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Becs (244 KP) rated Ember Burning in Books

Oct 2, 2019  
Ember Burning
Ember Burning
Jennifer Alsever | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
I received Ember Burning for an honest review and am just now getting around to do it. My bad…

Okay, so I was honestly really looking forward to reading this novel when I first received it in the mail that I’m kicking myself in the rear end for not picking it up sooner. I was shocked that it was exactly everything I was looking for in a young adult fantasy novel.

It’s got some witchiness to it. It’s got an adventure in it. And it’s got the best thing known to man, love. Fast-paced with well-rounded characters that make you either hate them or love them with a hint of history underlain throughout the novel. What more can I say about this wonderful book?

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Young Adult

Reading Level: High School and up

Interests: Witch’s, Egyptian hieroglyphics, darkness

Style: Not so light but also not a heavy read. Very fast-paced – which I loved.

Difficulty Reading: NO, I could not put this book down. Oh my goodness, Jennifer Alsever has such a unique way of writing. At first, I was a little annoyed that there were so many sentences that could be switched to, ya know, longer sentences which leads to a way easier read. But they grew on me and as I started to get further into the book, I understood why it was written in such a way. Because that is the personality of the main character Ember. It definitely helped understand her more as an individual, rather than just another character in a book.

Promise: A mystery meets fantasy – it delivers.

Insights: Honestly, none. I wouldn’t change anything in Ember Burning even if it meant saving the planet. (Okay, maybe I might change stuff to save the planet. But that’s our home for crying out loud.) Ember Burning is such a well-written novel that leaves you wanting to continue on her journey with her in Oshun Rising and Venus Shining. (Which by the way, is the rest of the series.)

Ah-Ha Moment: WHEN EMBER AND TRE KISS. (Yes, that needed all caps.) Awh man, I love me a good romance. Especially one so sweet and simple like Ember and Tre’s. **SPOILERS AHEAD** I mean it’s such goals to be laying out talking about life and then turning to each other, kissing, and then both admitting that you wanted to do that for a while now. Like OH MY GOD, I’m seriously dying over here. **SPOILERS END** I ship Ember and Tre so hard and Lilly, Zoe or this redhead b**ch better not get in the way of their love. I’ll come after them. (‘I kill you!‘)

Favorite Quote: “Of course I know this is ridiculous. What I’m doing. Going to Trinity Forest. Alone. Like the freak show I am. The girl who goes off the tracks. Who obsesses about missing people, about what happens in Trinity. But the mystery of Trinity calls to me. If I disappear, so be it.” – Girl, you ain’t no freak show. You are so perfectly normal. And if you’re a freak show well, I guess I’m a freak show too.

What will you gain: A love for Ember and her determination to get out of the black vortex known as Trinity Forest. A hate for Zoe’s sweet yet bossy attitude of not giving a shit about anything. A love-hate for Lilly and her psychotic yet charming sides. A love for Tre, my favorite character in the entire novel.

Aesthetics: The cover. The way Tre smiles. The entire book. The way Tre looks. The way Jennifer Alsever describes Synesthesia within Ember’s mind. Have I mentioned Tre and how much I really dig him?

“Would you sacrifice your future to forget your past.”
  
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Alfonso
Alfonso
Felix Calvino | 2013 | Education
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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Alfonso is a young man that has moved to Australia to find a better life. Through his story, we follow his feelings and search for purpose.

As a person that moved to another country to find a better life, I can understand Alfonso and I can relate to what he feels and thinks. Coming into another country can be extremely difficult, leaving your family and friends behind, knowing those relationships will never be the same again. Coming to terms with the fact that you will always be a foreigner and have trouble with people accepting you. Trying to make friends and get inside inner circles of people that have been together since high-school – yeah, good luck with that…

Given how I can relate to Alfonso’s situation, and the similarities I have with this character, I thought I would love this book. But I didn’t. Even though I could relate with him, I couldn’t agree with his perceptions and beliefs. Alfonso was always trying to find a girl to spend his life with. Which is normal and expected. However, instead of being his true and authentic self, he desperately tries to be as “less foreign” as possible and adapt to his audience. This is something that seemed to push the potential women away. Not to mention that he was being quite creepy at times (following a girl’s bus schedule and being there before she departs etc.)

Living in a new environment shouldn’t mean that people should stop being who they are and stop believing in what they do, or respecting and practicing the customs from the country they were born and raised from.

All my friends know that in my country we boil and colour actual eggs for Easter, rather than eat chocolate ones. In our home, me and my boyfriend celebrate two Christmases; one on the 25th December, where he does everything by his tradition, and one on 7th January, where I prepare everything in my tradition. And it works. And it’s double the fun and jolly spirit.

I couldn’t relate with the fact that Alfonso feels that he needs to change and adapt, and leave behind his culture. I also couldn’t comprehend the fact that he needs to have a woman to be happy. He couldn’t seem to find happiness with just himself. And maybe, this is again, part of the tradition. In my country, marriages and forming a family are very important, and this may have influenced Alfonso’s behaviour perhaps.

The most upsetting part about this book was that the book ended, and everything remained the same. No earnings, no character development, no closure. Just a bad vibe of negativity, that was lingering in the air and stayed with me for days, like a bad taste in my mouth that you cannot wash with brushing your teeth.

I am not sure how to properly rate “Alfonso”. It was relatable, but conflicting. Very understandable, but unsatisfactory. And I will be honest, I read books that will either make me feel good, or teach me something new (or both), but this book didn’t provide either…

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