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ranialg's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Every so often, I come across a book that I cannot put down, that I read at every opportunity, stealing a page here or there, not sleeping to get a few more pages in. Stealing Embers is clearly THIS book.
Stealing Embers is so brilliantly written!!! An Urban fantasy, where we meet Emberly, an orphan who has certain powers, including seeing monsters and knowing when and where to run to. Because she cannot explain or understand what happens when she starts seeing technicolors, but she does know it’s super dangerous in that technicolor world. Especially when she finds herself being protected (she thinks) by a huge lion! And here begins her new life.
I don’t want to give too much away because I truly believe you will love reading this book, and discovering Emberly’s adventures. A fast paced storyline, with well developed characters and great world building. And now I need to read the remainder of the series – quick!! And yes, Julie Hall, welcome to my favorite authors list!
adrianab2021's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
evermoreliterary's review
5.0
This was the first book I've read by Julie Hall, and I am SO GLAD I decided to read it!
First off... The cover is legitimately so pretty, but my favorite part about it is the attention to detail. It matches perfectly with how Emberly is described in the book and I LOVE THAT. When artists + authors communicate so well that the image created is just so spot-on... *chef's kiss* Perfection.
I found the characters in this to be really relatable. Especially Emberly. While I've never been homeless and starving, to be on your own with no way to ask for help... I could relate to her feelings of loneliness, and her reluctance to trust others. There are quite a few moments where Emberly mentions how it felt to be touched, even subtly, by her friends and how unusual it felt after so long of having no friendly contact with others. It absolutely broke my heart and made me love her more because I GET her. I appreciated the detail Julie put into Emberly's character when it comes to how her traumatic past would affect her future friendships and experiences. Her past isn't JUST her past- it's not forgotten. We are continually reminded, as would happen naturally, that Emberly has been through so much in her short life and that it has affected her deeply.
Beyond Emberly, Julie also spent a great deal of effort making sure each character she introduces to us has a purpose, and a personality that stands out. Theres a few different sets of twins, but you won't be confusing them at all in this book. Each has a defined build of humor, emotions, powers, wisdom, etc etc. No one gets left behind on this train, everyone gets a personality! A++
Speaking of the sets of twins, these are some of my absolute favorite characters! Greyson + Sterling, and Blaze + Aurora are absolute wonders and hilarious in nearly every scene they are part of. They add so much to the story and I can't wait to read more of them in future books. I wrote in an Instagram post recently for this book that I'd adore a middle-grade spin-off for Blaze + Aurora so so much. These kiddos have so many adventures and they are so brave! I can only imagine the shenanigans these two get into on a daily basis.
The angel lore was so fun, and a lot more detailed than I normally have seen in the past angel books I have read. I really appreciated the glossary for terms though- I had to refer back to it a couple times! You can tell a lot of research was done, and I always cheer for more detail! Go Julie!
I loved the atmosphere of the book. The settings were beautiful, the snowy scenes often being my favorite! However Julie expertly captured the uncomfortableness of being trapped in small spaces, the extreme cold, a new environment, and so much more. Time was spent making us feel these emotions rather than telling us we were "supposed" to feel them with our main character. Loved this.
I have to end it with saying I absolutely loved the addition of "Tinkerbell" and its entire personality had me cracking up so so much and it was one of the highlights of the book for me. I hope to see so much more of Tink in the next books, please please please!!
First off... The cover is legitimately so pretty, but my favorite part about it is the attention to detail. It matches perfectly with how Emberly is described in the book and I LOVE THAT. When artists + authors communicate so well that the image created is just so spot-on... *chef's kiss* Perfection.
I found the characters in this to be really relatable. Especially Emberly. While I've never been homeless and starving, to be on your own with no way to ask for help... I could relate to her feelings of loneliness, and her reluctance to trust others. There are quite a few moments where Emberly mentions how it felt to be touched, even subtly, by her friends and how unusual it felt after so long of having no friendly contact with others. It absolutely broke my heart and made me love her more because I GET her. I appreciated the detail Julie put into Emberly's character when it comes to how her traumatic past would affect her future friendships and experiences. Her past isn't JUST her past- it's not forgotten. We are continually reminded, as would happen naturally, that Emberly has been through so much in her short life and that it has affected her deeply.
Beyond Emberly, Julie also spent a great deal of effort making sure each character she introduces to us has a purpose, and a personality that stands out. Theres a few different sets of twins, but you won't be confusing them at all in this book. Each has a defined build of humor, emotions, powers, wisdom, etc etc. No one gets left behind on this train, everyone gets a personality! A++
Speaking of the sets of twins, these are some of my absolute favorite characters! Greyson + Sterling, and Blaze + Aurora are absolute wonders and hilarious in nearly every scene they are part of. They add so much to the story and I can't wait to read more of them in future books. I wrote in an Instagram post recently for this book that I'd adore a middle-grade spin-off for Blaze + Aurora so so much. These kiddos have so many adventures and they are so brave! I can only imagine the shenanigans these two get into on a daily basis.
The angel lore was so fun, and a lot more detailed than I normally have seen in the past angel books I have read. I really appreciated the glossary for terms though- I had to refer back to it a couple times! You can tell a lot of research was done, and I always cheer for more detail! Go Julie!
I loved the atmosphere of the book. The settings were beautiful, the snowy scenes often being my favorite! However Julie expertly captured the uncomfortableness of being trapped in small spaces, the extreme cold, a new environment, and so much more. Time was spent making us feel these emotions rather than telling us we were "supposed" to feel them with our main character. Loved this.
I have to end it with saying I absolutely loved the addition of "Tinkerbell" and its entire personality had me cracking up so so much and it was one of the highlights of the book for me. I hope to see so much more of Tink in the next books, please please please!!
amsbooks_art's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Stealing Embers 4⭐️
✨️𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: Urban Fantasy - YA - Paranormal Romantasy - Nephilim/Seraphim/Archangels - Fallen Angels
✨️𝗣𝗢𝗩: Single POV FMC
✨️𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Supernatural Academy - Enemies to Lovers - Slow Burn - Touch her/him and die - Found Family - Shifters - Angels (of all kinds)
I loved this book!
The FMC is a 6ft Nephilim (thank you for not making her yet another tiny delicate girl), who bounced from foster home to foster home until she started living on the street. She's scrappy and funny, relatable and likable. Following her as she adjusts to life at the academy is a treat. Seriously, her first "P.E." class had me shaking with laughter!! She might not have proper training, but girl's scrappy, and it made for a hilarious altercation.
The plot unfurled itself nicely, it definitely felt like a proper storyline for book one but left more than enough room for further books in the series. The found family vibes, the humor, the paranormal/magic system, interesting worldbuilding and the likable characters all made for a very enjoyable read! If you like clean YA fantasy romance with plenty of plot and action I highly recommend!
Only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5, is because I'm less into YA fantasy recently, though that is obviously of no fault to the author 🩶
✨️𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: Urban Fantasy - YA - Paranormal Romantasy - Nephilim/Seraphim/Archangels - Fallen Angels
✨️𝗣𝗢𝗩: Single POV FMC
✨️𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Supernatural Academy - Enemies to Lovers - Slow Burn - Touch her/him and die - Found Family - Shifters - Angels (of all kinds)
I loved this book!
The FMC is a 6ft Nephilim (thank you for not making her yet another tiny delicate girl), who bounced from foster home to foster home until she started living on the street. She's scrappy and funny, relatable and likable. Following her as she adjusts to life at the academy is a treat. Seriously, her first "P.E." class had me shaking with laughter!! She might not have proper training, but girl's scrappy, and it made for a hilarious altercation.
The plot unfurled itself nicely, it definitely felt like a proper storyline for book one but left more than enough room for further books in the series. The found family vibes, the humor, the paranormal/magic system, interesting worldbuilding and the likable characters all made for a very enjoyable read! If you like clean YA fantasy romance with plenty of plot and action I highly recommend!
Only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5, is because I'm less into YA fantasy recently, though that is obviously of no fault to the author 🩶
blonde_and_bookish's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! Julie Hall has such an incredible way of writing a story that sucks you in from the very beginning and never slows down. Her characters were incredible and I grew so attached to each and every one of them. The storyline was fantastic and there was a constant mystery waiting to be solved. I loved the main character Emberly and SWOONED every time the love interest, Steel, was on the page. It's safe to say that I have yet another book boyfriend! The dynamic between Steel and Emberly was so amazing and I loved their interaction. I am a major sucker for the enemies to lovers trope and Julie certainly delivered!
I'm so excited to see what happens in the next book!! Although this one didn't end on a big cliff hanger, it left me with a MAJOR book hangover and me wanting to read the next one right away!
I'm so excited to see what happens in the next book!! Although this one didn't end on a big cliff hanger, it left me with a MAJOR book hangover and me wanting to read the next one right away!
arvadawalker8100's review
5.0
This is a great and amazingly story. It has sad moments, happy moments, & frustrating moments. The characters are so great. Plus, there is a very cute creature that is the best!
itsrealms's review
4.0
Great plot, the story began with such potential but I feel that there was A LOT of fluff writing towards the end. The last 25% of the book was hard to get into and though there are books afterwards I think I will wait to jump into them.
emesa's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this sm, it was was so well written and absolutely hilarious! Love the world building and the heroine
centermemine's review
2.5
The characters didn’t feel real or fleshed out. I particularly found the main character to be frustrating and confusing at times. A lot of the ideas in this book are interesting, but I think it needed more developmental edits.
kristynebooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
I was really surprised with this book, I knew it would be good but this really went above my expectations. I loved this take on the fallen and Nephilim, it was such a refreshing take on them!
Ember is a strong character especially in regards to what she has gone through and continues to go through. Steel was surprising to me, he definitely went a different way than I expected and it was really interesting to see him act the way he did. The tension between Ember and Steel was fantastic and I hope we get more in the next book.
The writing was wonderful and the story was just amazing. This was such a fast read for me because it was so entertaining and fun, I could not put it down. As I mentioned before I loved this new take on the Fallen and Nephilim and I really can't wait to see what happens next!
Ember is a strong character especially in regards to what she has gone through and continues to go through. Steel was surprising to me, he definitely went a different way than I expected and it was really interesting to see him act the way he did. The tension between Ember and Steel was fantastic and I hope we get more in the next book.
The writing was wonderful and the story was just amazing. This was such a fast read for me because it was so entertaining and fun, I could not put it down. As I mentioned before I loved this new take on the Fallen and Nephilim and I really can't wait to see what happens next!