Bickle, Laura: Embers
Embers (2010)
Written by: Laura Bickle
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 359 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book One (Anya Kalinczyk)
Why I Read It: This is a book that caught my interest when it was released, but there was so much urban fantasy coming out at the time (still is, really), that I just didn't give it a shot. I did, however, read a sample when I received my Kindle, and the title went on the "yes" list, as in, "Yes, I want to read this." I didn't buy it. I just saved the idea of reading it for a rainy day, so when Dreams & Speculation closed down and offered to send me as many books as I wanted out of her library (so long as I paid the postage), I nabbed this one right up. Took me a while to get around reading it, though, but hey, that's what the Mount TBR challenge is for.
The premise: ganked from BN.com: Truth burns.
Unemployment, despair, anger -- visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit’s unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.
Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya -- who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern -- suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil’s Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya -- with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team -- can stop it.
Anya’s accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she’s risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she’s ever faced.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I make very vague references about some of the events that happen at the end, but nothing that should enjoy anyone's enjoyment of the book. However, if you're paranoid, and/or just want to be safe, just skip to "My Rating," and you'll be in good shape. Everyone else, onward!
So I started out really loving the opening chapter. It's unique, compelling, and filled with all kinds of tension. That was part of the sample I read, the sample that made me want to read the book initially. The book, in some ways, never followed through on my expectations. I expected that Anya was a hurt soul, but I wanted her pain to come in a different format, something more directly tied to her work with DAGR. Something that made them really KNOW better than to call her in the first place, you know? When it turned out that Anya was just an innocent, kind of still lost in her own broken childhood and was desperately trying to be normal, I lost some interest. It's not to say that storyline can't be compelling. It certainly can be, but it wasn't what I expected or wanted at the moment.
Still, the premise alone, her magic and her abilities, these are the things that rated this book "Worth Reading, with Reservations," over "It's a Gamble." Because despite expectations, there were a lot of things that kept irritating me. Mostly superficial irritations, of course, but still, irritations. Let's review:
1) Too many initials. DAGR. DFD. DPD. And I swear to god that as the book went on, more kept popping up. Don't get me wrong, short of DAGR (which I can't remember if it was defined and I forgot or never defined), I knew what DFD and DPD stood for. Unfortunately, I still wanted to read them as initials, and F and P look awfully similar, especially when bookmarked by the same letter. My eyes started crossing after a bit, despite the fact that I know the use of the initials was realistic (as in, that's likely how those departments refer to each other, not the full, drawn out names).
2) The symbolism was, at times, too obvious. And if that wasn't bad enough, the author then had to sit down and SPELL IT OUT for the reader in case the reader didn't get it. Referring to the scene in the church with the bird that had gotten inside and was trapped and couldn't get out? If you can't get the symbolism of that and how it applies to Anya? You don't need it spelled out for you. Period. End of story. Trapped birds trying to fly out of someplace is the most obvious set of symbolism you can stumble across, dag-nabbit.
3) Despite the utterly original premise, there was some predictability regarding the plot. While the resolution of the, erm, demon happened differently than I anticipated, I knew exactly who Anya would turn to to GET that situation resolved. No surprises there. Also no surprises in regards to who she hooks up with. There was something about that situation that didn't feel very earned. I get why the attraction was there, but yet I think Bickle could've developed that need and desire more in a such a way that the hookup felt inevitable rather than simply predictable. Also, I got the impression, thanks to Sparky, she was a virgin, which isn't a problem. I just didn't like how that scene kind of turned into a sort of sexual healing trope. Meh.
4) There's a sense of telling over showing. When Anya gets mad and flies off and hits someone, I never really felt her rage as a reader. I wasn't rooting for her to punch the guy, so the violence of her action came out of left field, causing me to re-examine the scene I was reading and what came before, in a manner that made me wonder if I was missing something. No doubt, the guy was an ass, but Anya's anger didn't feel appropriate to the situation. While it's written off as an, erm, external influence, it still felt awkward. Then again, maybe I'm so used to first-person POV heroines in UF that I'm just not feeling the third? I don't buy this as an excuse, because I've read third-person heroine UFs and got along just fine. Still, it could be a factor, I have to acknowledge it.
5) I got really tired of Anya's poor me attitude. What started out as a promising character with an edge that wasn't afraid of slipping turned into someone rather mopey and hung up on her past. And even her past, while traumatic for a young girl, didn't really feel all that horrible. It's not like she woke up to find Sparky chewing on the wires. I think we're supposed to assume that's what happened (at least, I did) and therefore it REALLY WAS HER FAULT, but the author was trying really hard to make it an accident, and after a while, I just got tired of Anya's hangups.
6) The ghosts spoke in italics. Sometimes. I never could figure out why they sometimes spoke in italics and sometimes not, often by the same ghost in a single scene. I can only assume a formatting/editing error.
7) Random and totally a me thing. When I took Ancient Art in college, I was informed that the uses of B.C. and A.D. were not socially acceptable, because it assumes all cultures organized their periods around the birth and death of Christ, and obviously, not all cultures are Christian ones. I can't remember what A.D. was (probably A.C.E.) but I firmly remember that B.C. became B.C.E. = Before Common Era. Does anyone know if this is still used in art discussion circles? If so, talk about a minor detail oversight on the author's part, who kept using B.C. If not, no biggie. :)
8) The overall term of "Lantern." Thanks to the movie last year and the launch of DC's New 52's, I can't help but associate that term with the Green Lantern franchise. Oh well.
9) I don't understand the end. Oh, I understand the RESULTS of the ending, but I'm not sure how we got there and why. Possibly, it's something that's addressed in the sequel, Sparks, but I felt like Anya had made a decision, and then someone else decided to take her place instead, despite being firmly against her in all things prior? Feel free to discuss this in detail in the comments!
I did, however, enjoy Sparky quite a bit. Not enough to add him to my menagerie of fictional critters I want to own (rose goblin, Aeslin mice colony, pixies….), but enough to keep me enjoying the story at various intervals when pure annoyance would've taken over otherwise.
Also good: Anya had a friend. Who was a girl. And they talked about things OTHER THAN BOYS! So yay for passing the Bechdel test!
My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations
So yeah. After numbering all of my irritations, I'm surprised I'm giving this a high of rating as I am. But the premise and its originality was really awesome, and it was cool to have an urban fantasy set in Detroit. The cast of characters was likable enough, despite my getting tired of the heroine, she knows how to pull her weight when she needs too. Also, Sparky is quite cute. Not sure how cuddly a large salamander might be in all actuality, but when compared to a rose goblin? It's a toss-up! Readers looking for a more unique UF premise (i.e. no vampires, werewolves, fairies, or zombies), might find just what they're looking for here, and it's quite the fast read.
Cover Commentary: I rather like it. Great coloring, and the heroine isn't in a super-sexy/painful pose that looks fake, and she doesn't have any tattoos either! Also, I'm quite pleased the torque is featured. Good job, but of course, I wouldn't expect Chris McGrath to miss details like that. ;)
Next up: Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan