Throwback Thursday: Embers by Ronie Kendig

About the Book:

HE'S COMING FOR THEM. AND THE KINGDOM.

Haegan and Kaelyria Celahar are royal heirs of the Nine Kingdoms, but Haegan is physically crippled. What chance does he have against Poired Dyrth, the greatest enemy the kingdom has ever faced, who wields fire with a power none can match?

Their only hope is forbidden: Kaelyria must transfer her fire-harnessing abilities to Haegan. When she does it comes with a terrible price: Haegan's disability is healed, but only by being transferred to Kaelyria. This act unleashes their father-king's wrath.  

Haegan must flee the kingdom alone with two impossible tasks: Find a cure for Kaelyria and stop the coming war with the omnipotent Poired Dyrth.

My Thoughts:

Truthfully, this is the greatest time to be alive if you love high fantasy and speculative fiction, especially within the inspirational fiction market!  We've a host of authors who's talent runs with the big dogs of the genre, and I'm thrilled to introduce you to the newest star in my reading universe!

Ronie Kendig earned her author stripes crafting rapid-fire, take-no-prisoners military suspense, and she has several series' in today's marketplace.  With "Embers", she makes her high fantasy debut, giving us the first volume in what promises to be the epic saga of "Abiassa's Fire".

For an author to strike the literary nail on the head within this genre, several elements have to come together in a perfect reading storm.  In my humble opinion, not only does "Embers" fire on all fictional cylinders, but this novel quickly moves Ronie to the head of the fantasy class of authors!

World building?  Check.  Imagine a world in which those in power can wield the power of fire, and engage with those known as accelerants, and spark people to get their attention?  And that's just the surface: wait until you meet your first raqine!

Strong characters?  Check.  From Prince Haegan, forever paralyzed due to an unknown poison, to his beloved sister who will do anything to heal her brother, to the band of wacky and hearty misfits the prince encounters on his coming of age journey, every single person you'll meet will intrigue you and capture a piece of your heart.

Plausible story?  Check.  As always, a prophecy is at the root of the story, but discovering the prophecy is only half the fun!  Defeating enemies as wide and varied as the ones Ronie gives us?  Yeah, that's the other half (so want to meet a Jujak!)

This book clocks in at just under 500 pages, and not one page nor word is wasted as the story unfolds.  Yes, a lot of unfamiliar names and locations pop up, but the reader learns along with the prince as you both discover this fantastical world together.

Cliff hanger?  Unfortunately, check and check!!  I can barely stand the wait until the second volume arrives!  But "Embers" is a novel I'll be reading multiple times, just for the joy of encountering this magical, fantastical world again and again.

My thanks to Ronie for an advance copy of "Embers" in exchange for an honest review.  This high fantasy cannot get a high enough endorsement from yours truly.  I envy your first read of "Embers"...I truly do.