I really enjoyed this, there were some flaws in execution and world building, but there was just something about this book that really entertained me and got me past that. I think I loved the characters and their interactions. I loved Kira, she was a great independent, strong and feminist lead, no magic or powers, just a strong female. I loved the humour and banter. The story is fast paced and addictive to read, an original and fresh fantasy read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

this was not to my taste at all. I hoped that it would be good but it was a failure in my mind. It just wasn't worth it at all.

“Kira refuses to marry a guy who was dumber than a sack of rocks. Of which there were plenty.”

So, I went into Emberhawk with no previous expectations. I was craving a unique YA fantasy, and in some ways this hit that sweet spot.

I’m quite conflicted, because I feel like there were a number of things that were well done, and then others not so much. We follow our main characters, Kira and Ryon who are living in this dangerous world full of magic on the brink of war. Kira is setting her traps and catches Ryon on her property stealing her families chickens. So of course she doesn’t hesitate to shoot him in the shoulder, thinking he’s a trace cat, and then no surprise insta-love follows.

Without delving too much into this, the romance really didn’t click with me, specifically because of one scene where Ryon forced himself on her without consent and then spent about 10 pages justifying it. After that, all out their romantic interactions and flirtations left a sour taste in my mouth.

For me the highlight of this book was Kira. It was a delight seeing this complex complicated (often confusing) world that was against her. She’s a feminist badass, without the author trying too hard to make that obvious. The only thing that stuck out like a sore thumb to me, was that because of her situation and family we see virtually no other females interacting with her? Like for example she has two brothers, but I wanted to know more about her everyday—where she went to school, what type of friends she had,etc.

If I’m being honest, I struggled for more than half the book to understand how exactly the magic system works. Yes, there was a lot of infodumping from the author as it’s to be expected with the introduction to a high fantasy series. However, I wish some things were explained more clearly earlier on; that way I feel like I would have gotten an overall more enjoyable experience. That being said, I will definitely keep my eye out of the sequel and put it high up on my tbr because this book was an intriguing start.

3.5/5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say I found the pace of the book a little slow, however when it did pick up I did enjoy it. I have never read a book with a storyline like this before and enjoyed the development of the main character.

A fresh, diverse world. A heroine resourceful enough to be strong, even without any supernatural power. An intriguing hero with a golden heart. Emberhawk is not your typical fantasy story and so worth to read! I was captivated from page one, and the story didn't let me go again until the last page.

There are three main characters in this book, although Vylia, the Malaano princess, doesn't get a big portion in this first installment. The story is more focused on Kira and Ryon, whose paths crossed and merged since Kira shot Ryon when he was stealing food in her ranch. After an event that left them both injured in a dangerous forest, they had to work together to keep each other alive. Their tentative alliance is sprinkled with humor, cute interactions and attraction to each other. But of course, greater danger than monsters lurks in their journey.

5 balembas.

And let me go hunting for more books by Jamie Foley.

I found this an enjoyable, if confusing at times read. Some of the language choices did not fit in with the setting, or the culture that was being presented and I found that disconnected me from the story. The world was interesting, and I would loved to have seen it developed more and more fluidly, and the same with the characters. They all had potential for the most part - and I would definitely like to see more of Vylia. I am however, completely in love with the cover and the premise, and I will be checking out the rest of the series.

The book and the summary seemed really interesting, but upon finishing it ended up being a let-down for me.

The author has a lot of interesting ideas. A lot of them that are unfortunately not very... well formed and or grounded.

- The plot is very confusing. You don't get a good grasp of the layout of how the world and its magic system work with one another. The only way you pick up on it is if the character decides to mention it while they're talking about it and if it is important to the plot.. Which is strange because I spent more than half of the book not understanding a certain power that a person could do but I couldn't learn about it until it was mentioned to one o of the characters? It was weird.

- The tone is equally confusing. You know how books seem to take place in a certain time period and or a certain 'land'? This one seemed like a mishmatch of Japanese/Western/Modern/fantasy. I just couldn't vibe with it. The way the characters spoke to one another was way, way too modern.

- Characters: The characters were probably the best bit about the story, but some of their backstories were confusing and or not well developed and or didn't go anywhere.

- Overall? I'm a visual learner and I like to picture things in my head. If I can't picture the layout or the land in my head, then, we have an issue.

It was an interesting read an it did keep my attention, it just wasn't a book for me and I would not be continuing the series (if it will be?) further.

Kira is protecting her farm from a fox that was killing her chickens when she accidentally shoots a young man leaving the woods. His capture sets of a chain of events that changes her life, and her families lives. Waring nations, politics, and belief systems rule in this young adult fantasy.

I loved the different cultures and religions that the author created. I dislike reading a book where everyone has the same religion and believes the same thing across the realm. This book had a diverse cast from different regions with different cultures that moved the plot along.

The only issues I had were with the language at times. The author created this great world and created different names, magic and gods but had current slang words and language that took me out of the story. The Imperial Princess Vylia was an interesting character that only had a couple of chapters. I would have liked to have had more from her.

I can't wait to read the next book when it comes out and I am going to look into the authors other books.

I am completely in love with this book! I don't want to spoil anything because I went in with no idea of what this book was about and I loved it. The dynamics between the two main characters was incredible, and I was able to genuinely relax and just enjoy the narrative flow. The twists were well written and genuinely surprised me (which is rare) and I was very satisfied with the events. Jamie Foley can write one hell of a fight scene, and I am in awe. READ THIS BOOK!!!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This story is about war, rebellion, conspiracies, gods, elementals and tribes. This story was just an ok read for me. We have three point of views: Vylia, Ryon and Kira. Vylia is a diplomat princess of the reigning kingdom. Ryon is a spy while Kira is a normal citizen.

The world building is all over the place and a lot of info dumping that made yours truly dizzy and confuse. The world has a potential if only it was presented in a more systematic(?) way as I was really lost and though it has a glossary at the beginning, it only confused me more.

I did connect a bit on the characters and their plight, well except Vylia. One of the reasons that this didn't receive a higher rating from me is because of the 'romance' part. I just felt like it was forced and didn't care much on that aspect of their life. I wanted to know more about the rebellion and the empire. Hoping that the next book is better.