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    Embers
    Embers
    Embers
    Ebook336 pages5 hours

    Embers

    By Laura Bickle

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    The first book in the thrilling fantasy series about arson investigator Anya Kalinczyk, the fires she fights and the demons she hunts.

    Truth burns.

    Unemployment, despair, anger—visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit’s unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.

    Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya—who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern—suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil’s Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya—with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team—can stop it.

    Anya’s accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she’s risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she’s ever faced.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Books
    Release dateMar 30, 2010
    ISBN9781439167670
    Embers
    Author

    Laura Bickle

    Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology–Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs. Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016. More information about Laura’s work can be found at www.laurabickle.com.

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    Reviews for Embers

    3.5/5

    96 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I almost turned away from this book after the overblown description in the beginning. Thankfully, I didn't--and the book dropped to what I consider a more "reasonable" level (I've never been a huge fan of extensive description) and was an enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      pretty darn good
    • 1/5
      Ok so this review is rated a 1 raven because I didn't finish it. I just could not drag myself through the pages. I stopped at about 80 but couldn't go further. I apologize for this but, I am not going to make myself read a book that I just can't get in to. I felt that Anya was a bit whiny and she just didn't grab my attention. I like the ideas of this author though, the whole elemental thing is pretty sweet.
    • 4/5
      superb
    • 5/5
      this may have been the first urban fan5asy I have read that was set in Detroit. It made me miss college, since like half of them came from there
    • 2/5
      eh. Firefighter/fire investigator heroine, who is a "lantern" and eats ghosts and stuff. Found her annoying and angsty and not quite bright. I may try one more.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I felt this was a bit different from the usual urban fantasy fare and I really enjoyed it. The protagonist was practical and fairly normal. She has a day job that she loves and it's one that it's hard for women to break into (though that's not mentioned) but she's moved up in the ranks. The descriptions of what it was like to be a firefighter were very good.

      The plot was interesting. Though it was clear where it was going from about a third of the way in, the book was still entertaining. The action was mostly good and the beautiful thing was that she kept saving the guys or they got in the way when they tried to help. Once a man jumped in to save her from the baddie when she had the situation under control and as a result said bad guy got away. The last battle was terrific. I just prefer more almost dying on the heroine's part and another character being terrified for her. It probably means I'm sick in the head or something. She was never in enough p

      The characterization was so good, that I figured out one guy was Hispanic and several other were African American simply by how she portrayed them. She didn't once tell us the color of anyone's skin. I really liked that because it really bothers me that most writers only mention what color someone's skin is if the person isn't white. And to write a character so well that not mentioning it still puts a clear picture in my head of what the person looks like, including race, is quite a skill.

      The character herself wears normal everyday clothing. When she has to dress up she hates it and finally stalks out. At that late hour the only place she can find open is a fetish shop and even then she chose really practical clothes including heels you could dance in. She may not be able to describe a torque (how can a torque that looks like a salamander draped around her neck then have the tail in the salamander's mouth? That would make a loop which is not a torque.

      The salamander character however is wonderful and different from the usual familiar/companion of UF protagonists. It's funny and the descriptions are excellent and very believable as an animal as well as her helper.

      There were a few awkward things, like in the beginning she assumes the arsonist didn't take anything or look around because the elevator was on the top floor. Then at some point she says he takes his time. He could have looked around and taken small expensive things that he didn't need an elevator for.

      Another time is when she has a doctor wearing nurses scrubs. I have never ever seen a doctor in a hospital wear a scrub top with fairies on it and without the white coat no less and I worked in a hospital for a while. Albeit, I worked in IT but still. The hierarchy in medicine is incredibly indelible. Doctors are referred to by last name, nurses by first for starters. And FYI, Circe was not a demon she was a sorceress and somewhat justified in her actions because of how she was treated as a powerful woman (this was just said in passing so it's not a spoiler).

      This is a very minor point in the book but it prickled me: A character says basically that urban renewal can't happen in poor areas, the people need plain rectangles in which to live and that the person saying otherwise is out of touch with the poor. This is clearly ridiculous as some of the poorest communities can get together and reclaim a portion of their rundown areas and create amazing parks mostly by getting volunteers and sometimes with donations. Building a new home that isn't a rectangular box isn't really any more expensive or habitat for humanity would build them. When a community has character and art and design that reflects their world view, that area has more pride in itself and it's easier to keep the area from worsening and can often help the people by boosting self esteem etc. I'm not sure if she was trying to say something else but it bothered me that she was trying to represent the poor and was in turn compartmentalizing them.

      One of the best parts is that at one point, a firefighter goes into a burning building just to rescue a woman's dogs who all survive.

      So despite the small points mentioned above, I wanted to give the book five stars. But...

      I like it when characters are not black and white. I like when the evil doer has some pieces of humanity and the good guys make bad mistakes. The world isn't black and white no matter how much we want it to be. But the only character who has no redeeming value is one who is supposed to be a "good" character and that annoys me, especially given that the bad guy isn't completely bad. Having a complexity of good and bad doesn't mean that we as people shouldn't judge people on the majority of their actions or the ones that are particularly heinous. For example, you can have the nicest sweetest man who creates a charity and volunteers at the at-risk-youth center and has supporters and fans all over the US for the good he does as a coach. But if he then also molests and rapes boys, he is not a good guy, not at all. He is not a sympathetic character and shouldn't be.

      So bringing us back to the book,
      the bad guy has mostly good things he's done in the past and he's got talents to admire. He just now does really horrific things but out of revenge against people who destroyed his life. Oh yeah, that's okay, because he didn't play a part in his own destruction and it doesn't matter that he wasn't specifically targeted. (Read sarcasm here). The author implies that his evil doings now can almost be justified. Okay, I can understand that up to a (very low and small) point. But when the woman who is investigating him sees him as sympathetic I get worried. When she is attracted to him and then kisses and later has sex with him I want to vomit. Seriously, I read those passages with such a look of horror on my face that my kids asked what was wrong and if I was okay.

      But the worst of it is, the character is already in love with the primary love interest, who has been hurt by this bad guy, and she has admitted to herself that she wants to be together with him more than anything. So how can she do this to him?? How can she look the good guy in the eye without shame? This character I loved and admired just became someone I don't like at all. The whole point of wanting to belong to something makes sense. But she can be attracted to that about him without sleeping with him. She also never even feels shame or disgust or remorse. She only says she shouldn't have done it in relation to the investigation. Ugh and ARGH!

      But despite this thing that makes me really mad, it's a good book and the rest of the time I really like the character. She's a good person and people love her. The author is a good writer (there were a couple of awkward sentences in the beginning but not again). Because she's that good and I loved everything else so much, I'm only taking one star off for the spoiler above. I'm definitely reading the next book soon but there are only two so far. That seems to be my luck lately: books I don't like have the number of titles in the series in the double digits and the books I love have only two or three. I am so impatient. I want them now!
    • 5/5
      I read a lot of urban fantasy. I love the genre, but I find myself getting pickier as time goes on. There are a lot of good series and some of them are very long, requiring a major investment of time and money. That's a big reason why Embers sat in my to-read pile for over a year. "Do I really want to start yet another urban fantasy series, even if it just consists of two books?"The short answer: yes.Embers is a fun, modern fantasy adventure frolic that reminds me of everything I love in the genre. Anya is an arson investigator for Detroit, and is smart and efficient at her job. Her night job is being a Lantern for a paranormal investigative group; she can see spirits of all sorts, but even more, she can absorb the evil ones so they no longer possess or molest the ignorant human population. The conflict of the book emerges when her two livelihoods intersect.There were also two side characters who managed to steal the show. Foremost is Anya's fire elemental. Part lizard, part dog, and all awesome. Then there's the villain, who comes across as one-note at first and then evolves into an amazingly complex and sympathetic character.This was absolutely the perfect book to read in a single day while flying across the country, and I will gladly read the next book.
    • 4/5
      Embers is the first book in the Anya Kalinczyk series, which is based in Detroit! Hometown love! I tried very hard to not let the familiarity of the places in the books mess with my opinion, and I think I did pretty well. I liked this book overall. There were some parts that were a little slow for me, and some of the Detroit references got to be a bit much for me – but once the action was going, it was an easy coast to the end.Anya is a fire investigator for the Detroit Fire Department. She’s also a supernatural being, a Lantern to be exact. She can see ghosts, and sort of…devour them. The way she says it, she takes them into herself, and incinerates them within. And on top of all that, she uses her supernatural skills working for the DAGR (Detroit Area Ghost Rescuers). That’s one busy lady. There is a serial arsonist in Detroit, and as it turns out, the fires might have a supernatural connection. Enter Drake Ferrer. I don’t like him. He isn’t the sexy villain, except that he does have some sort of appeal. I just can’t put my finger on it. Anya is drawn to him because he is a Lantern like she is, only more powerful. Not to mention that he is the only other one she knows of. But she is the arson investigator, and well, he’s the bad guy. With Drake I kind of felt like he was not the evil guy in black, but more the bad guy in heavy shades of gray. I didn’t really warm up to him like I do most leading men, but he definitely had his moments.Anya on the other hand… I liked her, but she just has problem on top of problem on top of problem – and none of them were getting solved. That was a bit frustrating for me, but it definitely lent to the clicking tock feel towards the climax. I found myself feeling sorry for her, and a bit frightened at the predicament she had gotten into. She’s got the fires and Drake, her work with the DFD and DAGR, and then a demon possession on top of it all. And next, Sparky. I loved him! Sparky is Anya’s familiar, but not like a familiar that we are used to. Sparky is a fire elemental, in the form of a salamander. He is frisky and playful, and he has quite the personality. When he isn’t needed, he can transform and reside in her necklace (which was handed down from her mother). I guess that part is kind of hard to explain, but in a magical world anything is possible. But you definitely get to see a mischievous side to him, and it brought a bit of fun and grins to the story.There are plenty of characters in this book that I liked, but I didn’t really feel like I got to know much about them. We get to know some of the ghosts more than the actual living humans. The city is as much a character as anyone in this book. I definitely think this is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in the fiery side of the supernatural, ghosts. And if you are local to the area, you will definitely love it!
    • 3/5
      Embers has an enormously inventive universe, based in decaying urban Detroit, a well-plotted storyline, and an engaging heroine. I really wanted to love this first work from Laura Bickle. Ultimately, though, it’s a disappointment.Anya, a twenty-something arson investigator and full-time medium, bears pervasive guilt that as a child, she caused the fire that killed her mother. Like the guilt, she wears her mother’s legacy – the copper collar that is home to her familiar, a fire spirit named, (pun warning) Sparky. Invisible to most, Sparky is equal parts pet, dangerous annoyance, and unwanted chaperone.As the story opens, Anya is trying to extricate herself from a psychic investigation team. But as a “Lantern”, a psychic that devours ghosts, she may be irreplaceable. She’s been called in to subdue a malignant haunting - a demon - but the aftermath leaves her injured and puts a colleague that might be a love interest in the hospital. Work isn’t any less complicated. The serial arsonist she’s investigating moves from mere property damage to murder as the city prepares for the chaos of Devil’s Night, and she’s assigned to a team with a pompous, hostile police detective. She tracks down her suspect, another Lantern, through magic and diligent investigation. But magic isn’t a reality to her co-workers. Despite what the Lantern reveals to her about his plans to revive an ancient fire deity, the police let him go. Anya is forced off the team, and turns to her friends to investigate and stop the suspect’s plot.Anya is a fully realized character, and Bickle does an excellent job on the emotional conflict Anya feels when faced with the villain, a man whom would be, in almost all ways, her perfect lover. She does less well with her secondary characters, especially the purported love interest.But the worst problem was the clunky, illogical sentences that dropped me right out of the story. I’m not any kind of snob about writing. My tolerance for typos grew from a misspent youth devouring poorly edited paperbacks. Story –the characters - are far more important than arcane rules of grammar. After all, Stephen King and Laurell K. Hamilton, both of whom can bludgeon a riveting story with questionable prose, are New York Times bestsellers. Ms. Bickle hasn’t made it there yet. I knew I was in trouble on the first page, when the description of a haunted house left me confused. “Cables from the beat-up panel van parked curbside snaked under the front door, but no light shined inside.” P1 Where didn’t the light shine? In the house, the van, the cables or the front door? Could be that I’m too picky. I read on, brushing aside similar issues as the plot absorbed me. But then, describing a church service for a murdered fireman’s funeral at which Anya is seated far away from the altar: “The archbishop, a small man in a blindingly white robe and stole, seemed to blend in with the limestone interior, cut as sharply as the stone.” P146 Eh? Blinding and blended don’t go together. I get the intent, but it took a moment. Each of the many sentences and paragraphs that failed to make sense distanced me more and more from the story. But this, for me, shredded any credibility: “He picked her up, setting her on the edge of the table. She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling his tongue thrusting in her mouth and his desire pressing against her belly.” P292I couldn’t tell Anya that men’s “desires” don’t spring from above their waist. But I wished I could. The climax of the story is satisfying, if replete with romance tropes. I’d read more of this author’s work, and more about this character, but I sincerely hope that the next book gets a better edit.
    • 4/5
      What I liked: Strong characters, excellent world-building (drawing from multiple mythologies usually bugs me, but Bickle seems aware enough of their relationships and differences that I actually liked it), a fast pace and Anya's elemental familiar, Sparky--I want one of my own!What I didn't: parts reminded me of that stupid Ghost Hunters show and the final confrontation with Sirrush was really cheesy, but those are pretty minor complaints about a really fun book. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
    • 5/5
      I will start off saying that I want a salamander familiar like Sparky. He's a sweetie and is ornery, I like that in a pet. Anya has had Sparky to help her out since she was small and they keep each other company, Anya's been pretty sure Sparky is all she needs. She's a Lantern, ingesting spirits who are basically evil, which makes being a loner a better option. Until she finds out there is another Lantern....one who is causing havoc and ingesting spirits who are not causing problems, ingesting them because he can. Oh, and he's trying to bring about the end of the world with an ancient being.Anya kicks major ass and I want a Sparky of my own, please. Five smokin' spirit ingestin' beans.....
    • 5/5
      I grew in Detroit. I remember Devil's night. As a kid I thought it was fun being scared of what could possibly happen on the night before Halloween. As a teenager, while watching my neighbor's house burn down, the night had a new horrifying meaning.When I heard about this book, I pre-ordered it. I didn't know the author and I didn't know what I was getting myself into. All I knew was Devil's night was a great premise for a potentially great story.Boy was I right. Laura Bickle did such a great job that I was completely and utterly sucked right into the story. Her style of writing was effortless and the flow was perfect. Ms. Bickle obviously has a background in police procedure and it was evident in the story.Anya Kalinczyk is an arson investigator, and more importantly, a rare type of psychic called a "Lantern". She is on a case involving multiple deadly fires and she suspects another supernatural for setting the blazes. What she doesn't suspect is her reaction to the suspect- another possible Lantern. While Anya is good at her job, she isn't good at being close to anyone. She knows she is different and it is her special abilities that has caused her to keep others away. One of my favorite characters in the book is Sparky. You will have to read the book to understand my love for this character but he will grow on you and you'll want your own "Sparky"!
    • 4/5
      Anya is an arson investigator/paranormal investigator that is caught up in the middle of an investigation into a series of fires that aren't normal in the least. Because the fires seemed to have started by themselves with no apparent reasons as to why they have begun or who started them. Anya also works with a team of investigators that deal with the paranormal going-ons in the Detroit area and it is to them that she turns when she realized that her investigation isn't a typical case.What I liked about this book is that it is such a fresh idea for an urban fantasy. Anya is a "lantern" which basically means that she is able to kinda suck spirits into her and they are gone forever. It is almost like she eats them but not really (does that even make sense??). She works with a mixed group of supernatural investigators who all have their own talents. They work together to get rid of nasty spirits that are causing trouble. Anya also investigates fires as her main job in the real world and her most current job is combining everything she does for a living. She is a great main character because she is so down to earth and relatable. And by relatable I mean that she isn't perfect, doesn't always make the right choices, but is always trying to do her best and to get things right. In my opinion she makes a great main character for this new series. The storyline was interesting and kept my interest throughout the novel. I was left wanting more from the other characters though and felt that they could have been fleshed out a bit more which was my only real complaint with this book. But all in all, I really liked this book and am excited to read more from this author. I want to read more about how being a lantern affects Anya and I want to read more about the other investigators that Anya works with...her "Scooby Doo" team that another reviewer dubbed it :) And I want more of Sparky (Anya's familiar). All in all, I just want more which is always a good thing!
    • 5/5
      Quick & Dirty: An extraordinary tale of danger, ghosts and magic that will have you clamoring for more.Opening Sentence: Truth burned. It always burned, even in the dark, cold hours of the morning when nearly everything slept.Anya has a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department. When the freaks come out at night, she works with a ragtag group of ghost hunters aka the Detroit Area Ghost Researchers, fighting the good fight against malevolent spirits. Anya is far from the run of the mill medium that communicates with the dead. She’s a Lantern, which is a rare medium that has the ability to devour spirits. It’s up to Anya, her loveable familiar Sparky and her ghost hunting crew to stop the supernatural arsonist before Devil’s Night or the Motor City will become the city of ashes.Ms. Bickle pens a dynamite urban fantasy debut complete with fascinating characters, a great action filled plot, set in a very atmospheric, eerie and dark Detroit. Her characters are rich and captivating, fitting nicely into the backdrop of Detroit’s gritty and deadly supernatural scene. The plot is fast-paced and the magic is thoroughly integrated into the story, making Embers a real page-turner.What sets this novel apart from the plethora of “tough as nails” female leads is the great work Ms. Bickle does with characterization. Embers’ protagonist, Anya, is a hero, but the nature of her work means Anya also has a dark side. Anya is one of the most multi-dimensional characters in the urban fantasy genre. She’s powerful, and tears through the spiritual underworld of Detroit, but it takes a personal toll on her. It was tough to see Anya struggle with isolation and her feelings of being torn between the spirit world and our world. She’s also trying to navigate the rocky road of intimate relationships. I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice it to say that devouring souls is not without risk. That’s not to say Anya is squeamish about devouring spirits. In the end, she’s willing to do what it takes to get the job done. She’s fiercely loyal to the few people in her life that she really cares about and considers her friends.Embers’ supporting cast of characters round out an already great tale. Anya has an amazing familiar, a five-foot fire salamander named Sparky. What’s not to love about Sparky? He has many endearing attributes. He’s quirky, loyal and needy to a fault, but he’s also Anya’s protector. He loves her very much and has a hard time sharing her. Sparky doesn’t speak and can only be seen by Anya and ghosts, but nonetheless his presence is felt. Sparky is the one constant in Anya’s life and he annoys her as much as he comforts her. It’s actually quite touching.Overall, Embers is an impressive debut. Think Ghost Hunters meets Supernatural and that’s just a fraction of the good times you will get out of reading this book. Ms. Bickle delivers great storytelling, compelling characters, and top-notch worldbuilding. Embers is well written with a fresh and unique mythology. Danger, demons and Devil’s Night abound, making this book hard to put down. I’m really looking forward to visiting this gritty and dark world again in the sequel, Sparks.The Anya Kalinczyk Series:1. Embers2. Sparks – August 31, 2010
    • 4/5
      The premise: ganked from BN.com: Truth burns.Unemployment, despair, anger -- visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit’s unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya -- who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern -- suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil’s Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya -- with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team -- can stop it.Anya’s accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she’s risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she’s ever faced.My Rating: Worth Reading, with ReservationsSo yeah. After numbering all of my irritations, I'm surprised I'm giving this a high of rating as I am. But the premise and its originality was really awesome, and it was cool to have an urban fantasy set in Detroit. The cast of characters was likable enough, despite my getting tired of the heroine, she knows how to pull her weight when she needs too. Also, Sparky is quite cute. Not sure how cuddly a large salamander might be in all actuality, but when compared to a rose goblin? It's a toss-up! Readers looking for a more unique UF premise (i.e. no vampires, werewolves, fairies, or zombies), might find just what they're looking for here, and it's quite the fast read.Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I make very vague references about some of the events that happen at the end, but nothing that should enjoy anyone's enjoyment of the book. However, if you're paranoid, and/or just want to be safe, don't read the full review at my blog. However, comments and discussion are always welcome, so if you're interested, just click the link below to go straight to the review!REVIEW: Laura Bickle's EMBERSHappy Reading!

    Book preview

    Embers - Laura Bickle

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