Blog Tour: Ember by Carol Oates + Giveaway!



When Candra Ember wakes up in hospital after a dangerous encounter with a red-haired woman, she is shocked to discover that seeing a winged boy wasn’t her imagination. Candra is exposed to a world of rivalry and sacrifice she never knew existed, and the aftermath of a war to save humanity thousands of years ago. Soon she finds herself relentlessly stalked by Sebastian, a beautiful and arrogant Watcher Angel and romantically pursued by his darkly seductive rival, Draven. Ultimately, dubious about her own goodness, Candra’s very existence compromises a tentative peace in the city of Acheron. (From GoodReads)

My Review

My first thought after reading Ember? Wow, just Wow.

My next thought? Seductive. And when I say seductive, I don't necessarily mean sexual. Ember is a book that, at times, felt extremely sensual. Author Carol Oates wrote very sensual scenes, that were hot and heavy without a single kiss or removal of clothes. Those romantic, seductive passages were all about the subtle gestures. The soft touch of a wrist, the heat in a gaze. Writing sensual scenes without the overtly sexual tone takes true skills from an author. In my opinion, Oates writing was simply fabulous. I read Ember within a few hours, often feeling as if I were in a trance. I simply devoured it.

Ember is a book filled with enthralling characters, who make you love them one minute and curse them the next. Except for Candra, I never cursed her. Candra was an engaging heroine. She has a quiet determination. She is unwilling to accept anything less than the whole truth. She does not rely on someone else to save her, she takes her fate (and other's) in her own hands. Candra has a beautiful selflessness about her. She is resolved to give up everything to protect those she cares about.

As for the men of Ember, I have one word: Swoon. Sebastian is full of self-torture and self-loathing. He is unable to put his violent, disgraceful past behind him. But, and I hardly believe it myself, he's still lovable. The author managed to make him a sympathetic character even when it seems he's done horrendous things.

Draven (by the way, awesome name!) is handsome and alluring. He is self-assured and has swagger. And, the guy is a master manipulator, always playing all angles.

 Sebastian and Draven are both sexy and dangerous. And I wasn't sure who was good or bad until the very end of the book. Just the way I like my guys!

In Ember, Carol Oates has written one gorgeous book. The book could definitely be a stand-alone, but for all our sake's, I hope there will be many more tales of Candra, Sebastian and Draven.

Favorite Quotes:

"You see this body and this face, but you can't see the ugliness that's inside. I've been a black cloud over everything and everyone I've ever come into contact with through my entire existence. You see a storm as a shelter."

"Something inside her called out to him as the moon called to the tide, dragging it forward to crash and break apart against an unyielding shore."

Paperback, 237 pages

Published July 19th 2011 by Omnific Publishing

You can find Ember at:

GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

You can find author Carol Oates at her website.

Want to win an ebook of ember? All you have to do is leave a comment on this review. Be sure to leave an email address so you can be contacted.


Be sure to Check out the Blog Tour Schedule and comment on all the blog tour stops to be entered into the EMBER giveaway.

Grand Prize: A silver butterfly necklace, an EMBER canvas tote, and an ebook of EMBER.
Runner-up Prize: A canvas EMBER tote and a print copy of EMBER.


Winner will be announced September 21, 2011. Good Luck!