daisy87's review
5.0
This really is a book you shouldn't judge by its cover! Cause the cover is just blah and a bit boring and more western looking and the story, OMG, it was AMAZING! Based on the cover I would have expected cowboys (I'm not really sure why) and this book was so absolutely wonderful and was certainly not a western. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not my thing.
I loved the storytelling! Somewhere along the first chapters I got the feeling there'd been another story set in the same world and as it turns out, the author wrote a trilogy I think is about the main character's parents. But while we don't know everything that happened there, this doesn't take anything away from the storyline.
I loved Ember! She's a strong girl and she learns a lot along the way. She's very brave and stands up for those she loves, I could feel her pain and so wanted everything to work out for her. And Ash, gosh, he's wonderful. You really need to read this book for yourself, but Ash will stay in my head for some time to come. He's not the most handsome man around, but his personality is beautiful.
I thought all the Powers involved were really interesting and I'm definitely going to read the other trilogy Freeman's written soon! I'm hoping Ember and Ash will have a sequel, cause I'm not ready to let these characters go and
**SPOILER WARNING, light up to read**
I really need my happily ever after! I need more Ember and Ash together, the ending left me feeling sad and going: NOOO! They HAVE to be together!
**End of spoiler**
I got sucked into this story from the very first page. If you like fantasy and are looking for a good story: READ THIS BOOK! I absolutely loved it!
My rating: 5 stars
I loved the storytelling! Somewhere along the first chapters I got the feeling there'd been another story set in the same world and as it turns out, the author wrote a trilogy I think is about the main character's parents. But while we don't know everything that happened there, this doesn't take anything away from the storyline.
I loved Ember! She's a strong girl and she learns a lot along the way. She's very brave and stands up for those she loves, I could feel her pain and so wanted everything to work out for her. And Ash, gosh, he's wonderful. You really need to read this book for yourself, but Ash will stay in my head for some time to come. He's not the most handsome man around, but his personality is beautiful.
I thought all the Powers involved were really interesting and I'm definitely going to read the other trilogy Freeman's written soon! I'm hoping Ember and Ash will have a sequel, cause I'm not ready to let these characters go and
**SPOILER WARNING, light up to read**
I really need my happily ever after! I need more Ember and Ash together, the ending left me feeling sad and going: NOOO! They HAVE to be together!
**End of spoiler**
I got sucked into this story from the very first page. If you like fantasy and are looking for a good story: READ THIS BOOK! I absolutely loved it!
My rating: 5 stars
tsana's review
4.0
Originally posted here: http://tsanasreads.tumblr.com/post/20347931211/ember-and-ash-by-pamela-freeman
Ember and Ash by Pamela Freeman is a set twenty years after the events at the end of the Castings Trilogy (Blood Ties, Deep Water and Full Circle). It is technically a sequel, and some of the characters from Castings do pop up again, but it very much stands alone. I think the main thing one would miss from not reading Castings, is a deeper exploration of the past colonial racism and oppression. Oh, and there are some spoilers for who survives the world almost ending in Castings, although not all the prominent Castings characters rate a mention.
A few words on comparisons with the Castings Trilogy first. Castings is a story about colonial invasion, ongoing racial oppression and revenge. It’s much more violent than Ember and Ash and found some aspects (there was a lot of — realistic — sexual violence) very haunting. In terms of social world building, parallels between the Travellers, the oppressed original inhabitants of the Domains, can be drawn to just about any displaced indigenous peoples. However, in Ember and Ash there is less overt racism and, while still relevant, race plays a less life-defining role.
Ember and Ash is more a story about places and the powers that reside in different landscapes. The Ice King, who made some background appearances in Castings, is much more prominent, ditto the Power of Fire. It’s also a story about how tenuous the status quo can be and how legal equality does not necessarily translate to social equality, especially when things start to go wrong.
This is the kind of book you can’t read too quickly lest you don’t absorb all of it. Freeman’s writing style is somewhat literary, dwelling on magical symbolism as much, if not more, than action. In some ways, it reminds me of Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels, but in style more than content. There was also a lot of lovely imagery, some of it bordering on metaphorical.
The story opens with Ember’s marriage ceremony going awry when the Power (spirit/god) of Fire makes an appearance and takes back the gift of fire until such time as Ember makes the long journey to Fire Mountain. And incidentally, he incinerates her husband. And so begins the quest. Aided by Ash, her sort-of-cousin-but-technically-nephew-and-not-by-blood-anyway, and a few other friends, relatives and guards, she sets off. Meanwhile, the people left behind — her father the Warlord, her mother the seer — are left to organise some means of surviving the not-as-distant-as-it-previously-seemed winter without any fire.
I very much liked Ember as a character. Raised to be a Warlord’s wife by her father and skilled in negotiation, her Traveller mother makes sure Ember knows other practical skills as well. Ash starts off thinking of Ember as his silly highborn cousin who cares only for a good marriage. As the story progresses and Ember is given the chance to prove herself on their journey, he comes to respect her intelligence and character. It was very well done and an interesting transition to watch.
I enjoyed Ember and Ash, but I think I liked Castings more. In the end, despite a similar style, they are structured very differently with different aspects of world-building as story foci. On the other hand, Ember and Ash was more consistently enjoyable since, unlike Castings, it didn’t have interludes of miscellaneous cameo characters between PoV character chapters. In Castings those broke up the flow a bit, despite it all coming together at the end. The romantic plot line in Ember and Ash is unconventional (I don’t think I can explain how without spoilers) but more prominent than any in Castings.
Ultimately, I think more nuance will come through in Ember and Ash if you’ve read Castings before it, but Castings is not for the faint of heart and not necessary to enjoy Ember and Ash.
4.5 / 5 stars
Ember and Ash by Pamela Freeman is a set twenty years after the events at the end of the Castings Trilogy (Blood Ties, Deep Water and Full Circle). It is technically a sequel, and some of the characters from Castings do pop up again, but it very much stands alone. I think the main thing one would miss from not reading Castings, is a deeper exploration of the past colonial racism and oppression. Oh, and there are some spoilers for who survives the world almost ending in Castings, although not all the prominent Castings characters rate a mention.
A few words on comparisons with the Castings Trilogy first. Castings is a story about colonial invasion, ongoing racial oppression and revenge. It’s much more violent than Ember and Ash and found some aspects (there was a lot of — realistic — sexual violence) very haunting. In terms of social world building, parallels between the Travellers, the oppressed original inhabitants of the Domains, can be drawn to just about any displaced indigenous peoples. However, in Ember and Ash there is less overt racism and, while still relevant, race plays a less life-defining role.
Ember and Ash is more a story about places and the powers that reside in different landscapes. The Ice King, who made some background appearances in Castings, is much more prominent, ditto the Power of Fire. It’s also a story about how tenuous the status quo can be and how legal equality does not necessarily translate to social equality, especially when things start to go wrong.
This is the kind of book you can’t read too quickly lest you don’t absorb all of it. Freeman’s writing style is somewhat literary, dwelling on magical symbolism as much, if not more, than action. In some ways, it reminds me of Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels, but in style more than content. There was also a lot of lovely imagery, some of it bordering on metaphorical.
The story opens with Ember’s marriage ceremony going awry when the Power (spirit/god) of Fire makes an appearance and takes back the gift of fire until such time as Ember makes the long journey to Fire Mountain. And incidentally, he incinerates her husband. And so begins the quest. Aided by Ash, her sort-of-cousin-but-technically-nephew-and-not-by-blood-anyway, and a few other friends, relatives and guards, she sets off. Meanwhile, the people left behind — her father the Warlord, her mother the seer — are left to organise some means of surviving the not-as-distant-as-it-previously-seemed winter without any fire.
I very much liked Ember as a character. Raised to be a Warlord’s wife by her father and skilled in negotiation, her Traveller mother makes sure Ember knows other practical skills as well. Ash starts off thinking of Ember as his silly highborn cousin who cares only for a good marriage. As the story progresses and Ember is given the chance to prove herself on their journey, he comes to respect her intelligence and character. It was very well done and an interesting transition to watch.
I enjoyed Ember and Ash, but I think I liked Castings more. In the end, despite a similar style, they are structured very differently with different aspects of world-building as story foci. On the other hand, Ember and Ash was more consistently enjoyable since, unlike Castings, it didn’t have interludes of miscellaneous cameo characters between PoV character chapters. In Castings those broke up the flow a bit, despite it all coming together at the end. The romantic plot line in Ember and Ash is unconventional (I don’t think I can explain how without spoilers) but more prominent than any in Castings.
Ultimately, I think more nuance will come through in Ember and Ash if you’ve read Castings before it, but Castings is not for the faint of heart and not necessary to enjoy Ember and Ash.
4.5 / 5 stars
wyvernfriend's review
4.0
I really did enjoy this read, and while I didn't quite *like* the ending, it was the right end for the society.
Ember has a path laid out for her life. She's going to marry Osfrid and unite two kingdoms. It's what is planned. Until the part of the marriage cermony where they leap the fire together, and Osfrid is consumed by fire. Fire speaks directly to Ember and sends her on a quest, when she resits he takes fire away from almost everyone, it's never really explained why certain fires remain, but there are a few. Add to it that the weather looks set to get colder and Ember has to endure a quest with some of the guards. As they continue on the quest many of the people with them are killed or leave. Almost everyone on this quest has something that will change them in the story.
I liked it, when I finished I was satisfied with the ending, not entirely happy with it, but it was consistent with the characters as established.
Ember has a path laid out for her life. She's going to marry Osfrid and unite two kingdoms. It's what is planned. Until the part of the marriage cermony where they leap the fire together, and Osfrid is consumed by fire. Fire speaks directly to Ember and sends her on a quest, when she resits he takes fire away from almost everyone, it's never really explained why certain fires remain, but there are a few. Add to it that the weather looks set to get colder and Ember has to endure a quest with some of the guards. As they continue on the quest many of the people with them are killed or leave. Almost everyone on this quest has something that will change them in the story.
I liked it, when I finished I was satisfied with the ending, not entirely happy with it, but it was consistent with the characters as established.
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