Title: The Lantern's Ember
Author: Colleen Houck
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press. - Copyright 2018
Read: Sept. 10-28, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis from Publisher: Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.
Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It's difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern--one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal--or not-so-mortal--soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O'Dare.
Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack's warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire--and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.
Review: What first attracted me to The Lantern's Ember was the truly kickass cover. I mean, look at it! A decorated skull. Eerie glowing bugs. It's dark. It's moody. Then, you read the synopsis. Deals made with the devil. Nightmarish creatures. Forbidden travels. Chaos. All these things pointed to a spooky tale perfect for the approaching Halloween season.
Alas, 'twas not to be...
Instead of spookiness, nightmarish creatures, and chaos, I discovered a love square--not a triangle--and trope characters who never stray from their boundaries. Jack is a Lantern tasked with guarding the crossroads between the mortal world and the Otherworld. Ember is a Witch looking for trouble. Dev is an obsessive-possessive vampire. Finney is the guy in love with his best friend. I so wanted to like the characters, but I found them all tedious and their interactions wooden and bordering on boring. Honestly, by the time I reached the end of the book, I was glad it was a standalone and not the first in a series.
Another annoyance I found was the author's decision to use a third person omniscient point of view. I don't mind being inside different character's heads, so to speak, but when the point of view changes midway through a page, then I have a major problem. It's confusing and inevitably kicks me out of the story. This narrative choice also didn't help further the plot, in my opinion. The synopsis led me to believe there would be more adventure and danger, but the plot read more like an overly complicated romance than the fantasy adventure the book was described as being.
While I had major issues with the characters, their story, and the point of view, I did find some redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the explanations for the origins of various Halloween traditions like the jack-o'-lantern, the boogeyman, vampires, werewolves, and Headless Horseman. The Otherworld is describes in vibrant language, and I actually enjoyed the parts of the book set in this world. I may have even liked it more if the plot had lived up to the hype.
Overall, The Lantern's Ember was Frankenstein's creature of steampunk, fantasy, and romance that lumbered along with sparks of brilliance but ultimately collapsed under the weight of overly complicated romantic entanglements, a shoddy plot, and questionable narrative choices.
Review at a Glance:
Concept: B+
Execution: C+
Writing Style: C+
Characters: B
Reader Connection: C+
Overall Grade: C+
Would I Buy This Author Again: Probably not
Synopsis from Publisher: Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.
Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It's difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern--one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal--or not-so-mortal--soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O'Dare.
Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack's warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire--and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.
Review: What first attracted me to The Lantern's Ember was the truly kickass cover. I mean, look at it! A decorated skull. Eerie glowing bugs. It's dark. It's moody. Then, you read the synopsis. Deals made with the devil. Nightmarish creatures. Forbidden travels. Chaos. All these things pointed to a spooky tale perfect for the approaching Halloween season.Alas, 'twas not to be...
Instead of spookiness, nightmarish creatures, and chaos, I discovered a love square--not a triangle--and trope characters who never stray from their boundaries. Jack is a Lantern tasked with guarding the crossroads between the mortal world and the Otherworld. Ember is a Witch looking for trouble. Dev is an obsessive-possessive vampire. Finney is the guy in love with his best friend. I so wanted to like the characters, but I found them all tedious and their interactions wooden and bordering on boring. Honestly, by the time I reached the end of the book, I was glad it was a standalone and not the first in a series.
Another annoyance I found was the author's decision to use a third person omniscient point of view. I don't mind being inside different character's heads, so to speak, but when the point of view changes midway through a page, then I have a major problem. It's confusing and inevitably kicks me out of the story. This narrative choice also didn't help further the plot, in my opinion. The synopsis led me to believe there would be more adventure and danger, but the plot read more like an overly complicated romance than the fantasy adventure the book was described as being.
While I had major issues with the characters, their story, and the point of view, I did find some redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the explanations for the origins of various Halloween traditions like the jack-o'-lantern, the boogeyman, vampires, werewolves, and Headless Horseman. The Otherworld is describes in vibrant language, and I actually enjoyed the parts of the book set in this world. I may have even liked it more if the plot had lived up to the hype.
Overall, The Lantern's Ember was Frankenstein's creature of steampunk, fantasy, and romance that lumbered along with sparks of brilliance but ultimately collapsed under the weight of overly complicated romantic entanglements, a shoddy plot, and questionable narrative choices.
Review at a Glance:
Concept: B+
Execution: C+
Writing Style: C+
Characters: B
Reader Connection: C+
Overall Grade: C+
Would I Buy This Author Again: Probably not
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