Review - - Ember Eternal

Ember Eternal

by Chloe Neill

Souls Burn Brightest – Book 1

Publisher: Ace

Release Date: November 25, 2025

Reviewed by Nancy

4.75 stars 

Fox is a thief with morals—she steals from those who can afford it and takes only a little at that. But she has no choice. Fox and her closest companion are indentured servants to an unscrupulous wealthy woman in the stronghold. Unable to pay off their debts with the work they’re given, they steal in the hopes of one day being free—truly free. 

While searching for an easy mark, Fox identifies a would-be assassin with her rare magical ability, and then helps a royal bodyguard fend off his vicious attack on the prince. Soon that good deed embroils her in a vast and shimmering world of imperial politics, long-lost magic, and improbable romance. But Fox longs for freedom, and must decide if love is its own kind of cage. 

 

Nancy’s Thoughts: 

In Ember Eternal, veteran author Chloe Neill offers a romantasy set in a fully-realized, beautifully described pre-industrial world. She always gives the reader a complete picture of the characters and their surroundings, so the mental images that flow from the pages are never vague or puzzling. Yet that picture is painted so efficiently that the description doesn’t slow the pace. I’m happy to say the book includes zero made-up terms that may sound cool but are never explained, even though they pop up often. Using words that way is a pet peeve of mine. 

The heroine, an orphaned thief named Fox, can see ghosts and has other magical senses she doesn’t fully understand. She only steals what she needs and avoids taking from someone who needs the money more. Her best friend, Wren, also a thief and an orphan, is Fox’s sister in all but blood. The two of them are bond servants to a wealthy woman who hires them out for money. Neither Fox nor Wren knows how much is owed on her bond, and neither expects ever to pay it off. 

Fox’s creed is “Never be noticed.” Forced to choose between doing the right thing or not being noticed, however, she chooses what is right. Almost everything that happens to her in the story springs from one such choice. 

The hero, Nik, arrives at the stronghold, the city where Fox lives, in the train of the prince who is its new ruler. An assassination attempt against the prince leads Nik and Fox to work together. The romance between them builds slowly, and their cooperation leads to a number of unwelcome surprises for Fox. Her abilities draw the attention of a magic-wielder who means to destroy the prince’s dynasty, the Lys’Careths. 

The characters are sympathetic, engaging, and layered, and the romance, while not the primary storyline, is strong and well developed. The heat level increases as Fox and Nik’s emotional intimacy deepens. 

Because the story is told in first person, we have only Fox’s viewpoint on events and the relationship. We do get a good idea of Nik’s feelings from his reactions. 

The supporting characters are varied and elicit different levels of sympathy. The Lady, who holds Fox’s and Wren’s bonds, is mercenary and grasping but not unkind to them. The palace staff and guardsmen are loyal and efficient, a contrast to the local city guard, and each has a moment to show individual personality traits. 

Unfortunately, Fox isn’t the only woman interested in Nik’s heart. The other woman, while manipulative and not generally trusted, has a moment that sparks Fox’s grudging sympathy for her. 

The plot is logical and builds off the unique features of the story world. The choices Fox and Nik make are believable because they are in keeping with the characters’ beliefs as established earlier in the story. The book doesn’t wrap everything up at the end, but the ending was satisfying and believable. 

I’m reluctant to include more about the characters or the plot. I don’t want to spoil the twists the story takes. 

You may have gathered that I was cruising toward a five-star review. I was. But one thing about the book pulled me out of the story and frustrated me. In four or five places, I needed dialogue attributions that aren’t supplied. When more than two characters are in a scene, it isn’t always possible to tell which one is speaking based on the content of the dialogue. When I’m confused because I don’t know who is talking, I have to stop and count lines back from the last attribution. Even then, I can’t always tell. This happened in only four or five places, and balancing those rare frustrating incidents against my tremendous enjoyment of the rest of the story led me to take off only ¼ of a star. 

I highly recommend this book, and I can’t wait for the next one. 

~ 4.75 stars 

Nancy

 

Reader questions from Nancy: 

Do you read romantasy? 

If you’re a romantasy reader, where on the continuum of worldbuilding do you fall? Do you like detailed worldbuilding, or are you closer to the minimalist level of a preindustrial setting, some magic or otherworldly elements and maybe some made-up terms? Or are you somewhere in between? 

Do you prefer the romance in a romantasy to be the central story, a strong but subordinate element, or a 50/50 split?

 

Review - - Archangel's Light

Archangel's Light

by Nalini Singh

The Guild Hunters Series - Book 14

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: October 26, 2021

Reviewed by Nancy

4.75 Stars

Warning: There is a spoiler in this review, though it’s probably one most readers expect.

 

Archangel’s Light is one of Singh’s most anticipated books. It recounts the long friendship of two young angels, Illium and Aodhan, from their meeting as children through the trials they both experienced, including the war against the now-deceased Archangel Lijuan of China, to the present discordant state of their treasured rapport. 

The book opens with Aodhan in China, former territory of Lijuan. He’s serving as second to new archangel Suyin, helping her root out the deposits of evil that remain in the country despite Lijuan’s death. Illium, known as Bluebell, is in New York with archangel Raphael, as usual, until Raphael sends Illium to China to offer Suyin additional help. His coming puts him and Aodhan in unavoidable proximity that forces them to confront the disruption of their relationship. 

The story alternates between present time, with Aodhan and Illium working to clear Suyin’s territory of residual darkness and help resettle her people, and the past, which spotlights vital moments in their friendship. The character bits are, quite simply, brilliantly done. The first few show the development their childhood bonds with each other and with Raphael and Aodhan’s growing closeness to Illium’s mother, Lady Sharine, the artist also known as the Hummingbird. Lady Sharine discovers early that Aodhan has a gift for art, the background to his career in adulthood as a sought-after artist. 

When Illium’s father, Aegaeon, goes into Sleep, a sort of suspended animation, abandoning Illium and Lady Sharine with premeditation but no warning, Raphael and Aodhan comfort and support Illium. We see part of the reason Raphael and Illium are so close. Illium in turn dedicates himself to supporting his mother, whose mind fractures as a result of this cruelty. 

We also see the truth of Illium’s lost mortal love and of the torment that made Aodhan withdraw from the world for centuries. Like Lady Sharine, Aodhan didn’t withdraw forever, and his psychological healing forces a new balance between him and Illium that neither really knows how to handle. They struggle to find their way while trying to secure China for its people. 

Along the way, Singh sets up what may be hints of stories to come. Aodhan and Illium find an abandoned child with a horrifying background and potentially menacing heritage. The possibility that Illium ascend to archangelic status and what that will mean for these friends comes through the story. 

At its heart, though, lie the twists and turns of a friendship and love developed through millennia. One of my favorite bits is early in the book when Lady Sharine escorts Illium and Aodhan, then very young, to school for the first time so they can make new friends. 

Now Aodhan looked at her with big eyes. “My friend, Blue.” 

“Yes. You’ll always be friends with Illium. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have other friends.” 

“Adi my friend,” Illium said in his most stubborn tone of voice, his little forehead scrunched up darkly. 

Oh, dear.… She’d make it a point to tell Jessamy to put the boys into different groups for games. Else, they’d pair up, demolish everyone else, and not widen their circle. 

The boys play together, get in trouble together, Aodhan often taking blame that belongs to Illium but also standing up for himself with his friend. 

The present-time conflict between the two mostly comes from Aodhan’s recovered ability to stand on his own and his feeling, months before, that Illium’s caretaking tendencies are smothering him. The key to working this out comes from Lady Caliane, Raphael’s mother, whose simple recitation of certain events gives Aodhan a new perspective. Suddenly he sees why Illium acts as he does. 

*****************************

SPOILERS AHEAD

*****************************

SPOILER (2 Paragraphs): Toward the end of the book, after Aodhan gains this insight, there’s a tender moment in which one of the two sets their relationship on a different track, moving them toward becoming lovers. What follows that moment is all beautifully done and doesn’t stint on their fears of what could happen to their friendship if this doesn’t work. The moment, itself, though, felt shortchanged to me. 

In any friends-to-lovers romance, there’s a moment when one friend realizes they want more. Then they reach for it. I didn’t get a sense of that here. It seemed more like an impulsive action that then led to a mutual realization, though they were still conflicted as to whether this could work. That’s fine, but I wanted the motivation, just a line or a thought, before the action. Others, of course may feel differently. 

END SPOILER: That’s my only quibble with a book that’s otherwise brilliantly executed. It’s an important moment, though, enough so that I can’t give the book 5 stars. Archangel’s Light is full of warmth and angst and love and loyalty Despite the flashbacks, the story moves at a good pace, and the supporting characters are sympathetic and have potential. 

This book will particularly appeal to readers who’ve waited for these angels’ story. I think readers can also follow and enjoy it without that background, though, thanks to the context the flashbacks provide. 

4.75 Stars ~ Highly Recommended. 

~Nancy