Review: Eyes of Ember (Imdalind #2) by Rebecca Ethington

Author: Rebecca Ethington

Series: Imdalind #2

Pages: 380

Release date: 6^th April 2013

Publisher: Self

Goodreads

Synopsis: Joclyn is in hiding, hunted by the man she still desperately loves. Ryland is gone, his mind erased, no memory of Joclyn remains. But, Joclyn’s heart desperately begs her to hold out hope. While, in reality the black eyed monster that possesses him, attempts to kill her over and over.

If it wasn’t for Ilyan, Joclyn would be dead by now. 

Ilyan. The man who once stalked her, is now Joclyn’s protector, the only thing she has left. He protects Joclyn from the men who seek to end her life, and while she is haunted by dreams where Ryland begs her to break the bond between them. 

Ilyan is there. Always there.

Ilyan trains and prepares her, teaching her everything she needs to know in the hope that one day she can avenge Ryland, if not protect herself from him.

And then there is her father.

The man who has never been there, is suddenly responsible for everything. And who he is has made Joclyn into something she never wanted to be.

The Silnỳ. 

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers from the first book

I instantly purchased this book after finishing the first book, Kiss of Fire; it continues straight on from where the first book ended.

Joclyn is now on the run with Ilyan as her protector, she is learning more about her abilities as well as the world she has had thrust upon her. Her heart is broken after suffering a terrible loss and she is also recovering from horrific injuries, my heart was breaking along with hers; it was quite emotional what she was having to go through.

My fears from the first book are coming to light! We have a dreaded love triangle; we also have a character that was built up at the beginning of the first book (Ryland) for us to love that has turned into a completely batshit crazy psycho! There is a reason for this but I can’t say I’m not disappointed. Ilyan has turned out to be awesome – fiercely protective and extremely loyal, we find out more about his world and his purpose. I am still completely baffled about the romance situation though and what will come of it all.

We see a lot of character growth in Eyes of Ember, Joclyn showed a lot more weakness in the first book, she was realistically flawed but she now has a purpose and she’s training to seek revenge and to learn more about what she can do. My heart continually broke for Ryland, he seemed like a completely different character to the kind sweetheart we were first introduced to and my fingers are tightly crossed he comes out of this nightmare unscathed but I can’t see this happening because of what he has been forced to do (I apologise for my evasiveness) I am completely and utterly confused by his character.

We are also introduced to a few new characters, gruff Thom was interesting, I'd like to know more about his backstory and Dramin the Drak was great! we also get the strange mix of characters that I can't quite work out such as Cail, Ovalia, Talon and Edmund.

The plot was more evenly paced in this book but I felt there was too much going on and it did become repetitive and confusing. It is still extremely creative and I am enjoying learning about the world of the Imdalind, Drak, Trpasliks etc. but there are still so many unanswered questions. I am liking the blend of magic, romance and thrilling action.

  

The ending has me stumped! I have no idea what Ryland is up to or who we can trust. The next book, Scorched Treachery is told from Wyn’s POV so I’m eager to read this and hopefully get some answers.

About the author: Rebecca Ethington has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then on stage with years of theatrical performances. The Imdalind Series is her first stint into the world of literary writing. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. She was born and raised in the mountains of Salt Lake City, and hasn’t found the desire to leave yet. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her amazing family.