Publisher: Signet
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
Reviewer: MinnChica
Keri Arthur, New York Times bestselling author of Fireborn, presents the thrilling new Souls of Fire Novel featuring Emberly Pearson, a phoenix that can transform into a human—and is haunted by the ability to foresee death….
Crimson Death, the plague like virus spawned from a failed government experiment to isolate the enzymes that make vampires immortal, continues to spread. Emberly and her partner, Jackson Miller, are desperately seeking the stolen research for a cure before the virus becomes a pandemic.
But their mission is jeopardized by another threat uncovered in Emberly’s prophetic dreams. A creature of ash and shadow has been unleashed on a murdering spree. Now Emberly must summon all her gifts and investigative knowledge to put an end to this entity’s brutal rampage—even if it means placing herself in harm’s way….
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I’ve been a huge fan of Arthur for a while now, and when her newest PNR series came out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I love the unique world and characters, and Arthur doesn’t disappoint.
I think the main thing I love about this series is just how different it really is. I’ve never read another paranormal romance book about a phoenix, and I love and adore the world and characters Arthur has built. Everything is so unique, so different, and so well done that the second I crack open the book, I’m completely pulled into the world she’s created. I was a huge fan of Riley Jensen, but for me, Emberly is leaps and bounds ahead of Riley on my love list!
I love the way that Arthur really explores relationship in this series. Em has so many complicated relationships in this book, and I love the way they all serve a different and important purpose to her. She has Rory, her phoenix life mate and bestie that she needs to survive. They need one another to survive, and yet are destined to the friend zone. I love that dynamic between them, and Em and Rory are so adorable together.
Then, she has Jackson, who is kinda like her flavor of the month. She isn’t in love with him, but he’s someone she admires, likes working with, and has fun with between the sheets. They both know they aren’t destined for some great love affair, and they are both okay with that. However, I absolutely love these two together. They have great quips, they get along so well, and they are both so understanding of one another’s needs. There are times I sincerely wish Jackson could be Em’s one true love, because these two burn the pages up!
Lastly, Em has Sam – her one true love of this lifetime. I love that Arthur is slowly revealing more and more about Sam and their past relationship as the series progresses. I think they have the potential to be an epic couple, but Sam has been a bit of a douche in the series to date, so I’m anxious to see what kind of transformation he makes as the series progresses. There was quite a bit revealed about him in this book, so I’m extra excited to learn more about him now.
Although my one true love of this series is Arthur’s look on the complex relationship in Em’s life, the overall plot arc is pretty amazing as well. I have to admit that I felt like this book was a bit of a filler, and that the creature aspect didn’t really have much to do with the overall series arc with the red plague and the red cloak that is targeting Em and Sam. I would have liked the creature to be better explained, however it just seemed to come out of nowhere. I hope that it gets explained or tied in better in future books, because otherwise it felt like a totally separate side plot that wasn’t really necessary.
All in all, I continue to love this series. Arthur creates this magic world with incredible creatures that are so different from what is on the paranormal market today. I love the mythology behind the phoenix, and all the little tidbits that continue to be revealed. I can’t wait to find out more about the plague, the man pulling the strings, and how Emberly is going to figure out her love life as things get more complicated and convoluted.
I give Wicked Embers a B
**Thanks to the people at Penguin, we have a copy of Wicked Embers to giveaway. Leave a comment to be entered to win. Open to US/Canada only. Good Luck!**
I will read anything Keri Arthur writes. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one!
Intriguing. I have only read one other story that features a Phoenix. I am adding this to my to-read list, would love to receive the book!
I’m a huge Keri Arthur fan and have read most if not all of her books to date. I’d love to add this one to my home library.
I love Keri’s work too. Big fan :).
Have loved Keri Arthur’s writing from the first book I picked up, I am sure this is another excellent addition.
This is a series I haven’t started yet by Keri. She writes great books and I’m looking forward to finally reading this series.
Thanks for the chance to win this,
never read this before
I read the first book in the series and really enjoyed it. Can’t wait to read this one.
I really enjoy Keri Arthur’s books and I’m looking forward to this new series. I have Fairborn on my TBR shelf and will read it soon so I’m all caught up for Wicked Embers. 😀
I really like this author and I’m looking forward to reading this book. Thanks