'A starving trapper.
'Merciless drought withers Kira's ranch, leaving her family hungry—and desperate enough to cross the border into the forbidden forest to trap wild game. But the forest is infested with tree-scorpions and giant cats that wield elemental invisibility, and they're hungry, too. When Kira mistakes one elemental creature for another, she ends up with the last thing she wants in her trap: an enemy soldier.
'An invisible spy.
'Ryon can't afford to be a prisoner of war. If the Malaano Empire extracts his secrets, the rumours of war will be confirmed—and the tribes stand little chance against the Empire unless they can put aside generations of bad blood for the sake of a Tribal Alliance. When Ryon's escape leaves Kira injured and her livelihood in flames, Ryon must choose between aiding her… or returning to his chieftess with vital information. But can he survive the trek when an elemental pursues him for his rejected heritage?
'A sacrificial princess.
'Imperial Princess Vylia is given a powerful ancient stone as her wavesinger trials approach. But is the stone's whispering voice from the water goddess, or a masquerading elemental the creator god imprisoned millennia ago? When Vylia's diplomatic mission to the tribal lands erupts in fiery revenge, she, Kira, and Ryon must work together to survive—or become pawns in the battle of the gods.'
I have to be honest, I wasn't sure what to think of Emberhawk when I first started the book. The begin with, the book opens with a glossary of terms that explains the strange words in the book and a little about the history of the world it takes place in. This is something that is normally a big turn off for me, as I don't want to have to learn a load of phrases before I've even started to read anything. So, I skipped this and jumped straight into the story; and you know, I didn't feel like I was struggling with anything for having not read it.
The story is set in the world of Alani, a place where ancient elemental beings have passed into legend and have become worshipped as gods. Thanks to centuries of conflict, and mistrust, nations sit on the verge of conflict, with all sides setting secret plans into motion.
Kiralau, or Kira for short, lives on a farmstead on the border between the Malaano Empire and the lands of the Tribal Alliance, and her family is struggling to survive the harsh summer, in part because her older brothers and father have been drafted into the Imperial military. Kira begins to journey into the forests of the Tribal Alliance in order to trap animals just to keep the family surviving. Unfortunately, these traps seem to have caught the attention of a scout from the Tribal Alliance, Ryon. When Kira mistakes Ryon's elemental abilities for a Trace Cat, she shoots him with an arrow, injuring the young man and allowing him to be captured.
When Ryon escapes from Imperial forces and Kira is injured chasing after him the two of them begin a dangerous trek through the dangerous forests of the Tribal Alliance in order for them both to return home. But as they learn more about each other and become closer during their journey, they also learn that there are darker forces at work int he world, forces that wish to plunge their countries into war.
Because of the world of Emberhawk seemed to take inspiration from non-western culture and mythology, and because of the cast of characters made up of people of colour, I began the book thinking that it reminded me somewhat of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I adored that book so much, and I think because of that I may have begun to think of Emberhawk somewhat negatively, expecting something similar that wouldn't be as good quality. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Before I knew it I'd been dragged into the story of Ryon and Kira, and begun to care about what happened to them on their journey. They weren't heroes setting out on a quest to change the world, or trying to do something that could save millions; they were just two people who didn't really like each other, trying to survive in a hostile place.
They became engaging, and it was sometimes a lot of fun to see two characters not completely different almost forcing themselves to not like each other. Kira hated Ryon because he was 'an enemy spy' who she assumed would turn on her at the drop of a hat, and Ryon didn't trust Kira because she'd shot him and kept accusing him of being a villain. Both characters weren't exactly in the wrong for thinking these things, as this is what circumstances led them to believe, but as they came to know each other more, began to see that they were actually both good people, people who didn't want war and conflict and just wanted to protect their families, they of course grow close.
This being a Young Adult fantasy book it was almost guaranteed that Kira and Ryon would develop feelings for each other. It's something that writers seem to feel needs to happen. In some cases this can feel forced, coming almost out of nowhere as two enemies fall madly in love almost overnight (again, I'm looking at you Children of Blood and Bone) but this wasn't the case here. Jamie Foley doesn't force the romance down the readers throat, and the evolution from begrudging respect, to friendship, and eventually romantic feelings between the leads feels very natural. It also helped that the romance was never given centre stage over their journey, and the bigger story that the two of them found themselves involved in.
I don't want to give too much away about the big confrontation that happens towards the end of the book, but it was what won me over completely and give the book an easy five stars on Goodreads. During the final act the book really embraces its fantasy setting, and gives readers a big, explosive fight in a visually stunning set piece, with big mythical monsters thrown into the mix too. It showed me that this wasn't just a small story about two people falling in love, but was also the start of a fantasy epic that would continue on into another book.
Emberhawk is a book that drew me in and made me fall in love with the characters without realising it. It made me concentrate on Kira and Ryon and their journey that I didn't expect anything bigger or grander to happen, and when it did I was so pleasantly surprised. I became invested in the world and the story that Jamie Foley was telling to the point where I'm eager to read the next book, even if Kira and Ryon don't end up returning. One of the better fantasy books that I've read in a while, and an instant favourite.
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