I'm not sure how I feel about this book. While I liked the concept the random Sleepy Hollow push became a little cheesy and annoying. The writing was clean, flowed well, and overall enjoyable. I simply didn't like the lantern as a character. I had very little empathy for him because he seemed like a whingy teenager - whining then being angry then being in love and I guess I see enough of that in real life I don't need to read about it. Plot line was good, I enjoyed the idea of the "otherworld" and the guardians. Just wasn't a page turner and couldn't keep my attention.

3.75 This book was a great book to read for the Halloween season. It incorporates such things such as Legend of Sleepy Hollow,Frankenstein and the origins of Halloween as relating to this story. The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and is what drew me to the book originally. I had difficulty getting into the book and was about halfway in before I was following it well. The main focus of this book follows a young witch named Ember and a Lantern named Jack who is guardian of the gate to the Otherworld. I found the story choppy at times and the relationships Ember had with different characters weren’t built up enough and she suddenly is friends with this person she just met and follows them. This book is rated for teen/young adult but a person would need a dictionary to look up the words the author uses quite frequently. The ending was satisfying but felt a little choppy as well. Overall I’m glad I read this book but it could have been so much better.

This was a very cute story that made my Halloween-loving heart happy. I found it very different from Colleen’s other books, although it shares excellent world building. The steampunk tie-in was super fun, as were the references to traditional Halloween symbols and monsters.

The romance was innocent and sweet. This book is definitely appropriate for younger audiences of voracious readers. I fell for Ember and Jack, and I think you will, too.

I really did like this book. It’s the rushed ending that forces me to only give this book 3 stars. I really thought this book was going to have a sequel…. but no…. the last 20-30 pages just rushes to an end that just wasn’t fulfilling. Sure all the characters’ stories have an end of some sort… but I wanted more. I really wanted an epic battle. Or at least more to the main story that made sense. It was like the author ran into a page limit and was just like “Ok I guess I’ll just smash something that could be a hundred pages into twenty”. This book could have been so amazing!

Despite the bad ending, the rest of the book was fun and entertaining. As a HUGE Halloween fan, it was great to see so many spooky character and places connections. Jack is a lantern (Get it? Jack O’Lantern!) and he guards a covered bridge and has a creepy ghostly horse and he likes to ride around with a lit pumpkin to scare people…. Does that description remind you of Sleepy Hollow at all? That’s just the tip of the iceberg. He guards a gate to the monster world. There were many gates that he’s helped protect in the past including one in Salem, Sleepy Hollow, and Roanoke (three “spooky” towns!!!). In the monster world we have vampires who stories connect to Transylvania, a man made monster who resembles Frankenstein, a mad scientist who owns an island like the island of Dr. Monroe and so many great connections.

Main character wise…. I loved our little witch, Ember, though she did act very naive sometimes. Jack was an interesting guardian, though I feel like his romance was a little too easy. Finny was a good overall sidekick, but nothing super special. Dev was a decent vampire though his longing for Ember got tiresome. The love quadrilateral (yes there were four people instead of our usual three) was kind of odd and a bit pointless. I feel like it was rushed and in some ways just didn’t make sense. Many of the other characters in the book we interesting and cool as well, but I feel like they didn’t get enough attention. I blame part of that problem yet again on the rushed ending.

Overall, this was a fun quick read especially for the Fall/Halloween season. It’s a “clean” read so young tweens and teens of all ages can enjoy it. Give it to someone who’s a fan of horror connections.

Unfortunately this book was just not for me.
I gave it a chance and read to the 50% mark, but just never felt like picking it back up once I set it down, which is a big deal for me with books. I need to care about the characters or the storyline enough to want to see how it all pans out. I didn't get that with this book.
Keep in mind, these are only my opinions and others may love this book! It just wasn't for me.

For all the spooky vibes from The Lantern's Ember, the "world where nightmarish creatures reign" and deals with the devil and all things haunting, this book was entirely underwhelming and disappointing.

Part of my problems probably comes down to the fact that I really enjoyed Houck's work in the past and combined with being a Sleepy Hallow/Headless Horseman type deal (which I was super excited about), I had pretty high expectations. So when I started reading and quickly lost interest, I knew it would be a downward spiral.

Rather than follow Jack, the Lantern (because the whole idea of Lanterns, guardians of the crossroads, is fascinating), The Lantern's Ember follows Ember, a young witch, and her adventures through the Otherworld while fending off 3 -- yes, THREE -- love interests. 

Ember was frightfully annoying, naive and innocent to the point that it felt more like a plot device to explain everything than actual character development. Which there was none of. While I liked her and Jack's little romance subplot (it was very sweet and all), soon her life seemed to revolve around making bad choices despite being told how they were really stupid ideas, or obsessing over Jack.

So the story progresses and Ember goes on her little adventure, everything that should be dangerous is. . . and isn't. I was never scared for the characters because, frankly, the plot was so predictable I didn't see anything bad ever really happening. Combined with simplistic writing and a 3rd person point-of-view that kept me distant from the characters the whole way through, I had no interest in what happened to Ember or her companions.

And I can't say that the synopsis didn't deliver because it did, but felt skewed. The plot focused on the romance to the point that I would label this book a paranormal romance, not a fantasy. What I never understood about all of it was what made Ember so special that all 3 guys were falling over themselves for her. The only explanations given were that she was pretty and a very powerful witch. Gave me immediate special snowflake vibes and not the good kind.

After several attempts to read this book, I finished and immediately forgot most of what happened. The Lantern's Ember ended up being a waste of my time despite being a quick read, and I wish that hadn't been the case. This book had potential if the romance hadn't become central and killed any chance of character development the book had left.

I wasn't real thrilled with the last book I read by Houck either so I'll definitely be hesitant to pick up another as these past two have had the same issues. The Lantern's Ember was a definite miss.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Lantern’s Ember started out seeming like a spooky budding romance, but ended up feeling like a middle-grade lacking in overall spookiness. Ember, the main character, was obnoxious. She was naïve and deemed to be “super special” and that it frustrated me as a reader. Top that off with the fact that there is a love “square,” and under-developed characters that lack depth? Needless to say I was disappointed by this book.
The plot was pretty predictable and, because it was a stand-alone, I feel that there was a major info-dump at the end to make sure everything tied up nicely. Overall, this book was a big let-down for me.

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! I love spooky-ish books in October! This one really got me into the Halloween spirit! A fun and unique take on all sorts of legends!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC for an unbiased review!

What first attracted me to The Lantern's Ember was the truly awesome cover! 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.

The Lantern's Ember

So funny, so cute, and oh so good...

Have you ever wanted to go somewhere and somebody told you no? But you had that ache in your body you just couldn't ignore.

Well, Ember had that ache. The one that just bothers and bothers until you give in. Ember wants to go into the Otherworld but is, of course, told no. So she stows away with a dashing vampire across the crossroads from the human world to the Otherworld. Leaving the guardian of the gate to chase after her and try to get her back into her own world.

I was given this eBook by Netgalley for an honest review.

3.25-3.5 Stars
A middle grades supernatural story with a lot of potential. The ideas for this novel are enchanting and I especially enjoyed the implementation of mythical characters and the background stories, not to mention the breathtaking cover art. The characters need a little more development, but overall a fun read for the fall.

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This book has a unique plot and I love all of the nods to classic tales, they're so subtle but really well intertwined throughout the whole store. I love the play on word with the title too, very clever. The characters show very little development so it is rather hard to related to any of them. I was really hoping for the story to be a little more spooky plot driven and less about the romantic problems with the main characters. I would have really loved to see some of the ideas and problems expanded upon and less about the love triangle and questions of happy endings. Overall I found the book to be interested and it held my attention well. I also really enjoyed the epilogue!

This is a weird one for me. I think I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d read it during the proper season. However, it’s still light and fun.

I do think it reads younger than YA, though. So perhaps that is why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to.

What a fun book! It was full of adventure, romance (the romance!!!), danger, and plot twists.

Jack is a lantern, a guardian of a portal between the mortal world and the Otherworld -- a realm filled with vampires, werewolves, and every other terrifying creature known to humankind. He's fantastic at his job. That is, until he meets Ember, a young witch that he can't bring himself to turn over to the Lord of the Otherworld.

When Ember slips past Jack's guard and into the Otherworld (with the help of a dashing vampire), he abandons his post and goes after her. What follows is a breathtaking chase through an alternate dimension full of magic, machinery, and monsters.

This book is spooky, creepy, and utterly perfect to read at Halloween. I absolutely loved it. You'll definitely want this on your TBR this fall!

Content: Clean. There are some perilous situations, non-descriptive violence, and some creepy/spooky scenes, but it's one of the cleanest YA novels I've read in a very long time. There's no language, sex, or anything graphic.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Jack has been given the lonely task of being a Lantern for the last 500 years, a being who guards the crossroads from both sides- be it humans trying to pass to the Otherworld or creatures trying to pass to the human world. In the small town he currently protects, there lives a girl who is not just a girl, but a witch. Instead of reporting Ember O'Dare to his superior and having her be executed, he has kept quiet and watched her grow up, coming into her power and personality. But the winds of change are blowing in and Jack's secret will not stay secret forever.

Let's just spend a minute gushing over my cover love and the title to the book. The title to the book as well as the cover image could not be more perfect for this story! Jack is a Lantern, and Ember is the female main character aka witch, and the two have a secret, totally not allowed connection that makes the title so appropriate.
The skull imagery I assumed was just a because it was creepy and appealing at the same time, but really shows Jack's true nature as it was revealed. And the random lights just wrap it all together so nicely. I feel like at times covers and titles are thrown together just cause or just kind of relate to the book, but this one nailed it out of the park and I could not love it more.

My favorite part of the book was the world that Colleen built. It was so cool- a mash-up of steampunk with supernatural elements and all kinds of monsters and creatures that roam free. The human world is a simple time of the 1800ish (per my guesstimate, don't quote me), with little to no technology as was the time. And then on the other side of the guarded crossroads is the Otherworld, with amazing gadgets and inventions run by witch power as an energy source, so ahead of anything the humans would even fathom. I so easily got lost in the Otherworld right along with Ember, her awe was my own. And the supernatural creatures that came to life were terrifying and inventive, with the oddest little quirks to give them personality- Colleen's imagination knows no bounds... and beware the Boogeyman.

As per the norm for Colleen, there is a love triangle thrown into the story, perfect for those who need an extra dose of angst along with their plot. We have one headstrong girl (witch) who makes some very questionable choices right off the bat (Why would you let a strange vampire you just met take you on a dangerous quest from a mysterious demand AND let him drink half your blood to purposefully weaken you?? Yep, I have no answer to that besides temporary insanity.) but luckily for Ember, she is crazy strong and can hold her own in a crazy situation. Next we have sweet, lonely Lantern (magical gate keeper) Jack who watched Ember grow up and went against his calling to instead protect her- he is the tie to the sleepy hollow story which made me so happy! And then there is Dev the very old, very charming vampire who has ulterior motives and does not understand being turned down. I knew who I rooted for but it was interesting to see what direction Ember took (and ps she basically had a super internse orgasm but without the word actually being used within the first 20% of the story- just an fyi!)

The ending of The Lantern's Ember was all that I hoped for, wrapping up every character the best way possible and leaving no loose ends. I really like that this was a standalone, making it the delightfully fun pre-Halloween read to get you hooked on the supernatural. This was a nice blend of fantasy and romance, making it the perfect escapism read.
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Wow, this book was not at all what I was expecting! But I kind of love that because I really liked what it was. Colleen Houck is a YA author I've seen around a lot but never gotten to read. The one thing I love about her style is the visceral experience she provides. I literally FELT fall reading this book. I live in South Texas, where there is no threat to the end of summertime, but I could literally smell the apple-cider and pumpkin spice when I was reading this book.

First of all, the cover is what originally drew me in. It's inviting, yet haunting, and beautifully made. The artist did an absolutely splendid job because I could not get the book out of my head. Second, for anyone who is a lover of fall, paranormal, and Halloween, the synopsis will have you practically drooling for the book. So, naturally, I had to join this blog tour!

This book did seem like it could have been the perfect middle-grade story, if not for the romance. However, I was happy to see a younger YA read that I could recommend to my daughter. Ember herself was a fun character - completely compelling in the dichotomy that she both seemed completely competent in her own skills, but also a little naive when it came to the world. She was bold and headstrong, but also kind of to the point where she missed the danger just lurking around the corner. Even so, this made her all the more interesting to read about. I feel like I should point out the romance in the book once more because it was so overdone. There were THREE potential love interests, which just seemed like too much for a standalone novel. I loved the connection between Jack and Ember, especially at the beginning of the book, so the continuing chaos of all these extra relationship opportunities felt like overkill. I did like the characters, but at times it felt like there were so many that we didn't get adequate time to really learn more about them and delve under their skin, so to speak. That's really the downside to a standalone. The upside is that you get to invest in a wonderful world without having to carve out time to read several books at once. This is refreshing, especially considering I'm constantly looking down the barrel of series with 6-9 books in them.

The world-building has to be my favorite part of the book. I was absolutely spell-bound by Ember's village - it was one of my favorite parts of the book just because Houck did such a wonderful job detailing everything. I felt like I was THERE. It's clear from the synopsis, and Ember's passive feelings towards the plainness of the village, though, that we wouldn't stay there long. And of course, we didn't. Instead, we are thrust into a world that I'm sure you'll see many reviews call steampunk. There was definitely a horror vibe to the place, but I never FELT scared. It was just more of that overarching theme. Even so, the classic Halloween vibes and storylines were sensational. You could see the work to tie in lots of folklore into the story. There's not only Jack, whose soul is in a pumpkin, but witches, vampires, werewolves, and more. You're definitely going to see a lot of the classics.

Overall, the world was fun and had a lot to left to explore if the author ever sides to delve back in. However, I think it was a wonderfully encapsulated story. Overall, this is best read with a nice warm blanket, some rain on your windowsill, and a hot cup of apple cider.

If you're looking to get the Halloween spirit going, this read is highly recommended. Taking place in the Otherworld, The Lantern's Ember follows the story of Jack, a lantern whose soul rests in a pumpkin, and Ember, a prodigal witch. With a Frankenstein's monster-like being named Frank, sibling vampires named Dev and Delia, and a werewolf named Graydon, it has all the makings of classical horror genre-blend like Van Helsing or Penny Dreadful.

I really liked the characters. Perhaps they were somewhat archetypal, it really helped balance a larger cast. Also, they had such a great dynamic. No one was infallible and each of the main cast balanced their strengths and weaknesses. The world-building was also fun. Very much a Halloweentown vibe with steampunk and magical technology galore.

The only complaint I could find was the sense of POV. There was a little too much jumping around within chapters about who's seeing what. Keeping these limited to the already brief chapters would have helped the pacing a bit and let the reader dwell with each perspective. The ending also wrapped up a little too neatly, but thank God it was given enough page time.

Cute and really committed to the aesthetic, The Lantern's Ember is a must-read for anyone looking for a really good Hallow-read.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and reviews are my own.*
2.5 stars

DNF @ 33%

I was really trying not to give up on this one. And, to be honest, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with this book. Although to start, I would probably call this a middle grade book over young adult.

This also wasn't the spooky book I expected-- which is fine, I could get over it... if I was interested. And this is what it all comes down to, see I started reading this on a Saturday and then proceeded to forget about it and when I did remember it, I didn't feel the desire to pick it back up.

The concept and setting is really interesting-- the villain and what is waiting for the end is slightly intriguing, but not enough for me to read about this journey and the chase. I think there is supposed to be a romance between Jack and Ember, but it seemed too insta-love for me. I see how their background and history is supposed to show how their affection has grown, but it didn't work for me.

I think this is a case of good book, but the wrong reader. I really think other people will really enjoy this, especially if they are looking for a not-so-spooky read for Halloween.

Unfortunately, The Lantern's Ember just wasn't for me. Firstly, this book reads like MG instead of YA, in both the level of creepiness introduced and the prose. The narrative was extremely choppy in the beginning of the book, which made the plot seem rushed. Because of how quickly events moved, it felt like the story was being condensed into a short story or folk tale rather than setting up a 400-page novel.

There is no strong sense of time and setting and there is some dialogue that seems out of character for the time period that the author was trying to place us in.

I didn't feel particularly connected to the characters Jack nor Ember. Insta-romance isn't really my cup of tea and there was no solid foundation for how the relationship continued to develop.