A very enjoyable read! The story revolves around a young witch, Ember, and a lantern, Jack, who monitors one of the crossroads between the mortal world and the Otherworld. Jack watches over Ember as she is growing up and becomes very fond of her. Ember gets through the crossroads to the Otherworld, feeling as if something is drawing here there. Interesting , adventurous and with a bit of romance and steampunk, too.

Just finished Colleen Houck's "The Lantern's Ember." I enjoyed this fantastical reimagining of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow at least that's what I thought of as I read it. We meet Jack, a lantern. He is a guardian of the crossroads. He is always on the look out for things that go bump in the night to return them to the Otherland. Jack has been a lantern for over 500 years. During this time, he has been commissioned to also watch for witches. He is suppose to report any witch he comes across to his boss, Rune. Up until Jack meets Ember, a young witch, who lives near his crossroads, Jack has never shirked his duties as a lantern. Ember causes Jack to start to question everything. He watches her grow from a child to a beautiful young woman. He guides her on her way. Ember starts to feel a calling or beckoning to go to the Otherworld. The Otherworld is beyond the veil. It is where the monsters live so to speak. Once Ember enters the Otherworld, Jack is sure to follow. We are then introduced to some familiar creatures from folklore: werewolves, vampires, sea monsters, witches, ghosts and more. This more a tale about love than horror. It is a budding love that blossoms. The Otherworld is a bit of a Steampunk setting with Witchlight being the power of all things mechanical. In the other books that I've read by Colleen Houck, there is always this underlying romance between two ill-fated characters. It remains me of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Will it end in death? You will have to read it to find out.

I've been a long-time reader of Colleen Houck's and she has never failed to produce a book that I have LOVED. Ever. And, the streak continues.

This book, however, seemed to me a little different that her usual works. It still had the romance, adventure, and intrigue of her stories--as well as her standard well-planned plotline...But, this book had an entirely different feel... If that even makes sense.

I honestly felt like fall was here, reading this story. It made me think of fall leaves, pumpkin-spiced things, warm blankets, and Halloween! All things that make me happy!

The characters were endearing. Ember, she may not be my favorite heroine that Colleen has written, but she rang of innocence and sweetness. And she most definitely was a character that grew throughout the story.

My favorite of all the characters would be Jack, however. A true moral compass, admirable loyalty, and a kind heart--yet, also full of surprises!

I'm fairly certain this is a stand-alone. However, I'm sincerely hoping it's not. I would love to get a look at some of the side characters in the future. Either way, I will be reading this one every year around this time to bring me that fall feeling.

Another excellent work from Ms. Houck! I can't wait to see what she'll bring next!

Jack has spent 500 years guarding the portals to the Otherworld in order to ensure that no one passes from the mortal plane. He is very successful at this job until Ember O’Dare comes on the scene. Ember is a natural-born witch who feels the need to go to the Otherworld and when she goes against Jack’s advice and travels there with a vampire, the adventure truly begins. Will Jack be able to get Ember back to the mortal world safely? How can someone save a strong-willed young lady who doesn’t want to be saved?

The Lantern’s Ember is a stand-alone novel that attempts to explain some natural and not so natural folklore. Houck has developed a cast of characters that are wide in their characteristics, yet easy to relate to. Scenes that seem inconsequential in the first half of the book have far-reaching effects toward the end, so readers should make sure they don’t gloss over those first few chapters. The Lantern’s Ember is a fun fantasy adventure that will leave readers feeling satisfied even though it isn’t a long series.

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. 

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley. I was drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover and the autumn-based mythology surrounding the Jack O'Lantern. It may still be Summer, but I'm craving the Fall so so bad! I was looking forward to jumping into the haunted, spooky world of The Lantern's Ember. 

Jack is a mysterious and brooding main character. I enjoyed learning about his history and his position with Run as a Lantern for the Otherworld. I also like Ember, who is a charismatic and lovable mirror to Jack. I wasn't expecting to like the switching of Point of View between Jack and Ember, but it definitely enhanced the tension between the two characters and the others in the book. I also enjoyed the relationships between Jack, Ember and the other characters in the book. Rune's relationship with Jack was especially intriguing. 

The Otherworld is extremely vivid, terrifying and chilling in all it's Halloween-esque and monster-infused glory. I loved diving into this unique place and getting to explore it with Jack and Ember. However, the real world that the story starts in and that Ember is from, falls flat  by comparison. In the beginning of the book I constantly asked myself not only where am I, but when am I? While Jack's perspective lead me to believe we were based in the current year, Ember's language and references led to believe that we're in a much earlier year. While the entirety of the novel doesn't take place in our world, it definitely distracted me in the beginning. 

While the summary and hook of this book promised a fast-paced and exciting story line, I felt like the story, in reality was much slow than I'd anticipated. I was about 20% of the way into the story before what I felt like the true plot was really began. The story really picked up after that point but I was disappointed with the amount of time it took to get to the point that I actually felt invested and excited about the story. 

The Lantern's Ember has excellent characters and an exciting setting in The Otherworld. If you enjoy Supernatural and Halloween, you'll love the character-driven and tension-high story in this book. The author is excellent at writing point of view characters and has created a truly unique world. I struggled with the pacing of the novel and some aspects of the setting.

[Review will be posted on Reader Voracious Blog on 8/29/18.]

Friends, I was really excited for The Lantern's Ember from the moment I saw this stunning cover and read the synopsis, and I was so excited to get an opportunity to read an advanced copy for review. While the book started strong and appeared to be full of spooky folklore, overall it unfortunately this book did not live up to my expectations as it quickly descended into drama, angst, and a predictable plot. While it is a fast read, I found the characters to be one-dimensional and mostly unlikable, lacking growth, and I was left wanting more about the characters and the world.

The premise of this book is so interesting: the Otherworld is a realm where all those creatures that we thought were fictional live. Goblins, werewolves, vampires, and more are all real! The worldbuilding for tinkers and the technological advances that the Otherworld has made with the harnessing of witchlight was really interesting but I found that outside of the witchlight the worldbuilding was nonexistant.

The synopsis led me to believe that Jack's past and his five hundred years of experience as a Lantern would play a bigger role than it did. I was drawn in by the idea of his role as a gatekeeper of the Otherworld, and quite frankly I am a sucker for stories that involve characters that have long lives... there is something so interesting about watching a character see cultural change and this is something that I think was definitely missing.

Ember O'Dare is an orphaned witch that lives in a town near Jack's Crossroads. He's been watching her from afar ever since she was a young child, and while she hadn't seen him she always felt his presence and protection. I thought it was kind of cute how she kept trying to entice him to show himself to her, and their interactions throughout the book honestly are the only characters that I liked. I love strong female characters, but there is a fine line between strong and indignant and she gets herself into huge messes because she thinks she knows everything when she knows nothing. Like 90% of me reading this book was screaming at her being like "oh, I didn't know it was so dangerous" when she literally had been told repeatedly that it was dangerous. Ugh she frustrated me to no end.

The third-person omniscient narrative style constantly shifts perspectives between the characters (often mid-page), and as a result I never really felt connected to any of the characters. I would have expected Ember and Jack to be the main characters, perhaps with dual-POV storytelling from their perspectives, but I found the narration a jumbled mess that was at times difficult to follow. The story may have been stronger with a more dedicated narrative perspective.

While the book's blurb definitely is accurate, I feel that it was a bit misleading as so much of the actual narrative seemed to center around romantic feelings. There was kind of a love rectangle and it was kind of weird as none of the characters were really developed. While I am not a huge fan of the romance genre, I do not mind it as part of the story but it kind of grated my nerves - particularly Dev's character, who I found to be incredibly obsessive and possessive.

All of the characters in this book were essentially the embodiment of a trope: Ember is "not like anyone else," Dev is the "Edward Cullen kind of obsessed love interest," Finney is the "guy in love with his best friend," and Jack is the "honorable love interest that wants what is best." The characters do not really act outside of their trope and are largely unchanged at the end of the book.

I really enjoyed how folk legends such as the lost colony at Roanoke, the Headless Horseman, and the boogeyman were "explained" in this fictional world, and like I previously said I really loved the concept of the Otherworld! I just wish that more time had been dedicated to worldbuilding and that there was a clear narrative POV - I think that would have made this story a lot stronger. Honestly the "twist" at the end I picked up on at the beginning of the book so I was hardly surprised (except that it was meant to be a twist lol).

The theme of life and what makes it worth living is there in the text, especially given that most of the characters are otherworlder's that have had long lives. It is most evident with Jack and his life as a lantern, one that he would not have chosen for himself. "Maybe the purpose of life is to experience those things, however fleeting. I'll never know now what my life might have been."

Overall I found The Lantern's Ember to be an interesting story with a lot of promise but lacking in character development. Since I read an ARC it is possible that some additional editing happened and some of the issues I had could be addressed in the finished copy. I think if you go in expecting it to be an angsty romance with some steampunk & fantasy elements you will enjoy this book. Honestly it kind of reminds me a lot of Twilight, which I didn't like, so if you enjoy that kind of story this may be for you. This book is a standalone (which I really appreciate because they are so rare in YA fantasy) and truly wraps up everything at the end with a neat little bow (which seemed too perfect but honestly is the least of my issues here).

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me an electronic advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read this book because it seemed like the perfect spooky book for the fall season or Halloween, and the premise sounded super interesting, but I was so disappointed with the story and the character that I ended up being mad. There was hardly anything that I enjoyed about The Lantern's Ember, and I was so sad about that.

I found the story and the narrative so juvenile to be a young adult book. The characters were very naïve and childish, and overall the tone wasn't what I hoped it would be. I was expecting a dark, eerie book, and there was nothing spooky about it whatsoever. It was a very lineal and plain story, and though I wanted to DNF it multiple times while reading it, because I wasn't enjoying it, I wanted to do a review about it, so I kept reading The Lantern's Ember with hopes that the ending would redeemed the book a bit for me, but that wasn't the case.

The story had a nice start. We learnt a bit what was going on and about the characters, but from then on it went downhill. It hardly had a plot and some things were super inconsistent, and I didn't really understand the character's behavior. It was fast paced and it took me not long to finish it, but it was one of those stories where the concept was super intriguing but the development wasn't that great or remarkable.

The characters weren't my favorites. They were so simple and plain and like every other characters I've read in other previous books. Their interactions were super cringy sometimes, and their interactions and dynamics were a bit forced and rushed. There was a love triangle that basically came out of nowhere, and because I wasn't the biggest fan of Jack or Ember, I didn't particularly care about their relationship throughout the story.

I feel the romance was quite insta lovey and unrealistic, and some of the things the characters did throughout the story didn't relate to the characters' personalities, and were a bit weird and odd to me. The ending was just so strange and had hardly anything to do with the rest of the story, and I hated it.

As much as I didn't like the characters, I was hoping to learn more about the Otherworld and magic and world systems in general, but they weren't addressed in the book, which left me quite confused. It's like the author threw us into this magical world and expected us to know what was going on, and I was hoping to see a much complex world, after the characters and the plot being so weak to me.

Overall, I was super disappointed with this book. I had such high hopes and the synopsis sounded so unique and cool, but it ended up being such an unremarkable story, with very plain characters that had almost no evolution, and relationships that were cringy and juvenile.

This book has a great theme in it. It had awesome characters that had me swooning for more information about each of them. I also loved the way the main character was portrayed. I personally had a hard time somewhat with the plot. Some of the chapters seem to be too long. I believe this book is more of middle grade instead of Young Adult. Which is why I think I had trouble with finishing it.

I got this book for my unbiased review from netgalley

First things first, I LOVE the cover. It’s what drew me in.

This one ended up being a very enjoyable read! It’s not scary, but the Halloween atmosphere makes up for it. It’s a little predictable, but it’s ok for me, as I enjoyed this book. I will definitely be buying the hardcover when this comes out, and plan to read this on Halloween!

I recommend this one! Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review!

The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck is a delightfully creepy read with its cauldron mix of Halloween folklore and the supernatural.

I have been a fan of Colleen Houck since reading her Egyptian themed Reawakened series. When I heard she was writing a standalone taking inspiration from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and twisting it with Halloween lore, I could not have been more excited!

What makes this story stand out and such a fun read for the Fall time are all the references made to Gothic horror stories and supernatural creatures we're all familiar with.
Houck takes bits and pieces from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Island of Doctor Moreau and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (just to name a few) and mixes them with a unique new take on the origin story of the Jack-o'-lantern and the Will-o'-the-wisps. There is also a surprisingly Halloween Town/Wonderland vibe sprinkled with a steampunk-inspired backdrop for the Otherworld in which Amber and Jack are whisked off to.

The story follows Jack, once a mortal, who is now a Lantern assigned (cursed) to act as a watchman guarding the crossroads leading into the Otherworld—keeping stray mortals and not-so-mortals from entering into each other's realms. He is completely adorable and reminded me a bit of Jack from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Filled with curiosity and adventure, seventeen-year-old witch Ember O’Dare longs to cross into the Otherworld. When she accidentally discovers Jack there is an instant spark between the two. Jack, who has been acting as a secret guardian to her ever since she's been a little girl, finds his feelings changing from protector to something more.

When roguish vampire Deverell “Dev” Blackbourne, with secret nefarious designs of his own, crosses into the mortal realm and entices Ember into returning home with him, Jack follows—what ensues is a madcap adventure filled with the strange, steampunk-ish, and the monstrous...literally.

I really enjoyed all the spooky references, atmosphere, and Jack's character especially. I do feel like the story reads with a younger teens voice though, rather than what the gorgeous cover suggests, and could make for a possible cross-over read from mature middle-grade to YA.
Although I enjoyed her sense of daring and sweet charm, Ember does come across rather naive and immature at times. She often lets others make her decisions for her and when she makes one of her own they're rash—landing her in deep trouble.

The story includes two other love interests that make for a bit of a love triangle and adds tension to an already busy plot. The end raps ups rather nicely, if somewhat quick, and left me excited for all things Fall and Halloween.

In the End

The Lantern's Ember is an entertaining read perfect for those wanting an atmospheric story that will have you excited for all things spooky. Readers are sure to enjoy discovering all the creative twists given to monster myths and horror stories by Colleen Houck.

Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars

Thank Netgalley and the Random House Children’s Books!!

Unfortunately this one wasn't what I had hoped it would be. The blurb promises a scary read, but this felt a little more like middle grade fiction than something on the YA spectrum. I think my lack of preparation for the book it turned out to be is an indication of the "right book, wrong reader" syndrome, and would highly recommend readers give this one a try for themselves rather than going by my word alone.

I really enjoyed the first half of this novel, but the rest just really fell flat for me. I thought it would be the perfect Halloween book for this year, but it took a slight wrong turn for me. I did not love the love triangle, the steampunk flair, and I did not enjoy the main character. She was so flighty and needed help the whole way through with the men surrounding her. If it was not a SteamPunk type fantasy, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. The characters were really diverse and I enjoyed Jack's character a lot. The chapter names were great, but had nothing to do with the chapters, at least that is how I felt towards it. Overall, it just was not what I wanted it to be, definitely could have done without the SteamPunk twist.

i will admit i schemed some parts of this book because they where so slow and little boring, i wish this book would have came out like around the end of September instead of almost the beginning of September.

i loved the whole concept of this story it was like watching a tv show sort of i just wished some parts where a little more faster then others.

If you like creepy but not really creepy but you still want to get a little scary here and there go grab this book when it comes out on September 11 2018

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Lantern's Ember. I would describe this book as the perfect Halloween or fall read - or anytime read if you love witches and vampires and magic! Ember is an incredibly strong witch - and also incredibly fierce, independent and curious. Ember decides to allow a vampire to escort her to the Underworld - where all the magic and mystery is - and embarks upon a wild adventure. Pirate ships, secret islands, boogeyman - The Lantern's Ember will keep you on your feet, don't worry! Ember attracts the attention of not one, not two, but three men - although she never lets them put her aside and always fights her own battles. This is one love (square?) that will keep you on your toes! Houck plays around with all of our favorite Halloween tropes - A lantern, named Jack, who keeps his soul in a pumpkin. A vampire who decides to move to a town called Transylvania. A witch in desperate need of escape who enchants the only rideable object available to fly - a broomstick. The Lantern's Ember is charming and adventurous and a wonderful retelling of our favorite monsters, demons, and scary Halloween creatures.

I am a fan of Houck’s Tiger’s Curse series. It was unique and different in the young adult world. The Lantern’s Ember does not disappoint, it is a fun and unique stand-alone.
Ember is a young witch who is stubborn and head-strong which does not always allow for making the best choices. Jack is the Lantern who is stationed at the crossroads in her town. The Lanterns help keep out the monsters from the Otherworld out of the human world. The Otherworld is home to all of the monsters of our nightmares. Ember takes up with a debonair vampire, manages to get into the Otherworld, and the action is non-stop from there. Jack has to get Ember back to keep all hell from breaking loose in both worlds.
This story is loosely based on Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, although Houck’s interpretation has brought it into 2018. It is a fresh and exciting take for a whole new audience.

The Lantern’s Ember

This book was the perfect book to satisfy my need for Halloween. When I read The Lantern’s Ember it was in the middle of June and it had me thinking about pumpkins, golden leaves littering the ground, and little kids dressed up in costumes. Needless to say I loved this book and could not get enough of it. The plot was amazing, the world building was stunning, and the characters were fantastic.

Characters

Ember: I loved Ember. She was full of life and had a great sense of adventure. Although she could be naïve and a little bit reckless she also did her best and attempted to do what she thought was best for the situation. Overall I found Ember to be a perfectly delightful character that I loved watching grow as the novel progressed. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy was how she sometimes used the different men in her life to make a different man jealous.

Jack: Jack was by far my favorite character through out the whole novel. I found his backstory to be fascinating and completely fantastical. I enjoyed his serious ways and I especially enjoyed when he let loose and became playful. While his treatment of others could sometimes be a little harsh he always tried to make up for it. I loved that he always did what he thought was best for everyone even if it put himself in danger.

Dev: I honestly don’t know how I feel about Dev. At times I felt sympathy and pity for his lot in life, and at times I wished the best possible outcome for him. At other times I thought he was a little bit sly and used others to get what he wanted. Sometimes I think this was the authors intent. In the end I was found that my like for him out weighed my dislike for him.

Secondary characters: I loved all the secondary characters (Finney, Delia, and Rune). I found that all of them added something to the plot and contributed. One of biggest issues with books is when there are secondary characters who do absolutely nothing for the progression of the plot.

This novel was a mix of old Halloween tales (such as Sleepy Hollow and The Boogyman), steampunk elements (like Clockwork guns and airships), and elements of history (The Salem witch trials). I cannot express how perfect this novel was in its worldbuilding I could almost imagine crossroads existing in or ordinary world. I don’t think there exists a book that has ever satisfied my need for the supernatural and Halloween quite like this one.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good book with fantastic supernatural elements or perfectly crafted otherworldly environments.

You would think that book that involved witches, sleepy hollow, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, pirates and the boogeyman would be complicated and jam packed but colleen made it all work.
I thought this would have to be 2 books but she made it all come together quickly at the end. It didnt seem rushed but i felt like after how well i liked the first 90% of the book that the ending didnt do it justice.
I wouldnt say theres a love triangle but theres a chance that you might want her with another guy for awhile. If so it will be changed back fairly quickly.
Overall i enjoyed this book. If you like her other books you will like this
Its angreat book to read around Halloween

To start off, I was really excited about this book when I first heard about it. The author described it as a retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (which I love!) but to be honest... I've read better reimaginings of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This book just kind of fell flat for me.

It has a gorgeous cover, don't get me wrong, but the story inside is just kind of ... meh. I didn't care for our naive heroine, the fact that all of the male characters were in love with her, the steampunk themes, and I guess I was expecting something a little spookier.

Overall, this book was not for me. Maybe it would appeal to somebody younger, I don't know. I really wanted to love this one but I just couldn't. I'm left feeling disappointed.

I loved the unique twist on Sleepy Hallow and the beautiful cover, but unfortunately that's it. It was boring and dreadful. Ember was extremely juvenile and immature. I understand that she's only 17 but I was still reading her as the child she was when she first arrived there. She believed the Vampire over Jack, someone who had been watching over her for years. Jack was very one dimensional to me. I didn't believe his love for her or Ember's love for him. It was very shallow and surface level. I wanted more of the setting and the unique structure of the monsters and less of well, everything else. The whole plot of the novel is very cliche, which would not have been a problem if the characters were stronger and more unique. The background and setting of the story would've elevated the cliche plot to something exciting, but unfortunately the characters weren't there for me. At all.

We received an advanced reader’s copy of Lantern’s Ember from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author!

The Lantern’s Ember reeled us in from the moment we saw it on Netgalley; from the (gorgeous) cover and description we were excited for a spooky experience full of folklore and supernatural creatures come to life. The first few chapters were intriguing and we were loving the creepy Sleepy Hollow vibes.
https://media.giphy.com/media/awj1tq7...

Unfortunately, after the initial setup to the story, Lantern’s Ember devolves into a juvenile experience full of angst and unnecessary drama. The story is less spooky and more like Halloweentown High complete with insta-love and a love quadrangle. The plot was predictable and essentially a Frankenstein monster as the plot is basically haphazard themes and plots resurrected from steampunk and gothic novels and early American folklore then sewn together in a grotesque manner.

The characters were shallow, lacked common sense and Houck did not allow for any character growth. The novel was hard to follow as character perspectives shifted suddenly with very little indication that suddenly you were reading about a completely new character. And instead of the supernatural intrigue we were promised, this book centered more on the fact that every single character falls in love with Ember.

The ending to The Lantern’s Ember was the most frustrating part of this book. The ending was wrapped up like a fake Christmas present on display in a Macy’s window - too perfect to be real. It was disingenuous and too convenient to be enjoyable. I was left disappointed and frankly unimpressed at how the plot took a 180 degree turn and all the characters were just like “okay, everything’s good now!”