read!
R E V I E W
“Between the Light and Dark there was me – the Fire. Either I would light the way or burn it to ash.”
Ember is at the mercy of both Light and Dark, hunted on all accounts and from every angle for what she is and what she possesses, safe from nothing and nobody - not even those she thought she could trust. Four weeks on the run, Ember is little more than a vagabond, on the run from the forces out to get her – The Dark Dwellers intent on trading her to the Unseelie king, and the Seelie Queen hunting her to use as a personal weapon. Ember is striving for survival whilst hiding under the shadows of the world, losing all pretences of her safety and depending on instinct and her newly heightened senses, courtesy of a certain Dark Dweller’s blood running through her veins.
“I want you to let go of everything you think you should be and be who you really are.”
Seattle is a ruin, little more than a barren wasteland with severely depleted resources after Ember's fire ravaged the land and its people. With the complete city in turmoil, Ember hides amongst the carnage and the city’s fractured people to evade being caught. Ember is as much a danger to the world as she is to herself; her raw, unpractised and volatile power grants her little control over its enormity, and her biggest fear is herself as her power can just as easily destroy as it can heal. Her power is a dormant bomb, and Ember is subjected to its chaotic nature just as much as she is a foreigner to what she is, or should I say is becoming.
“The Light wanted to destroy me; the Dark only wanted to make me stronger."
Still reeling from the news that her life has been nothing but a falsification, Ember's world is torn asunder as she processes what these discoveries mean for her, and unfortunately for her it only gets worse for this girl of fire. Her battle is one of survival, Identity, evolution and acceptance, as well as maintaining vigour in enduring betrayal and loss in a changing, lonely world while navigating the parameters of her life despite being used and manipulated into false trust by almost everyone - Eli included. Her weaknesses are being wielded against her. and Ember suffers great grief and the guilt for her mistakes - a shameful burden to bear - but nonetheless Ember is stalwart, resolute and devoted to protecting hers - making much progress, honing not only her body, mind and skill but learning something of potentially greater power: knowledge, (that which has made her ignorant for so long) now that war is looming.
“Fortunately for all of us, my control was getting a little better. I hadn’t blown up a building in days."
If Ember hates anything it is the idea of her destiny being decided for her and her choices being taken away from her. Ember battles not only the Dark and Light forces of the external world but the darkness of light within her. With every truth and alarming bombshell rolled her way Ember becomes a cyclone of emotions, and her protector Torin is still at her side doing anything to see her safety, toying unwarranted lines to ensure she survives. I admire Ember’s ferocity, determination and fighting spirit in this atrophying world. New characters and new creatures show themselves as Ember finds herself in the domain of the Unseelie King who makes a bargain with her, bounded by magic, and should she betray him she shall suffer disconcerting consequences. Ember's loyalty is to none but her family and friends, even if that means forsaking her heart and making sacrifices that will change everything.
“I fight wanting you every minute of the day. And I shouldn’t. I should be disgusted by you, by the mere idea of kissing you. But I’m not. I like you – as a person. You make me laugh. You constantly challenge me. I like when you around and I hate that. You are everywhere and in everything.”
Eli is still annoyingly cruel but he grows on you. He is much more bearable, though it took me a good chunk of the book to dull my simmering enmity towards him. He is still a point of conflict for me but I think I love to hate him and vice versa. Ember's heart and mind are at war where Eli is concerned because he is one of her biggest threats, but the simmering passion between them is ever-growing. Their relationship is stormy and anything but simple considering all the complications, barriers, lies and secrets demarcating them. Their bond is only growing, but Ember's affection for her blue eyed Knight Torin is growing too.
“With love you do not want to think about how things will end.”
Much like 'Darkness of Light' most of the plot in 'Fire in the Darkness' is predictable but there were MANY exploits I did NOT see coming which compensated for the expected. I had similar issues with this book as I did with its predecessor, most of which were brilliantly addressed and rectified. This novel is infinitely better than the first book in the Darkness series. I was so pleasantly surprised and satisfied with this read after I finished and i was in a hurried mess to crack open 'Dwellers of Darkness'. This story is so many twisted kinds of layers of shocking ‘what just happened’ moments.
“Light was blinding; it burned you. You did not see the true darkness hiding inside it.
Stacey Marie Brown kept me second guessing, on my toes, biting my tongue, and questioning the loyalties of the people I started to trust. I found myself starting to trust people but one action or declaration alone changed everything, questioning their motives incessantly, making my own loyalties fleeting, and I love it when authors play with my emotional state. I love it when a book just takes you by surprise when you don’t initially have that high an expectation. I like all of the character developments as well as the characters themselves, the writing was MUCH better, the story was gripping, heart-rebooting and there was plenty of magic and action which I loved. I am obsessed with high stakes action, drama, conflict, and bloodthirsty battle but what I also like is a good sense is comedic relief intertwined into the story and I got that too. There is obviously an abundance of lies and secrets under the surface - still being concealed in this huge web of duplicity and I’m excited to find out more!
“For so long I had hid in the shadows, afraid of why I felt so different. But now I wrapped myself in the darkness, finally knowing where I belonged.”
I gave this book 3.5 stars -
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M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read ---------------------------------------
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R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● Book Review: 'Darkness of Light' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Beast in the Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Dwellers of Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Blood Beyond Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ________________________________________________________
THIS SECTION WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Q U E R I E S / S P E C U L A T I O N S:
1. Why can Eli and Ember read each other's minds? 2. I think we need to look at why Ember’s blood accepted Eli’s in the first place…I think their bond reaches far deeper than blood and I’m interested in finding out more about this elusive connection. 3. What with Ember taking on the traits of a Dark Dweller, I have a feeling she will make a complete transformation into soon in the next book maybe? 4. I have a feeling that Lars is related to Ember and that he knew Lily personally – his reactions to Ember’s questions about her are questionable because they provoke quite a response from him. Also, he talks about her like he knows her. 5. Torin tells Ember that he once loved Aneira, but I can’t comprehend how someone like Torin could ever have loved someone like her? She has always been cruel and twisted. 6. Everybody says that Ember is the spit of her mother, but she looks nothing like her. She speculates that maybe her mother wore a glamour on Earth but if so why still wear it when taken to the Otherworld? Is she her birth mother? 7. I have a feeling that Ember is related to the Seelie Queen, that her mother may be Aneira’s actual sister? 8. I hope Torin is okay 9. I’m worried about West 11. I'm not sure how i feel about BALD ELI!
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