Review: City in Embers (Collector #1) by Stacey Marie Brown

City in Embers

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Series: Collector

Pages: 458

Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing

Release date: 4^th February 2015

Amazon

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Zoey Daniels has been tossed from foster home to foster home, where she grows up fast and tough. When she is placed in her “last-chance” home, she finds a reason to stay and turn her life around: her foster sister, Lexie, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Zoey will do anything to keep her safe. After high school, Zoey is hired by a special government agency, the Department of Molecular Genetics (DMG), where she meets the other reason to remain: Daniel, her co-worker. The man she loves.

But there is something unique about Zoey. She can see fae. Because of this, the DMG hires her to work as a Collector: catching, researching, testing, and using the fae to save human lives. The work never registers on her sympathy radar. She was raised to think of fae as beasts that feed on humans and want to destroy them.

When devastation hits Seattle, Zoey's whole world is turned upside down. The electric storm connects her to a ruthless fae, a Wanderer named Ryker, whose dealings expose them to even more trouble and danger. They embark on a journey, running and hiding from both the government and fae, both of which threaten their lives and those they love.

Review – 4/5 stars

I am a huge fan of Stacey Marie Brown’s Darkness series so I was more than eager to start on the spinoff series, Collector. After a slow-ish start this really kicked off with a bang!

Zoey Daniels had a bad childhood, moving from one foster home to another she finally settled in her last-chance home, it wasn’t perfect but it was where Lexie was, another foster-child also with a painful childhood and disabled – she was the reason for Zoey staying in a less than stellar environment. Zoey was recruited into the DMG (Department of Molecular Genetics) and trained as a Collector, she hunts and collects the Fae because of her unique Seer abilities. She works alongside Daniel, 20 years her senior and a man she has fallen in love with.

The plot was entertaining and fast moving - when devastation hits Seatlle, Zoey’s life turns to turmoil; the electrical storm has left her ostracized from the people she has known and trusted and she is more or less forced to spend her days alongside Ryker, a merciless Fae Wanderer.

I don’t want to give too much of the storyline away to avoid spoilers but there was action aplenty, shock twists and turns, magic and ongoing drama as well as mystery surrounding the DMG and what Ryker is hiding; there is no insta-love but the attraction between Zoey and Ryker was evident and I am looking forward to hopefully seeing their relationship progress -  I love watching characters go from despising one another to accepting and then to more, this aspect was done well.

The characters were each written to perfection, Zoey was a badass who hates the fae! Ryker was ruthless and hates the humans so imagine the dialogue and banter between them, there were some tense moments. We also meet a sweet little narcoleptic Sprite named Sprig who bought some humour to the story.

Stacey Marie Brown’s writing is engaging, the dialogue is done well and I enjoyed the creative world-building which wasn’t over the top but kept me interested and wanting to know more. I am definitely eager to read the next book in the Collector series.

Thank you to Twisted Fairy Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review City in Embers by Stacey Marie Brown.

About the author: Stacey Marie Brown is a lover of hot fictional bad boys and sarcastic heroines who kick butt. She also enjoys books, travel, TV shows, hiking, writing, design, and archery. Stacey swears she is part gypsy, being lucky enough to live and travel all over the world.

She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family's farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. She volunteers helping animals and is eco-friendly. She feels all animals, people, and environment should be treated kindly.